Carl Jung once said “hunger turns food into gods” (I would substitute “goddesses” in place of “god”). This pretty well sums up the rituals and mythologies of our ancient ancestors. Food was directly tied to the goddesses. Our word “cereal” comes from the Roman goddess Ceres, goddess of agriculture. The ancient Greek festival known as Thargelia, devoted to the earth goddess Demeter, had at its core, the thargalos (a loaf of bread). The process of making bread evolved over time and the consequences were revolutionary. We learned how to store grain. Bread became plentiful which gave our ancestors time to think, to philosophize and theologize. Bread became a metaphor for the “Word” (Logos) as religion moved up from the stomach to the head. Mother Earth goddesses gave way to Father Sky gods and we began to take for granted our absolute, utter dependence on the Earth. It’s time to recognize where our bread comes from and to pay tribute to Mother Earth. We may even have a Mother Earth communion on this day. Be ready.