Mabon! :D

[raynelae]

Hehe I love candle magick too! Simple and so effective...perfect for a Witch

[Lady Cael]

I think they're super effective. My candle magick always seems to work.

[Firebird]

Hey Lady,...I think I sense a fellow pyro... smiley00e

[Zili]

Ah Mabon, I first celebrated this holiday with a ritual with two friends a few years ago. Then one of my classes had us write out event planning for a festival so I wrote mine on Mabon, but I haven't celebrated it or done a ritual since the first time with my friends.

I've been having such a hard time concentrating and feeling connected to anything and everything I think I'll do a ritual or at least some Mabon baking with my boyfriend ^_^

[Firebird]

Hi Zili, I think baking for Mabon is a great idea, maybe you could make some sort of ritual around the whole act of baking, esp if you are baking bread, using the dying God (your flour) and the life giving waters (the liquid) cooked in the pan (the earth) and cooking it in the oven (the fire). You have just watched an alchemical transformation from...essentially a liquid to a solid...(the ether).
Start your chore with an opening blessing, cast a permeable circle (for you will be moving back and forth thru the kitchen) recognize the elements, do the work, and in the end you will be able to partake of the magic you have preformed. Feed the bread to each other, knowing that you each are the God and Goddess, (you could bake the bread with a specific end in mind ...like a new place to live, ease of studying at school, a great job..whatever! or just honoring the season) thank the elements, close your circle. Have a great day Lady Zili,
AND to ALL! may your Mabon be filled with wonder, fun and magic...Bright Blessings, Firebird

[raynelae]

Firebird...I really wish we could have a coven together,,,you're so wise!

[raynelae]

Mabon Dark Mother Bread

At Mabon, we celebrate the goddess in her aspect as the crone, or the Dark Mother. She is Demeter, she is Hecate, she is the wise old woman wielding a scythe rather than a basket of blooming flowers. This honey wheat blend is a delicious way to celebrate the end of the harvest and say farewell to the fertile months of summer. Serve warm with herbed oils for dipping, or with a big scoop of Apple Butter.

Make this either in your bread machine, or by kneading it by hand.

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 C. warm water
1 Tbs. active dry yeast
1/3 C. honey
3 C. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 C. vegetable oil
2 Tbs. butter
4 C. all purpose baking flour
Preparation:

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add honey and mix well.

Stir in the whole wheat flour, salt, vegetable oil, and butter and mix until a stiff dough has formed. Gradually work the all-purpose flour into the mix, one cup at a time.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured countertop, and knead for about fifteen minutes. When it reaches the point where it's sort of elastic, shape it into a ball and place it into an oiled bowl. Cover with a warm, damp cloth, and allow to sit and rise until it's doubled in size -- usually about 45 minutes.

Punch the dough down and cut in half, so you can make two loaves of bread. Place each half in a greased loaf pan, and allow to rise. Once the dough has risen an inch or two above the top of the loaf pan, pop them in the oven. Bake at 375 for half an hour, or until golden brown at the top.

When you remove the loaves from the oven, allow to cool for about fifteen minutes before removing from the pan. If you like, brush some melted butter over the top of the hot loaves, to add a pretty golden glaze to them.

Note - If you're doing this in a bread machine, remember, the recipes makes two loaves. Halve everything if you're allowing the machine to do the mixing. If you hand mix it, you can still drop the single-loaf balls of dough into the machine to bake.

[Zili]

I talked it over with my boyfriend and I'll be making us apple pancakes for mabon I'm hoping I get to make some other goodies too I'd love to make Amish friendship bread.

[raynelae]

Yum! You should post a recipe for the apple pancakes...pretty please? Lol

[Zili]

I just use a regular pancake recipe and add one or two diced green apples to the mix sprinkle in some cinnamon and sugar and top it with either syrup or honey ^_^

I like green apples best but you could use any type really. I also like to take the seeds, soak them in a bowl of water in the fridge for 24-48 hours and then I thread them onto a string (just use a straight pin to poke through each one and then use a thin needle and thread and string the seeds on) I had started this before I moved out a while back some how in the move back home my poor string of seeds broke and most if not all were lost I had been hoping to make ornaments to place on my yule tree later.

[Firebird]

Hey Ray, thanks, your too kind,..who knows...maybe some day we could circle together
It is always refreshing when a man has a real interest in earth worship BB, Firebird

[raynelae]

Zili, that's one of the things I'm going to be doing for Mabon now. Thanks for the idea XD Firebird, I shall pm you

[Lady Cael]

I just want grocery shopping for what I'm making for Mabon. I've decided to make a nice stew for my family, along with some yummy biscuits. I have a short ritual all planned out and I'm very excited for it.

[Zili]

It looks like my boyfriend and I other than having apple pancakes and amish friendship bread will be having Iced coffee with breakfast and possibly doing lots more baking testing out recipes for halloween/Samhain goodies we're baking for friends and family...good thing he bought me an apron the other day XD

[p3nathan]

It may seem childish... but I'm having a big party with my friends, in candle light with sparkly decorations... I'm filling my cauldron with cards with charades and pictionary answers on them . We'll also have the table full of fruit and other goodies. Happy Mabon everyone.