Braided Stream's Mabon
Sep. 23rd, 2004 06:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sabrinamariLast night was Braided Stream's Mabon celebration. It was small: nine people. It was also beautiful. Jen and Meagan came early to help me set up, and I even slid in a reading for Meagan before everyone arrived. Jen, clever woman that she is, brought a six-plug extension for the crock pots. Tracy brought flowers as well as food. And each person brought multiple, fabulous dishes. I think we did a good job of representing every food group that we hope to enjoy in the coming year, as Blue Star guidelines direct us to do. Although some foods were represented simply by category (sushi was our stand-in for both seafood and ethnic foods of all kinds), the feast was plentiful, diverse, lovely and HUGE.
We put two tables end-to-end in the living room along the long sliding glass doors and placed a tiny shrine in front of the fireplace near the head of the table. We laid offerings to the gods on the shrine and left requests for help and guidance with the things we worry about in the coming year. I also put two small planted containers of Thumbellina carrots (a variety that's both tiny and round) on either side of the shrine and tucked a large bowl of water and a mushroom brush underneath it. That way people could wander up to the shrine throughout the evening, pray, leave offerings, and then harvest a carrot and scrub it up themselves for either eating, offering or splitting with the gods. Finally, we held hands around the table, facing outwards in a circle and called the Pagans home---really, we called *everyone* to their spiritual home, whatever it may be and whatever path it represents.
But best of all were the moments in which I sat at the table looking around quietly at the nine people there, all chatting, laughing and enjoying each other, and noticed how blessed I am and how utterly happy I was to be surrounded by people that I love in my own little house.
The soft buzz of the wine (which is a thick, fuzzy feeling this morning) only enhanced my relaxation and helped me experience that delight. I am grateful for my harvest. I am grateful for my friends and my beloved community---there are so many people that I love who weren't there; the ones who were simply made up a delightful group standing for the many, many beautiful people that are probably the very best thing about my life. I love you all. Thank you.
We put two tables end-to-end in the living room along the long sliding glass doors and placed a tiny shrine in front of the fireplace near the head of the table. We laid offerings to the gods on the shrine and left requests for help and guidance with the things we worry about in the coming year. I also put two small planted containers of Thumbellina carrots (a variety that's both tiny and round) on either side of the shrine and tucked a large bowl of water and a mushroom brush underneath it. That way people could wander up to the shrine throughout the evening, pray, leave offerings, and then harvest a carrot and scrub it up themselves for either eating, offering or splitting with the gods. Finally, we held hands around the table, facing outwards in a circle and called the Pagans home---really, we called *everyone* to their spiritual home, whatever it may be and whatever path it represents.
But best of all were the moments in which I sat at the table looking around quietly at the nine people there, all chatting, laughing and enjoying each other, and noticed how blessed I am and how utterly happy I was to be surrounded by people that I love in my own little house.
The soft buzz of the wine (which is a thick, fuzzy feeling this morning) only enhanced my relaxation and helped me experience that delight. I am grateful for my harvest. I am grateful for my friends and my beloved community---there are so many people that I love who weren't there; the ones who were simply made up a delightful group standing for the many, many beautiful people that are probably the very best thing about my life. I love you all. Thank you.
