Ostara

Food

Early Spring recipes include those things with young herbs, sprouts and seeds, like Herb Bread, Granola Muffins, Spring Rice and Lemon-Poppy Seed Cupcakes

Green Herb Bread:
No animal products
No refined sugar
Contains yeast
1 1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/3 cup hot but not boiling water
1 tablespoon each young shoots of: dill, tarragon, parsley, chives, sage(can be made with grown, dry herbs, but allow them to rehydrate in an equal amount of hot water.)
1/2 teaspoon each ground, dried:
Rosemary, Savory
Dash salt or 1 pinch dried, powdered kelp
1 packet of yeast
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening or 3 tablespoons almond butter.

Mix together the flours and oatmeal, let sit. Combine in a small pan the shortening, herbs, salt and water, heat to hot but not boiling, add yeast and stir rapidly, removing from heat. mix into dry ingredients and beat with a bread kneader, gloved hand or thick wooden spoon. Cover lightly, then let rise 30 minutes to an in a warm area or an oven that was heated to 200�F and turned off twenty minutes before.

Pat down dough and Mix again, grease a loaf pan or a round cake pan. Place dough into pan and let rise 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 375�F, brush top of loaf with a small amount of oil, then sprinkle with oats, and a few bits of dried herbs. Bake until loaf is golden and sounds hollow when softly thumped with a wooden spoon.

Granola Muffins:
Contains animal products
Contains a ready-made ingredient
No refined sugars
1 1/2 cups flour( a mix of white and whole wheat with a dash of oatbran is the best)
1 cup granola (we used a low fat granola with freeze dried raspberries.)
1/3 cup wheat germ (optional, we used a commercially prepared honey roasted version)
4 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup almond "milk" or lowfat milk
1 large egg or two ounces egg substitute
1 cup dried or fresh fruit (with a little bit of sugar if it is "sour")
1/3 cup orange or clover honey, or similar "light" honey

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl or bag, combine wet/moist ingredients in a bowl. Slowly add dry to wet, adding more milk if the batter is too sticky. It should be thick, sticky batter. Spoon into 12 muffin cups and bake in an oven that has been preheated to 400� F for about fifteen minutes. These burn very easily, so remove them from pan at once!

Spring Rice:
No animal products
3 cups hot cooked rice, esp. a mixture of rices
1 cup each cooked carrots, corn, yellow squash and red peppers diced finely.
dash salt
2 tablespoons vegetable juice.
Combine all ingredients, mix and serve, great made with leftovers.

Lemon-poppy seed cupcakes:
Uses commercial preparations and animal products.
Prepared lemon cake mix
Prepared lemon frosting
2/3 cup poppy seeds, soaked in hot water and allowed to sit overnight
more poppy seeds
Follow the mixes' directions , adding the strained 2/3 cups poppy seeds with the other ingredients, and bake as per the instructions for cupcakes. Frost cooled cupcakes and sprinkle lightly with dried poppyseeds.

A wheel symbol stands on the altar; it may be anything that feels suitable a cut out disc painted yellow or gold and decorated with spring flowers, a circular mirror, around brass tray.

The High Priest's robe, if any, and accessories should be symbolic of the Sun; any metal he wears should be gold, gilt, brass or bronze.

The altar, if indoors, should be decorated with spring flowers particularly the yellow ones such as daffodils, primroses, gorse, or forsythia. One banquet should be ready for handing to the Spring Queen, and a chaplet of flowers for her crowning.

A phallic wand is on the altar and an array of Candles or a bonfire is central

Fill the cup or if you have one, your ritual chalice, with water. Using your athame, stir in three mounds of salt and stir counter clockwise. While doing so, say:

So must it be!"

Hold the chalice close to your heart and feed power into the water. When you can feel it glow, it is ready. If you are working with a group, pass it around and have everybody feed energy into the chalice.

Everyone faces inward and, holding hands left palms up and right palms downward, alternate male and female with the High Priestess leading. She may let go of the man in front of her and weave the Coven after her, in and out like a snake. No one must let go and all must keep moving. During this time the Coven chants:

"Eko, Eko, Azarak,
Eko, Eko, Zamilak,

chorus

Eko, Eko, Cernunnos,
Eko, Eko, Aradia!

I call the Earth to bind my spell.
Air to speed it well.
Bright as Fire shall it glow.
Deep as tide of Water flow.
Count the elements fourfold,
In the fifth the spell shall hold.

(repeat chorus until ready)

When the Coven is ready and in a plain ring, the High Priestess shouts:

"Down!"

and the Coven drops to the ground and sits in a circle facing inward.

The High Priest kneels before the High Priestess and gives her the Five Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet, both knees, womb, both breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. He says, as he does this:

"Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.
Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar.
Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be.
Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty.
Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names."

For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length-to-length, with their feet touching each others. When he reaches the womb, she spreads her arms wide, and the same after the kiss on the lips.

The High Priestess kneels before the High Priest and gives him the Five Fold Kiss; that is, she kisses him on both feet, both knees, phallus, both breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. she says, as she does this:

"Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.
Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar.
Blessed be thy phallus, without which we would not be.
Blessed be thy breasts, formed in strength.
Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names."

For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length-to-length, with their feet touching each others. When she reaches the phallus, he spreads his arms wide, and the same after the kiss on the lips.

Half as many cords as there are people present are ready on the altar, tied together at their centre point in a single knot. If there is an odd number of people, add one before dividing by two. As part of the feasting and offering to the Gods, you can use hard boiled eggs with painted shells. These symbolise the World Egg, laid by the Goddess and hatched by the heat of the Sun of the God.

The High Priest moves to stands in the East, and the High Priestess in the West, facing each other over the unlit bonfire. The High Priestess carries the phallic wand in her right hand. The rest of the Coven distribute themselves around the rest of the perimeter of the Circle.

The High Priestess says:

O merciful Son of Cerridwen,
From the lowliest thing that liveth
To the Name which is highest of all."

The High Priestess holds the phallic wand on high and walks slowly deosil around the bonfire or cauldron to stand in front of the High Priest. She says:

"O Sun, be Thou ready to conquer the Dark!"

The High Priestess presents the phallic wand the High Priest and then steps to one side.

The High Priest holds up the wand in salute and replaces it on the altar.

The Maiden lights the taper from one of the altar candles and presents it to the High Priest. The Maiden then steps to one side.

The High Priest carries the taper to the bonfire and lights it. He gives the taper back to the Maiden, who blows it out and replaces it on the altar. She then picks up the cords and gives them to the High Priest.

The High Priestess arranges everyone around the fire, man facing woman as far as possible. The High Priest hands out the ends of the cords in accordance with her instructions, retaining on end of the final cord himself and handing the other end of it to the High Priestess. If there is an odd number of people, with more men then women, he holds on to two cord ends himself, or if more women then men, the High Priestess does the same. Either way, both of them must be linked with two members of the opposite sex.

When everyone is holding a cord, they all pull the cords taut, with the central knot above the fire. They then start circling deosil in the Wheel dance, building up speed, always keeping the cords taut and the knot over the fire. Any chant can be used that sounds good.

Then the Coven all sit in a circle round the fire. The High Priest gathers up the cords, being careful not to let them get burned and replaces them on the altar.

The High Priest names one of the women to be the Spring Queen and stands her in front of the altar. He crowns her with the chaplet of flowers and kisses her cheek.

The High Priest presents the Spring Queen with her bouquet.