Mabon Kitchen Witchery: Harnessing the Magick of Seasonal Foods

There are many foods that are great to include in your Mabon feast, on your Mabon altar, or even in your Mabon rituals and spell work. They have ties to the sabbat and serve as a symbol of the season. These foods are more than symbols, though. They have their own innate magick that can bring specific power and energy into dishes or the entire meal when prepared with intention and their magick in mind. You heighten the innate magick of the food when preparing it for the sabbat it is associated with. For that reason, doing more than just serving the symbols of the season, but instead preparing and eating it with intention, is a way to really enhance the magick of food.

For Mabon, we’ve discussed root vegetables and squashes in depth before (you can see the previous Wicca Magazine articles about root vegetables and squashes, plus kitchen witchery recipes in past issues), so we will discuss other foods here.

Apples: Apple trees originate in Central Asia but are now found all over the world. There are over 7,500 apple cultivars worldwide, which are grown for varying reasons, such as baking, cooking, raw eating, cider production, and more. In 2018, worldwide production of apples was 86 million tons. China accounted for almost half of that total. The word apple derives from the Proto-Germanic word for fruit. In fact, the word appel was used as a generic term for all fruit (for example, appel of paradis meant banana), and this persisted from Middle English even into the 17th century.

Apples have lore and mysticism in almost every culture and religion (see our previous articles on the apple for more). Their magick is especially strong at Mabon. Ruled by the planet Venus, the elemental correspondence of apples is Water. Its strongest energies are love, health, and peace. Carve a heart into an apple before eating it to draw love to you. Cooked apples help bring you peace. Apple cider, when drunk with intention and visualization, should be consumed for health.

Corn: First domesticated by the indigenous cultures of southern Mexico more than 10,000 years ago, corn is a staple in many cultures worldwide today. Maize, as the grain is called in a few countries, is the highest produced grain by volume in the world – outstripping even wheat and rice. The United States is the largest producer of corn, in part due to its extensive subsidies for the grain. The word maize derives from the Taíno word mahiz, which is the Taíno word for corn. It is used for a variety of foodstuffs, as well as for animal feed, fuel, and as a sweetener.

As with apples, corn has been around so long that it has more stories and lore attached to it than there are kernels on one ear. You can read more about the lore and historical magickal uses for corn in our previous articles. For kitchen witchery, corn’s energies are protection and spirituality. Ruled by the sun, its elemental correspondence is Fire. Carve a pentagram in unbaked cornbread dough for protection. Scattering cornmeal at your ritual site (outdoors) enhances blessings and spirituality.

Beans: The word bean covers a plethora of species and types, but being related, most beans will have similar properties. The cultivation and consumption of beans predate ceramics – so they’ve been in the human diet for quite a while. An alternative source of protein (replacing meat), beans are a common staple in many diets around the world.

Several deities in multiple cultures, such as Apollo, were offered beans in sacrifice. Greeks and Romans used beans for voting, with black beans marking a no vote and white beans marking a yes vote. Beans were also thought to increase sexual desire, so many priests and priestesses were forbidden from eating them. Saint Jerome said nuns couldn’t eat beans because they “tickled the genitals.” Perhaps it is unsurprising, then, that one of beans’ energies is sex. The other it is strongest in is money. Ruled by the planet Mercury, their elemental correspondence is Air. Eat beans made with other money attracting foods, such as ginger and maple syrup, for wealth. Hot chili made with beans will offer protection.

Nuts: Long thought of as gifts from the gods, nuts are a great source of nutrients and energy (which is why they feature so frequently in trail mix). There is a wide range of nuts with different properties and correspondences, so we’ll go over a few here.

Almond:Ruled by the planet Mercury, the almond’s elemental correspondence is Air. Eat almonds for money and healing energies. They can be raw, cooked, or candied!

Brazil nut:Not technically a nut, the Brazil nut is nevertheless a popular nut-like culinary addition to diets. Ruled by the planet Venus, its elemental correspondence is Earth. Brazil nuts are great for love or money diets. A potent love loaf is a banana bread made with chopped Brazil nuts. For increased money and prosperity, draw a 5-pointed star on the nut before eating.

Cashew:Raw or in cooked dishes, cashews can be eaten to increase your income. Their primary energy is money. Their elemental correspondence is Fire, and they are ruled by the sun.

Chestnut:Ruled by the sun and with the elemental correspondence of Air, the chestnut’s energies are love and the conscious mind. Strengthen the conscious mind by eating chestnuts with intention and visualization. Roasted chestnuts (roasted with intention and focus) induce love energies when consumed.

Walnut:A common addition to apple treats (so very common to find this time of year), walnuts are best used when working with protection energies or strengthening the conscious mind. Because of their resemblance to the brain, they are associated with wisdom and were long used to cure ailments of the mind. Ruled by the sun, Fire is the walnut’s elemental correspondence.

There are many other foods, herbs, and spices that serve as symbols of the Mabon sabbat. Working their innate magick into your preparation allows them to serve as more than just a symbol.