Magickal Winds -

ALL About Mabon: History, Recipes, Correspondences, Activities and Much More!  (Part 5)

(A Diverse Collection of Mabon Information)

 

Posted and edited by MAGICKAL WINDS

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Balance:

After the feast the sheaf is either taken down and buried or kept until the spring when

it should form part of the Imbolc fire. Either way it must eventually return to the

Earth. This festival has a serious side, for it is one of balance. It points up the need

for balance in the relationship between the two sexes, and their mutual dependence. 

   

 

13 Ideas For A Family Mabon

by Heather Evenstar Osterman

(Heather Osterman is the Family Services Coordinator for the Aquarian Tabernacle Church.)

 

This is a gorgeous season. Nature is a blaze of color and everything seems to come into

balance. Night and day are again equal. There is a bountiful harvest to be thankful for,

yet we must plan for the sparse times ahead. This is a time of generosity and

conservation. So, how do you share these values with your children? You can plan Mabon

activities for the whole family to enjoy.

 

Mabon (also Harvest Home, Alban Elfed or Winter Finding) is celebrated at the Autumnal

Equinox. This is the second harvest festival of the year, that of fruits and vegetables.

Mabon is the Welsh God of all things wild and free. He is also associated with the Sun

God whose power dies on this day.

 

We also give thanks to the spirit of vegetation for the sacrifice made so that we can

live through the winter. The Goddess at this Sabbat is the grandmotherly crone, warm and

wise. Here are some ideas to get your family started in celebrating this season:

 

*Have a potluck feast with a group of friends and loved ones to celebrate the abundance

of the season. Feel the warmth of being part of a community.

 

*Adopt someone in a nursing home. As a family, take your special person baked goodies and

colored pictures. Read them books or tell them stories.

 

*Walk around your neighborhood picking up garbage. Do what you can to improve your home

and prepare for winter.

 

*Pick a subject that interests the whole family. Go to the library or find other

resources and study that subject. Together, share what you've learned.

*Look at old family photo albums or scrapbooks. Try to tell stories about each person in

the pictures.

 

*Leave an apple on the grave of an ancestor. Cut an apple in half to show your children

the star inside. This is a reminder that all life is renewed in some way.

 

*Bake cored apples filled with butter and cinnamon as a special treat.

 

*Create decorations for your front door out of colored leaves, pinecones, nuts, acorns

and Indian Corn bundles.

*Take a walk in a wild place. Gather seedpods and dried plants. Sing songs and talk about

all the things you've done over the summer. Make plans for the winter.

 

*Honor the birds and small animals in the wilderness or by your home by making a

birdfeeder or mandala filled with seeds and grain.

 

*Make rattles out of empty gourds and sunflower seeds or seeds collected from nature

walks. Use the rattles to make music or scare away bad dreams.

 

*Look at your family habits and figure out what you can do to improve your conservation

habits. Can you use less water or recycle more of your garbage?

 

*Make a Vine God (stick-type male figure with a hollow body) filled with foil-wrapped

cornbread and sacrifice him on the campfire (or barbecue!).

 

Give thanks to the god for his sacrifice and enjoy the cornbread!

 

 

 

Mabon Celebration Teen Recipes

 

 

Sea Turtle Wisdom Bread

 

2 tsp. active dry yeast  

1 cup warm water

2 tsp. sugar or honey   

3/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vegetable oil       

2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour

Raisins

1 egg

Water  

Green food coloring

 

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Whisk in sugar/honey, salt, and oil. Slowly fold in flour,

as it becomes harder to stir, turn the dough onto a lightly floured countertop and dust

the dough with flour. Knead the dough by folding it in half and pressing it with the palm

of your hand until it springs back when you poke it lightly with a finger. Form into ball

and place in lightly greased bowl. Dust dough with flour and cover it with a clean cloth

towel. Let it rise for 30 minutes. (Shouldn't spring back, now)

 

After the dough has risen once, punch it down and form balls for the shell (6in.

diameter), head (3in.) , and legs (2in.), and assemble on a greased cookie sheet. Etch a

crisscross pattern on top of shell with a knife. Use 2 raisins for eyes. Let rise for 30

more minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush lightly with egg wash ( 1 egg whisked

with 1 tbs. water and couple drops green food coloring) and bake for 25 minutes or until

golden brown.

 

Makes 2 turtles

 

 

 

Harvest Morning Muffins

 

3 eggs 

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil    

1 cup grated apples

1 cup grated carrots     

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tbs. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt      

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 12-muffin tin or line it with paper

liners. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend the eggs, sugar and oil until

well combined. Stir in the grated apples and carrots. In a separate bowl, sift the

flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Blend the dry ingredients with the apple

mixture until just combined. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins and bake for 25

minutes.

 

Makes 12 muffins.

 

 

 

Lunch Crumble

 

5 apples          

1 cup rolled oats

2/3 cup brown sugar    

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

6 tbs. butter     

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt      

1/4 tsp. allspice

2 tbs. apple juice or orange juice

           

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-inch square baking pan or a casserole

of the equivalent size, then dust it with flour. Peel, core and slice the apples, and

arrange them in the pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend the oats, brown sugar,

flour, butter, cinnamon, salt and allspice on low speed until it forms a coarse meal.

Crumble the mixture evenly over the apple slices and sprinkle with the juice. Bake for 35

minutes.

 

Makes 6 servings.

(Serve warm with chilled fruit and vegetable plates, buffet style.)

 

 

 

Cinnamon Apple Butter (--N-Turkey) Sandwiches

 

9 to 10 apples, peeled and cored

2 tsp. apple pie spice

(or 1/2 tsp. each nutmeg and allspice and 1tsp. cinnamon)

1 cup apple cider

 

Cut the apples into 1-inch chunks. (Don't worry about making them perfectly sized.) Place

in a large, nonreactive saucepan and pour cider over them. Cover the pot and cook for

about 30 minutes over low heat, until the apples are soft. Cool the mixture, divide it

into two batches and puree each in a food processor or blender. (At this point, you have

an unsweetened applesauce, which makes excellent baby food). Pour the pureed fruit into a

large baking dish, sprinkle with the apple pie spice, and stir. Spread mixture evenly in

a 13-by-9-by-2-inch pan. Bake in a 300-degree oven for 2 to 3 hours, until thick and deep

brown. Stir every 20 minutes.

 

Cool the apple butter and then scoop it into a clean jar with a sealable lid. It will

keep for up to two months in your refrigerator.

 

Makes 1 1/2 cups.

 

Create your favorite turkey sandwich buffet with slice turkey breast, lettuce, tomatoes,

avocado wedges, sprouts, etc. Use CAB* instead of butter or mayonnaise.

 

 

 

Share the Wealth Applesauce

 

24 tart apples  

Juice of a lemon

2 cups water    

1 cup sugar

4 tsp. cinnamon           

1 cup raisins (optional)

 

Peel and core the apples, then cut them into chunks. Place the apples in a large

nonreactive saucepan, and add the lemon juice and water. Stir in the sugar. Bring the

mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes or

until the apples are soft. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the cinnamon and

raisins, if desired. Stir light for a chunky sauce and rigorously for a smooth sauce. For

a pink applesauce, use red apples and leave the skins on. Once the apples are soft, you

can strain out the skins or lift them from the sauce with a fork.

 

Makes 2 1/2 cups.

 

( Pour into resealable jars, decorate to give as Harvest gifts to relatives, friends, and

neighbors.)

 

 

 

All Things Harvested Pot Roast

 

4-5lb pot roast

1 stick butter

1 large onion sliced      

3 celery stalks, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped            

¼ tsp. dried thyme

¼ tsp. dried parsley     

1 bay leaf

1/8 tsp. black pepper   

¼ tsp. salt

2-10oz cans French onion soup           

4 large potatoes, quartered

1-8oz package raw baby carrots          

1-16oz pkg. frozen broccoli/cauliflower mix     

 

In dutch oven or oven safe pot w/lid brown both side of the roast, using half the butter.

Set the roast aside. With remaining butter, saute' the onion, garlic, and celery until

onions are tender and beginning to brown. Add the the thyme, parsley, bay leaf, and

pepper. Mix well and then return the pot roast to the pan. Sprinkle salt over the roast

and add the french onion soup. Cook at 325 degrees for 4 hours. Baste meat as needed. Add

potatoes and carrots and salt to taste. Cook for another 45 minutes. Add

broccoli/cauliflower mix and cook for 20 more minutes. Serve with hot bread.

 

Makes 8 servings

 

 

 

Mabon Caramel Apples

 

1 package Kraft* Caramels

6 red or green apples, de-stemmed

6 popsicle sticks

 

Melt caramels slowly in a double boiler. When runny in consistency, stick popsicle sticks

into top center of apple, and dip apple into caramel sauce, making sure to cover entire

apple with a coating of caramel. Place dipped apples, stick up on wax paper covered

cookie sheet an refrigerate till caramel hardens.

 

Makes 6 servings.

 

Remember, an apple a day keeps the dentist, doctor, and dermatologist away!!!!

 

Adapted by Akasha Ap Emrys

 

 

 

Mabon Celebration Small Childrens' Activity Planner

 

Mabon is the Sabbat that celebrates the second harvest. Along with the grains, fruits and

vegetables are harvested and stored for the oncoming winter, (or dark half of the year).

This is a good time for parents to start planning inside activities for their small

children.

 

 

BeanBag Dolls

 

Materials: That one glove in the bottom of the closet or drawer that lost its mate over

the summer. A small ball, some dried grain, yarn, and a needle and thread, and 2 buttons.

Tuck the ring finger up inside the palm of the glove and stitch the hole closed. Fill the

glove up to the stretch cuff with rice, beans, popcorn, etc, and tie it off with a piece

of yarn. For the doll's head, place a small ball (ping-pong) in the cuff and sew the

glove closed. For hair, wrap the yarn around your hand several times, tie the loops

together at one end with a strand of yarn, and cut the other end. Stitch the tied end to

the top of the doll's head. Finish the doll by stitching on some button eyes. (Explain to

children that although we all look different on the outside, we are all the same inside.

Tell how the God/dess made each of us with love and care.)

 

 

Animal Brethren

 

Materials: An apple, paring knife, lemon juice, whole cloves, pencil, jar, glove, felt

scraps, glue.

 

Peel the apple and remove some of the core from the bottom. (Parents) To carve the

animal's face, cut two holes for the eyes, slice two triangle flaps for the ears, cut a

deep "X" for the nose and mouth, and some shallow slits for whiskers. Soak the apple in

the lemon juice for about 15 minutes, then remove to a paper towel to dry. Insert cloves

into the eye holes. Push the pencil into the bottom of the apple, and set it in a jar to

dry. To hasten drying process, a food dehydrator works great! As the apple dries, lift

the ears so they dry upright. When the head has dried, use the glove and felt scraps to

make the body. Glue on markings and paws. Cut off the middle finger of the glove, and

drop the pencil through it, with the head attached. Have the child grab the pencil with

their 3 middle fingers, while using the thumb and pinkie for the animal's forelegs. (

Discuss the habits of different animals during the winter months. Explain why we leave

bird food and other tidbits out for our winged and furry brothers.)

 

 

Edible Autumn Leaves

 

Materials: 1 bag each of semisweet chocolate and white chocolate morsels (chips), broad

leafed herbs such as mint, basil, celery, etc.

 

Select your sprigs of leaves in the produce section of your grocery store or from your

garden. Wash leaves thoroughly and pat dry. Melt chocolate with 2 tsp. of butter,

stirring until smooth. Pour chocolate into small bowls and give each child a clean small

paintbrush. Paint the underside of the leaves with the chocolate and place on a wax paper

covered cookie sheet. Refrigerate until firm. Slowly pull real leaves away from chocolate

leaves. (Explain to children how art is a reflection of the true beauty of Nature.)

 

 

Woodsy Flower Vase

 

Materials: ¼ inch diameter sticks, scissors, an empty plastic (p-butter) jar, 2 thick

rubber bands, ribbon, glue, and pinecones.

 

Break or snip sticks to about 1in. longer than jar. Place rubber bands around jar, 1in.

from top and 1in. from bottom. Tuck the sticks under the rubber bands, placing them

together as close as possible. Once the jar is surrounded by sticks, push the rubberbands

to the center of the jar and cover with autumn colored ribbon. Ribbon can be tied into a

bow. Glue on a few pinecones and fill the vase with flowers. (While hiking and looking

for sticks, explain why fallen sticks are more Earth friendly, but if live branches are

needed, to take only what is needed and thank tree for gift.)

 

 

Harm None Paper Bouquets

 

Materials: Autumn colored tissue paper, scissors, crayons, and pipe cleaners.

For each flower cut eight 3-1/2 in.squares. With side of crayon color down 2 opposite

sides on each square. Lay on flat surface with colored sides at top and bottom. Start

folding from the top, like a paper fan. Each pleat should be approx 1/2in wide. For the

stems, bend a pipe cleaner 1-1/2in. from one end to form a hook. Place the pleated

squares in a stack, and place the stack in the hook. Twist the hook around the stem. To

open flower to full bloom, twist the petals a half-turn near the stem. (Thank children

for beautiful vase of flowers that can be used on your alter for the Mabon ritual, and

later a table center piece.)

 

 

Begin Again Eggheads

 

Materials : A couple of eggs per child, felt-tip markers or crayons, grass seed or bird

seed, some soil, a nail, and some plastic wrap.

 

Have children draw funny faces on their eggs with the markers or crayons. Take the nail

and make a hole at the top of the egg, keep working on hole until about the size of a

quarter. Drain and rinse inside of egg and spoon some soil into it. Put in some

grass/bird seed, moisten soil, and wrap in plastic wrap. Set in a sunny spot to sprout.

Once grass starts sprouting, remove the wrap and water daily. (Explain to children that

although the egg is no longer what it was originally, it has gone through a death and a

rebirth as something else living and part of Nature.)

 

 

Animal Guide Totems

 

Materials: A sheet of construction paper, plastic spoon, small water-based paint set,

markers, paper towel tube, and glue.

 

Fold the sheet of paper in half, and have the child drop spots of paint along the fold.

Fold the paper, lay it flat, and gently rub it. Re-open the paper and have the child tell

you all about the animals, fish, and birds that they see in the paint blots. When the

paint dries, help the child outline these creatures with the markers. Cut out and around

the blot characters and glue to the paper towel tube to make the totem stand upright.

(Discuss the different Animal Guides, and the qualities we learn from them.)

 

 

 

Song of the Early Autumn Goddess

author unknown

 

Blessings of my first frost on you

Blessings of the goose-stitched sky

Blessings of the trees in sunset glory

And warm hearths at the end of the day.

Blessings of the harvest set before you

Blessings of the food that comfort brings

Blessings on the fire that stays within you

Blessings on the fire that cannot stay.

 

 

 

Harvest Meditation

by: Angelica

 

Please take a seat and clear your mind of what fills it now and hear my words:

 

As you are sitting, close your eyes and feel the yellow of the sun..Reach up with your

arms and let your fingertips touch that yellow..Now, lay back, with your arms extended

and become a ray of the sun..As we all lay in a circle, we form the sun - we are all rays

of this vivid starburst.

 

Look down to the Earth and see the fields ripe with the summer's abundance..Find your

self in the center of this abundance holding a large willow basket, eager to begin your

autumn harvest.

 

Step first into an expanse of sweet corn..See the erect, regal, green stalks of

corn..Observe a ripe ear on a particular stalk which extends to you..Under its scruffy

whiskers kernels that sparkle like gold shine through. You are reminded of your own

riches - both tangible and intangible..Reach out and pick this ear and put it into your

basket.

 

Leave the corn field and enter an orchard; an apple orchard..See the beauty of these

trees, these majestic symbols of the Goddess..Feel the fullness of her boughs - full of

ruby red apples of knowledge..Reach up, way up, and pick two. Put one in your basket and

eat the other. Taste and enjoy this fruit - for in this garden tasting an apple is not

forbidden.

 

Now move toward an onion field which beckons you..Once green, now browning spikes point

up to you, tempting you to dig below...Pull gently and the ground gives birth to an

iridescent, opal bulb, full of body and character and strength..A vegetable with the

power to make you feel the power of tears..Add this to your growing harvest.

 

Notice ahead thick bushes of ripened raspberries..Sharp brambles protecting their

precious, succulent garnets..The sweet nectar of these berries remind you of your own

sensuality - your own ability to feel, express, extend all that is soft and loving and

warm to others..Take your time here and pick plenty of these supple jewels for your

basket.

 

Step away now and look around you..Find a patch of fruit or vegetables that appeals to

you..Enter it, admire its offerings, select a precious gem of your own to harvest..Choose

a resource to sustain you in the rapidly upcoming time of cold and darkness...Capture

some warmth and light and savor its presence.

 

With your arms now laden with this basket of bountiful treasures, it is time now to

rest..Take your harvest to the grassy knoll in the sun just beyond and sit and bask in

the glory of its healing heat..Rest in contentment knowing you have collected that which

you need to give you strength and nourishment in the winter days to come.

 

Put yourself back in the sky now..Become the sun once again..Shine down upon yourself and

your gatherings..Absorb the energy of the fruits of your labors, bless these seeds you

planted in the Spring and nurtured to fruition through the summer..Be the sun..Shine down

upon all that is good and good-giving..Give the light of hope to all you shine upon.

 

When everything you have touched with your rays is full of your brightness, open your

eyes and rejoin our circle.