Beltane
Beltane (April
30) marks the emergence of the young God into manhood.
Stirred by the energies at work in nature, He desires the Goddess. They
fall in love, lie among the grasses and blossoms, and unite. The Goddess
becomes pregnant of the God. The Wiccans celebrate the symbol of Her
fertility in ritual.
Beltane (also known as May Day) has long been marked with feasts and
rituals. May poles, supremely phallic symbols, were the focal point of
old English village rituals. Many persons rose at dawn to gather flowers
and green branches from the fields and gardens, using them to decorate
the May pole, their homes and themselves.
The flowers and greenery symbolize the Goddess; the May pole the God.
Beltane marks the return of vitality, of passion and hopes consummated.
May poles are sometimes used by Wiccans today during Beltane rituals,
but the cauldron is a more common focal point of ceremony. It
represents, of course, the Goddess - the essence of womanhood, the end
of all desire, the equal but opposite of the May pole, symbolic of the
God.
May 1 - Beltane - Celebrate the flowering and fertility of The Goddess.
Good for conception (birth) magic. Leap on your brooms over tilled
fields - or any plant.
Beltane - 30 April (also known as May Eve) - This is an old Celtic
festival, when cattle were driven between bel-fires as an act of
purification and protection from disease, or as a prelude to sacrifice.
More importantly, spring has sprung and it is a time for frivolity.
Country folk used to bedeck their homes with May blossom and wear posies
in their hair. To mark the festival a maypole was erected as a symbol of
virility, decorated with garlands of white and red flowers, topped with
a sprig of broom to symbolize the blood and milk of the maiden goddess,
and danced around by the villagers to celebrate the beginning of summer.
May 1 was celebrated as Beltane in earlier times and still is today by
Pagans and Witches. It is based in part on the old Roman festival of
Florala, dedicated to Flora, Goddess of Flowers. Many more know it as
May Day. A wealth of customs and rites has survived from early times.
May Day was also the date the Romans honored the Lairs, or household
and family guardians. Wreaths were hung before their altars, incense
burned and the family attuned to its spiritual essence.
Lilacs and Hawthorne are traditionally brought into the home on May Day,
which is unusual because both plants are generally viewed as ill-luck
bringers in the house. On this day, though, the spell is broken.
The flowers of May - bluebells, yellow cowslips, daisies, roses,
marigolds, primroses and hundreds of others are still brought inside to
release their powers and connect the home with the living world
outdoors.
To guard your home against the intense magical powers at work on
Beltane, mark a cross in the hearth ashes with a hazel twig, or carry
elder twigs three times around the house, then hang them up inside or
place outside over the door.
At dawn on May Day, go to a garden or out in the woods and gather dew
from plants and flowers and grass. Bathe your face in this dew, and it
will highlight your beauty.
It is
considered unfortunate to give away fire or salt on May Day, since
these were at one time the two most sacred substances. Thus, give them
away on May Day, and you give your luck away.
Beltane marks the beginning of summer, when all nature reaches a
crescendo of power and energy. The day and night were thought to be
dangerous for the unprepared because of these excessive vibrations. Due
to this phenomenon, it was deemed a good practice to sleep at home this
night.
Protection:
Get a twig of Rowan on May Day. Twine several dozen yards of red thread
or yarn around it, then place it in a window where it will be visible.
This is an all-purpose protective charm.
Youth:
To keep looking young, gather dew on May Day morning, just before the
sun rises. Put into this water three clover stalks. Let these steep all
day out of the Sun's rays. The next morning, again before the sun rises,
rub a little of the water on your face. Do this every morning until the
water is used up. Cover the bowl with a cloth to keep the water clean
and store in a place whee it will remain untouched until the following
morning.
Blessed Be
Lady Pavane Maya
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