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Welcome to the Mabon Tarot Blog Hop. We are a community of bloggers who have come together to discuss a theme or answer a question as posed to us by our wranglers. The wranglers this go-round are Jay Cassells and me, Arwen Lynch-Poe. Jay did all the heavy lifting as I am engrossed in my upcoming Trust Your Gut Intuitive Tarot class (10 week online and starts 10/1/2016).

Jay offered this as our subject: Foodies Guide To the Tarot. He suggested several ways to approach this subject. I was THRILLED with it. I have an ongoing Tarot&Food Project that I've been working on for years. As I pondered how to approach this, my husband asked me to make a pot of beans. Pinto beans to be precise. So that's on my stove right now. The house smells divine.

Another clue to how I came to my topic is my state of mind. I just got home from a Gaian Soul Retreat (with Joanna Colbert). This was the final retreat at a location dearly loved by all who have attended. It was a time to slow down, go deep. I did both. We were honored to have Ellen Lorenzi-Prince (She Who Calls The Dark Goddesses) as our guest teacher. I treated myself to a reading with Ellen. Her Dark Goddess Tarot speaks to me on a very personal level.

A third piece comes from the hands of Elaine Nichols of Radical Rolling Pin. She is our chef for the retreat and also a much-loved participant. Her food transports me in ways it's hard to articulate. She is truly gifted. I think a large part of it is how the food is prepared. Her assistant, and also fellow retreater, Latisha G of Herbmother.com talked about how she did her part of the food prep with deliberate intention. I know Elaine does that as well. For me, it lifted the food up from "gee this is good" to "this nourishes me on all levels."

As we were gathered around the tables for our meals, my mind wandered back to a time in my life when my community had potlucks all the time. I miss that communal gathering of my tribe. I miss the laughter, the food, the sharing--all of it. I even miss the up-to-my-elbows cleanup. And I miss the laughter and tears of my sisters more than I can express. That's normal right after retreat. It will subside. It will ease.

Which brings me to the topic of food and Tarot. I wondered what a potluck with the Queens might be like. When I reviewed my Tarot&Food index, I saw that I had three Queens already done but still needed the Queen of Pentacles. I'd struggled with what the Queen of Pentacles might bring. In the writing of this, I realized what the original comfort mama would bring to a potluck with her sisters.

First, let's see what the others would bring. There would be five of course as I cannot leave out the Empress. She would bring her amazing bread. Her hands kneading in love, joy, health and abundance then placing the loaves in the oven. The fire of her heart brings the bread from dough to fluffy goodness. She enters the gathering with a smile and an all-encompassing hug.

Next comes the always-early Queen of Air--she of the Eastern Quarter, the intellectual one. Her Cabbage Au Gratin sends heavenly scents wafting through the air. As she places her dish on the table, the Queen of Swords rushes in. Her Show-Off Chicken always delights. The Queen of Cups strolls in next making sure to compliment the three already there. In her dutch oven, her I'm Just Ribbin' Ya Beef Stew is bubbling merrily away. The four settle in for a chat while they wait for their last sister, the Queen of Pentacles.

Representing our Queens: The Housewives Tarot Queen of Swords, The Dark Goddess Tarot Queen of Fire aka the Witch of Fire, and the Bohemian Gothic Tarot Queen of Cups. Our Empress comes to us courtesy of the LeGrande Circus and Sideshow Tarot.

"I'm here, my darlings!" Her call from the back door makes them laugh. She's rarely one to take the front entrance. It's more practical to come to the back as she lives just on the other side of the garden. Her hands are full so her sisters move to help her. Wine is uncorked, salad is set out and then she shows them her dish.

"I made you pinto beans so we could remember the duality of nature. I love their red and white jackets, don't you?" Eyes twinkling, the Queen of Pentacles removes the lid from the deep green pot. Ham and beans tumble together. Everyone agrees that it is time to eat.

And the lovely Queen of Pentacles from the Crystal Vision Tarot.

Here is the recipe for the Queen of Pentacles Plenty of Pintos.

Step One: Soak 2 cups of dried pintos beans overnight.

Step Two: Drain the beans and put them in a heavy dutch oven. Add some ham (I used some leftovers from last Mabon that have been in my freezer waiting to be used.) Cover with water to an inch above the beans. Stir in salt, pepper and garlic to taste. My experience is that you don't want to over season the beans. Let your guests have access to hot sauce and salt for their own creations.

Step Three: Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 4-6 hours. I check on mine every hour just to see how they are going.

I serve this with cornbread.

Thanks so much for being at my Queens of the Tarot potluck. I hope you will be encouraged to have a potluck of your own.

Seek joy, y'all and remember! Hop the whole hop. Please leave comments as you go. If you are a Tarot/Divination blogger who would like to join us, please join our Facebook group.

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