Michaelmas, blackberries and letting go

At this time of year I can often be found gathering fruits from the hedgerows. When I was a child my grandmother used to tell us not to pick blackberries on or after 11 October as that was when the devil peed on them! I wondered where on earth this bizarre tale had come from. A little investigation uncovered a link with Michaelmas.

Michaelmas, or the Feast of Michael and All Angels, is celebrated on 29 September. It is one of the “quarter days” of England, the others being Lady Day (25 March), Midsummer (24 June), and Christmas (25 December). These dates, close to the solstices or equinoxes, were the four dates on which servants were hired, rents due or leases begun. Traditionally, the harvest should be completed by Michaelmas, marking of the end of the productive season and the beginning of the new farming cycle. Michaelmas also came to mark the beginning of legal and university terms.

Archangel Michael appears in the Book of Daniel as protector of Israel. In the Book of Revelation Michael leads God's armies against Satan's forces, defeats them and expels them from heaven. Michael has been venerated as an angel of healing and protection in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. At Michaelmas the nights draw in and the days grow colder. Michael's help is requested in defending the faithful against the forces of darkness.

Folklore says that 'Old Michaelmas Day', 10 October (the date change coming from the change from Julian to Gregorian calendar), is the last day that blackberries should be picked. When Lucifer was expelled from Heaven by Michael, he fell from the skies and landed in a blackberry bush. He cursed the fruit and made them unfit for human consumption - the means by which he achieved this differs in different areas of the UK - in southern England he peed on them, in northern England he spat on them, in Ireland he stamped on them and in Scotland he threw a club at them.

This story is a way to persuade children not to consume blackberries when they are past their best. Are there things in our lives that are past their best? At this season of change, I invite you to consider what would be good for you to let go of, to restore balance in your life and to prepare you for a time of rest and reflection over winter.