Mabon i zajedništvo

Mabon je vrijeme kada slavimo obilje u svojim životima - slavi se bogat urod plodova, slavi se emocionalno bogatstvo, iskustveno bogatstvo i društveno bogatstvo. Jedno od poruka Mabona jest da čovjek može imati sve bogatstvo svijeta, ali mu je ono uzalud ako ga nema s kime dijeliti. Iz ovog razloga su gozbe ustaljena praksa koja je posebno izražena za ovaj sabat. Svi plodovi koji su pobrani do ovog trenutka se dijele unutar zajednice koja ih je posijala, njegovala i naposljetku brala skupa. Oni koji imaju suviše toga poklanjaju onima koji imaju manje. Iz ovoga je potekao običaj doniranja i volontiranja za ovaj sabat. 

Ali vratimo se na zajedništvo. Iz više razloga mi se upravo ovaj aspekt Mabona nametnuo ove godine. Osvijestila sam više nego ikad da je čovjek zaista društveno biće i zaista pojmila važnost društva i zajedništva unutar njega. Ali zajednica je komplicirana stvar jer odnosi unutar nje mogu biti šaroliki. Zajedništvo se ne temelji samo na onim pozitivnim iskustvima i emocijama; ljudi se mogu svađati, ne pričati međusobno i ne voljeti se međusobno a da ih zajednica ipak spaja. Na kraju krajeva, zajedništvo jača ako se upravo ove trenutke i emocije uspije prebroditi i riješiti. Mabon nas podsjeća na važnost zajedništva jer je zajednica, bez obzira na njezinu veličinu, uvijek tu za nas. Naša rodbina, prijatelji, partner(i), učitelji i tako dalje nas formiraju kao ljude i tu su za nas u sretnim i tužnim trenucima (makar netko više, a netko manje). Unutar zajednice se ne moraju svi voljeti, ali ono što je čini zajednicom jest to što je svaka karika lanca potrebna da ne pukne. Odnosno, svatko na svoj način pridonosi cjelovitosti zajednice.

Fokus mog slavlja Mabona je bilo provođenje vremena s ljudima koje nisam vidjela jako dugo vremena i koji su mi najiskrenije nedostajali. Fokus mi je bio na druženju, smijanju, skupljanju lijepih iskustava i uspomena sa svim tim ljudima, što sam i učinila. U cijeloj toj priči ipak nisam zaboravila na one ljude koje redovito viđam. Podsjetila sam se da njih ne smijem uzimati zdravo za gotovo i proučavala naše međusobne odnose; kako se oni mogu poboljšati, što je u njima dobro, a što loše, na čemu se temelje. Na ovakva pitanja nije uvijek lako pronaći odgovor, ali ukoliko se uspije u tome, čovjek doživi određeno ispunjenje.

Znam da je teško ponekad izdvojiti vremena za zajednicu s obzirom na ubrzani tempo života, ali se usprkos tome nadam da ste uspjeli provesti ovaj sabat sa svojim bližnjima i maksimalno uživati u njemu!

Blagoslovljen vam Mabon! :)

Vaša Witch's Cat

Mabon and Community

Mabon is a time of celebrating the abundance in our lives - we celebrate the rich harvest, emotional wealth, experiential wealth and social wealth. One of the messages that Mabon sends us is that you can have all the wealth of the world but it is all worthless if you have nobody to share it with. Because of this, feasts are a consistent practice which is particularly accentuated for this Sabbat. The entire yield that has been gathered up to this point is shared among the community which sowed them, cultivated them and finally harvested them. Those that have plenty give to those that have little. It is from this that the practice of donating and volunteering during this Sabbat stemmed.

But let's go back to community. This aspect of Mabon beckoned me this year for several reasons. More than ever, I have brought to consciousness that man is a social being and truly understood the importance of society and togetherness in it. But community is a complicated thing because relationships in it can be diverse. Community is not based solely on positive experiences and emotions; people can quarrel, not talk among each other but still be connected through their community. After all, togetherness strengthens if one is able to surmount and solve precisely these moments and emotions. Mabon reminds us of the importance of community; regardless of its size, it is always there for us. Our family, friends, partner(s), teachers and so on form us as people and are there for us through the good and the bad (albeit some more than others). Not everyone has to love one another inside a community, but what makes a community is that every link in the chain is necessary to keep the chain from breaking. That is to say, everyone in their own way contributes to the community's integrity.

The focus of my Mabon celebration was spending time with people I haven't seen for too much time and whom I missed dearly. The focus was on socialization, laughter, gaining pleasant experiences and memories with all of these people, which I did. However, in all of this, I didn't forget about the people that I see often. I reminded myself that I shouldn't take them for granted and contemplated our relationships; how they can be improved, what their good sides are, what their bad sides are, what they are based on. It is not always easy to find answers to these questions, but if you succeed, you can experience a sort of fulfillment.

I know that it is sometimes difficult to set aside time for the community taking into account our fast pace of life, but despite this, I hope that you managed to spend time with your loved ones during this Sabbat and enjoyed this time!

I wish you all a blessed Mabon! :)
Yours,
Witch's Cat

Kolač od mrkve i jabuke

Mabon je druga žetva i slavlje sakupljenih plodova i obilja. Ovo je i vrijeme berbe jabuka zbog čega ih ima ne pretek za korištenje u svim vrstama jela. Berba mrkve također u ovo vrijeme nije isključena, a poznato je da mrkva u kombinaciji s jabukom zna biti božanstvena. I zaista jest tako. Ako me vjerujete, isprobajte sami ovaj recept!

Potrebno je:

Napomena: mjere su plastične čaše jogurta (200g)

Za tijesto:

• 4 jaja
• 1-2 čaše šećera (po ukusu)
• 2 čaše glatkog brašna
• 1 čaša ulja
• 1 prašak za pecivo
• 1 vanilin šećer
• 1 čajna žličica cimeta
• 250 g naribane mrkve
• 350 g naribane jabuke

Za glazuru:

• 200 g čokolade za kuhanje
• 50 ml mlijeka
• 25-50 g maslaca

Napomena: biti će vam potrebno više mrkve i jabuke s obzirom da ćete izgubiti na količini guljenjem gore i, u slučaju jabuke, odstranjivanjem koštice. Primjerice, od 350g mrkve sam, nakon guljenja, rezanja krajeva i odstranjivanja vanjskog sloja dobila 250g, a od malo iznad 500g jabuke sam spala na 350g kada sam ih ogulila i izribala do koštice. Također, kod glazure možete otprilike dodati masla i mlijeka kako biste postigli željenu konzistenciju. Ja sam navela otprilike koliko sam maslaca i mlijeka dodala.

Priprema:

Tijesta:

1. Elektičnim mikserom izmiješajte jaja sa šećerom i dodajte šećer i ulje.
2. Dodajte u glatku smjesu vanilin šećer i cimet.
3. Izmiješajte brašno i prašak za pecivo i potom postepeno ovo dodajite prijašnjoj smjesi miješajući kuhačom.
4. Naribajte jabuku i mrkvu (tek sada da jabuka ne bi pustila previše vode) i dodajte u smjesu.
5. Obložite posudu za pečenje (po mogućnosti metalnu, kvadratnog oblika) papirom za pečenje i ulijte tijesto u lim. Pecite 45 minuta na 180°C.

Glazure:

1. Na pari otopite čokoladu te dodajte maslac i mlijeko.
2. Miješajte dok se čokolada u potpunosti ne otopi i dok se svi sastojci ne prožmu.
3. Prelijte još topli kolač smjesom.
4. Kada su se kolač i glazura ohladili otprilike na sobnu temperaturu, ostavite u hladnjaku na nekoliko sati da se glazura stvrdne.

Carrot and Apple Cake

Mabon is known as the second harvest, the festival of fruits and the celebration of abundance. This is also the time of apple picking which is why there are apples to spare for all sorts of meals. Carrots are typically also ripe for the picking this time of year, and it is well-known that the combination of carrots and apples can be divine. And this is true. If you don't believe me, try this recipe out yourself!

You Will Need:

Note: the measurement is a yogurt cup (200 g).

For the Dough:

• 4 eggs
• 1-2 cups sugar (to taste)
• 2 cups plain flour
• 1 cup oil
• 1 packet baking powder
• 1 packet vanilla sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 250 g grated carrots
• 350 g grated apples

For the Glaze:

• 200 g cooking chocolate
• 50 ml milk
• 25-50 g butter

Note: you will need more carrots and apples than stated here considering the fact that you will end up throwing away the skin and removing the core. For example, I had 350 g of carrots but after peeling, cutting off the ends and grating off the outermost layer, I ended up with 250 g. Similarly, just over 500 g of apples turned into 350 g ones I peeled the skin and threw away the core. Also, with regards to the glaze, you can eyeball the amount of milk and butter you add to the chocolate to get the kind of consistency you prefer. I just listed the approximate amount of milk and butter that I added to the glaze for a reference.

How To Prepare:

The Dough:

1. Using an electric mixer, mix the eggs, sugar and oil together.
2. Add vanilla sugar and cinnamon to the mix.
3. Mix the flour and baking powder together and gradually add this to the previous mixture and mix well using a wooden spoon.
4. Grate the carrots and apples (yes, just now so the apple doesn't let out too much water) and add them to the mix.
5. Cover your baking dish (preferably a square-shaped, metal one) with baking paper and pour in the mixture. Bake for 45 minutes at 180°C.

The Glaze:

1. Melt the chocolate over steam and add the butter and milk.
2. Stir until the chocolate completely melts and the ingredients permeate each other.
3. While the cake is still warm, pour the glaze over it.
4. Once the cake and glaze have cooled down to approximately room temperature, put them in the refrigerator for a few hours so the glaze can harden.