It's Samhain...which means we are half way to Beltane!

Well, we have just celebrated Samhain and the Celtic New Year! It’s a time when we carve faces and ghouls in hollowed out turnips and pumpkins, and acknowledge the deceased and the ancestors in our rituals. It is a festival of release and contemplation, necromancy, but also being alive.

The 8th Annual Burning Man Festival occurred on the weekend, an event run by the Geelong group Nuada Circle. It was held in the Otways National Park, and ran from Friday to Sunday.

People arrived on a sunny Friday to the site, chose their cabins, and relaxed, taking in the view and scent of the forest, the sight of the rosellas and parrots eating seed, and the sound of the forest birds. When all had arrived, and the sun had set, a feast was served and afterwards there was a Halloween dress up for the 16th Annual Samhain party, an event which has occurred for a long time by Melbourne pagans, and as it fell on this weekend, was held at this event instead.

On the Saturday after breakfast, people played games, went for walks in the forest, set up the ritual site, fed the native parrots and rosellas by hand and a market was also set up for those wanting to spend money. After lunch there was a ritual workshop and then a guest workshop held by Doug who spoke about how people could express their intent in ritual, embrace their fears or issues of the past, and contemplate their coming year.

The ritual itself was fantastic, the Man burned well, and high into the sky, and people danced barefoot round the fire, after their release and offering. A feast was set out for people to eat, and a larger bonfire was lit near the ritual circle, even a Bedouin marquee lounge was set up next to the circle for people to relax while eating.

In the morning, there was a steady rain, and sleepy but satisfied people emerged from their beds to eat Eggs Benedict and bacon for breakfast, and slowly pack up their things. The rain was very welcome after such a perfect sunny weekend, and we all said goodbyes to the forest and the Man for another year.

It was a fantastic weekend, very well organized and worth attending next year.



MEANWHILE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLANET…



Edinburgh had its Beltane Fire Festival! I got to see this amazing event 5 years ago in 2006, and have not forgotten how amazing it was. It would be the type of amazing ritual that would be wonderful to see at Mt Franklin – excluding the crowds and the 300 ritualists, making it smaller.

The Beltane Fire Festival is held on Calton Hill every May Day eve - 30th April, no matter what day that is.

For many years, several hundred people are involved, gallons of flammable fuel, and many litres of red body paint.

The Festival is a giant performance spread out over the hill and the ritualists conduct their acts in different locations. In 2006, I witnessed the May Queen walk a giant sowulo rune across the hill, visiting each point of the rune with her retinue, where the Elementals entertained her with a dance or act. Giant dragon puppets danced about, puppet devils leered, people were dressed as trees, and fire twirlers in their dozens provided a light show like fireworks on the ground. I saw a large silver piranha type dragon carried around with its mouth on fire.

Then there are the red devils – several dozen people naked but for loin cloths and painted red all over taunt the May Queen and her retinue. They growl and holler, beat on drums, carry torches, and build human pyramids, 5 people high, and are very acrobatic.

The May Queen has a consort – a Green man who dies and is reborn. Each year a new girl is chosen for May Queen and her costume changes each year, but is always white with flowers and she always has a white face, and is followed by sinister guardians painted blue like Hindu Gods.

I could go into detail of the event, but it would be an epic, and in reality, it is best seen in person. These photos give you an idea of what you would see on such a Spring night on Calton Hill in Edinburgh.

Make the effort to go see it if you are in Scotland at this time of year!

A photo from 2006 - the May Queen as I saw her

Another May Queen

One of my photos - the Air Dragon

Another of my photos - the red men and women form a human pyramid

Catherine's Mt Franklin work

Catherine Tait "Moonlight"

Lovely Artist

Catherine is a lovely recently disovered local artist that we owe a huge apology to for being soooo slack in getting this out..sorry!!

Catherine is from the Castlemaine area and has created some beautiful Mt Franklin pieces which we will put up shortly..enjoy

Hawthorn Jelly Recipe

Well Autumn is here, and I have been thinking about preserves and jellies, and I wanted to know more about Haw Jelly. After my other post about the varient Hawthorn blossoms,

http://mountfranklinannualpagangathering.blogspot.com/2010/11/hawthorn-may-tree.html

I could not help but notice the deep red haw berries while out in Central Victoria the other week, and thought I'd look for a recipe that makes Haw jelly.

I have never made this before, indeed I have never made any kind of jams or preserves, I leave that to my mother, but it would indeed be wonderful to be able to have the choice!

It says that with Hawthorn jelly, you can have cheese or meats, maybe like cranberry jelly...

Hawthorn Jelly

Step 1

Find a nice Hawthorn bush (Crataegus monogyna) laden with lovely red haws.

Step 2

Pick 1.5lbs (70 gms) of hawthorn berries (haws). This will make 1 jar of hawthorn jelly, so obviously if you need more jars, pick more fruit.

Make sure that you remove the stalks. A good way is to simply roll a clump of berries (stalks and all) in between your hands, and you’ll find the haws just roll off. It’s certainly easier than individually pulling off each stalk.

Step 3

Now wash your haws and then drain.

Step 4

Put the haws into a heavy saucepan, and cover with 1.5 cups of water.

Step 5

Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour. Mash the berries with a potato masher every 20 minutes.

Step 6

Now strain the mixture over night using some muslin or a jelly bag.

To keep the jelly clear do not squeeze the jelly bag, just let the juice drip. If you’re not bothered whether your hawthorn jelly is clear or not then squeeze away.

Step 7

For every 1 pint (570 mls) of juice measure out 1lb (45 gms) of sugar.

Step 8

Now squeeze the juice of 1 lemon.

Step 9

Mix the sugar and lemon juice into a heavy saucepan along with the hawthorn juice. Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring continuously until the sugar has dissolved.

Now rapid boil for 10 minutes until …the jelly has reached setting point. This you can test by letting some cool on a saucer.

Step 10
Now skim off any foam from the top of the jelly liquid, and pour into sterilised, warm jars and screw on the lids.

Eat at will. There is no need to leave the hawthorn jelly for a month or so.

If you want to see image to image instructions, then you can go the website where I got this from - Eat Weeds - 'the Wild food guide to the edible plants of Britain' - http://www.eatweeds.co.uk/hawthorn-jelly-recipe

I am sure the whole website could provide some fascinating recipes if you had a good look...

http://www.eatweeds.co.uk/category/wild-food-recipes

Another website that looks interesting - Hedgerow Recipes - http://www.overthegardengate.net/garden/herbs/reci_hedge.asp where there are many recipes that include ingredients that you can find on the side of the road in rural Australia just as much as you could in rural Britain (this is one case where I don't think 100% badly of the Acclimatisation Society of the 18th and 19th centuries).

There is much to be gained from roadside fruits and flora as we also saw with the Elderflower Champagne recipe posted in late Dec on this blog - http://mountfranklinannualpagangathering.blogspot.com/2010/12/elderflower-champagne.html

and there is nothing better than feeling creative by making something edible from them (providing no poisoning has occurred to the plants - and you must always find out). I always feel when I pass an apple tree in the middle of nowhere, that surely they are here to be collected and used. The possibilities are endless....

Mount Franklin Annual Pagan Gathering: Construction of an Obby Oss

Mount Franklin Annual Pagan Gathering: Construction of an Obby Oss