Mabon

Mabon (also known as the Autumnal Equinox to you non-Pagans out there) is right around the corner.  Normally the Pagan holidays get largely ignored in this household.  It’s not so much that I don’t want to observe them.  I just have a very busy schedule and it’s often difficult to find the time.  There are so many other things that strike me as more important to do at the time.  This year, however, I’m determined that we’re going to do something.

This is not only the first Mabon Oz and I are spending together, but a year where our harvest includes so much more than the general things life brings.  This year we’re bringing another little life into the world.  Oz has never really had a true Mabon celebration, so it’s about time he got to see what they’re like!  The Mabon rituals they do out at circle are rather lack-luster, just like everything else they do.  While we’re not holding any kind of formal ritual, we are going to observe the holiday the way I do it.

This time of year is the harvest.  As a result, we’re planning a harvest feast that everyone in the family is taking part in.  I still have to find a way to include Beekee, but Corde is going to help with stirring and putting things in pots.  Oz is going to be manning the stove.  I’m going to be cutting all the veggies and overseeing the whole process.  Maybe I can let Beekee help add something to what we’re making, or help Corde with putting things in pots.  Maybe he can put the apples on the cookie sheet for the special apple dessert I’m making.  That’s what Mabon is about!  It’s the Pagan Thanksgiving.  In my house the ritual begins with making the community meal and ends with everyone enjoying the meal we worked so hard to make together.  It doesn’t matter how large or small the community is, but more that we’re spending time working together, appreciating the value of everything we’ve worked so hard to create.  It’s not Mommy or Oz slaving over a hot stove to provide a healthy meal for us all.  Instead, we’re all taking part.

Today I started the process, making beef stew to boil down into a really strong base for the stew we’ll be having the day of the celebration.  My stew "recipe" is more of just an intuitive process.  I grab some beef, a handful of carrots, some potatoes, a little bit of onion and garlic, then see what comes of it.  Sometimes that’s all that finds it’s way into the pot.  Sometimes other things find their way in.  Every time the seasoning is different.  Sometimes it’s just a broth of water and flour with the natural juices from the stew meat.  Sometimes I use gravy or beef stew seasoning.  Every time is different.  This time we’ve got beef, potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, and leeks.  The leeks were an addition from Oz.  He bought them to have with the chicken, but the large leeks only came in sets of three.  He only needs one.  That means we had extra to chop up and put in the stew pot!  Everyone who is old enough has had a turn at stirring the pot.  Each of us has added a little bit of something.  Now we’re just waiting for it to boil down a bit so we can add more of everything the day of the feast.  Perhaps we’ll have a small sample tonight to create some more space in the pot for Sunday.

We’re also going to be real adventurous.  We’re making the stand-by favorites of mashed potatoes and carrots.  We’ll have roast chicken with leeks, something I’ve never made before.  Finally, we’re going to be making butternut squash.  I’ve never made it before, and I’m excited!  I really like squash, but I’ve never made it before.  This is going to be a great adventure.

For us, this is a really special event.  It’s our first Mabon as a family, yes, but it’s also the first community meal Oz has ever made in a Pagan setting.  This is a first for cooking for both of us in many ways.  I’ve come to learn that Oz isn’t much of a cook.  He can throw things together and make them taste good like no one else, but he doesn’t know how to really cook.  He’d never made salmon before today, something I decided to do for dinner.  The other day we mixed our pasta sauce with ricotta cheese, ground beef, and spinach, something he’d never tried.  It looked horrible, but it tasted divine!  He’s never had my beef stew before (and I swear, he’ll never eat any other kind again!), nor does he seem to know much about making it.  He’s lost when it comes to roasts, most vegetables, or anything else.  What’s better is that I’m noticing eating well has made a difference in our food budget.  Yes, we’re still eating a lot of pasta and sauce, but we’re eating it with veggies and meat now, not just pasta and sauce.  We’re trying to squeeze in one splurge meal each week, like the salmon.  We’re trying to phase out of the old style of mixing things up with heat and into really cooking things that will provide quality, healthy, filling meals for the whole family.  This is really the transition point for us.  We’re moving away from "the old way" and into something new.  It’s our first real community oriented event and it’s our first real Pagan celebration as a family.

There’s so much going on between now and Sunday.  I almost wish I could cancel it all to prepare for this event!  I’m really looking forward to this, the first holiday I’ve looked forward to celebrating as a family in a long time!  It’s such a positive change!  I have a feeling the rebirth that will happen at Yule this year is going to be something incredible!  This year is already giving glimpses of what is yet yo come, and I just can’t wait!

~*~Raven Night~*~