Pagan Playdate's Mabon!

Rowan plays in grass

So today, Pagan Playdate met at Little Farm (a small working farm in one of the East Bay Regional Parks) where the kids got to feed cows, a pig, geese, chickens, ducks, goats and sheep celery and lettuce that we brought. The kids squealed with delight and dropped the celery into the dirt often, fearing that their hands would get bit (they are a bit city-fied, our kids). Rowan loved watching the cows' big lolling tongues extend and wrap around the celery stalks like a tentacle reaching for prey. It made him giggle.

Alden, Orin, Heather, Gavin, Bella

I was pleased that our group grew by one family this week and we had another pagan parent and her kids join us. Welcome, Blaze, Bella, and Willow!

Blaze, Willow, Ladybug

After hanging out for a while, we went to a grassy area to circle up and have a casual ritual with the kids. One of the other mothers and I had decided to plan this together, and had called each other the night before to confirm plans and get on the same page. Since most of the kids are too young to understand Mabon and its meanings, we decided that today's theme was animals (hence starting at the Little Farm).

Meg, Laurel, Avery, Heaven, Aida

Our oldest regular kid, Orin (who is 5) got to cast circle, with the help of his mom. (You may remember Orin from our Lughnasadh ritual- he was such a big kid that he got to hold a lit candle.) He loves taking part in ritual and has great input. When we discussed how we would call in the quarters/elements using corresponding animals (birds for air, fish for water, etc), he cracked me up when he disagreed with an adult's suggestion for fire (a lion). "No, I wouldn't do that.",  he said. Curious and wanting the kids as engaged as possible, I asked, "Well, what would you do?" He replied, "I'd use a fire elemental!" He is a little more advanced in his pagan training than the rest of our kids. So we suggested that each kid got to propose their own, and when it was his turn he could say "salamander" or whatever floated his boat. Rowan and I were in the west, so we invoked fish and made the ASL sign for fish and gave our selves gills and fish faces.

Avery, Aidan, Heaven

Once in circle, we told animal stories. I let everyone know why Flamingo stands on one leg. Blaze told how Turtle pulled up the earth from the sea. And Heaven told us about compassionate Hummingbird. Then we sang "Fur and Feathers" and pre-vocal kids got to use rattles, drums, tamborines, and shakers to join in:

Fur and feathers and scales and skin
Different without but the same within
Many the body but one the soul
By all creatures are the gods made whole!

Then we did a kid version of cakes and wine: cookies and juice!  I am hoping that Heaven and Meg share a couple things in the comments that I cannot remember: The circle devocation and a cakes and wine blessing that were kid appropriate, catchy and charming. Ladies?