Belteinne/Beltane

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Cerredwen	Belteinne/Beltane	Lead	[-]
Walks an Earthbased Path Posts: 11474 (04/05/06 05:23 PM) ~~Priestess of the Goddess~~ Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Tags : pagan, paganism, witch, witchcraft, wicca, magick, ritual, spells, rite, druid, druidism, celtic, old ways, info, lore, sabbat, wheel of the year, crafts and activities, crafts, activities, spring, meditations, beltane, may day Beltane (May 1) By Gordon Ireland Beltane is celebrated on May 1st and is one of the original Celtic festivals, Samhain being the other one. Beltane or May Day is also known as the Lovers holiday. Beltane is pronounced bel-tene, "a goodly fire" or bel-dine, the offering of cattle, dine to the God Bel. Though the latter, is thought to somehow been connected to the Celtic god Belus, though this has not been proven. (MacCulloch, page 264-6 Beltane is one of the four Celtic Fire festivals, and is probably the second most important festival next to Samhain. Beltane is primarily a sun festival and was performed during the day. The most important part of Beltane was the kindling of the fires. The Irish Celts would extinguish their fires, the night before and would eat a cold meal to insure that all fires were out. Then would attend the ceremony, returning with an ember to once more start their fires. The fire festival later evolved into the Celts driving their cattle through two fires to purify the herd. This was done to insure good health of the cattle for the coming year. Modern day pagans will jump over the Beltane fires, though very few actually no why they do so. Beltane role in fertility rites is not as old as some people think. They were however a natural extension of the planting season. May Day being the time when the crops planted earlier would begin to sprout. The story goes that Beltane marks the wedding of the Goddess and God, and that their coupling brings new life to the earth. The awakening of spring and marks the end of winter. It is also the custom that this is the day of handfasting. The use of the May pole also has sexual implications, the pole representing the phallus and the ribbons that are tied to it connect oneself to the Goddess. As they dance around the Pole, the wreath (the Goddess) would descend down the pole, thus consummating their marriage. Beltane is also a Tree festival, many of the fires were light under a sacred tree. For the Celts, this use of the Tree represents the death and rebirth. The tree, appearing dead in the winter, would begin to spout new branches and leaves during this time, thus signifying the coming of summer. This use of the tree later evolved in the May pole festival. It should be also noted that The Celts would also tie rags and pieces of personal articles to the tree in attempt to connect themselves to the spirit of the tree. The other myth that is tied to Beltane is that of Shapeshifting. Beltane, like its counterpart, Samhain, has mystical implications. Once more the veil to other world is thinned and thus strange doings happen on this day. One of them being, in Ireland Hags, or witches are given to shape shift into hares and steal all the butter from the cattle. Even in Ireland today, the men hunt down and kill all the hares in the fields with the cattle. The epic chase of Ceridwen and Gwion, which resulted in producing Taliesen, is a prime example of the changes of seasons and consummation of the Goddess and God. FOOD MEADE 1/2 gallon water 1 1/2 cups raw honey 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon allspice Heat all ingredients together over medium heat in a large pot. As the honey melts, an oily crust forms at the top. DO NOT REMOVE. When in is well blended, remove from the heat, stirring occasionally as it cools. This is the non-alcoholic version. (McCoy page 136) FARLS 3 cups real mashed potatoes 2 cups dry oats 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/8 teaspoon salt Pinch of pepper Pinch rosemary Soak oats in warm water for 15 minutes until soft and swollen. Mix them with all other ingredients in a large bowl. Knead till mixture is like thick dough. Make patties, fry in hot oil until brown. Serve immediately. (McCoy page 137) BELTANE CREAM PIE 1 cup milk 1 cup cream 1/2 cup butter 3 tablespoons cornstarch 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla Ground nutmeg Prepared piecrust, already cooked. Melt butter in pan over medium heat. In separate bowl add milk to cornstarch, making sure it is fully dissolved. Add this and all other ingredients to pan, except vanilla and nutmeg. Stir till mixture becomes thick. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour mixture into piecrust and sprinkle with nutmeg. Serve chilled. (McCoy page 134) OATCAKES - IRISH 6 ounces Oatmeal (preferably fine) 2 ounces flour 1-teaspoon Salt 10 fluid ounces warm water Mix flour and salt together. Slowly add warm water. Roll out on a floured board to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into triangles. Cook on a pan or griddle until golden on both sides. Dry out in a cool oven (300 degrees) until crisp. These cakes are eaten buttered, with a glass of milk, for supper, but are also terrific with wine and cheese. OATCAKES - SCOTS 1/2 cup Shortening 1 cup Oats or quick-cooking oats 1 cup All-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon Baking soda 1/4 teaspoon Salt 2 - 3 Tablespoons Cold Water Cut shortening into next four ingredients until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add water, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until it forms stiff dough. Roll until 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut into 2-inch rounds or squares. Place on un-greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 until they just start to brown - 12 to 15 minutes. Bake on a hot griddle or frying pan until the edges begin to curl. Turn over and cook the other side. Do not let the oatcakes brown; they should be a pale fawn color. Put on a wire rack to cool. They are delicious served with cheese. IRISH SODA BREAD 1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour -- unbleached, enriched 1 1/2 cups Whole wheat flour -- stone-ground 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon Baking soda 1 1/4 cups Buttermilk Set the baking rack in the center of the oven and place a baking stone (if available) on the rack. Preheat the oven to 375. In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Mix to incorporate. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk. Mix quickly to incorporate the milk evenly. It may be easier to mix with the hands than with a spoon. Form the dough into a loaf shape and place in a nonstick 8 1/2-x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2" loaf pan. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 50-55 minutes, until well browned and a skewer inserted in the center comes out dry. Remove from the oven and the baking pan. Place on a wire rack to cool. SAND TARTS (OLD GERMAN STYLE) 2 1/2 cups Sugar 2 cups Butter 2 each Egg, well beaten 1 each Egg white 4 cups Flour Pecans Cinnamon Cream the butter and sugar together. Slowly add the flour, working it in well. Add the well-beaten eggs and mix thoroughly. Chill over night. Roll out thin on lightly floured board; brush cookies with the egg white which has been slightly beaten, sprinkle with sugar and a little cinnamon and press 1/2 pecan into center of cookie. Bake at 350-F about 10 minutes. Merry Part Gordon Ireland aka Strix d' Emerys "Let's travel together, like water flowing in one direction." www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/7922/ www.earthspirits.theshoppe.com/ ICQ# 29753947 May the fruit of our lives be bound and sealed to Thee, O Mother, O Woman Eternal who holdest the inmost life of each of Thy daughters between the hands upon Her Heart ~~~~~~~~~~~ We swear by Peace and Love to stand, Heart to Heart and Hand to Hand. Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now, confirming this, our Sacred Vow. ~Druidic Prayer of Unity~ Last Edited By: Cerredwen 03/27/09 12:05 PM. Edited 1 time.
Cerredwen	Re: Belteinne/Beltane	#1	[-]
Walks an Earthbased Path Posts: 11474 (04/05/06 05:35 PM) ~~Priestess of the Goddess~~ Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Belteinne (Beltane) Generally celebrated on May 1, the Astrological Gate for this holiday is "opened" when the Sun reaches 15 degrees of the fixed sign Taurus. This is the Spring festival of the Goddess. Ancient Celtic festivals began on Bel Eve after sunset and included the kindling of great bonfires. Even the name is derived from "bright fire". In some traditions, the collecting of the wood was done by eighty-one first born sons, all were married. The Bel fire was constructed from nine different woods, gathered by men with no metal on their bodies (the fey are opposed to metal), and it had to be started without metal (instead they would rub two pieces of Oak together). People would dance sunwise around the fire and jump through the flames. When the fire had died down a bit, the coals were parted; the animals were driven through to ensure their fertility and then taken to the summer grazing land. The hearth fires were put out before the festival and then rekindled with the ceremonial fire. As sunrise approached people would gather to sing to the rising Sun, welcome the May, and collect flowers and greens. The festivities continued throughout the day with community celebrations, Maypole dances and the crowning of the King and Queen of May. For the crowning, the most desirable and lusty man and woman in the land were chosen. People laughed; loved and pleasured themselves however they saw fit. Belteinne is a celebration of human fertility and creativity. We give thanks for the ability to bring life into the world and to partake in the creativity of the Goddess. Whether it is through a medium such as art, music, dance, poetry or any other creative ability. We celebrate the pure joy of being alive, and give thanks for all of the pleasures that our bodies give us. The different parts of our body, whether or not we see them as "perfect", like all life, have a place, a purpose and a special part in the whole. Each gives it's own pleasure, and has it's own ability. We give thanks for the gift of sexual pleasure, through the act of lovemaking or flirtatious play. Lovemaking is a Rite unto itself, honoring the Earth, the Gods, and Ourselves. And flirting is just.well.fun! At Belteinne we also honor those who gave us life. Which is one reason why Mother's Day falls in May. I see Goddess, at Belteinne, in Her Maiden aspect. She is the Flowering Maiden. Fully Maiden now, She has entered menses and has come into Her own power. She is full of the promise of new life and new creation. To look into Her eyes is to see flirtatious youth and freedom. Her stature is straight and proud, courageous, and almost wild. Her body is young, strong and able. She seems to possess a strange mix of innocence and wisdom, as though She has experienced everything, yet She Herself is fresh and new. She is young Isis. She is Etain of the Otherworld. She is Diana, running with Her hounds. She is Artemis, Protectress of young animals. She has come of age and is now Woman. Belteinne, like Samhuinn (Samhain) is a time when the veil between the worlds is thin. At Samhuinn we pass through to visit and honor the dead. As Belteinne approaches the "Good folk", the faeries, come forth and become very active. These are beings who live between the worlds, though they live upon the Earth they are usually only seen with the "other worldly" vision. However, on occasion, they interact with human beings, to trade favors for gifts of food or their favorite drink, milk. This is a time to take care in our comings and goings. Be aware so not to disturb the fair folk as they go about their affairs. Look for Faery rings and hills, and leave something for these wondrous beings. Then, don't be surprised to find that your garden grows well and that the land "feels blessed". At Belteinne, flowers are in bloom, trees are budding or fully leafed, and gardens are sprouting. Animals have ended their long winter slumber; birds have nested and are preparing to raise their young. We celebrate the living world: Plant, animal and human. We honor the Goddess for the gift of flower, fruit and those things we grow to sustain us. We are thankful for the fertility of the Earth, we renew our responsibility to keep it healthy and to protect all it's creatures. We see the Earth as a living being and all life as parts of Her. All life has a place, a purpose and a special part in the whole. Mothers Blessings Cerre May the fruit of our lives be bound and sealed to Thee, O Mother, O Woman Eternal who holdest the inmost life of each of Thy daughters between the hands upon Her Heart ~~~~~~~~~~~ We swear by Peace and Love to stand, Heart to Heart and Hand to Hand. Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now, confirming this, our Sacred Vow. ~Druidic Prayer of Unity~
Cerredwen	Re: Belteinne/Beltane	#2	[-]
Walks an Earthbased Path Posts: 11474 (04/06/06 02:40 PM) ~~Priestess of the Goddess~~ Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Beltane Lore And Info Source Unknown Lore May is the time of fertility and new beginnings after a long winter. The Faeries are afoot! They dance in the hills and roll in the grass, reveling in the joy of warm May breezes. Our spirits are high with the lust and heartiness of spring. New life is stirring and appetites are keen. -Laurie Cabot, Celebrate the Earth In Celtic tradition, the two greatest festivals of the solar year are Samhain and Beltane, celebrations of death and rebirth, respectively. Love is in the air at Beltane. In our rituals, we celebrate the union between the Great Mother and her young Horned God. Their coupling brings fresh new life on Earth. Some form of this Great Rite is enacted on this sabbat in nearly every modern pagan circle. The Great Rite symbolizes the sacred marriage, or sexual union, of the Lord and Lady. Often the rite is performed symbolically by a male and female who place a knife (a phallic symbol) into a chalice (a female or yonic symbol). In Old Europe, whole villages would celebrate May Day by slipping away into the woods for indiscriminate sexual encounters. Any children conceived during this occasion were known as "merry-begots" and were considered children of the gods. These "greenwood marriages" were acts of sympathetic magick believed to have a positive effect on their crops, animals, and themselves. (In this age of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, however, we must exercise responsibility -- by means of safe sex, monogamy, or even abstinence. Use your better judgment.) Crop fertility was a strong theme at this sabbat. Besoms were ridden hobbyhorse-style through fields by women in symbolic fertility rites. Menstruating women ran and danced naked in the newly-sown fields. Cows were led to the fields to calve, and ritually consecrated chalices of sheep's blood and milk were poured on the crops, as were ashes from the balefire. The Altar Drape the altar in a green cloth and decorate it with blooming flowers and herbs. Herbs All-heal, blessed thistle, broom, curry, daffodil, dogwood, coriander, dragon's blood reed, fern, fireweed, nettle, flaxseed, hawthorn, marjoram, paprika, radish, rue, snapdragon, mushroom, almond, meadowsweet, rose, woodruff, tansy, elder leaves. Incense Rose, jasmine, ylang, ylang, peach, musk, or vanilla. Stones Malachite, garnet, rose quartz, emerald, beryl, tourmaline. Magick Spells to ensure prosperity, conservation, safety, and love. May the fruit of our lives be bound and sealed to Thee, O Mother, O Woman Eternal who holdest the inmost life of each of Thy daughters between the hands upon Her Heart ~~~~~~~~~~~ We swear by Peace and Love to stand, Heart to Heart and Hand to Hand. Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now, confirming this, our Sacred Vow. ~Druidic Prayer of Unity~
Cerredwen	Re: Belteinne/Beltane	#3	[-]
Walks an Earthbased Path Posts: 11474 (04/06/06 02:43 PM) ~~Priestess of the Goddess~~ Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Beltane Info Beltane Herbs All flowers, angelica, apple, ash, bluebell, calendula, cinquefoil, red clover, daisy, frankincense, hawthorn, honeysuckle, lilac, primrose, rose, rowan, St. John's wort, strawberry, woodruff Beltane Incense: Frankincense Lilac Rose Passion flower Vanilla Beltane Colors: Green Soft pink Blue Yellow White Beltane Decorations : Maypole Strings of beads or flowers Ribbons Spring flowers (roses, bluebells, daisies, primrose, lilac) Daisy chain necklaces and bells on heels Strawberries Faeries Beltane Foods: Dairy Oatmeal cakes May Day bread Cherries Strawberries Wine punches Green salads Ice cream Red fruit Shortbread Sweet cakes Wine Cherry juice Beltane Sacred Gemstones: Emerald Orange carnelian Sapphire Rose quartz Spellwork appropriate for Beltane: Spells for fertility Love Spiritual communion with deity Safety Prosperity Conservation Source Unknown May the fruit of our lives be bound and sealed to Thee, O Mother, O Woman Eternal who holdest the inmost life of each of Thy daughters between the hands upon Her Heart ~~~~~~~~~~~ We swear by Peace and Love to stand, Heart to Heart and Hand to Hand. Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now, confirming this, our Sacred Vow. ~Druidic Prayer of Unity~
Cerredwen	Re: Belteinne/Beltane	#4	[-]
Walks an Earthbased Path Posts: 11474 (04/11/06 03:45 PM) ~~Priestess of the Goddess~~ Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Beltane Throughout the World Author Unknown - In Russia, tradition requires that the bale-fires be lit at moonrise rather than at sundown on April 30th. They toss holly sprigs into the fire in deference to the Holly King who is soon to return. - In Sweden, the balefire must be lit by two people striking flints together. This is symbolic of the sexual union of God and Goddess. - In Norway, the balefires are called Balder's fires in honor of their own Sun God. Old brooms were often burned in the balefire and new ones which had been made during the winter were brought out and dedicated to their purpose. - Germanic and Dianic covens celebrate Beltane as a Night of the Dead. Ancestors are asked to join them at the warmth of the fire much the same way we celebrate Samhain. - In Germanic lands, Beltane was called Walpurgisnacht and takes it's name from a Christianized Teutonic Earth Goddess Walburga. She was thought to marry the God on this night and become impregnated with her son/lover of Yule. - In Slavic countries, young men go from home to home just before sundown, gathering items to fuel the balefire. If a person wished for healing, they would give the young men a wreath to toss into the flames. - Scotland balefires had to be started from a 'need-fire' so called because it's sole purpose was to cook upon. The need-fire was the only non-ritual fire permitted to burn on Beltane Day. - It is traditional in many lands for people to jump the balefire. It was jumped to bring a husband or wife, to ensure safe travels. Pregnant women even jumped it to ensure an easy delivery. Cattle were driven through the ashes of the fire or between two balefires to ensure a good milk yield. - It is traditional to take home a piece of the Beltane bale-fire and start the first cook fire of the summer season with it. To use old fire was to invite bad luck, perhaps even bringing the winter back to stay. The tradition of taking part of the fire is that you must not ask for it, just take it. There was a strong taboo in Scotland and Ireland against giving away any portion of the Beltane fire. It was the belief of most Europeans that fairies could not make their own fires and had to get them from a human source. To achieve this, it was believed that the fairies came to the Beltane celebration disguised as humans and would ask for a part of the Beltane fire to take with them. If you gave them a piece, you would give the fairies a measure of power over you. - In the Alps of Italy, young men who wish to publicly express their intentions to court a woman will climb the slopes and collect Edelweiss, the delicate white perennial herb. He would then return to the festival and present it to the young woman of his choice. If she accepted them in front of witnesses, the couple was as good as engaged. - A Beltane custom in Ireland is that of 'skimming the wells' which consisted of going to the well of a neighbor who was prosperous and skimming the surface of the water to acquire his luck for yourself. Of course, you could always skim your own well which not only ensured a good butter yield for the year but also kept your neighbors from acquiring your luck for themselves. Other Beltane Traditions In spite of the fact that sacred marriages were performed in May, it was considered unlucky to get married during that month. This is because the month of May was considered fit only for the Gods. Making and exchanging wreaths of flowers or foliage is also a very old Beltane tradition. The wreaths were kept as amulets from Beltane until June, when they were placed on the Midsummer fire or in sacred groves or sanctuaries. Weaving and plaiting are traditional arts at this time of year, for the joining together of two substances to form a third is in the spirit of Beltane. May the fruit of our lives be bound and sealed to Thee, O Mother, O Woman Eternal who holdest the inmost life of each of Thy daughters between the hands upon Her Heart ~~~~~~~~~~~ We swear by Peace and Love to stand, Heart to Heart and Hand to Hand. Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now, confirming this, our Sacred Vow. ~Druidic Prayer of Unity~
Cerredwen	Re: Belteinne/Beltane	#5	[-]
Walks an Earthbased Path Posts: 11474 (04/13/06 04:58 PM) ~~Priestess of the Goddess~~ Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Beltane Celebrations Author Unknown Beltane is the last and largest of the spring Sabbats, falling on April 30th or May 1st, depending on how a particular tradition keeps its calendar. The word is from "Bealtaine" in old Gaelic, meaning "fire of Bel" the Celtic god of light. Beltane occurs midway between Ostara and the Summer Solstice. Beltane is considered the counterpart to Samhain, marking the beginning of the full season of warmth and light that is summer. The most common Beltane ritual was to hold an all-night bonfire. Sacred Beltane fires are sometimes noted as being kindled from nine different types of wood: birch, oak, rowan, willow, hawthorn, apple, vine, hazel and fir. In some ancient traditions, two bonfires would be started with a broad path left open between them. People and their livestock would walk between the two fires to symbolically purify and impart good luck and fertility. These fires would often be built from more than one type of wood, with oak being thought of as especially significant on this night. Rowan branches were also tied at doors and windows for protection on this night. Singing, live music and much dancing went on around the fires. Many modern pagan group host special outdoor bonfires at this time of year. If you search for events local to you, there may be one closer than you think. The practice of jumping the bonfire is associated with this holiday. This usually took place much later in the night or early dawn, when the fire had burnt down to very short flames and coals. On occasion, a couple would seal their handfasting vows with such an action. In some traditions, when the holiday fire had burned low and was no longer dangerous, the village cattle would be driven directly through the embers as an act of purification and protection. Some modern groups substitute jumping over a small cauldron in which a fire has been kindled, putting the emphasis on the symbolism and allowing for a much higher degree of personal safety. The ritual of the May Fool also exists in some Pagan traditions. It was believed a chosen scapegoat would carry the bad luck for the coming year, allowing prosperity for everyone else. Special cakes, called bannocks, were baked from egg, milk and oatmeal. One would be charred, or slightly burnt, and the person who picked this cake at the celebration would become the chosen Fool for that year. May morning was also a time considered auspicious for collecting dew or fresh water. Maidens traditionally washed their faces with dew on May Day morning. This pure and energized water would also be used for medicinal or herbal preparations. This is also one of the times of year to sow herbs and sacred plants. Another old Beltane custom is "beating the bounds" whereby you make a complete circuit around the outer perimeter of your property or lands. Some traditions indicate that activities to bless the land, others make mention of this as an annual time to repair fences and boundary markers. May the fruit of our lives be bound and sealed to Thee, O Mother, O Woman Eternal who holdest the inmost life of each of Thy daughters between the hands upon Her Heart ~~~~~~~~~~~ We swear by Peace and Love to stand, Heart to Heart and Hand to Hand. Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now, confirming this, our Sacred Vow. ~Druidic Prayer of Unity~
Cerredwen	Re: Belteinne/Beltane	#6	[-]
Walks an Earthbased Path Posts: 11474 (04/17/06 08:49 AM) ~~Priestess of the Goddess~~ Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	History of Beltane Traditions Author Unknown Beltane, named for the Celtic Sun God, Bel, or Bal, or Baal, also means Bale, to banish, as in the bale fires, which are lit on Beltane to cleanse and purify. Cattle were led between two fires to cleanse them, and I have heard theories that the Druids quite possibly may have put purifying herbs on the fires to physically help the process along, but there is no actual proof of this. Couples would jump the fire to bless their union and to make it fruitful. You can jump the fire to leave behind bad habits or thoughts. Or stand close enough to the fire so that its heat can "burn out" sickness. You may call upon the flames to burn away whatever you want to be free of by mentally casting it into the fire. Virgin women would jump the fire to be blessed by a child of the fire, an immaculate conception, as it were. The fire symbolizes life, passion, love and sex, and can protect you for the coming year. To gaze into the flames and become "fire struck" is to cause an altered state of consciousness that is useful for divination. "Nine woods in the Bale fire go, Burn them fast and burn them slow..." (From the Wiccan Rede) Those nine woods were usually: Oak for the God Birch for the Goddess Fir for birth Willow for death Rowan for magic Apple for love Grapevine for joy Hazel for wisdom Hawthorne for purity and for May However, if you cannot find a certain wood in your area, it is perfectly ok to substitute it for another type that possesses the same properties. Probably the most memorable and obvious symbol of Beltane is the May Pole. A phallic symbol, it represents the male regenerative force in nature, and is used to show the Sacred Union between the Goddess and God that takes place at this time. The pole represents the God of course, and the earth represents the Goddess. Red and white were the traditional colors of the ribbons on the pole, and there are different explanations for them, one being that they represent the male semen and the female menstrual blood, and are a reminder that this is a "game" that only men and women enjoy, and is not for children. The other is that the red and white represent the two fluids that women safely give, milk and blood, of which men were in awe. Another Beltane tradition is that of electing a King and Queen of the May, a young women and man, who may not necessarily be a couple already, or they can be newlyweds. They are crowned with flowered wreaths, and paraded before everyone, while people cheer "Hurrah for the King and Queen of the May!" In ancient times, this couple would be expected to go into the woods and consummate the energy of the circle for abundant hunts during the coming year, or in the fields for abundant crops. It was not unusual for young ladies and young men to pair off in the forest, and was called a "green wedding". Any child which was a result of those unions was considered a great blessing. This is also the reason for so many June weddings, and why the period after the wedding is call the "Honeymoon", after the Moon in June, which is also called the Honey Moon. The "scarf chase" is another Beltane tradition, which the couple who are the King and Queen of the May or the couple who are the Lord and Lady, will start. The Lady teases the Lord with a green scarf, and then drops it as his feet as a signal for him to pursue her. She eludes him success fully for a few rounds, then allows him to catch her and rewards his efforts with a kiss. The scarf can then be passed on to another woman to do the same to a man of her choice. This originated as a courtship ritual at a time when sexuality was not expressed openly, and was a way for a woman to tastefully let a man know that she was interested in him in a publicly acceptable manner. (Many of our traditional courtship rituals were evolved when it was not considered "lady like" or "genteel" for men and women to be open about their partnership preferences.) Another variation is to use a wreath with flowers in it, and the woman walks around the circle parading it before her, as men attempt to take a flower out of the wreath. Whoever is successful is rewarded with a kiss, and the wreath is them passed on to another woman. These "chases" can be used to lead into the Spiral dance, which is another Beltane ritual dance, but is used at other Sabbats as well. Beltane is the exact opposite of Samhain on the wheel of the year, and just as Samhain is an acknowledgement and celebration of death, so Beltane is an equally powerful reaffirmation of life. Other societies have had traditions in the same manner, and have myths that equate with ours regarding the Sacred Union of Lord and Lady; indeed that of all nature, without which life on this planet would cease to exist. Beltane and Samhain are considered the two most powerful, most important Sabbats, and there were cultures that celebrated only those two for many centuries. Today we have the Solar Sabbats and the Agricultural Sabbats that were the celebrations of two types of culture which were "married" together to form the wheel of the year we know. And of these Sabbats, still the two most powerful and most important are Samhain and Beltane. May the fruit of our lives be bound and sealed to Thee, O Mother, O Woman Eternal who holdest the inmost life of each of Thy daughters between the hands upon Her Heart ~~~~~~~~~~~ We swear by Peace and Love to stand, Heart to Heart and Hand to Hand. Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now, confirming this, our Sacred Vow. ~Druidic Prayer of Unity~
Cerredwen	Re: Belteinne/Beltane	#7	[-]
Walks an Earthbased Path Posts: 11474 (04/19/06 02:57 PM) ~~Priestess of the Goddess~~ Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Beltane Author Unknown La Baal Tinne, Beltane, Beltain, all are names for the ritual which was traditionally held on May 1st, also known as May Day. The astrological festival occurs when the Sun reaches 15 Taurus, which lately has been happening more towards May 4-6th. Either the traditional date or the astrological date can be used to determine when to hold your festival as both will have significant energies for the season. And the season is Spring! The lusty month of May is called so for a reason! Watch the animals, they are "rutting" now, looking to attract mates to raise their families. Butterflies and insects are pollinating flowers all over, and trees are bursting into blossoms and new green growth. In spring, "the young man's fancy turns to love.." and the young girls fancies turn to young men! Beltane, named for the Celtic Sun God, Bel, or Bal, or Baal, also means Bale, to banish, as in the bale fires, which are lit on Beltane to cleanse and purify. Cattle were led between two fires to cleanse them, and I have heard theories that the Druids quite possibly may have put purifying herbs on the fires to physically help the process along, but there is no actual proof of this. Couples would jump the fire to bless their union and to make it fruitful. You can jump the fire to leave behind bad habits or thoughts. Or stand close enough to the fire so that its heat can "burn out" sickness. You may call upon the flames to burn away whatever you want to be free of by mentally casting it into the fire. Virgin women would jump the fire to be blessed by a child of the fire, an immaculate conception, as it were. The fire symbolizes life, passion, love and sex, and can also protect you for the coming year. To gaze into the flames and become "firestruck" is to cause an altered state of consciousness that is useful for divination. "Nine woods in the Bale fire go, Burn them fast and burn them slow..." (from the Wiccan Rede) Those nine woods were usually: Oak for the God Birch for the Goddess Fir for birth Willow for death Rowan for magic Apple for love Grapevine for joy Hazel for wisdom Hawthorne for purity and for May Now of course if you live in an area, such as South Florida, where there is a definite lack of some of these woods (such as apple) you can always substitute another wood - as long as this wood is also known for the same properties! So do some research, and make intelligent substitutions. Probably the most memorable and obvious symbol of Beltane is the May Pole. A phallic symbol, it represents the male regenerative force in nature, and is used to show the Sacred Union between the Goddess and God that takes place at this time. The pole represents the God of course, and the earth represents the Goddess. Red and white were the traditional colors of the ribbons on the pole, and there are different explanations for them, one being that they represent the male semen and the female menstrual blood, and are a reminder that this is a "game" that only men and women enjoy, and is not for children. The other is that the red and white represent the two fluids that women safely give, milk and blood, of which men were in awe. Either way, these can still be seen in the caduceus, the symbol of healing and also the red and white barbers pole. In ancient times, the Doctor was also the Barber, hence the similar symbolism! Today we choose a ribbon color which represents something we wish to "weave" into our lives as we weave it onto the pole, hopefully something that will also benefit the community as a whole, since this is a communal dance. Yellow for wisdom and inspiration, orange for success, blue for peace, or peace of mind, pink for friendship or patience, green can be healing or financial gain, white for health, and protection, etc. I have even seen rainbow ribbons, and also plaid ribbons! They certainly do stand out in the pattern. The pole is erected, with appropriate ritual ceremony (see the file containing the ritual for this Sabbat for details), with the ribbons all tied to the top of the pole. The dancers stand in the circle around it each holding to the ends of the ribbon. Typically this is done with the males and females alternating around the circle, but we almost never have an exactly even number, and it doesn't matter that much. If you do have an almost equal number, then you can have all the males go deosil, and the females go widdershins (clockwise and counter-clockwise) as they go around the pole. If your numbers are too uneven, then have the participants count off by twos, with all the number "ones" going one way and the number "twos" going opposite. It is better to have some lively music to dance to, we use Celtic jigs and reels, and have a half hour tape with just that on it, which is easy to leave on the player, so it can be unattended. 30 minutes is quite sufficient, even a bit long! Believe me, unless you are a professional dancer, you will be tired out long before 30 minutes are over. You can also use Louisiana Cajun zydeco, or Tennessee bluegrass, as well as the Celtic songs, since all of these have a similar beat, and are very lively. That is the most important thing for a successful dance, because we have found that chanting leaves you out of breath very quickly. To start the dance, have all the people facing deosil raise their ribbons and the people going widdershins will go under them. Then the widdershins group will raise their ribbons and the deosil group will go under them. So it continues, over and under, over and under, as you progress around the pole. Very quickly a beautiful pattern will emerge, as these bright ribbons are woven together. Don't worry if people forget which way they were supposed to go, this often happens when you have first time dancers, or an uneven number of people, someone is bound to go under when they should have gone over, no matter. It is the enjoyment of the dance that matters most, not whether the weave comes out perfect, and no one can tell the difference anyway! When the ribbons become too short to allow for comfortably continuing, then it is time to tie off. Tie the ribbon to the pole at the end of the weaving, and you can leave the ribbon hanging loose below the knot. Some groups leave the ribbons on year after year, and simply allow them to build up on the pole, until they decide a new pole is needed, then the old pole with all the layers of ribbons, is ritually burned during the Beltane circle. Other groups will carefully work the old ribbons off the pole just prior to this year's dance, and these ribbons will be ritually burned in the balefire. Of course, you could use a new pole each year, and ritually burn the old pole with ribbons intact. Another exception I have seen is where a wheel was used at the top of the pole, and this group actually "unwove" all the ribbons, and left the pole bare again. Personally, I think that it is undoing the magick of weaving into your life if you unweave the ribbons after the dance, but each group must decide for themselves what works best for them. In our groups, we have men and women, and there is a lot of playing that goes on in the Maypole dance. We kiss, we stroke, we nuzzle a neck here or an outer thigh there, or we give a quick pat on the posterior as we pass by the person. These are all welcome and perfectly expected in our group, and we announce ahead of time, that if anyone is uncomfortable with that then please let us know now so we will not invade their space. You can tell when someone is "unapproachable", they will let you know that these advances are not welcome, and you should honor that. Some groups I know have asked participants not to do any touching or kissing as they dance, and while that may make all the cowans more comfortable, it also leaves the energy of the dance flat. For this is a dance for fertility! For abundance of the fields! For abundance in our lives! It was meant to be a courtship dance and to raise the libido of both those dancing and those watching, and to add to the sexual flavor that permeates this Sabbat. Keep that in mind, and the pats, hugs, kisses, and squeezes, are simply affection between friends and NOT sexual harassment! Please bear in mind that this is a Sabbat about sexual fertility, and it was very important to our ancestors, and it is a lot of fun for us today. One of the biggest taboos in mainstream religions is about sex, and we as Pagans have always understood the real power behind sexual energy. Please let's not let a "sue happy" society ruin this aspect of our religion and take this away from us! Keep it joyous as it was intended. Another Beltane tradition is that of electing a King and Queen of the May, a young women and man, who may not necessarily be a couple already, or they can be newlyweds. They are crowned with flowered wreaths, and paraded before everyone, while people cheer "Hurrah for the King and Queen of the May!" In ancient times, this couple would be expected to go into the woods and consummate the energy of the circle for abundant hunts during the coming year, or in the fields for abundant crops. It was not unusual for young ladies and young men to pair off in the forest, and was called a "green wedding". Any child which was a result of those unions was considered a great blessing. This is also the reason for so many June weddings, and why the period after the wedding is call the "Honeymoon", after the Moon in June, which is also called the Honey Moon. The "scarf chase" is another Beltane tradition, which the couple who are the King and Queen of the May or the couple who are the Lord and Lady, will start. The Lady teases the Lord with a green scarf, and then drops it as his feet as a signal for him to pursue her. She eludes him success fully for a few rounds, then allows him to catch her and rewards his efforts with a kiss. The scarf can then be passed on to another women to do the same to a man of her choice. This originated as a courtship ritual at a time when sexuality was not expressed openly, and was a way for a woman to tastefully let a man know that she was interested in him in a publicly acceptable manner. (Many of our traditional courtship rituals were evolved when it was not considered "lady like" or "genteel" for men and women to be open about their partnership preferences.) Another variation is to use a wreath with flowers in it, and the woman walks around the circle parading it before her, as men attempt to take a flower out of the wreath. Whoever is successful is rewarded with a kiss, and the wreath is them passed on to another woman. These "chases" can be used to lead into the Spiral dance, which is another Beltane ritual dance, but is used at other Sabbats as well. The Spiral dance is especially appropriate at Beltane, in that it is reminiscent of the DNA chain. (Which of course we are told our ancestors knew nothing about!) To do the Spiral dance, one person starts by taking the hand of someone next to her, and they take another hand, and so on until all are holding hands and moving in a circle. Usually, the step done with the feet is called the "grapevine" step, and involves one foot crossing in front of the other, then the other foot crossing behind, and the knees are kept flexed for balance. However, the main reason why this is a Spiral dance is that the first person leads the dancers in a tighter and tighter ring toward the center, then abruptly turns inward to face the other dancers, and still everyone follows. The end result is that all the dancers face another person, and the circle then spirals outward again. This sometimes takes practice, but remember not to duck under anyone's arms, for this will only end up in a knot! (Knots can be fun, too, but they do interrupt the flow of energy in the dance!) Beltane is the exact opposite of Samhain on the wheel of the year, and just as Samhain is an acknowledgement and celebration of death, so Beltane is an equally powerful reaffirmation of life. Other societies have had traditions in the same manner, and have myths that equate with ours regarding the Sacred Union of Lord and Lady; indeed that of all nature, without which life on this planet would cease to exist. Beltane and Samhain are considered the two most powerful, most important Sabbats, and there were cultures that celebrated only those two for many centuries. Today we have the Solar Sabbats and the Agricultural Sabbats, that were the celebrations of two types of culture which were "married" together to form the wheel of the year we know. And of these Sabbats, still the two most powerful and most important are Samhain and Beltane. Have a joyous, powerful, and wonderful Beltane everyone! May the fruit of our lives be bound and sealed to Thee, O Mother, O Woman Eternal who holdest the inmost life of each of Thy daughters between the hands upon Her Heart ~~~~~~~~~~~ We swear by Peace and Love to stand, Heart to Heart and Hand to Hand. Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now, confirming this, our Sacred Vow. ~Druidic Prayer of Unity~
Cerredwen	Re: Belteinne/Beltane	#8	[-]
Walks an Earthbased Path Posts: 11474 (04/24/06 06:28 PM) ~~Priestess of the Goddess~~ Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Beltane May 1st Author Unknown Beltane (May 1st) is the time of the year to start something new. Beltane is the time for decision, for making of laws and goals for the coming year. It celebrates the height of Spring and the flowering of life. The Goddess manifests as the May Queen and Flora. The God emerges as the May King and Jack in the Green. Colors are the Rainbow spectrum. Beltane is a festival of flowers, fertility, sensuality, and delight. Wiccan handfastings are common at this time. This is a time of self-discovery, love, union and developing your potential for personal growth. In the old Celtic times, young people would spend the entire night in the woods "A-Maying," and then dance around the phallic Maypole the next morning. Older married couples were allowed to remove their wedding rings (and the restrictions they imply) for this one night. May morning is a magickal time for wild water (dew, flowing streams, and springs) which is collected and used to bathe in for beauty, or to drink for health. Think of the May pole as a focal point of the old English village rituals. Many people would rise at the first light of dawn to go outdoors and gather flowers and branches to decorate their homes. Women traditionally would braid flowers into their hair. Men and women alike would decorate their bodies. Beltane marks the return of vitality, of passion. Ancient Pagan traditions say that Beltane 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. Beltane Fires Traditionally, sacred woods kindled by spark from flint or by friction -- in Irish Gaelic, the Beltane Fire has been called teine eigin (fire from rubbing sticks). Jump over the Beltane Fire, move through it, or dance clockwise around it. Livestock was driven through it or between two fires for purification and fertility blessings. In ancient times Druid priests kindled it at sacred places; later times, Christian priests kindled it in fields near the church after performing a Christian church service. Rowan twigs were carried around the fire three times, then hung over hearths to bless homes. In the past, Beltane community fire purification customs included symbolic sacrifice of effigy knobs on the Beltane Cake (of barley) to the fire, or, in medieval times, mock sacrifice of Beltane Carline (Hag) who received blackened piece of Beltane Cake; Maypoles in Spain were each topped with a male effigy which was later burned. Contemporary Pagans burn sacred wood and dried herbs as offerings in their Beltane fires. May the fruit of our lives be bound and sealed to Thee, O Mother, O Woman Eternal who holdest the inmost life of each of Thy daughters between the hands upon Her Heart ~~~~~~~~~~~ We swear by Peace and Love to stand, Heart to Heart and Hand to Hand. Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now, confirming this, our Sacred Vow. ~Druidic Prayer of Unity~
Cerredwen	Re: Belteinne/Beltane	#9	[-]
Walks an Earthbased Path Posts: 11474 (04/24/06 06:29 PM) ~~Priestess of the Goddess~~ Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Maypole Lore May Waters and Flowers Maypole Forms include pole, tree, bush, cross; communal or household; permanent or annual. In Germany, Fir tree was cut on May Eve by young unmarried men, branches removed, decorated, put up in village square, & guarded all night until dance occurred on May Day. In England, permanent Maypoles were erected on village greens. In some villages, there also were smaller Maypoles in the yards of households. Maypole ribbon dances, with two circles interweaving; around decorated bush/tree, clockwise circle dances. May Waters Rolling in May Eve dew or washing face in pre-dawn May Day dew for health, luck, beauty. Getting head and hair wet in Beltane rain to bless the head. Blessing springs, ponds, other sacred waters with flowers, garlands, ribbons, other offerings. Collecting sacred waters and scrying in sacred springs, wells, ponds, other waters. Flowers & Greenwood Gathering and exchange of Flowers and Greens on May Eve, pre-dawn May Day, Beltane. Decorating homes, barns, and other buildings with Green budding branches, including Hawthorn. Making and wearing of garland wreaths of Flowers and/or Greens. May Baskets were given or placed secretly on doorsteps to friends, shut-ins, lovers, others. May Bowl was punch (wine or non-alcoholic) made of Sweet Woodruff blossoms. May the fruit of our lives be bound and sealed to Thee, O Mother, O Woman Eternal who holdest the inmost life of each of Thy daughters between the hands upon Her Heart ~~~~~~~~~~~ We swear by Peace and Love to stand, Heart to Heart and Hand to Hand. Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now, confirming this, our Sacred Vow. ~Druidic Prayer of Unity~
Cerredwen	Re: Belteinne/Beltane	#10	[-]
Walks an Earthbased Path Posts: 11474 (04/24/06 06:34 PM) ~~Priestess of the Goddess~~ Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	The Return of the Sun... Beltaine is an anglicization of the Irish "Bealtaine" or the Scottish "Bealtuinn." While "tene" clearly means "fire," nobody really knows whether Bel refers to Belenus, a pastoral god of the Gauls, or is from "bel," simply meaning "brilliant." It might even derive from "bil tene" or "lucky fire" because to jump between two Beltane fires was sure to bring good fortune, health to your livestock, and prosperity. When the Druids and their successors raised the Beltaine fires on hilltops throughout the British Isles on May Eve, they were performing a real act of magic, for the fires were lit in order to bring the sun's light down to earth. In Scotland, every fire in the household was extinguished, and the great fires were lit from the need-fire which was kindled by 3 times 3 men using wood from the nine sacred trees. When the wood burst into flames, it proclaimed the triumph of the light over the dark half of the year. Then the whole hillside came alive as people thrust brands into the newly roaring flames and whirled them about their heads in imitation of the circling of the sun. If any man there was planning a long journey or dangerous undertaking, he leaped backwards and forwards three times through the fire for luck. As the fire sunk low, the girls jumped across it to procure good husbands; pregnant women stepped through it to ensure an easy birth, and children were also carried across the smoldering ashes. When the fire died down, the embers were thrown among the sprouting crops to protect them, while each household carried some back to kindle a new fire in their hearth. When the sun rose that dawn, those who had stayed up to watch it might see it whirl three times upon the horizon before leaping up in all its summer glory. ...The Rites of Spring Beltaine was a time of fertility and unbridled merrymaking, when young and old would spend the night making love in the Greenwood. In the morning, they would return to the village bearing huge budding boughs of hawthorn (the may-tree) and other spring flowers with which to bedeck themselves, their families, and their houses. They would process back home, stopping at each house to leave flowers, and enjoy the best of food and drink that the home had to offer. In every village, the maypoleusually a birch or ash polewas raised, and dancing and feasting began. Festivities were led by the May Queen and her consort, the King who was sometimes Jack-in-the-Green, or the Green Man, the old god of the wildwood. They were borne in state through the village in a cart covered with flowers and enthroned in a leafy arbor as the divine couple whose unity symbolized the sacred marriage of earth and sun. Source May the fruit of our lives be bound and sealed to Thee, O Mother, O Woman Eternal who holdest the inmost life of each of Thy daughters between the hands upon Her Heart ~~~~~~~~~~~ We swear by Peace and Love to stand, Heart to Heart and Hand to Hand. Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now, confirming this, our Sacred Vow. ~Druidic Prayer of Unity~
Cerredwen	Re: Belteinne/Beltane	#11	[-]
Walks an Earthbased Path Posts: 11474 (04/25/06 04:24 PM) ~~Priestess of the Goddess~~ Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Beltane Holiday Details and History By Christina Aubin Beltaine 2000 Beltane is the last of the three spring fertility festivals, the others being Imbolc and Ostara. Beltane is the second principal Celtic festival (the other being Samhain). Celebrated approximately halfway between Vernal (spring) equinox and the midsummer (Summer Solstice). Beltane traditionally marked the arrival if summer in ancient times. At Beltane the Pleiades star cluster rises just before sunrise on the morning horizon, whereas winter (Samhain) begins when the Pleiades rises at sunset. The Pleiades is a cluster of seven closely placed stars, the seven sisters, in the constellation of Taurus, near his shoulder. When looking for the Pleiades with the naked eye, remember it looks like a tiny dipper-shaped pattern of six moderately bright stars (the seventh can be seen on very dark nights) in the constellation of Taurus. It stands very low in the east-northeast sky for just a few minutes before sunrise. Beltane, and its counterpart Samhain, divide the year into its two primary seasons, winter (Dark Part) and summer (Light Part). As Samhain is about honoring Death, Beltane, its counter part, is about honoring Life. It is the time when the sun is fully released from his bondage of winter and able to rule over summer and life once again. Beltane, like Samhain, is a time of "no time" when the veils between the two worlds are at their thinnest. No time is when the two worlds intermingle and unite and the magic abounds! It is the time when the Faeries return from their winter respite, carefree and full of faery mischief and faery delight. On the night before Beltane, in times past, folks would place rowan branches at their windows and doors for protection, many otherworldly occurrences could transpire during this time of "no time". Traditionally on the Isle of Man, the youngest member of the family gathers primroses on the eve before Beltane and throws the flowers at the door of the home for protection. In Ireland it is believed that food left over from May Eve must not be eaten, but rather buried or left as an offering to the faery instead. Much like the tradition of leaving of whatever is not harvested from the fields on Samhain, food on the time of no time is treated with great care. When the veils are so thin it is an extremely magical time, it is said that the Queen of the Faeries rides out on her white horse. Roving about on Beltane eve She will try to entice people away to the Faeryland. Legend has it that if you sit beneath a tree on Beltane night, you may see the Faery Queen or hear the sound of Her horse's bells as She rides through the night. Legend says if you hide your face, She will pass you by but if you look at Her, She may choose you. There is a Scottish ballad of this called Thomas the Rhymer, in which Thomas chooses to go the Faeryland with the Queen and has not been seen since. Beltane has been an auspicious time throughout Celtic lore, it is said that the Tuatha de Danaan landed in north-west Connacht on Beltane. The Tuatha de Danaan, it is said, came from the North through the air in a mist to Ireland. After the invasion by the Milesians, the Tuatha faded into the Otherworld, the Sidhe, Tir na nOg. The beginning of summer heralds an important time, for the winter is a difficult journey and weariness and disheartenment set in, personally one is tired down to the soul. In times past the food stocks were low; variety was a distant memory. The drab non-color of winter's end perfectly represents the dullness and fatigue that permeates on so many levels to this day. We need Beltane, as the earth needs the sun, for our very Spirit cries out for the renewal of summer jubilation. Beltane marks that the winter's journey has passed and summer has begun, it is a festival of rapturous gaiety as it joyfully heralds the arrival of summer in her full garb. Beltane, however, is still a precarious time, the crops are still very young and tender, susceptible to frost and blight. As was the way of ancient thought, the Wheel would not turn without human intervention. People did everything in their power to encourage the growth of the Sun and His light, for the Earth will not produce without the warm love of the strong Sun. Fires, celebration and rituals were an important part of the Beltane festivities, as to insure that the warmth of the Sun's light would promote the fecundity of the earth. Beltane marks the passage into the growing season, the immediate rousing of the earth from her gently awakening slumber, a time when the pleasures of the earth and self are fully awakened. It signals a time when the bounty of the earth will once again be had. May is a time when flowers bloom, trees are green and life has again returned from the barren landscape of winter, to the hope of bountiful harvests, not too far away, and the lighthearted bliss that only summer can bring. Beltane translated means "fire of Bel" or "bright fire" - the "bale-fire". (English - bale; Anglo-Saxon bael; Lithuanian baltas (white)) Bel (Bel, Bile, Beli, Belinus, Belenos) is the known as the bright and shinning one, a Celtic Sun God. Beli is the father, protector, and the husband of the Mother Goddess. Beltane is the time of the yearly battle between Gwyn ap Nudd and Gwythur ap Greidawl for Creudylad in Welsh mythology. Gwyn ap Nudd the Wild Huntsman of Wales, he is a God of death and the Annwn. Creudylad is the daughter of Lludd (Nudd) of the Silver Hand (son of Beli). She is the most beautiful maiden of the Island of Mighty. A myth of the battle of winter and summer for the magnificent blossoming earth. In the myth of Rhiannion and Pwyll, it is the evening of Beltane, that Rhiannon gives birth to their son. The midwives all fell asleep at the same time, as they were watching over Rhiannon and her new baby, during which he was taken. In order to protect themselves, they smeared blood (from a pup) all over Rhiannon, to which they claim she had eaten her son. The midwives were believed, and Rhiannon was forced to pay penance for seven years. She had to carrying people on her back from the outside of the gate to the palace, although rarely would any allow her to do so. The baby's whereabouts were a mystery. Oddly, every Beltane night, one of Pwyll's vassals, Teirnyon Twryv Vliant, had a mare that gave birth but the colt disappeared. One Beltane night Teirnyon Twryv Vliant awaited in the barn for the mare to foaled, when she did, he heard a tremendous noise and a clawed arm came through the window and grabbed the colt. Teirnyon cut off the arm with his sword, and then heard a wailing. He opened the door and found a baby, he brought it to his wife and they adopted Gwri Wallt Euryn (Gwri of the Golden Hair). As he grew he looked like Pwyll and they remembered they found him on the night Rhiannon's baby became lost. Teirnyon brought Gwri of the Golden Hair to the castle, told the story, and he was adopted back to his parents, Rhiannon and Pwyll, and named by the head druid, Pryderi (trouble) from the first word his mother had said when he was restored to her. "Trouble is, indeed, at an end for me, if this be true". This myth illustrates the precariousness of the Beltane season, at the threshold of Summer, the earth awakening, winter can still reach its long arm in and snatch the Sun away (Gwri of the Golden hair). "Ne'er cast a clout 'til May be out" (clout: Old English for cloth/clothing). If indeed the return of summer is true than the trouble (winter) is certainly over, however one must be vigilant. On Beltane eve the Celts would build two large fires, Bel Fires, lit from the nine sacred woods. The Bel Fire is an invocation to Bel (Sun God) to bring His blessings and protection to the tribe. The herds were ritually driven between two needfires (fein cigin), built on a knoll. The herds were driven through to purify, bring luck and protect them as well as to insure their fertility before they were taken to summer grazing lands. An old Gaelic adage: "Eadar da theine Bhealltuinn" - "Between two Beltane fires". The Bel fire is a sacred fire with healing and purifying powers. The fires further celebrate the return of life, fruitfulness to the earth and the burning away of winter. The ashes of the Beltane fires were smudged on faces and scattered in the fields. Household fires would be extinguished and re-lit with fresh fire from the Bel Fires. Celebration includes frolicking throughout the countryside, maypole dancing, leaping over fires to ensure fertility, circling the fire three times (sun-wise) for good luck in the coming year, athletic tournaments feasting, music, drinking, children collecting the May: gathering flowers. Children gathering flowers, hobby horses, May birching and folks go a maying". Flowers, flower wreaths and garlands are typical decorations for this holiday, as well as ribbons and streamers. Flowers are a crucial symbol of Beltane, they signal the victory of Summer over Winter and the blossoming of sensuality in all of nature and the bounty it will bring. May birching or May boughing, began on Beltane Eve, it is said that young men fastened garland and boughs on the windows and doors of the young maidens upon which their sweet interest laid. Mountain ash leaves and Hawthorne branches meant indicated love whereas thorn meant disdain. This perhaps, is the forerunner of old May Day custom of hanging bouquets hooked on one's doorknob? Young men and women wandered into the woods before daybreak of May Day morning with garlands of flowers and/or branches of trees. They would arrive; most rumpled from joyous encounters, in many areas with the maypole for the Beltane celebrations. Pre-Christian society's thoughts on human sexuality and fertility were not bound up in guilt and sin, but rather joyous in the less restraint ex-pression of human passions. Life was not an exercise but rather a joyful dance, rich in all beauty it can afford. In ancient Ireland there was a Sacred Tree named Bile, which was the center of the clan, or Tuatha. As the Irish Tree of Life, the Bile Pole, represents the connection between the people and the three worlds of Bith: The Skyworld (heavens), The Middleworld (our world), and The Otherworld. Although no longer the center life, the Bile pole has survived as the Beltane Maypole. The Maypole is an important element to Beltane festivities, it is a tall pole decorated with long brightly colored ribbons, leaves, flowers and wreaths. Young maidens and lads each hold the end of a ribbon, and dance revolving around the base of the pole, interweaving the ribbons. The circle of dancers should begin, as far out from the pole as the length of ribbon allows, so the ribbons are taut. There should be an even number of boys & girls. Boys should be facing clockwise and girls counterclockwise. They each move in the direction that they are facing, weaving with the next, around to braid the ribbons over-and-under around the pole. Those passing on the inside will have to duck, those passing on the outside raise their ribbons to slide over. As the dances revolve around the pole the ribbons will weave creating a pattern, it is said that the pattern will indicate the abundance of harvest year. In some areas there are permanent Maypoles, perhaps a recollection of ancient clan Bile Pole memory. In other areas a new Maypole is brought down on Beltane Eve out from the wood. Even the classical wood can vary according to the area tradition is pulled from, most frequently it seems to be birch as "the wood", but others are mentioned in various historical documents. Today in some towns and villages a mummer called Jack in the Green (drawing from the Green man), wears a costume made of green leaves as he dances around the May pole. Mumming is a dramatic performance of exaggerated characters and at Beltane the characters include Jack in the Green and the Fool. The Fool, and the Fool's journey, symbolism can be understood in relation to Beltane as it is the beginning of beginnings, the emergence from the void of nothingness (winter), as one can also see the role of the green man as the re-greening of the world. Traditionally in many areas Morris dancers can be found dancing around the Maypole. Morris dancing can be found in church records in Thame England going back to 1555. Morris dancing is thought to have originated many centuries ago as part of ancient religious ceremonies, however it seems that Morris dancing became associated with Mayday during the Tudor times, and its originating history is not all that easily traced, as is the way with many traditions. The Maypole dance as an important aspect of encouraging the return of fertility to the earth. The pole itself is not only phallic in symbolism but also is the connector of the three worlds. Dancing the Maypole during Beltane is magical experience as it is a conduit of energy, connecting all three worlds at a time when these gateways are more easily penetrable. As people gaily dance around and around the pole holding the brightly colored ribbons, the energy it raises is sent down into the earth's womb, bringing about Her full awakening and fruitfulness. In Padstow, Cornwall, Beltane morning a procession is led by the "obby oss" a costumed horse figure, in a large circular banded frock and mask. The procession is full of song, drums and accordions. Professor Ronald Hutton of Bristol University points out that the first account of the Padstow May Day 'Obby 'Oss revelries was written in 1803. He offers evidence however that, like English Morris Dancing, its origins lie in English medieval times. This does not discount the possibility that its roots lay in the foundation of the fertility rites of Beltane, a more politically correct transmutation of fertility acts. There is also a Queen of May. She is said in many areas to have worn a gold crown with a single, gold leaf at its front, in other areas her crown was made of fresh flowers. She was typically chosen at the start of the Beltane festival, which in time past was after sundown on the eve before Beltane day. Many accounts mention both a May Queen and King being chosen, whom would reign from sundown the eve before the Beltane day to sunset on Beltane. Among their duties would be to announce the Beltane games and award the prizes to the victors. The rudimentary base of this practice can be drawn back to the roots of Beltane festivities, the union of the Goddess and Her Consort, the joining of earth and sun, the endowment of summer. The Goddess has many guises: Danu - The Great Mother, Blodeuwedd (the Flower Bride), Isolt (Iseult, Isolde) and many, many others. The consort can also take many forms including the Green Man, Cernunnos or Tristan. As Beltane marks this handfasting (wedding) of the Goddess and God, it too marks the reawakening of the earth's fertility in its fullest. This is the union between the Great Mother and her Young Consort, this coupling brings new life on earth. It is on a Spiritual level, the unifying of the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine to bring forth the third, consciousness. On the physical, it is the union of the Earth and Sun to bring about the fruitfulness of the growing season. It is customary that trial unions, for a year and a day, occur at this time. More or less these were statements of intent between couples, which were not legally binding. The trial marriages (engagements) typically occurred between a couple before deciding to take a further step into a legally binding union. It seems ancient wisdom understood that one does not really know another until they have lived with them, and when you live together things change and we change, as well. With this understanding unions were entered upon, first as a test period, and then if desired, a further commitment could be taken. It through always knowing that it is only through the choice of both to remain, that the relationship exists favorably. May, however, according to old folklore is not a favorable time for marriages in the legal and permanent sense. There is reference after reference in the old books of this belief, and according to my Irish grandmother, May is not the month to marry, woe is to had by those who do. I can understand the premise of this folklore, May is the Goddess and God's handfasting month, all honor would be Hers and His. Water is another important association of Beltane, water is refreshing and rejuvenating, it is also imperative to life. It is said that if you bathe in the dew gathered before dawn on Beltane morn, your beauty will flourish throughout the year. Those who are sprinkled with May dew are insured of health and happiness. There are other folk customs such as drinking from the well before sunrise on Beltane Morn to insure good health and fortune. The central color of Beltane is green. Green is the color of growth, abundance, plentiful harvest, abundant crops, fertility, and luck. White is another color that is customary, white brings the energies of cleansing, peace, spirituality, and the power to dispel negativity. Another color is red who brings along the qualities of energy, strength, sex, vibrancy, quickening, health, consummation and retention. Sun energy, life force and happiness are brought to Beltane by the color yellow. Blues and purples (Sagittarius energies: expansion, Good Fortune, magic, spiritual power, Success), and pinks (Venus energies). Beltane is rich in vibrant color, lighting the eyes and cheering the Spirit as we leave the dreariness of winter behind. It is customary to bake a colorful fruit and spiced filled bread for festivals in the Celtic lands, traditionally this festival bread is sweet dough made with sweetmeat and spices. In Scotland they are the bannock - Bonnach Bealtain - for Beltane, in Wales - Bara Brith, Ireland it is Barm Brack and in Brittany Morlaix Brioche. For Beltane this bread was made the eve before Beltane day, is it said that the bread should not allow it to come into contact with steel during preparation (steel is harmful, deadly to the faery folk). Bannocks are actually uncut scones originally cooked on a griddle. Wheat does not grow well in the Highlands, originally bannocks were made with oat or barley flour made into dough with little water and no leavening. Traditionally, a portion of the cake was burned or marked with ashes. The recipient of the burnt cake jumped over a small fire three times to purify and cleanse him or herself of any ill fortune. Offerings of bannocks and drink are traditionally left on doorsteps and roadways for the Faeries as an offering, in hope of faery blessings. May is the month of sensuality and sexuality revitalized, the reawakening of the earth and Her Children. It is the time when we reawaken to the vivid colors, vibrant scents, tingling summer breezes, and the rapture of summer after a long dormant winter. It is a time of extraordinary ex-pression of earth, animal, and person a time of great enchantment and celebration. The excitement and beauty of Beltane can not be better expressed than through the gaiety and joy of our children. There is not doubt "spring fever" hits at Beltane, and hits hard. Children are full of unbridled energy charged up and ready to go! Children always amplify the seasonal energies and the thrill of their change, they bring richness and merriment wherever they go. It is the child's unrestrained ex-pression of bliss and delight that is what Beltane is all about. It is the sheer joy of running through fields, picking flowers, rapturing in the sunlight, delighting in the fragrance of spring, dancing in the fresh dew covered grass. Our children guide us through the natural abandonment of our adult sensibilities and show us how to take grand pleasure, warmth and bliss from the gift of Beltane. Blessed Beltane to you and yours! May the fruit of our lives be bound and sealed to Thee, O Mother, O Woman Eternal who holdest the inmost life of each of Thy daughters between the hands upon Her Heart ~~~~~~~~~~~ We swear by Peace and Love to stand, Heart to Heart and Hand to Hand. Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now, confirming this, our Sacred Vow. ~Druidic Prayer of Unity~
Cerredwen	Re: Belteinne/Beltane	#12	[-]
Walks an Earthbased Path Posts: 11474 (02/20/07 01:12 PM) ~~Priestess of the Goddess~~ Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Beltane in Modern Wicca The Beltane ritual should start before sunrise or in the evening of April 30th. This is to welcome the sun in and to make effective use of the bonfire. The party or the ritual should finish some time after sunrise. The center of most Wiccan celebrations is the dance around the Maypole, with accompanying enactments of the courtship chase of Maiden and Bright Lord, and perhaps a ritual jumping of a small Bel-fire for luck and fulfillment. Fires for this purpose might be made by burning kindling within an iron cauldron. Couples often jump the fire together. The Maypole dance is not only fun, but is also a weaving of magick for the fertility and fulfillment of hopes, wishes and personal intents for the season ahead. Each year in San Diego, the Calafia Council of Covenant of the Goddess holds its open Beltane-in-the-Park. It's an event that always draws hundreds to picnic and to enjoy a ritual that includes a colorful Maypole Dance accompanied by a large contingent of great drummers. In order to allow many more to dance than the pole could possibly have ribbons, the drums will stop periodically, signaling the dancers to pause and hand over their ribbons to a new group of dancers. Then the drumming begins again and the dance goes on. Crowns of Flowers Of all Wiccan rites, Beltane is the one most likely to find many, if not all, the women crowned with wreaths of flowers. These can be fun to make, either as permanent wreaths of silk flowers, or if enough fresh flowers are in bloom in your area, a fresh flower crown. The base for fresh flower wreaths might be vines or supple branches of flowering shrubs that can be formed into a circlet and bound with floral tape, light wire or twine. Then extra flowers can be easily woven into the circlet. For a wreath of silk flowers, you can start with a circlet of heavy coated floral wire, but I've found that building a wreath quickly can be most easily done by starting with ivy or leaf garland. Cut a piece long enough to form a circle that fits your head nicely with just a bit to spare so you can neatly wire the ends together. Then you will have a good base of leaves into which you can easily twist stems of a variety of silk flowers, securing them with a bit of floral tape where necessary. A cascade of narrow ribbons tied at the back makes a pretty finish. How to Do the Maypole Dance You need a long and sturdy pole, firmly anchored. When I lived in San Diego I had a pipe permanently sunk into a small concrete slab that at other times of the year was covered by a heavy mosaic pentagram. The pipe firmly held a tall 2" thick dowel rod. I have seen tall dead tree trunks still rooted in the ground and kept for Maypole use. Permanent structures are not always possible, though. Here in my New Hampshire circle, we use a method that should be easily available to anyone. The base is an extra heavy metal one sold for use with outdoor umbrellas. Its clamps hold the pole firmly in place. For the top of our heavy wooden dowel, there's a wooden knob attached with a double-pointed screw. Ribbons are stapled to the top and then capped with the knob. You should have a long ribbon for each participant. The ribbons should be long enough that the end can be held out at a distance at least the length of the pole' When all participants are standing around the pole, each holding the end of a ribbon, count off alternately one and two around the circle. Then have all the Ones turn to face deocil (clockwise) and all the Twos turn to face widdershins (counter-clockwise), and to proceed in those directions as the dancing begins. Instruct the Ones to first lift their ribbons and the Twos to duck under, then alternate. As the dance continues, the two groups of dancers, moving in opposite directions, alternately pass their ribbons over an approaching dancer and then duck under the ribbon of the next one. Dancers are to visualize, as they move, what they wish to weave into their lives for the season ahead. Above them on the pole, the ribbons weave. In the second photo, you see the pole nearly halfway woven. Notice that there is something resting atop the extended ribbons. That is the floral wreath that the Maiden wore at the beginning of the ritual. When all ribbons were held out, and just before the dance began, the Maiden places her head wreath over the top of the pole, where it will gradually descend as the weaving proceeds-yet another act symbolic of the sacred marriage of Maiden and Bright Lord, Earth and Sun, with all the hope and promise for the future that it inspires. Drumming accompaniment inspires especially good energy for the dancing. In recent years we've been fortunate to have at least two or three good drummers who'd rather drum than dance. Or, the dancers might also chant. Here's one possibility, from the Beltane ritual that is in The Witch's Circle: "Weave, weave, it is our fate we weave, by choice, not chance. With love and will It is our fate we weave." As the weaving progresses down into the bottom half of the pole, the dance becomes progressively more challenging-especially for we Crones and Sages who are less agile than the young-and is usually accompanied by quite a bit of laughter, until finally the High Priestess calls the dance complete. The ends of the ribbons are tied off in a festoon at the end of the weaving. The woven ribbons will later slip right off the pole in a pretty cylinder pattern. Like all magickal charms, once their time is ended, they should be ritually released. An appropriate time and method would be in a bonfire for Fall Equinox or Samhain. Wiccan Handfasting at Beltane Beltane, traditionally a rite of the sacred marriage of Earth and Sun so necessary for fertility and abundance in the season of growth, is also an especially popular time for Wiccan handfastings. A coven Beltane rite might include the handfasting of a couple. Handfasting may also be a legal marriage ceremony, but is not necessarily so. Sometimes a handfasting is a commitment made for "a year and a day," perhaps preliminary to a full commitment. Wiccan couples who do marry legally, whether at Beltane or at another time, usually prefer a ceremony that incorporates the ancient handfasting tradition. At the central part of a handfasting rite, the couple joins their hands to be bound with cords as they are questioned about their intents toward each other. At the end of the questioning, with a series of cords lightly draped around their clasped hands, the couple must then gather the cords and tie them into a big knot at the center. In this manner, they have "tied the knot." At the end of the rite, hands held with their cords within, the couple runs around the circle and jumps a broom laid on the ground in emulation of an ancient folk method of sealing a marriage. In many modern-day handfasting rites, a broom and sword are laid on the ground in a cross to be jumped, the broom symbolic of the woman's dominion over the home, and the sword symbolic of her man's role to protect her and their home. Source May the fruit of our lives be bound and sealed to Thee, O Mother, O Woman Eternal who holdest the inmost life of each of Thy daughters between the hands upon Her Heart ~~~~~~~~~~~ We swear by Peace and Love to stand, Heart to Heart and Hand to Hand. Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now, confirming this, our Sacred Vow. ~Druidic Prayer of Unity~
Cerredwen	Re: Belteinne/Beltane	#13	[-]
Walks an Earthbased Path Posts: 11474 (04/23/07 09:16 PM) ~~Priestess of the Goddess~~ Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	The May Queen And King Beltane by Raven Grimassi In pre-Christian European religion the spirit of vegetation is often known as the King or Queen of the Woodlands. The association of the May Queen with May Day is a long-standing tradition. The May Queen presides over the festivities, along with her consort, the May King. She is selected by her peers and is a young maiden, often not older than thirteen. Traditionally the May Queen is the prettiest of the contestants. She is always crowned by her predecessor of the year before. In the May Day procession the King and Queen of May follow behind the May garland. They are accompanied by four young males who each bear a staff decorated like the Maypole. The figure of the May Queen is traceable to the worship of the Roman goddess Flora whose rites were celebrated on May 1. On the Isle of Man, as late as the eighteenth century, May Day was marked by a battle between the Queen of May and the Queen of Winter. The Queen of Winter was a man dressed like a woman. Each Queen had a company of followers commanded by a captain. The followers of May were dressed in summer clothes and the followers of winter were in winter grab accordingly. On May morning the two companies met in a mock battle. If the May Queen was captured, she was then ransomed for the cost of the festival arrangements. In other regions of the British Isles the contest between summer and winter is acted out each year at May Day by a troop of boys and a troop of girls. The boys rush from house to house, singing, shouting, and ringing bells to drive winter away. Following the boys, come a group of girls, singing softly and led by a May bride, all in bright dresses and bedecked with flowers and garlands to represent the genial advent of spring. Formerly the part of winter was played by a straw man, which the boys carried with them.
Cerredwen	Re: Belteinne/Beltane	#14	[-]
Walks an Earthbased Path Posts: 11474 (04/29/07 03:12 PM) ~~Priestess of the Goddess~~ Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	The Bonfire of Bel A Druid's Perspective A Column by Judson WhiteBear Calan Mai, Bealtainn, Beltaine Beacons at Bealtaine Phoenix Park, May Day, 2004 Uisce: water. And fionn: the water's clear. But dip and find this Gaelic water Greek: A phoenix flames upon fionn uisce here. Strangers were barbaroi to the Greek ear. Now let the heirs of all who could not speak The language, whose ba-babbling was unclear, Come with their gift of tongues past each frontier And find the answering voices that they seek As fionn and uisce answer phoenix here. The May Day hills were burning, far and near, When our land's first footers beached boats in the creek. In uisce, fionn, strange words that soon grew clear; So on a day when newcomers appear Let it be a homecoming and let us speak The unstrange word, as it behoves us here, Move lips, move minds and make new meanings flare Like ancient beacons signalling, peak to peak, From middle sea to north sea, shining clear As phoenix flame upon fionn uisce here. -Irish Poet Laureate Seamus Heaney Beltaine, pronounced "bel-ten-ya" or bel-chen-ya" depending on the Gaelic dialect, is the beginning of summer. It is celebrated May 1st, or the full moon closest to that date, or when the hawthorn blooms. For modern Pagans, the principal deity for this celebration is Belenos, a God of solar healing. For traditionals, Bile ("Tree" pronounced bee-lay) the primal Irish male deity is not a solar deity, would be the focus. There are no primarily solar male deities in Irish mythology. Some Goddesses do have solar aspects, but are not linked with Beltaine. "Beltaine" is therefore more correctly interpreted as "bright fire" or "new fire". According to ancient lore, the first Bealtainn fire was kindled by the Druid Mide at Uisnech. This fire burned for seven years and became the source of all hearth-fires in the lane. Because of this, Bealtainn is associated with Uisnech. Located not far from Tara, on the plain of Meath, Uisnech was the stronghold of the Druids. The Stone of Boundaries, the ritual center of Uisnech, had five sides. Tara, the seat of the High King and the warrior-aristocracy, had four sides and was associated with Samhain. It was the true center and remained so during the dark half of the year. It represented the willed stability of the Tribe and the God. Uisnech reflected a different sacred geometry, more dynamic, and the Goddess, held sway during the light half. It was customary to be up before the sun on this day, in order to fully partake of the healing energy. Often this was done by an all-night ritual on a hilltop, to watch the sun rise and bathe in the healing rays. Some would capture the dew and keep it bottled for healing rituals for the rest of the year. Others would go to springs and sacred wells to bathe in the water as the sun struck it. Maypoles, which are often associated with this day, are actually an English (Anglo-Saxon) custom. The Celtic customs involve the hawthorn tree. Young men would cut branches the night before (the only time it was not considered unlucky) and introduce them secretly into the rooms of young unmarried women. This is referred to as "planting the May" and it was understood that the ones so honored would accompany the young men during the celebration. In Ireland, the "May bush" made of hawthorn or holly and decorated with ribbons and painted egg-shells was the focus of dancing and revelry. The plant that was most consistently used during this celebration was the rowan. The Sidhe and Gods were about in the world, visiting and testing the people. The festival was a time to appease and please them. The rowan branches were placed at windows and doors to dispel unfriendly Otherworld influences. The blooming of the hawthorn marks the advent of Bealtainn. Seasonal altars were often decorated with blooming thorn. This was the one time of the year that it was not considered ill luck to cut the tree for fear of offending the Sidhe. In Scotland, a Bealtainn bannock (a flat unleavened bread made with oats or barley) was made, mixed by hand and untouched by steel. One piece was darkened with charcoal and the person who received this piece had to leap the bonfire three times to get rid of any ill luck that might befall the community. Early greens might be included in the meal, to celebrate the return of life to the land. This would be important as fresh greens were not available in the winter. Sources Celtic Rituals - Alexei Kondratiev The CR website For more information on Druidisum, please visit: Hall of The Druid's Grove
Cerredwen		#15	[-]
Walks an Earthbased Path Posts: 11474 (04/14/09 05:48 PM) ~~Priestess of the Goddess~~ Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	You Call It May Day We Call It Beltane by Peg Aloi The season of spring has arrived! The rites of fertility have begun! This is a holiday with a colorful past, and strangely enough, one of the only major festivals on the pagan calendar which has never been Christianized. But as we shall see, it is a holiday with two distinct flavors of celebration throughout history... But first, some nostalgic wanderings... April 30th, 1972. Somewhere, I must have learned about May Baskets. I think my favorite third grade teacher mentioned them briefly in Social Studies class (she often talked about holidays and their origins), and then I wanted to find out more about this wacky custom. I was a precocious reader as a kid so it may have been almost anywhere: the Encyclopedia Britannica, Woman's Day magazine, maybe even Playboy. I don't recall where, but I know once I learned about the custom of giving them to some one special, I was determined to make one and leave it in secret for my favorite third-grade teacher, Miss V. I took a small box (about half the size of a shoebox) and glued lavender construction paper to it. I also fashioned a handle out of the same paper, gluing it to both sides. I cut out flower petals shapes in different colors and glued those on, too. Very tasteful, I thought. I cut some daffodils and lilacs from the yard, and put them inside. I had already asked my aunt if she could drive me over to her house, having cleverly looked up her address in the phone book earlier. (Now, these days we would call such behavior something less innocent than childlike admiration; we might call it, oh, stalking). As we drove up with the basket to my teacher's house, at around 6 pm, I found myself thinking, gee, what if she sees me? I got out of the car, ran on tiptoe (as if that would make me less visible) and put it on her porch. As I turned, the front door opened. As luck would have it, I was busted: by Miss V. herself! She saw me, then the basket, and figured it out. She smiled and thanked me and said it was very sweet of me. I was mortified that she found me out. But then the next day in school, she made me a card with flowers on it. The front said "Thank you" and the inside said "for delighting my day with a May Basket." So I got to put that card on my desk like a little teacher's pet. Of course, I did not think that at the time; at the time I was simply very proud. And realized if I had not gotten "busted" she might never know who brought the May Basket, and I'd have my secret, but only that. This way, maybe the other kids would think of making May Baskets for someone: a teacher, a parent or grandparent. Of course, all I knew was I made something cool and gave it to someone special. May 1st, 1988 I'm in graduate school. Living in a cool two-bedroom apartment above a funeral home. I have just started really getting into the whole paganism thing. Not in a coven yet, but doing the beginner stuff: practicing a bit of spellcraft, making little altars in my room, going to meetings of the Pagan Students' Organization, buying books by Margot and Starhawk and Janet and Stewart... So I know it's Beltane. But not to the extent that I know how to really celebrate it as a true pagan. (Not to worry, within a year or two I would be dancing 'round maypoles, washing my face in the dew and "going a Maying" like a veteran!) So I get up in the morning and dress in something kinda frilly and festive, not all that atypical for me but I wanted to feel like I was observing the season today. I leave my apartment to go to class, and what do I find on my doorknob but a garland of flowers! Shaped like a crown to be worn. Wow. I don't even have a clue who it might be from (but I have my suspicions). I take it with me and carry it around to classes that day. I finally run into a male friend of mine who knows I ma into this pagan stuff. He apparently knows a thing or two about May Day folklore, and I eventually find out he left it as a sign he was interested in dating me. Which was rather sweet. This was a very shy young man who I cannot imagine actually asking me out on a date. But his leaving a relic of ancient paganism on my door, well, that was impressive. We did date for a while. He was a nice guy and very smart. At the time all I knew was, he made something cool and gave it to me, so he must have thought I was special. Beltane: a Pre-Christian Fire Festival "But they are... naked!" "Well, naturally, it's far too dangerous to jumo through the fire with your clothes on!" --Lord Summerisle explaining Beltane to Sergeant Howie in the 1973 film "The Wicker Man" According to an article entitled "The Merry Month of May" on about.com (link) "The first day of May is still celebrated as a pre-Christian magical rite in some parts of England. Local people dance around a maypole (an ancient fertility symbol), in what was once one of England's most important festivals of the year." May Day and Beltane obviously have much in common, as both celebrate new growth and fertility. Even when May Day celebrations were banned in the late 16th century for being immoral, the customs died hard and it wasn't long before the festivities were once again widespread. But long before the May Day celebrations, with their maypole dancing, garlands and dances became popular, the ancient fire festival of Beltane took place for centuries. It is not clear where or how the festival of Beltane first came about; Ronald Hutton in The Stations of the Sun mentions the first recorded instance of a bishop in Lincolnshire complaining about local priests who "demeaned themselves by joining games which they call the bringing-in of May" in 1240. May Games were recorded in Scotland in 1432. There is some speculation that Beltane and May Day is related to the ancient Roman festival of Floralia. According to the about.com article, this was "a six-day party in honor of Flora, the goddess of Spring and Flowers, the Floralia was a time of singing, dancing and feasting in the ancient capital." Dressed in bright colors in imitation of spring flowers, citizens would decorate the entire city with fresh blooms. "Hares and goats, symbols of fertility, would be let loose in gardens as protectors of Flora, and great singing and stomping would be heard in order to wake up Spring." Of course, dancing is a large part of May Day celebrations as well. Apparently, Flora was also the patron of prostitutes, and during this festival the Roman "working girls" participated enthusiastically, performing naked in theatres and taking part in gladiatorial events. The themes of fertility and sexuality are obviously still very much associated with Beltane and May Day amongst modern pagans... but let's look more closely at the ancient history of Beltane in the British Isles. First of all, the origin of the name "Beltane" is disputed. The holiday was also known as "Roodmass" in England and "Walpurgisnacht" in Germany. Alternately spelled Bealtaine, Beltaine, and any number of Gaelic derived-spellings, it is also the Irish word for the month of May, and is said to mean anything from "Bel-fire" Feast of the god Bel" to "bright fire." Janet and Stewart Farrar, in Eight Sabbats for Witches offer an excellent tracing of the holiday's Irish roots, and particularly the European fire-god Belenus whom they believe this festival is named for (a name possible traced back to Baal, the bible's only pagan god, whose name simply means "Lord"). Ronald Hutton states that since the Celtic word "bel" means bright or fortunate, this is adequate to explain the translation as being "lucky fire" or "bright fire." For FIRE is what this festival is all about. It is one of the two great fire festivals of the wheel of the year (the other is Samhain). It also falls upon the cross-quarter days, which mark the astrological movement of the sun. In ancient times, the calendar days for these holidays would have been roughly seven to eleven days AFTER we now celebrate them (usually on the first of the month). The way to know for sure is to observe when the sun reaches 15 degrees of the zodiac sign. For Beltane, this is Taurus, the Bull; at Lammas, Leo; at Samhain, Scorpio, and at Imbolc, Aquarius. Samhain and Beltane divide the year into two distinct halves of great importance to agrarian-based societies (as in western Europe, where our Celtic calendar of eight major seasonal festivals originates). In F. Marian McNeill's book The Silver Bough, she states: "At Beltane, flocks and herds went to their summer pastures; as Hallowmass (Samhain) they returned to their winter quarters. Beltane may be regarded as a day of Supplication, when a blessing was invoked on hunter and herdsman, on cattle and crops." Whereas Samhain was a "Day of Thanksgiving, for the safe return of the wanderers and the renewal of the food supply." Fire festivals in ancient times were seen as times of propitiation and purification. Propitiation, says McNeill, "means sacrifice; to propitiate the mysterious forces of nature and ensure fertility in field and fold and on the hearth." "You'll simply never understand the true nature of sacrifice." --May Morrison to Sergeant Howie, "The Wicker Man" Human sacrifice was still practiced in Gaul as late as the 1st century BC, and was later replaced by sacrifice of animals (most notably the Bull - another Taurus connection?), and later an offering of specially consecrated cakes or loaves, as in the sun-shaped loaf in "The Wicker Man." "The life of the fields: John Barleycorn." But of course, by the film's end, more than bread was consumed by the flames. (Never seen The Wicker Man? It's a cult classic well-loved by pagans for its deliciously politically-incorrect sacrifice of a morally-uptight police sergeant when he visits and island renowned for keeping the "old ways." The film's events take place on the days leading up to Beltane.) As for purification, fire has always been seen as its chief agent. Traditionally, all domestic fires in Irish, English and Scottish households were extinguished on Beltane Eve, after having been kept lit continuously all year. Just before dawn, villagers would process with their animals up the hillsides to the highest point where fires would be kindled and relit for people to see for miles around. It was also traditional to build these fires out of nine of the sacred woods from Druidic folklore, including oak, ash, thorn, rowan, apple, birch, alder, maple, elm, gorse, holly, hawthorn, and others. The bonfires were lit so that a narrow passage existed between two fire, so that cattle and other livestock could be led between the fires, to purify them from disease or sterility for the coming year. Torches of dried sedge, gorse or heather were also lit and carried around remaining flocks or stables, to further purify the air. Fire, Water... Water, the other element of purification, also plays a strong role in Beltane custom. Spring was the traditional season of "well dressing" particularly in Ireland where wells were seen as holy places (even with the advent of Christianity, when many wells dedicated to pagan goddesses were re-dedicated to the Virgin Mary). But even more specific to Beltane, morning dew was seen as sacred and magical. To this day, young women all over the British Isles rise at dawn to wash their faces in dew (dew from oak and rowan trees is said to be particularly well-suited). It was and is believed doing so would enhance a woman's beauty and health in the coming year, and if she uttered an appropriate charm while doing it, she might also meet her future husband in the coming year. This poem was written by someone who observed young women engaging in this practice in King's Park in Edinburgh: "On May Day in a fairy ring, We've seen them round St. Anton's spring, Frae (from) grass the caller dew-drops wring, To weet their een (to wet their eyes) And water clean as crystal spring To synd them clean." Village elders also left libations and offerings of food to guard their flocks against any evil from the fairy folk, or from the ravages of storms, floods, or disease. Butter, eggs, milk and cheese were left in hollow stones, or poured into the ground. Alternately, ale or fresh-baked bread was offered, with the idea that a gift of the finest the household could provide was the most suitable offering. In Aberdeenshire, McNeill tells of a custom of kindling fires on May 2nd, as it was believed "witches were abroad then." Beltane, like Samhain, was the time when the veils between the worlds were thinnest, and like fairy folk, "witches" were thought to be fond of this time and to use it for magical rites. Keep in mind, in those days, the "witches" were the ones that country folk worked magic against, and those of us today who call ourselves "witches" are actually closer in spirit to those village wise women and cunningmen, who used folk magic and spells to protect their homes and families and flocks. The Aberdeenshire citizens believed witches would steal milk from cows, and ride stolen horses to their meetings. Fires were lit and villagers would hold hands and dance around them three times deosil (sunwise) - does this sound familiar? Except they would then yell out "Fire! Blaze and Burn the witches! Fire, Fire! Burn the witches!" Thanks goodness we have moved far beyond these, ahem, heathen customs! Earth and Air... Dancing was a common way to celebrate the season. The Maypole rites being an obvious example, but before this practice became widespread, dancing without benefit of a giant pole was also common. Dancing round the bonfires was seen as a way to partake of the purification of its flames. Women wanting to get pregnant would perform fertility dances at the fireside. Once the Beltane fires were relit on the hillsides, villagers would carry a flaming torch, the "need-fire", back to their homes and relight their hearthfires with it. On the way, it was customary to dance and sing the season in. Records of may dances and songs go back to well before the 16th century. The songs affirmed the purpose of the fire ceremonies: protection and purification. The protective power of the magical woods was thought to affect any who lit their households with their flames. The sight of the bright flames on the hills, and the line of people processing with torches in the dark, must have been an awesome sight to behold. (This year in Ireland, a huge ritual will be held to re-kindle the ancient fires of Beltane. It was nearly cancelled due to foot and mouth disease, but now it looks like this ancient ritual of healing the land and its creatures will take place after all, and not a moment too soon.) The most protective wood of all was rowan, and prior to the Beltane Eve bonfire lighting, branches of rowan were cut in huge amounts and used to decorate the homes of all. Branches tied with red thread (signifying the rowan berries, and a favorite color of fairies) were hung in doorways of homes, stables, barns and sheepfolds, and, as McNeill states, particularly" in the midden, which was a favourite of the black sisterhood." (I think she meant witches.) In the Highlands of Scotland, girls tied sprigs of rowan in their hair or on their clothing just after washing in may dew. (Incidentally, in "The Wicker Man" the hapless Sergeant Howie is first sent for to investigate a missing girl, whom he believes intended for human sacrifice: her name is Rowan.) Just as rowan branches were seen as protective, people also gathered armsful of tree branches in blossom to decorate their homes in honor of the arrival of spring. This custom was usually fulfilled the following day, on Beltane proper, after the midday sun brought the blossoms to the fullest size and fragrance. In later years, when May festivities spread to England, these branches were carried from door to door, offered with songs, in the expectation that gifts of sweets, money or food and drink would be offered. This in turn led to the "garlanding" customs popular in southern England, once the province of women but later an activity popular for young girls and sanctioned by local schools and parishes. No matter what the blossom, it was known as "gathering the May." Hawthorn was most common, and so one of its folk names is "May." (Rowan Morrison's mother's name is May, as well). "Going a Maying" innocently refers to the custom of young people gathering blossoming tree branches; but later became a common euphemism for what happened after the branches were gathered in the woods, and before they were brought home. Once the fires were relit on Beltane Eve, and children put to bed, and the wee hours of Beltane morning arrived, the more adult festivities began. And that includes the traditional activities associated with fertility (remember Flora and her fondness for prostitutes? Kinda along those lines). Newly wed couples and new brides were expected to perform fertility rites around the bonfires, to take advantage of their potency and purification. Humans were much more closely connected with the rhythms of the earth in those days, to put it mildly, and no doubt the running of sap in trees, the blossoms and buds bursting forth, the scents of flowers and new growth and damp soil and rain, all stirred the senses and reawakened the body---these days we call it "spring fever, " but in antiquity, indulging such urges was completely normal and expected. Or, in the words of Lerner and Lowe, from the musical "Camelot": "It's May! It's May! The lusty month of May!... Those dreary vows that ev'ryone takes, Ev'ryone breaks. Ev'ryone makes divine mistakes! The lusty month of May! " Naturally enough, unwed men and women would also partake of the spirit of these rites, and find themselves venturing off into the nearby fields or forest to perform their own fertility rites. Blessed by the gods on this sacred night, such unions were seen as wholly proper, even when not blessed by marriage; they were referred to as "greenwood marriages." It is also true that betrothed couples would make love at Beltane, and if the union did not prove fruitful, i.e. no pregnancy resulted, they might dissolve the partnership before marriage without repercussion. In fact, the origin of the "year and a day" handfasting custom observed by modern pagans, in which they renew their vows after one year, dates back to this. If new marriages did not produce children within one year, couple often split and married others, with no penalty. But why sex? If the point of these festivals was to preserve the land and the flocks, why not simply observe fertility in the birth of lambs, the growth of plants? Ah, but ancient peoples believed in sympathetic magic: that practice of a small, symbolic action representing a larger one. By making love in the fields, human beings believed they were helping make the earth more fertile, blessing it with their own activity of producing new life and abundance. And even if the ultimate goal of such unions was not pregnancy, it couldn't hurt to help the magic along! Which brings me to what is often considered a wholly sexual symbol, and main feature of ancient May Day and modern Beltane celebrations: the maypole. Phallic Symbol? Or Tree Worship? Beltane celebrations in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man and parts of Britain later became intertwined with May Day rites derived from the Floralia (due to the Roman invasion of Britain, mostly). But more importantly, the different customs associated with May 1st became very diverse and widespread to such an extent that these practices were banned on a wide scale. Though complaints about "immoral" practices started early on (as in the 1240 reference from Hutton), the Protestant, well, protest against May rites came to a head in 1555, when May Day observances were banished by Parliament. This mainly had to do with the "Maying" rites, which uptight clergy believed were merely opportunities for fornication in the fields and defiling of young women (mistakenly believed to come away pregnant more often than not. Hutton notes that later demographic research showed no concomitant rise in pregnancy rates at this time of year; in fact, late summer was a much more common time for conception). By 1565, the common practice of electing "an Abbott of Misrule" and other ritual roles, like Robin Hood, Maid Marian and others, was also banned by law. Such plays had become commonplace, as had Morris dancing, sword dances and other celebratory ways of "dancing in" spring. Margaret Murray, in "The God of the Witches" noted the similarity between Robin and his typical band of 12 men being modeled on a "Grandmaster and his coven." Although it is just as clearly related to Jesus and his disciples. In any case, the traditional green costumes and elaborate dances, as well as Robin Hood's association with Robin Goodfellow, or Puck, were also connected to fairy tradition and so seen as "heathen" by the clergy. Some have speculated that this tradition of using Robin and Marian as May Day "deities" actually has its origin in Diana and Herne: goddess of the hunt and forest creatures, and god of the wild hunt. Indeed, Herne is seen as one aspect of the Green man, and many May Day rites also featured The Green Man. Diana is also a predecessor of the Queen of the May, a role later usurped by Marian... but Diana's virgin aspect makes her a likely model for such a role. The maypole itself was banned in 1644. By 1660, when it became clear the monarchy would be restored, May Day rites were once again permitted and in fact spontaneously reappeared across the country. But by then the holiday had lost much of its earlier sexual significance; May Day had replaced Beltane, if you will. But it is also true that by this time, the dancing of the Maypole had become the central "ritual" of this holiday, not the bonfires. Only in remote parts of Ireland and Scotland did the fires apparently continue as the dominant feature. It is not clear when the maypole first became part of the May festivities, or what its exact origin is. Our post-Freudian society naturally wishes to call it a "phallic symbol" and have done with it, and indeed this seems fitting. A wonderful scene in the oft-mentioned "The Wicker Man" finds the young male students dancing round the maypole, while the female students watch them from their classroom, in which they listen to a lecture about the rites and rituals of May Day (even their textbooks have a chapter on it!), and all the girls in unison know the answer to what the maypole represents: "phallic symbol." The teacher, Miss Rose, says it is the penis, "revered in religions, such as ours, as the generative force in nature." But according to Ron Hutton, other explanations present themselves. Some authors, including Sir J.G. Frazer in The Golden Bough, refer to it as "the repository of a fertility-giving tree spirit." Many years earlier, Thomas Hobbes suggested the maypole was meant to honor the Roman god of male potency, Priapus. Hutton himself suggests they are just as likely symbols of tree worship (particularly since the earliest maypoles were living trees, stripped of all leaves but for a tuft of greenery at the top). He also mentions the Northern European concept of the divine tree which connects the earth tot he world of the divine, and the maypole as a connection between them. Finally, he credits Mircea Eliade for his theory that it is "merely a way of rejoicing at the returning strength of vegetation." Modern Traditions "For the May Day is the great day, Sung along the old straight track. And those who ancient lines did ley Will heed this song that calls them back... Pass the cup, and pass the Lady, And pass the plate to all who hunger, Pass the wit of ancient wisdom, Pass the cup of crimson wonder." Jethro Tull, "Cup of Wonder, " from the 1977 album Songs From the Wood Modern pagans celebrate Beltane as a festival of reawakening spring, of fertility, of the renewal of the lifeforce, of creativity, or rebirth, of love and sexuality, or birth and regeneration. Janet and Stewart Farrar, whose work forms the basis for many Wiccan groups, offer a ritual for Beltane in their Eight Sabbats for Witches in which they feature the Oak King as a symbol of the death of the old season, and a "bel-fire" is rekindled to usher in the new season, along with lyrics from Rudyard Kipling's famous song of tree worship in England, "Oak and Ash and Thorn." "Oh do not tell the priest our plight, for he would call it a sin, But we've been out in the woods all night a-conjuring summer in; And we bring good news by word of mouth, for women and cattle and corn, For now is the sun come up from the South by Oak and Ash and Thorn." Some covens kindle their own bonfire, using nine of the sacred woods. Others celebrate the Great Rite, the sacred marriage of the god and goddess, in symbolic or actual fashion according to their tradition. Solitary practitioners often choose Beltane as a time to reaffirm their dedication to the path; and couples in a magical partnership might choose this auspicious time to work sex magick, to achieve a chosen goal. Larger pagan gatherings feature maypole dancing; I have attended a number of these over the years and there really is nothing like a fifty-foot tall maypole with a hundred people dancing around it with ribbons! May wine is a traditional drink of the season: to make your own, simply add dried or fresh meadowsweet to white wine. Let it steep for at least 24 hours. You can either leave the herb in the wine or strain it out. The herby, vanilla-like fragrance and taste are indescribable, and really say "Beltane!" I have also seen recipes for "May Cup" on the net. And this is a fine time to experiment with aphrodisiac brews, for example adding damiana to some white zinfandel. Perhaps it is best to remember this as the time when Aphrodite, who rules the sign of Taurus, is coming into her own. She presides over the realms of love and sex and beauty, but also over the flowers and fruits which brig us such pleasure: delighting our senses with their colors and scents and tastes and juices. She fills blossoms with nectar, and her body is beneath us as we walk and dance upon the newly-yielding, softened earth, alive again after the dormancy of winter, full of new life. She is in the animals, the lambs born at Imbolc who frolic among spring meadow flowers, the other creatures who come into their mating seasons at this time. And she is in us, offering her discernment of beauty, blessing our eyes with new awareness of color and texture in nature. In our hearts which beat quicker with the warmth of the sun and the fires rekindled within us. In our minds, alive to possibility and creativity, awakened and reborn with new energy. And in our bodies, walking on hills and in meadows and forests, dancing around our own fires and in circles with like-minded loved ones, sharing laughter and song and love, enjoying and creating the feast, the celebration, the magical birthright that is life on Earth. May the fruit of our lives be bound and sealed to Thee, O Mother, O Woman Eternal who holdest the inmost life of each of Thy daughters between the hands upon Her Heart ~~~~~~~~~~~

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Belteinne/Beltane

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