The Pagan Heart
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August-September 2005 Issue
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The Art of the Kitchen Witch
By Josh P.
I have mentioned previously my past as an Alexandrian Wiccan, and despite my having moved on from that path, I still have close spiritual ties to much within it. One of the strongest being the Wheel of the Year. The Wheel is generic to all paths of Wicca and many non Wiccan traditions. However the ways we celebrate vary coven to coven, group to group, individual to individual. I have participated in a variety of different styles and always I find myself returning to my roots. Maybe it is because it is so familiar - like an old bathrobe. Maybe because it is so ingrained. Whatever the reason, this is a time when the Old ways suit me best. For those unfamiliar with Alexandrian tradition, it is quite similar in form to Gardinarian, although there are a number of basic differences such as the athame representing the fire in which it was forged and the wand the air through which its parent tree once waved its branches. There is a strong focus upon the male-female and the sexuality and tension in that relationship - after all, this is what human (and much of animal) life in its most basic form is - combat and tension. From this comes much of the focus upon the Holly and Oak Kings with their continual cyclic conflict and wooing of the Earth Queen. In keeping with this, the Queen (and her representative High Priestess) is seen as the higher authority. Lucky me, I live with a Dianic witch who makes a superlative Earth Goddess in our rituals. With Mabon, or Harvest Home, approaching I am in full swing preparing for our observations. Where once I participated in high ritual within the coven, these days my observations are of a less ceremonial note and more homely. Downright Kitchen Witchy. Mabon is the time of balance, a moment between the dying summer and birthing winter when night and day are of equal length. This is when we offer thanks to the Goddess for all she has given us over the past year. We celebrate with the bounty harvested from her soil, gathering with family and friends to eat, drink, and be merry. It is also a time of reflection - looking back over the year and forward over the next. Assessing where we have got to in our life's journey and how well we have done. And also where we have fallen short. This is a time to measure the scales and see what needs to be done in life to keep them balanced. As the festival nears I engage in a lot of ritual within my home - it may not seem like much, but preserving food and carving pumpkins is serious mojo. In some ways Mabon is the most important festival for me as a witch. The actions I take are the foundational stones in the health and sanctity of my home for the next year. While I may be lacksidasical in most rituals, with Mabon I am quite particular. In the weeks leading up to the day itself, I do a fair amount of shopping. Then the weekend before the equinox I start. It begins with a shower to cleanse myself physically, followed by meditation and prayer. Katya follows suit, preparing for her role in this. While she is meditating, I get out the broom and sweep out the entire house, banishing all negativity and listlessness. I light a couple of candles - vanilla and cinnamon are my favorites - and a smudgestick, and bless the kitchen. I don't like burning (or smoldering) sage, so I use rosemary and lavender dried and tied up tightly. After cleansing the chopping board and prepping the bench I get serious. To me, Mabon is best celebrated by two things - a big feast and some preserving of the year's "bounty" to tide one over through the winter. In the lead-up to the festival preserving is the order of the day. Now I'm not big on canning and drying and all that stuff. It's hard work and much easier to just buy the tin - or use fresh. But jams and jellies, candied fruit, fruit leather - this is a different matter. And, oddly enough, pemmican. I see pemmican as a very appropriate food to be made at Mabon. In these two activities are encapsulated all the significance of the festival. And since this is my favorite one, it's important to get the blessing of the gods. So, once my kitchen is smudged and blessed, I set up a small altar overlooking the work space. This is not a usual thing - reserved only for the high holy days - since usually I make do with a nod and offer of a drop of wine to the kitchen icon on the wall. But for Mabon I want the two Kings and the Queen to partake in the ritual. I set a small candle before them and a bowl. Then I begin collecting all the ingredients, measuring and sorting, and lining them up on the bench. The foods for my jellies and leathers blend nicely into those for the pemmican. I take a small portion of each food and combine them in the gods' bowl. This is my first offering to them. By now Katya is finished and helping get it all set u. Usually this makes things a little chaotic as our kitchen is not that large. But we manage. Once the food is all laid out, we cast our circle and call our quarters. Katya asks the Queen to bless us and I ask the Kings. She then chants an invocation to Kernunnos - the last few years it has been Lady Sheba's Invocation to the Horned One which I quite like, being dedicated to Kernunnos and all. The God having awoken replies, and I recite Astarte's Hymn. We ask the gods to bless our food and the coming year. Then, together, we grind a handful of grains and herbs and mix it into the flour set aside to make a bannock loaf. This will be used to make our ritual bread on Mabon Eve. About this point Katya normally excuses herself from the ritual - she isn't that keen on cooking as it is, and being trapped in the kitchen while I go crazy tends to drive her a little...well...crazy herself. Once she's fled the house, the fun begins with chopping and mixing and mashing and cooking. By the end of it I have bowls and platters of foods. The final stage is to offer each item up to the gods to "taste" and then to package them up and put them away. One small portion of each dish is set aside - this will be used in the Mabon feast, imparting the spiritual power of the Equinox (through sympathetic magic) to the rest of the dishes. Over the next year these foods will be used in festivals and special events such as birthdays, drawing all the power of this festival into those days. Once I am finished, cleaned up and everything put away, I thank the quarters, open the circle, and ground once more. Usually the kitchen is buzzing with energy. Rather than let it all dissipate, I take a fan and fan the energy throughout the house, filling it with positive energy. I hope this glimpse into one of my rituals is of interest. Maybe even offers you some suggestions for your own. May this Mabon bring balance and blessings to your life.
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