Sacred Birch Society - Mabon Celebration

This past weekend I was privileged to lead the Mabon Rite.  I made the focus of balance apart of this year's ceremony.  Participants were asked to wear both black and white if at all possible to give a visual effect of balance.  We also had a larger number of men join us this year which helped with the balance of the Masculine to Feminine energies.

Photo Courtesy of Etain Butterfly.

Please excuse the weird expression on my face.  I can only come up with I must have been talking when Etain took this photo.  With my current health, I chose for a simple altar compared to the amount of items I normally would haul to ritual.  For cakes and ale, it was cinnamon rolls with fresh apple cider from one of the local cider mills here in Michigan.  It was also the first time we had a "garage" sale or swap that I think went rather well and hope we can do more in the future.

Mabon definitely is one of those Sabbats that I just adore.  It's never too hot, nor too cold temperature wise.    The state will soon turn to color and the trees will look like different colors of fire from all the yellows, oranges, and reds plus all the other wonderful colors in between.

I long for the beauty of Autumn, come on crisp cool breezes, vibrant colors, the final harvests, the ability to wear long sleeve shirts without sweating your butt off, and putting the extra blanket on the bed to help stay warm at night.

I hope you have a wonderful Mabon and vibrant Fall as the wheel turns again.

Blessed Be,
Crystal T.

Mabon Bounty

A few weeks ago, my friend Tiff shared her bounty with me from her share of her CSA.  She had plenty to share and gave me all of this bounty.

She baked a few loaves of bread and gifted me with one of them as well.  That loaf did not even make it until the next day...it was devoured during that night's meal.  In the photo above we have cucumbers, cantaloupe, green onions, green beans, the bread, a lot of kale, lettuce leaves, onions, chard, dill, and basil.

Then she gave me all these tomatoes as well!

This ended up being my dinner that evening.  I made a massaged Kale salad using a honey ginger balsamic vinegar.  I then made a tomato, basil, onion with mozzarella pearl salad, cucumbers with fresh cracked pepper, and then garlic green beans finished off with a rice pilaf mix the boys love.  The first three items were of course raw.  The green beans I needed to cook.  I did not like their taste raw.

I am so grateful to have people like Tiff in my life.  She is a good friend to me and I appreciate everything she has done for me and my family.  I am definitely blessed to have met her.  Thank you Tiff if you are reading this.  Please know your friendship is cherished, even if I don't express it enough.

This Mabon I am so grateful for many things in my life, especially being ALIVE!  I hope you have a wonderful Mabon and Harvest!

Sincerely,
Crystal

Quest for a Pagan Paradise

For many years, I have had this fantastic dream of owning my own "Pagan Paradise".  I wanted a home settled on a huge amount of land in the middle of nowhere.  The problem is, my husband works in Detroit and I am a stay at home mom.  With a single income, our "Paradise" will not happen anytime soon.

With my health issues I have encountered this past year, our medical bills have risen quite high.  One of my prescriptions that is necessary for my kidneys costs $847 per month.  That is for only one prescription!  I take 12 different medications.  I am also getting ready to start a new one called Benlysta and I have no clue what that one will cost.

Photo taken in my back yard few years back. This is the smaller of the two trees that need to come down.
Its not as pretty now as it was when we first moved here in 2004.

So my idea of 80+ acres secluded from most of the "world" will cease to exist.  My quest for a cabin in the woods will have to wait until probably retirement (if we can even afford it then).  Over the past few weeks I have been trying to go through boxes of my books, tools, all sorts of items I was waiting to use until we found our "dream house".  Statues of the Gods and Goddesses that I own that were packed away for safe keeping.  Totes and totes of books that were in storage because I simply don't currently have the shelf space for any of them.

One of the items I was saving was my Triple Goddess Statue my husband gave to me for my birthday in 2011.

She's too freaking beautiful to be in a box.  She will be going onto my new altar in my bedroom.
The artist for this beautiful piece is Mickie Mueller and available at Sacred Source.com 

So these next coming weeks, I will plow through my home, open every box I have put away for those "rainy days" and take inventory.  Over the course of while these treasures have been in storage, I may have an immediate need for them (like quite a number of Coventry Creation Candles I purchased last year at ConVocation) and some items I purchased in Salem over a decade ago that are still in their original wrapping that I no longer have any need.

The books will be sorted into the ones I know I want for my library, ones I want to read prior to their departure and ones I know I no longer need.  Many of these items will either be sold at the upcoming SBS "Barter, Trade, & Sell" after the Mabon Ritual.  Some will be given to friends I know want them, and the rest will be donated to the Tempest Smith Foundation for their raffle for the 2013 ConVocation.

Thanks to the help of my Coven sister Katherine, she has already helped me in the process of sorting through some of my goods.

Why am I doing all this?  It is apparent that we will not be moving into our "dream house" anytime soon.

As I look around my surroundings, yes my home may be small to some, but it is indeed my home.  I live in a neighborhood that is very close to the one I grew up in (however the neighborhood I grew up in was predominately family).   I trust my neighbors around me with my life and that of my children.  There have been many occasions where I have needed the immediate help of a neighbor and they gladly gave it.  Should I need to wake them in the middle of the night, I know they are willing to help my family should I need to be rushed to the emergency room.  It's already happened.  There are four families around me that I know my children are safe with should I have to go to the hospital as well.

Should something happen to my car, I live in a community that I am within walking distance of my family doctor, dentist, grocery store, pharmacy, and general merchandise should I need their services. I could not get more "greener" living in an urban area by being able to walk to all my necessities.

 I live in a good community.  I am happy here.  When we bough this place we thought it would be a transitional home for just a few years.  However, now as I look at everything in our current situation I can see this being our "30 year home".  Some things need to be changed like a few trees removed that might not make it through the next few years of winter for the safety of our home and our neighbors (they are really really really big trees).

I also want to start landscaping and planting roots literally and physically.  I kept a few old plant catalogs to see what kinds of plants I want to plant next year.  I want not only flowers, but herbs, vegetables, and possibly a couple of fruit trees should I be able to convince my husband.  I would also like the addition of a privacy fence.

I don't know exactly how much land we own, its quite small.  I don't think its even a 1/4 of an acre, but it is ours.  But I do know I am happy here, yes I need to be a bit less of a pack rat, I save a lot of different things for special occasions or hold onto them because someone I love gave it to me (even though I might not like it at all).  I can see I am in a different kind of Paradise.  I just need to change a few things to turn it into my "Pagan Paradise".

My besom is hanging in my kitchen that my mentor Jackie made for me many years ago.

My mini-altar on the kitchen window sill.  You can see the second tree that needs to come down in this photo too. It only shows half of its trunk that is how freaking big it is. 

My favorite stained glass pent that my friend T.s. gave to me is above my kitchen window collecting the sunlight each and every morning as it rises.   I just need to organize and make better use of my space.  I feel a house clearing coming on as well as a new blessing for our permanent home.  Time to make the switch from "temporary" to permanent.  This is not only the house we live in, this is our home.  Now to make it one (instead of looking like someone just moved in with bare walls and more unpacked boxes than what is being used).

So the Quest for a Pagan Paradise is over....I've already found it.  I just had not realized it until now!  That is what I am thankful for this coming Mabon, having a good home, great family, and appreciating the things I do have in my life!

Happy Friday Everyone!

Blessed Be,
Crystal T.

Mabon

Mabon is almost upon us.  Yesterday, I celebrated with my friends from SBS.  We had a small group in attendance, but it was a good one!  The Ligon is such a beautiful place, we are lucky to be able to circle there.  It is a site that I hope to have our "Sacred Sisters Weekend" next year sometime, possibly even during next Mabon.  The weather would be cool with less bugs to deal with. LOL.   I forgot to ask Jen and Terry if they wanted to do it as a joint KOTH/SBS thing.

The food was really good. Ravenswood made some awesome home made salsa that put even Chili's to shame (my fav restaurant chain). 

I look forward to the coming winter as I start to once again prepare my home with a deep cleaning (I do this every season).  Especially since we are trying to declutter, I am starting to use items that I was originally saving for a "Rainy Day".  We received crystal glasses when we were married 10 years ago.  I have kept them in their original box until recently.  I decided to donate our old glasses and put out our crystal ones.  I am tired of saving things for rainy days, I want to enjoy using them now. LOL

Eric and Dave installed our new front door and it looks good.  Coming home last night I noticed the stain glass work because the lights were all on.  It was really pretty. I get to admire my door's beauty.  During the day little rainbows appear throughout the living room floor as the sun shines in. 

Starting this week, its back to the Room by Room cleaning.  I will also conduct a "Swifting of Energy" and House Protection and Blessings for the coming winter.  More to come later.

From my family to yours, I hope you have a Magical Mabon! 

(Hey Tiff, I finally used the breadmaker you have recently gifted to me!  It works great!  THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS GIFT!)

Blessed Be,
Crystal

Mabon

I hope everyone had a magical Mabon!

With my personal tradition, every year my family goes throughout the house and we do a major "Fall Cleaning" and take major stock of what is in our lives both physically and mentally.

Room by room we started this past weekend first going thru clothing to be dontated to good will. Some items will be sold on ebay (like maternity clothing with the tags still on). Our cleaning process will continue throughout this entire month all the way up to Samhain. I like to get the house ready for winter. Gid rid of what we do not need and then make room for what is going to come into our lives this next turn of the wheel.

I also wanted to share something that I have also been working on as well. There is a free magazine that we here in Michigan can get at our local grocery store. It is called Natural Awakenings. Inside the September issue there is an article about the Seven Avenues of Self Discovery. This article really hit home with me, especially about what I already do during Mabon. Its about taking stock of what is important to us. The seven steps are:

Making Lists
Draw a Picture
Take a Field Trip
Clear Out clutter
Ask Questions
Embrace Opportunities
Pause

If you are able to get this magazine, I strongly suggest that you read it. I liked it alot and gave me a few different aspects of how to look at my life.

The leaves are starting to change and already has began to fall to the ground. Samhain is upon us. The Wheel is getting ready to turn once again into a new year. What are your goals for this next turn of the wheel?

For me, its to get my home in order. Next spring we hope to sell and move to a larger home that will better suit our every growing family. We also want to move to a better school district. Next, I would love to continue with my writings. I have been asked to write articles for a new magazine that is starting out here in Michigan. Maybe it will turn into a paying gig. Finally, being the best I can be for my family and coven. I want to take the time and appreciate each and every one of them. They are the most important people in my life. I do not want them to forget about it!