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Food and the Goddessby Karri Allrich
"The Goddess is alive, and magick is afoot" the navy blue Jeep in front of me proclaimed. I smile every time I see that bumper sticker -- even though it's stuck on the rear of my own vehicle! I was still smiling as I hustled my way into the fiercely lit grocery store and swung toward the produce aisle, passing crates of green and orange winter squash, and apples in every color. Then I saw them. On the end of an aisle. Next to prepackaged sponge cakes. Strawberries. In pint size boxes. In November. And exactly where did they come from? Nowhere in Massachusetts, I can assure you. Now I have nothing against strawberries, in fact I adore them. Served in a big bowl, whole bright berries with their leafy stems attached, waiting to be dipped in a cloud of sour cream, then rolled in grainy brown sugar. The quintessential Midsummer treat. But not in November, not when the howling New England winds had begun to batter the eaves in earnest. I was craving cinnamon, and warm apple crisp, a cozy mug of spiced hot chocolate and a bowl of buttered popcorn. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but thanks to airplanes carrying summer fruit across continents, it seems we Americans have lost our natural instinct for what's good for us. The foods that refresh us in June are not the same foods that nourish our bones in Midwinter. Our grandmothers knew this. By aligning ourselves closer to nature's cycles, we bring the Goddess back into our everyday awareness. When we eat what the season offers, we connect with the changing rhythms of the Goddess Gaia, the earth herself. This connection between food and Goddess is an ancient one. Earliest peoples worshipped Mother Earth as the Great Provider, finding sustenance in her seeds, roots and fruit, and healing in her herbs and sparkling waters. Within her caves and caverns they found shelter. As agriculture flourished, so did gratitude for the Great Mother's fertility. The Wheel of the Year was marked and celebrated by the turning of the seasons, reflecting the community's close tie with the earth's cycle of planting, growth, harvest and dormancy. Stories and myths emerged to symbolize this ongoing dance between the Goddess, earth, and her Consort, the sun. Our various earth-centered spiritual paths revolve around these very basic truths. As our consumer culture relies less and less on natural rhythms, and more on corporate farming methods and artificial food products, we are losing a very fundamental connection to the life force. A recent survey revealed that a staggering number of urban children thought that milk came from a carton. They were astonished to learn that milk actually comes from cows! In seeking the Goddess today, we are finding ourselves on a path that turns with the earth, Our Mother, in tune with her seasons. The Goddess as Great Mother Gaia has much to teach us, if we only take the time to listen to her lessons, to celebrate her offerings, and respect her natural balance. What are her winter lessons? The raw and dormant months of descent are for grounding ourselves, taking time out for rest and restoration. Finding our center despite the pressure of our extroverted society to keep doing at any cost, keep producing, keep focusing outward. My advice? Serve warming comfort foods during the long chill of winter. Take space for solitude and say no to requests for your time and energy. Ground yourself with lots of slow simmering soups crafted from earthy vegetables like potatoes, carrots and onions. Take time out to read a new book while a hearty casserole slowly bakes in the oven. Try your hand at bread making. Dig out the Crock Pot. And please, pass by the strawberries and have apple crisp instead.
Karri Allrich is an artist, writer, cook and Dream Witch. Her Scott-Irish heritage informs her love of the Goddess and her path toward individuation. Published books include "Recipes from a Vegetarian Goddess: Delectable Feasts Through the Seasons"and the forthcoming "A Witch' s Book of Dreams: Understanding the Power of Dreams and Symbols", both fromLlewellyn Publications. ORDER FROM POWELLS! She is currently working on her second cookbook, due out in 2002. Visit her website at: www.c4.net/allrichstudios/ |
