My family has been practicing Meatless Monday for as long as I can remember. My parents practiced it; their parents did; and so on. As a big history nerd I knew how it started, but over time it’s morphed into something I think the wider Witch community might revisit.
When the United States finally entered into World War I, much of the European landscape that was once flourishing farms were battlefields, and many of its male, head-of-household farmers were either dead or serving as soldiers. Surviving elders, women, and children did what they could, but anyone can tell you that a freshly sown crop run down by military tanks isn’t going to sprout well. American soldiers were affected by the food crisis once they began arriving in Europe to fight.
Under the direction of Herbert Hoover, the then U.S. Food Administration began its “Food Will Win The War – Produce It!” campaign. This was done in an effort to keep Americans from having to move to a ‘rations’ system as was necessary in Europe during the war as well as to support our soldiers overseas. Citizens from the Atlantic to the Pacific were asked to cut back on meat, fat, sugar, and wheat and participate in what was then termed ‘Meatless Tuesdays and Wheatless Wednesdays.” No meat on Tuesday, No wheat on Wednesday.
In November of 1917 in New York City, the city’s hotels managed to save nearly 100 tons of meat. That November, also, more than 11 million American households signed a pledge to take part in this effort. They pledged to buy food with thought, to cook it with care, to serve just enough, to save what would keep, to eat what would spoil, and to know that home-grown is best.
Rations eventually were necessary when it came to sugar, butter, and oils, but the country embraced eating fresh fruits and vegetables, since none of that could be shipped overseas. Liberty (and/or War) gardens, which would morph into Victory gardens, began to take hold. You could eat rye bread (no wheat, you see) with fresh tomatoes and sour cream and be helping the soldiers and citizens in Europe.
These efforts were mimicked again during World War II quickly – the last war had not been that long before. Given the history of how producing food helped in WWI, American citizens quickly mobilized to turn every space around their homes into food production.
Post World War II, Meatless Tuesday morphed into the more recognizable and alliterative form of Meatless Monday. At the turn of the century, it was not spurred by war, but rather by public health campaigns to embrace a more plant-based diet. For my family, it was all about the grocery budget. And even though my family was not Catholic, and outside of the season of Lent, we only ate fish on Fridays. Again, it was a budget thing (and honestly, likely helped the meal planner on the daily conundrum of ‘what’s for dinner, mom?”)
Today, it serves all the purposes that you could think of from meal planning ease, health, cost, and environmental impact. As a Witch, I want all these things in my life: a softer impact on Mama Earth, extra dollars in my wallet, a focus on healthier foods (especially home produced), and knowing what direction to plan a meal. If we incorporated such a practice into the way we walk in the Craft, we could help save 133 gallons of water with each meatless meal and reduce our carbon footprint by 8 pounds each time you participate. But the opportunity to make Magic on Meatless Monday cannot be discounted. I have found it a simple way to expand my own practice as a Witch.
Combine all of the above with a little Magic? And you have a weekly touchstone, something mindful to focus on besides capitalism on Mondays. Does it mean you have to add Magic to every meatless meal you make? As I’ve written to you multiple times now, absolutely not. But, if you set a goal to do it once a month, I’m sure you’ll recognize the powerfulness of this simple ritual. Yes, Meatless Monday can be a ritual (Or Fish Fridays, if you prefer). That’s the wonderful thing about being a Witch. Many of our paths are very ‘choose your own adventure.’ You may choose this or not. I offer it only as an option and to show you how it’s blessed my own life.
When I craft a Meatless Monday menu, (say that five items fast), I try to keep it very plant-forward. I try to avoid only doing things like pasta – especially with cheese – because dairy can be a crutch when it comes to eating more plant-based, e.g. meatless. This is where my seasonal focus also is easily highlighted. Don’t know what to cook? Visit your local food co-op or farmer’s market and buy what’s in season. Right now it’s squash, brassicas, and mushrooms. As always you can check the correspondences of the foods you love and what you want to bring into your life, as a way to decide what to make. Whether you use seasonal or magical energies to lead the way, it’s a powerful tool.
Over on my Patreon is a Meatless Monday working to help bring health, wealth, and the wisdom to do what we can to help this ecosystem which we are all a part of, as well as, save a little emotional energy along the way. Monday = no meat. Open up your magical kitchen! You can easily do this once a month and then work up to once a week.
Come join my Patreon and learn all kinds of magical ways to be, know and do, and meet some fellow kindred witchy souls. Saving some money, upping your veggie intake, and feeling good when Monday ends is just a bonus.