Beltane
Ahhh Beltane. It’s such a happy holiday, with the dancing and the flowers and the happy, happy people. Sadly, for this year’s Beltane ritual I felt like I’d been run over by a truck, so my attitude was pretty much “No I will NOT join you in rejoicing in the beauty of spring. Now will you please take your mirth and merriment and go frolic somewhere else? You’re interfering with my sulking!” But I’m much better now.
Beltane is celebrated on or around May 1st - halfway between the Vernal Equinox and the Summer Solstice. It’s a very fun, lighthearted holiday. If Imbolg was the time to plan for the coming year, and Ostara was the time to set the plan in motion, Beltane is the time to enjoy the fact that your plan is coming to fruition. You should be seeing results by now; you should be noticeably closer to achieving your goal. And if you’re not - that’s OK. This is a great time to re-energize yourself and pour new life into your plan. Or maybe your plan needs to be re-worked a bit - maybe things aren’t going as you expected. No problem - soak in some of the wonderful spring energy that’s all around you, re-evaluate your situation and get to work!
Probably the most well-known Beltane custom is the Maypole. Maypole dancing is found in several different cultures, with a variety of meanings and customs attached to it. In our ritual, it’s a symbol of fertility, of the union of masculine and feminine energies. The pole itself represents the God, while the ribbons that are woven around it represent the Goddess. As the dancers weave the ribbons around the pole, they are symbolically weaving their hopes and wishes into this union of the God and the Goddess. From this union we can draw upon the Divine energy we need to achieve our goals.
I couldn’t decide between using a poem or a quote to close this post, so I’ll just have to include both! First, a lovely poem by Sara Teasdale that reminds us to savor every beautiful moment of spring:
May Day
A delicate fabric of bird song
Floats in the air,
The smell of wet wild earth
Is everywhere.
Red small leaves of the maple
Are clenched like a hand,
Like girls at their first communion
The pear trees stand.
Oh I must pass nothing by
Without loving it much,
The raindrop try with my lips,
The grass with my touch;
For how can I be sure
I shall see again
The world on the first of May
Shining after the rain?
And now, a quote that I love from Dorothy Parker:
"Every year, back comes Spring, with nasty little birds yapping their fool heads off and the ground all mucked up with plants."