or Harvest Home, if you're Diana
Ever since a friend in Kalamazoo asked the question, "What do I cook my ancestors for dinner?" it's been a slow process of realizing that for many people, they haven't just lost touch with the land. They lost touch with their kitchens, their gardens, or the real meaning behind home.
My meditation on the equinox brings me the answer that Nikki and I have wrestled with since our ever-so-slightly-unholy friendship formed: who are our people? She and I took to teach each other because we didn't quite fit with what was around us. Over time, more people who felt the same way found us and found a place where they could be celebrated for the limitations they fed. My question came back to the core of it: what were we all doing? What held us together? What were we doing after Emperor Norton magickal people social meetings?
Then it hit me:
We were sitting around a table, talking and giving each other support, occasional readings, and insight. We were helping each other become a more healed community by meeting each other where we were without demanding anyone meet more of a standard than basic decency. People were invited to unmask at our meetings, and they did. They felt safe enough!
The other part was that when we were having our sidebars outside those meetings, we almost always started our gatherings in each others' kitchens. We were having coffee and burning things in our cauldrons while we sipped coffee. We were whipping up bottles and spells or sometimes just having brunch with tarot on the side. The Kitchen Witchcraft was the bridge in and out from the bigger table at my favorite coffee shop.
We are the people of the kitchen, hedge, wilderness, and city. To us, these spaces are equally important and equally pure and impure. We are different religions, if we even have them. We talk to different gods, and we honor our ancestors and respect one another's. Our neighbors, those who do not come to the table, are still our community, and so long as hospitality is honored, we welcome them. We are here to break the bubbles, and to become together more than what we ever were, whether that means leaving something behind or taking on something new that forces us to rethink our very beings. We don't judge, but we do draw boundaries. We don't mean to be rule breakers; if the rules can be broken, they couldn't have been very well made. That's why we like physics (until tight jeans are involved.)
We are the village-and-city table. Think of Golden Apple as an old West San Francisco tavern that welcomes all that abide by the laws of hospitality. Be excellent to each other. Don't be a dick. May you never hunger, and may you never thirst. What do you need our wild and motley mix to send into the community today?
For the Autumn Equinox, here is what we have for those who wish to partake. Use what works for you. Comment here, talk to us or go to our Facebook Group Under the Golden Apple Tree and talk to us. What's happening with you, and what are you seeing in the community? We can't fix everything but those wee things, those small things, those we sometimes can. Wee things have a way of building up. Ask any mouse.
The Menu
Acorn Squash and Apple Soup
Baked Apples
Fresh bread (it's a great time to support your local bakery)
Roasted or Air Fried Green Beans with pomegranates (California) or with a savory Lemon Sauce (Midwest)
Cranberry Sauce and Endive Salad
Meat Options:
Leg of Lamb, especially if you have mint in your garden
Seared Pork Chops
Come hang out with us at Under the Golden Apple Tree on Facebook! Ask your magickal questions, and we'll answer some there and some via TikTok!
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