Beltane Wishes

Greetings to all here,

I will soon migrate westward to spend solar and lunar Beltane with old friends. While I'm gone the blog will take a nap.

I hope this finds you well and happy. Have a lovely Beltane season,

Sia

Pastel painting: Violet-green swallow by Karen Margulis. You can view her work here.

Bread and Roses for Beltane

If, like me, you are a small frog croaking joyfully in the lily pond that is modern Paganism then you, too, will receive emails this time of year asking if you know of any Beltane events occurring your town. Whenever I receive such correspondence I refer folks to the events pages at The Witches Voice (1) yet even as I do that I wonder if I'm doing the right thing.

It is natural for someone to want community, especially during the great festivals. Yet many of us find public events disappointing when we come to them. There are a lot of reasons for this, but the one I want to focus on today centers around this question: If we do not take the time to tend to a chosen, core and trusted community throughout the year, then how do we expect to find the circle fulfilling at Beltane?

Nothing Wrong With A Bit O' Fun and Feasting

If all you want is some drumming and dancing around the Maypole or if, as an adult, you are after a bit of merry making in the lusty month of May, then, go, be safe, and have fun. You take my blessings with you. I've been to such celebrations and had a great time. But if what you wanted was a deeper experience, if you want meaningful ritual or, better yet, a powerful sense of your connection to the life that quickens all around you this month, what we in my tradition consider to be a connection to the sacred, then I don't quite see how that can be accomplished in haste, among strangers.

Tending The Fire

Over the years, I have seen two types of Beltane celebrations that move me the most. The first is group orientated but at the same time, deeply personal. It involves people who know one another, who have a feeling of comfort around one another, and who have shared commitments and values as well as healthy boundaries. And it doesn't have to be a Pagan group.

A good group experience might be found at the fireside or in the dance, but it can also be found, as my friend Owlmoon finds it, while hosting a full moon hike for children and parents. These people comprise a nature group she works with on projects all year long. Of the dozen or so families there, only two identify as Pagan.

Good groups, all kinds, tend their relationships over the course of the year in the same way I tend my garden, by pulling up weeds that sprout and feeding and trimming what needs it. What they have, they have nurtured over time and it comes to fruition, as so much else does, at Beltane. Take, for example, my friend Sage who will be out this weekend doing wetlands restoration. She'll bring that experience into circle in a ritual centered around clean water for all, and some of the people from the restoration project with be there with her.

Form Follows Function

Beltane celebrations aren't something we put on awkwardly once a year like fancy dress and tight shoes. They are something that grows organically out of who we are, what we value and what our connection is to one another.

The best Beltane celebrations for me, are joyous and easy because I know and trust the people I'm with. Such celebrations strengthen our bonds and we leave the event inspired and joyful. We all find the meaning of Beltane in our own way. What matters to me is this: The celebration takes it's form from the meaning, not the other way around.

Celebrating May Day As A Solitary:

There is another kind of experience, one which we choose for ourselves and celebrate alone. It does not require that we be by ourselves; we can be in a group setting, it simply means that we might be the only one aware of it's greater significance. For example, this Beltane my friend Jo will go into the animal shelter where she volunteers and help find foster homes for homeless mother cats and their kittens. It is only Jo who knows she does this to honor her connection to the Goddess. Her ritual that morning will be private but her service will be done with others. The Mamma Cats will know, of course, but they're not telling.

Blessings at Beltane:

Beltane is what we make it. It can be quiet and peaceful, joyous, sensual, awe inspiring or meditative. It can shake down our house like an earthquake and require we rebuild or caress us gently like a breeze and bring peace to a weary heart. The readiness is all.

For me, a Beltane blessing often comes in the form of that still, small voice that tells me to turn a corner. This is not some stern revelation. Such a blessing is fertile and fair like the arrival of migrating birds bringing their songs with them or like a sudden bloom of wildflowers in an open meadow.

There is a wild park near our home where I walk our dog and such flowers bloom there every year around this time and they seem to do so almost overnight. Beltane gifts can be like that. Yesterday for example, a bright collection of messages I've gotten for months suddenly came together and made sense. They appeared in my meditations like butterflies in a flowering meadow where before there was only frost and dead leaves.

When openness and preparation meet at exactly the right moment our culture calls it an epiphany. Artists, singers, crafters and writers recognize this as the spark that lights their creative flame. Others experience this turn of the wheel as a time of greater freedom, and greet it with relief. Some see it as a time of renewed dedication or can be a moment of grace, a joyous leap around the fire, or the dropping of a burden we've carried far too long. In a season of renewal and growth, many things are possible.

Bread and Roses

When I think of Beltane, I think of bread. Like the baking of bread, a celebration of the life force is a common experience, one that is both nourishing and fruitful. It's power can be observed in nature, as our ancestors observed it, by closely watching mammals, sea creatures, birds, flowers, trees and plants. When such a celebration is done well by us humans; when it's done with care, consciousness, gratitude and joy, it is both fulfilling and delicious.

So much of what we celebrate around Beltane is centered around feasting and flowers. As Shakespeare says, "There's a double meaning in that." The older I get the more I see that a happy life is filled with both bread and roses. My mother, all gods bless her, taught me that a good woman knows how to put both on her table. If you will allow me to expand the metaphor at bit further, I'll say that first she must grow and store the grain and tend the garden in all the seasons that come before this holiday in order to have either ready by May. So here is a question for anyone wanting to find an event this year. Is the experience we create and share at Beltane special, in the same way that the bread we bake for our loved ones is special? I think it can be like that, either in a group setting or as a solitary, when we give attention to it's delights and when our preparation is focused. The blessing comes through us, from our hearts to our hands and then out to the world around us.

Beltane, like any great feast, requires both a fine cook and a good eater to enjoy it. At Beltane, I try to be both.

The blessings of the season to you and yours,

Sia

Related Articles:

Connection, Mystery, Joy

May Day - Valborg by Tseka
The lovely photo of the May Day basket comes from her blog - read the article, you'll be glad you did.

In Praise of Pagan Men
A celebration of the Green Man among us

Beltane: Old Style & New Style
May Day lore and links + notes on Lunar Beltane, Solar Beltane, etc.

Now THIS is a Fire Festival - photos and links from the famous Beltane Festival at Edinburgh

Beltane at the Baylands
An old California tradition

A Merry Beltane - from The Wild Hunt

Lord of the Dance

Beltane Pilgrimage
Notes on the British festival and the Old Oss by a Druid writer.

Apple Blossoms of the White May Moon
Poetry and apple lore

Romantic Thoughts at Beltane

Beltane Greetings
Notes on ancient Celtic celebrations and Rosslyn Chapel and it's links to the Gypsy culture by a member of the American Templar Fellowship.

Beauty and Meaning: Gardening Like a Green Witch

Nudity at Festivals

Pagan Festival Tips
A great section at Vox, with lots of good advice, most of which comes from Patricia Telesco

Cultural Creatives and Change

Links:

Wren's Nest - still the best place on the net for Pagan & earthwise news

The Wild Hunt: Offering a Pagan perspective on the news of the day

Photo: Columbia-spelt from a wonderful recipe site called Freshloaf.com

Endnotes:

(1) The Witches Voice or Vox, as it is fondly known, keeps an event list on a state-wide level in the U.S. and by country internationally. It has served our community for well over a decade. The quality of the essays posted there is a bit hit and miss, as would be the case with any open, community-minded site, but it is still the best place on the net to do networking or find events if you identify as Pagan, Druid, Wiccan, et al. The creators and founders are Fritz Jung and the Rev. Wren Walker. Remember those names. When the time comes to write a detailed history of the modern Pagan movement the work of these two people will be seen as a vital force which helped us to grow towards our highest good. They have always supported littled known groups and effective service and their site serves to highlight what is best and most effective among us. Unlike other venues, they did not focus on those who shouted the loudest or the prancing sillies longing for their 15 minutes of fame; the folks so often covered by the media while the rest of us cringed in embarrassment. I've said this often and I still believe it: Vox's work, in many ways, helped to save us from ourselves. Wren and Fritz deserve our deepest thanks for their unselfish service, their solid ethics and their deep dedication.

Apple Blossoms of the White May Moon

O.D. this is for you:

Apple Tree in May


"But it's falling already,
Falling!" I cried,
"So fast and so soon . . ."
The flowering bride
Of the white May moon.

My neighbor and I
Stood there by the door,
Petals floating down
For a moment more
On the green and the brown.

Then the boy at my side
Whom I hardly know
Said, "The petals leave"
(As he turned to go)
"But you mustn't grieve.

For they fall, you know,
To make the fruit
For the harvest moon:
Don't you be put out
So fast, so soon."

It was falling already,
Falling, my joy,
So fast and so soon,
When a country boy
Said, "The harvest moon . . ."

Beltane greetings to you and yours from the Land of Apples.

To our friends in the Pacific Northwest, see you at the Revels,

Sia

MOON OF OLWEN
5/5-6/2/08

From Lunar Cycles and Goddess Energies:

Daughter of Hawthorn. She of the White Track. May Queen. Olwen is the Welsh aspect of the Greek Aphrodite, and is thus a Love Goddess and an Apple Goddess. In some Welsh traditions she is also considered to be the twin sister of Merlin (Merddin). She is affiliated with the letter H, uath, HAWTHORN. This period is of the year is considered unlucky, and was seen as a time of purification and chastity until the Ides of June (15th). The hawthorn blossom has a female scent, and was an erotic symbol. The Joseph of Arimathea story, contained in the Arthurian mythologies and created by the monks at Glastonbury, was used to discourage the orgiastic use of the hawthorn blossom by the Flora cults by attempting to sanctify it.

Apple Facts:

More than 7,500 varieties of apples are grown throughout the world.

About 2,500 varieties grow in the United States.

The apple variety Delicious is the most widely grown in the United States.

Apples are part of the rose family.

The science of fruit growing is called pomology.

Fresh apples float. That's because 25 percent of their volume is air.

Cut an apple in half, across the core, and you'll see a star shape.

It takes apple trees four to five years to produce their first fruit.

It takes about thirty-six apples to make one gallon of apple cider.

Off the Shelf:

Apples To Oregon

Image: Robbin & Apple Blossoms from Cotswold Arts

Poem by May Sarton - From the Selected Works of May Sarton published by W.W. Norton

Romantic Thoughts at Beltane

Beltane is such a romantic time of year. I fall in love again with all the world and with my partner most of all.

In all the ritual, activism and celebration, I like to put aside a time for thoughts of love, and for great love stories, as well.

Mal and Inara are one of my favorite couples. I love their strength, and I empathize with their flaws. (And let's be honest, I want her clothes).

I feel so lucky to be part of a path the celebrates love and the body as something beautiful and good.

If, like me, you crave unusual kinds of romance (where the women are strong, the men are good looking and the children are above average) then I recommend reading Lords & Ladies by Terry Pratchett. It's a Beltane story with a great many surprises. (For one thing, the Witches save the day....mostly). It also contains the little known secrets of The Other Morris Dance.

Blessings of the season to you and yours,

Sia

Related Articles:

Beltane Old & New Style

Joss Whedon: Honorary Pagan

Zoe, Inara, and Kaylee, We Miss You

For those of you using a reader, the video is here.

Beltane: Old Style & New Style

I sent out Beltane greetings to friends today.

Our own celebrations will begin at sunset on April 30th, and continue on through the time of Old Beltane (1) and a bit beyond. These celebrations include parties, dancing the sun up, rituals, feasts, decorating springs and wells, Morris Dancers, rituals and May Poles. That's Beltane Old Style. Our celebrations also include habitat restoration work, native gardening efforts, raising funds for local charities, food drives, supporting animal rescue groups, and other meaningful work for Mama Gaia and her creatures. That's Beltane New Style.

It is a busy and beautiful time.

Old Style or New Style it's a time for flirting, fun and frolic. Being uppity women, Snakemoon and I both own quote buttons that say Hi, I'm Pagan. Ask Me About My Sex Holiday.

Beltane is also a time to celebrate the Green Man. If you have not already seen it, you may like this old essay of mine titled In Praise Of Pagan Men

This is a time to cherish the earth while we celebrate spring. For example, our Gaia's Guardian's project helps recruit volunteers from among our earthwise friends to work with mainstream, locally based non-profit groups that help both animals and the planet. It's always been important to me to build these kind of links between Pagan volunteers, and their neighborhood community service organizations. It's something I think needs doing. I find it rewarding, as well. (2)

The timing of this Cross Quarter Holiday can be confusing. Here's why:

* Astrological Beltane: Occurs when the sun is at 15 degrees Taurus. (Usually around May 5th).

* Astronomical Beltane: The time when the constellation Pleiades can be seen on the dawn horizon. Our ancestors would have been well aware of changes to the stars that heralded a change in seasons; something most moderns now miss.

* Calendar Beltane - (AKA May Day): This is commonly celebrated on May 1st. However, it is important to note that calender changes made by the Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 moved the date backwards by 11 days in most European countries. Overnight, May 12th became May 1st. (Note: England and American did not adopt the Gregorian calendar until 1752). Thus, the Calendar puts the well known May Day celebrations such as Morris Dancing, May Poles and Fire Festivals, et al, at at a time far earlier than they were previously held. In Medieval and Renaissance times these celebrations took place 11 - 15 days later in the season; at a time when the weather was noticeably warmer and dryer, travel (both by sea and over land) was easier and safer, many more spring flowers bloomed, a larger number of young animals were about and thriving, and it was far more pleasant to be outside.

* Lunar Beltane: Occurs during the first full moon in May.

Many ancient and modern calendars are based on either lunar or lunisolar calendars. Such calenders were/are used by people in Native American, Hebrew, Islamic, Asian, Hindu and Pagan cultures. Many ancients peoples, including the ancient Celts, Egyptians, Africans, Mayans, Hawaiians, and Babylonians, used lunar calendars.

* Solar Beltane - (AKA Cross Quarter Beltane): Beltane is a Cross Quarter Holiday, one that stands halfway between a solstice and an equinox in the Wheel of the Year. It's exact date and time is calculated in relation to the other seasonal holidays ocuring in a 365 day-long solar year. You can check this on sites such as the Archaeoastronomy site.

Here are Actual dates and times for the Cross Quarter holidays through 2012

* Tribal - (AKA Festive Beltane): Our ancestors often held feasts, faires, and festivals that lasted for many days. (This makes sense when you consider that travel to and from these gatherings could take days. Why travel all that way for a brief event?) Today, Pagans and others celebrate this holiday over a period of several days, often gathering to meet or do rituals at a time most convenient for their families and/or group.

The Wheel of the Year:

The Wheel of the Year is celebrated by Pagans, Druids, Wiccans and others as a way to honor the past, and be in touch with nature. Please Note: The number of holidays on the Wheel remains constant, but their names and focus may vary according to one's culture and tradition.

More information and links can be found in the footnote #1.

Happy Spring to all here.

Sia


(1) Doug and Sandy Knopf write that our ancestors knew the time of Beltane was near when they saw the rising of the constellation Pleiades on the dawn horizon. The Pleiades are also known as the Seven Sisters and the first born and most beautiful of the Sisters is named Maia. The month of May is named for Maia.

As Mike Nichols notes:

Due to various calendrical changes down through the centuries, the traditional date of Beltane is not the same as its astrological date. This date, like all astronomically determined dates, may vary by a day or two depending on the year. However, it may be calculated easily enough by determining the date on which the sun is at 15 degrees Taurus (usually around May 5th). British Witches often refer to this date as Old Beltane, and folklorists call it Beltane O.S. ('Old Style'). Some Covens prefer to celebrate on the old date and, at the very least, it gives one options.... This may also be a consideration for Covens that need to organize activities around the week-end.

Lunar Beltane occurs on the first full moon in May. Mark McNutt notes that

Pagans speak of Lunar Beltane, which is the time of the Full Moon in the middle of Spring, always a Moon in Scorpio which implies the mood of sexual fertility and balanced with the sensuality of Taurus. This is why it is such a Bel -time. The ritual of Beltane celebrates life coming into full fertility in the garden and in our own beings. Life, death, and sexuality are transformative partners in the walk of life.

Druid Richard Eaton believes that Beltane is not so much a sexual time in the Wheel of the Year but a sacred fertility festival celebrating birth.

(2) While living in Northern California, my husband and I developed an online Earthwise Community calendar for that state that was, I believe, unique, in part because it supported the view that Pagans are people who walk between worlds. We list social and cultural events on our calendar as well as arts and crafts postings, gardening, musical and family-friendly events, as well as nature hikes and camp outs. These are listed right alongside rituals, Pagan classes and drumming circles. After all, we Pagans have lives. I enjoyed doing that (as time consuming as it was) but it is something I had to give up when we moved to a new state. I notice with a great deal of quiet pride that other people in the earthwise community are doing this sort of broad-focused networking in their communities and using the new media to great effect. Good on you, folks.

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Off the Shelf:

Beltane: Springtime Rituals, Lore and Celebration by Raven Grimassi

Wheel Of The Year: Living the Magical Life by Paulene Campenelli

The Witches' Sabbats by Mike Nichols.

Green Man: Tales of the Mythic Forest: Terri Windling (Editor) A book of stories about the Green Man and the Green Woman.

The Green Man: Spirit of Nature by John Mathews.

Green Magic: The Sacred Connections to Nature by Ann Moura

Lord of Light and Shadow: The Many Faces of the God by Dj Conway

King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette

Save Our Planet: 750 Everyday Ways You Can Help Clean Up the Earth/25th Anniversary Edition by Diane Maceachern

For Parents:

Circle Round and Sing by Anne Hill

50 Things Kids Can Do To Save the Earth by The Earthworks Group

Artwork: This image is by the brillent Mr. Brian Froud. Brian was kind enough to let us use several of his images for our Fairy-themed Witches Ball in 2001. He also donated several prints for our silent auction. This ball was a charity fundraiser for our local Humane Society and over 600 people attended that year. Brian lives in the UK, and he was scheduled to tour the U.S. and to attend our event as Guest of Honor but 9/11 forced he and his wife to cancel their plans.

Lunar Beltane

Lunar Beltane was a very peaceful time for me. I celebrated it alone, after dusk, out at our new place surrounded by mountains, stars and trees.

I'm going to like it here.

Next week, I'll talk to our attorney about filing as a 501-C in Oregon. I've been talking to the Council about some changes I wanted to make to our focus here. It's time.

Sia

The image here is from a work by Jai Lu

Beltane at the Baylands

Several years ago a friend told me about an event called Beltane at the Baylands. At this ritual (both cultural and Pagan) a hundred or more completely insane people, along with various troupes of Morris Dancers such as Mad Molly and The Deer Creek Morris Men, get up at four in the morning to dance the sun up near the wetlands.

The dancing starts at at 5:15 and goes until sunrise. The Morris Dance teams all perform. At the end they teach everyone a folk dance, and the whole crowd dances together in a circle.

This year, I got there rather later than I planed. (1) I finally made it to the park by 5:30 and I think I was the last one to arrive. As I drove along the road, past the duck ponds and up toward the Lucy Evans nature center I saw about a dozen black tailed hares eating the tall grass by the side of the road. I slowed down so I wouldn't hit one by accident, and wished them all a Merry Beltane.

By the time I arrived, the Morris dancing was in full swing. I hugged a few friends and walked along the edge of the crowd until I came to some hedges at the north-east edge of the lot. Past these hedges is an clear view of the bay and a ramp that leads down to the water line. A walk down the ramp brings you to a floating deck. Bird watchers love this spot. From here you can see over to the East Bay hills and you get a good view of the tidal marsh birds, as well as the swallows, hawks, ravens and geese. All these birds were out that day, including terns who were fishing and the purple swallows, who were flitting after bugs in the early morning light. I stood on the ramp, listened to the music and watched the sun come up over the hills. As the sun rose it colored the clouds rose-gold and white. Light touched the dark water, turning it silver and pink. The water was still enough for scrying, until a bird landed, then it shimmered slightly, sending ripples to the shoreline, where the stilts strutted and bobbed for food. They seemed to keep time with the dancers on the green, especially during the stick dance.

I've rarely seen such a morning. The bay, the clouds and the mountains together looked like an early Monet I once saw in Paris. Only this time, instead of standing in the d'Orsay, I was looking at a living picture while Celtic folk tunes played in the background. It was so beautiful, I stayed at the water's edge, enthralled, and missed the dancing completely. As a friend of mine says, sometimes the best prayer is to simply stand outside and say "Thank you".

Finally, the sun came up and the Circle Dance was done. The crowd helped the organizers clean up the space and went to their cars. I met up with some friends and went out to breakfast. I've enjoyed some magnificent sunrises in my life, but that one will always remain one of my favorites.

Sia

(1) I was coming off the 101 when I got a flat tire. I pulled off on to Embarcadero street and parked under a street lamp. I was more annoyed at missing the Beltane celebration than I was at the tire. After all, I was in a safe place, the blow out had not a caused an accident, it wasn't raining and I had my cell phone. If you are going to have car trouble, this is how you do it. Mostly, I just wanted to the coffee and muffins I knew were waiting for me a mere 10 miles away, at the end of the park. Happily, the a tow truck from AAA showed up quickly and I was back on the road, using my spare within half an hour. In the meantime, I had explained to the truck driver why I was there (and why so many other cars were going by in a deserted area at 5 in the morning.) He turned out to be half Irish and very interested in Celtic music and events, so I gave him a card. The Goddess has a sense of humor and she likes to use me as she sees fit.