Beltane - The Great Wedding of Nature. Creation, Sensuality & Abundance!

Beltane marks the midway point between the Spring Equinox & the Summer Solstice. In the Northern Hemisphere, Beltane is traditionally celebrated from the moonrise of May eve until the sun sets on the 1st May.

Beltane has Celtic roots set in agrarian culture, a pastoral festival to mark the herds going to pasture. The word Beltane translates as ‘bright fire’ or ‘bright one’, a time where fires were lit to honour Bel, the Sun God, and in return would protect the emerging harvest.

Beltane was a time of great gatherings and feasting, as it was the first opportunity to gather after the cold winter months – a celebration of life and fertility. It was customary to light fires. Folk would jump the fires and the herds lead around them in the hope of protection from disease. On returning home, a fire would be light from the embers of the evening and rowan twigs hung in the home, for protection in the coming months.

All new life comes from death, and in the cyclic Wiccan traditions, the Earth awakens and is re-birthed in the unfurling of flower buds and new growth after a long dormant winter. Beltane honours Flora, the flower Goddess, who is the embodiment of the maiden and representing fertility and abundance. Flora, the Divine Feminine, and the Green Man come together on Beltane Eve to express their love and conceive the Divine Child. Many lovers at this time would disappear into the forest to make some magic of their own given it was said that children conceived on May Eve were protected by Flora and the Green Man, known as Merry-Be-Gots.

The energy at this time is full of hope. It is wild and free, making it very much a time to play, love and harness your inner magic!

How to Celebrate Beltane

Why not join Flora and be wild? Dress wildly and be bold. Enjoy some colour. Wear red if you crave love and passion, white for peace, green for abundance, yellow for happiness, or blue to aid communication. Why not accompany the wildness with heady fragrances of ylang ylang, rose, or jasmine?

Beltane is the perfect time to enjoy a forage and the great outdoors - think fragrant lilacs, magnolia, honeysuckle, hawthorn and the vibrant colour of newly emerging hazel leaves. Enjoy a picnic and take some time to make a daisy crown, if they are in abundance. Traditionally flowers were collected and placed in doorways or windows and given to friends or neighbours; making a little basket full of goodies and adding some foraged flowers can bring joy to a lonely neighbour or friend...

Why not stay up late and enjoy the morning dew? Maidens, take note! Traditionally, rolling in the dew of May Eve or washing one's face in the dew was said to bring health, luck, and beauty!

If you are close by to water, be it a pond, spring, waterfall, or river, then stop to make a blessing and leave a biological offering. If it is safe to do so, you could scry in the moonlight waters to see what messages of wisdom you might behold...

Creating a faery house in the garden is a lovely activity if you have young children. The Celts always believed it was important to appease the aos sí – the nature spirits were considered to be very active this time of year! Bits of moss and twigs can be used to make the furniture; add a few fairy lights, and voila! The potent energy makes it a great time to manifest, so state your wishes to the aos sí or perhaps make a wish box and literally watch your wishes grow. To do this, you will need a small paper box, some soil, and seeds. On a piece of paper, write down your wish and set the intention in your mind. Place the paper in the bottom of the box, cover it with soil, and add the seeds. Place the box lightly in the ground or inside the home on a saucer and watch your wishes manifest.

And let's not forget the most common Beltane activity – a dance around the Maypole (the pole representing the masculine, and the ribbons being the feminine). This Roman tradition likely started over 2000 years ago when soldiers would return and find themselves a maiden. If you don't have a maypole, then keep it simple and enjoy a dance outdoors with those you love.

Then it is fire time for all the adults out there. Get the chiminea out and invite some friends. You can't beat being with your crew and organizing plans for the summer ahead and toasting some marshmallows on the fire. Some couples may hold a handfasting, where lovers show commitment to one another for a year and a day! Alternatively, you would write your desires or situations you wish to release on a piece of paper and burn it safely in the embers as a rebirth.

And once the party ends, it surely has to be time for a sleep under the stars and hold gratitude for your wonderful life. Invite your ancestors and spirit guides to be with you; simply 'be' with a quiet mind and await your wisdom in the dreamworld.

If you enjoy crystals, then I love a mix of garnet, carnelian, rose quartz, or pink tourmaline for love, with a little citrine for abundance!

However you want to spend this day, it is about love and sensuality. You are beautiful. Be responsible with fires and candles. And, maidens, be careful in the forest!

Have a Blessed Beltane everyone!

“Dear Artemis, let me run free and wild like you. Dear Isis, help me heal my deepest wounds and create my life anew. Dear Aphrodite, let me embrace my body and enjoy sweet pleasures Dear Shakti, awaken your primal power within me, rise in bliss within and through me. Dear Flora, bless me with beauty in all hours".

Adapted from https://www.flourishinggoddess.com/goddess-rituals-prayers-celebrate-beltane)

Possible events: Edinburgh Fire Festival, Butser Ancient Farm in Hampshire, Thornborough Henges in North Yorkshire or Beltane week in Peebles, Scotland.