Beltaine

Tonight is May Eve, celebrated by pagans as Beltaine/Beltane which means ‘Bright Fire’.  This feast celebrates the coming of summer, when the flowers are in full bloom, the pastures ever greener and nature shows off its colorful sheen.  In mystic tradition, Beltane signifies the coming of the Sun God to maturity to court the Spring Goddess who now becomes the May Queen.  Thus this sabbat is strongly associated with fertility, growth and change.  In the old times, people used to celebrate in the woods and it was a time of sexual licence, where they may have intercourse with their lovers. One famous tradition that is practiced up to the present is the maypole dance, where maidens wrap colorful ribbons as they dance around the pole, a phallic representation.  Games and plays also symbolically reenacted the mythos of two gods representing winter and summer, fighting over a maiden.   It was also believed that Beltane is a magical time, where the veil between the mortal and the faery otherworld is thin.  Sacred Beltane fires were also set ablaze, as the cattle were driven between two bonfires as a sign of purification and blessing. 

Since I chose a solitary path, I honor this sacred sabbat by turning my thoughts inward.  A time of introspection.  A time to ask myself, what have you done to make yourself better? During the sabbat of Imbolc (feb 2), seeds were planted in my soul– the seeds of love, beauty and compassion.  And now it is time to take actions, to nurture these seeds deep within me so they may grow to become part of me, part of my nature.  I have acknowledged my selfishness, my loneliness, my self pity, my insecurities, my being egoistic and proud, my apathy and my indolence.  And as the Beltane’s fire burn, I rid myself of all these negativities,only to arise as a better version of myself.  May it give warmth to my spirit, stir it to action to generate the power needed to attain my goals.  The soil is now fertile for the seeds’ growth, so as my soul is now ready to act towards the manifestation of my desires.  As I continue this journey of life, despite adversaries, may I always emerge stronger and wiser and ever to the liking of the divine. So mote it be.

Have a blessed Beltane everyone!

 

 

Images from:  

Plant Medicine, Earth Cycles & Beltaine E – Lesson and Plant Reading