The Mystical Cauldron
Mabon Edition - September 2007
Table of Contents
Mabon Traditions
Mabon Symbols
Mabon Poem
Recipes for the Mabon Feast
Mabon, the Autumn Equinox, also known as Harvest Home and the Witches' Thanksgiving falls on September 21-23. Summer is officially over now. It is a time of balance as we honor the equal day and night. Mabon is the second of the harvest festivals so for us, it heralds the time of year when we see the harvest of those things we planted for ourselves at the beginning of the year. For our ancestors, this meant harvesting crops (both of grain and of fruits and vegetables), but for many of us it now has a different meaning... harvesting our goals. What goals did you achieve? What goals have yet to be met? Is it a bountiful harvest? YES! Even if you did not meet all your goals, it is still a bountiful harvest for you because you have learned and grown throughout this year. You have improved and changed... found new ways to do things and gotten rid of old habits or feelings that were no longer of benefit to you or those around you. How can this not be bountiful?
Mabon Traditions
There are many ways to celebrate Mabon; each a part of the larger tradition. Some of these are...
Share our harvest with those less fortunate.
Honor the aging God and Goddess.
Bid farewell to Summer.
Make and share wine.
Bake fresh bread or cobblers.
Go to an orchard to harvest your own fruit.
Mabon Symbols
Cornucopia - The 'Horn of Plenty'
Gourds - Used for decoration during the fall and then as useful tools once dried and prepared.
Wine - The fruit of the grape vine is harvested at this time of year, pressed and fermented. Originally done in a sacred fashion, which made wine, and the partaking of it a sacred thing.
Grains - The fruit of the harvests, it is these grains which will see us through the winter. Our ancestors believed that the Goddess (or God, depending on the tradition) retreated into the last of the grain to be harvested, there to remain until Spring, when life would be renewed by the grains sprouting again once planted.
Pomegranates - A reminder to us of the time Persephone spent (and will spend again) in the Underworld.
Nuts - The fruits of the trees, which will help sustain life during the winter months.
Fall Leaves - The beauty of the colors. The vivid reminder that trees are preparing for winter... and so should we.
Mabon Poem
© Rev. Raven Spirit 2002
The cool wind blows in the trees
The God has fallen to his knees
Love for the land
Of kin and clan
A sacrifice so strong and noble
He has just secured our survival
Fruit of the vine
His gift in kind
Is ripe and sweet
Ready to eat
The year doth wane
As summer fades
Orange, brown and yellow too
These colors of the autumn skew.
As the life from the earth begins to fade
We are reminded of goals set on Yule day
We have watched them grow
Truth to know
Now we harvest the fruit
Of the seeds we've sown
Are you happy with the things you've done?
Or do you wish you could hide your head, and run
The wheel teaches lessons vast
But in the end, you plant your path
Sown with joy, harmony, graces
Or pain and strife, unhappy faces
But now we celebrate
And give thanks for the Lord and the Lady
Mabon Recipes
Corn Chowder
From the book "Mabon, Celebrating the Autumn Equinox" by Kristin Madden
1 red onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 leek, sliced
2-3 potatoes, diced
6 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 Cup vegetable (or chicken) broth
2 pints half-and-half
16 oz. corn kernels
Directions
1. Saute onion, celery, leek, and potatoes n butter until onions are transparent and potatoes are soft.
2. Add flour and seasonings and cook for 1 minute, gradually adding broth. Stir frequently until mixture thickens. (Mixture may be pureed at this point if you wish)
3. Add corn and half-and-half. Simmer for twenty minutes
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2 acorn squash, washed and cut in halves
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 cup of crushed Ritz crackers
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup brown sugar
Directions
1. Wash and cut acorn squash in half from stem to bottom
2. Scoup out the seeds and rub the inside and cut parts with butter
3. Put the acorn squash on a cookie sheet
4. Melt the butter, and mix in the walnuts, brown sugar, and crackers
5. Place in the holes of the squash and bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes or until done.
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3 pounds Lean Beef, cubed
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/4 cup flour
2 quarts beef broth (or water)
1 1/2 Tablespoons Salt
1/4 Tablespoon Pepper
2 Tablespoons Minced Parsley
2-3 potatoes, diced
1/2 cup Barley
1 cup Carrots, cubed
1/4 cup Onion, chopped
1/2 cup Celery, chopped
2 cups Canned Tomatoes, drained
1 cup Peas
Directions
Coat beef in seasoned flour
Brown meat in oil.
Place meat, broth, seasonings and parsley in a soup kettle. Cover tightly and simmer 1 hour.
Add barley and potatoes and simmer another hour.
Cool and skim off excess fat.
Add carrots, onion, celery and tomatoes. Simmer 45 minutes.
Add fresh peas and continue cooking 15 minutes.
Can be doubled or tripled and freezes well.
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1-1/4 Cups Pecan Pieces
2 Eggs, Slightly Beaten
1 Cup Light Karo Syrup
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Vanilla.
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Spread pecans in an unbaked 9-inch pie shell.
3. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over pecans.
4. Bake slowly at 375 degrees until done, approximately 1 hour.
Hint: Cover the edges of the pie crust with foil about halfway through baking to prevent crust from getting too brown before the pie is done.
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5 1/2 lb Apples; peeled & finely chopped
4 c Sugar
2-3 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground Cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. Place apples in slow cooker.
2. Combine sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt; pour over apples and mix well.
3. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour.
4. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 9-11 hours or until thickened and dark brown, stirring occasionally (stir more frequently as it thickens to prevent sticking).
(Once mixture becomes a good dark brown color, you can puree it in the blender and then cook it until properly thickened. When I did it this way, it only had to cook for about 5-6 hours and it was Wonderful!)
5. Uncover and cook on low 1 hour longer. If desired, stir with a wire whisk until smooth.
6. Spoon into freezer containers, leaving 1/2" headspace. Cover and refrigerate or
freeze.
Stuffed Acorn Squash
Beef & Barley Vegetable Stew
Pecan Pie
Crock Pot Apple Butter
Mabon Traditions |
Mabon Symbols |
Mabon Poem |
Recipes for the Mabon Feast |
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