Jera; the Harvest

The Door of warm golden wood was carved with Jera, surrounded by a wreath of apples and leaves.  I opened the door and stepped over the threshold and into the Otherworld. 

I looked at my feet but they were hidden beneath the hem of a burgundy silk gown.  The floor was stone, like the Tower itself but covered in soft colorful rugs. 

I looked around and found myself in a large room lit with lanterns and a fire burning in the hearth at one end.  The air smelled of cinnamon and fresh baked bread.

 In the center of the room was a long wooden table dressed in gold and red brocade and filled with an abundance of food.  Platters and bowls and baskets filled with honey glazed ham, fresh bread and hard cheese, apples and peaches and berries, pitchers of cider and wine, and vases of roses and autumn flowers.  

Dancing music filled the room and the sound of laugher and cheerful conversation.  The chairs around the table were filled with the harvest of a life lived well, family of blood and family of choice, lovers and dear friends, and children who have not yet been born.  My heart was filled with love and hope and joy at the sight and sound of these beloved ones.  This is the harvest I hope for.  Beloveds who are happy and well.  Being surrounded by them in celebration of life.  May my Gods grant me this harvest.  So mote it be.

I spent a long time enjoying the company and when I became tired I fell asleep in a soft comfortable chair beside the fire with a babe in my arms.  When I woke I was again in the mundane world.