THE GODDESS AND MAGICK
Beltane/1st May
Alternate Names
Beltain, Bealtaine, Beltine, May Day, Cetsamhain ('first Samhain'), Walpurgis Night (Beltane Eve), Celtic 'Flower Festival'
Druidic Name - Beltane
Christian Equivalent - Roodmas, Rood Day, Feast of Saint Philip and Saint James, Feast of Saint Walpurga
Place in the Natural Cycle
Beltane is the cross-quarter festival that marks the start of the summer quarter of the year and the end of the spring quarter. This is a time when nature blossoms and felicity and fertility return to the land. In times past, the livestock stockaded at Samhain was returned to summer pastures at Beltane.
Further Details
Beltane is a joyful festival of growth and fecundity that heralds the arrival of summer. It is the festival of the 'Good Fire' or 'Bel-fire', named after the solar deity Bel. Bel was also known as Beli or Bile in Ireland, with Bile meaning 'tree', so Beltane may also mean 'Tree-fire'. Beltane is the counterpart of Samhain (and is sometimes referred to as Cetsamhain, the 'first Samhain'), and these two important festivals divide the year into summer and winter halves, just as the two equinoctial celebrations, Ostara and Mabon, divide the year into light and dark halves.
Lighting fires was customary at Beltane, and traditionally a Beltane fire was composed of the nine sacred woods of the Celts. All hearth fires were extinguished on Beltane Eve and then kindled again from the sacred "need fires" lit on Beltane. People would leap through the smoke and flames of Beltane fires and cattle were driven through them for purification, fertility, prosperity and protection.
In terms of the God and Goddess cycle, Beltane marks the union of the two deities, bringing new life to the earth. It is a traditional time for Handfastings (marriages), and was a time for couples to make love outside to bless the crops and the earth. Maypoles were often danced around at Beltane to bring fertility and good fortune. The later addition of ribbons which were wrapped around the pole by the dancers brought a further sense of the integration of male and female archetypes, mirroring the union between the God and the Goddess. Beltane lore also includes washing in May-day dew for beauty and health, and scrying in sacred waters, such as ponds or springs.
The festival is sometimes referred to as Roodmas, a name coined by the medieval Christian Church in an attempt to associate Beltane with the Cross (the Rood) rather than the life-giving symbol of the Maypole. Beltane was also appropriated by the Church as the Feast Day of Saint Walpurga, who was said to protect crops and was often represented with corn.
Beltane is a time to devote energy to growth and integration. It is a time of celebration, exuberance and hope, when we should enjoy and appreciate the gifts of nature.
BELTAINE RITUAL
Preparations
Find a tape or CD of Celtic music to play in the background. According to Scottish tradition, this keeps all evil at bay. Decorate the sacred space with plentiful flowers, ribbons, and bright colors.
The night before, extinguish your hearth fire (or stove pilot light, remember to turn off the gas to the stove as well!). Leave this out until during or after the ritual. If possible, gather rainwater or dew at this time. Use this in the altar bowl; it brings inner beauty.
For the ritual itself, you will need: a symbol of winter (perhaps a white sachet stuffed with winter spices); three ribbons bound together at one end (choose the color according to things you want to weave into your life); a slice of buttered oat bread; a brazier of fire; a covered fire source (or small lamp); and a long match.
The Altar
Cover the altar with a green cloth to honor the Earth Mother. Sprinkle marigold flowers on top. Have ready a bowl filled with thyme, oak leaves, ash leaves, and straw pieces; with this you will mark the circle. Secure the ribbons to the middle of the altars surface so you can braid them during the ritual.
The effigy of winter goes on one side of the altar. On the other are a bowl of water and another receptacle into which you can pour it.
The Invocation
This invocation begins in the south to honor Fire. As you begin, pick up the bowl of leaves from the altar and scatter them around. These herbs are sacred tot he fairy folk and will help draw their energy into the circle.
South~Children of the Fire, fairies all, hearken to this Beltaine call! Bring sparks of passion, embers of energy, and flames of magic with your presence to this sacred space.
West~Children of the Water, fairies all, hearken to this Beltaine call! Bring mists of insight, drops of fertility, and waves of magick with your presence to this sacred space.
North~Children of the Earth, fairies all, hearken to this Beltaine call! Bring loam of growth, soils of enrichment, and roots of magic with your presence to this sacred space.
East~Children of the Air, fairies all, hearken to this Beltaine call! Bring winds of freshness, breezes of beauty, and the breath of magick with your presence to this sacred space.
Center~Devas of Spirit, fairies all, hearken to this Beltaine call! Bring the glimmer of wishes, the light of hope, and the luminescence of magick with your presence to this sacred space.
Meditation and Visualization
Take the piece of buttered oat bread. Eat one small piece, and break the rest in half. Put one half in the brazier to burn, the other on the alter saying:
"I offer this staff of life to the devic spirits. Come to me and teach of your ways, the herb lore, of divination, and of Nature's lessons."
Sit down in the center of the sacred space.
Close your eyes and visualize a natural setting with which you're familiar (and preferably one you can get to after the ritual). In this visualization, sit down beneath a tree with your back against it, feeling its strength and resilience. Relax in this mythical setting, letting all your tensions and worries pour into the tree, down through its roots, and out into the soil.
When you feel totally calm, look around the scenery in your mind. Be alert for flickers of light, the sound of tiny wings, or the tinkling of bells. These things signal the presence of a fairy.
If one seems present, mentally welcome it and ask it politely to show itself in your visualization. If it appears, pay close attention to every thing the fairy does ~ it's about to show you something. A flower fairy might reveal a blossom's usefulness, a stone fairy might show you how to meditate with a specific crystal, and other fairies still might give you a peek into the future.
Linger in your visualization until the fairy disappears back into Nature's greenery. Then open your eyes and make notes of your experience in your journal. Afterward, stand and begin the main portion of the ritual.
The Ritual
Stand before your altar. Pour the bowl of water slowly out into another container with your power hand, saying:
"The snows have melted and given way to new life. I welcome the Water, the nourishing rains, and the Fire of the sun."
Put down the empty bowl, and pick up winter's effigy so it lays across both hands, palm up, saying,
"Winter is over; its power is broken."
Put the effigy into the brazier and allow it to burn completely away. Raise your hands with the ribbons in them up to the sky:
"Hail, Fertile Fire; hail the Sun God! Burn away the old within me, and banish the darkness with your illuminating rays."
"Look upon these ribbons three, and bless them, As my hands braid them together, let the magic of ____, ____, and ____ (Fill in three attributes you wish to integrate into your life) be woven into my heart."
Focus purposefully on the three things you named, repeating each aloud as you pick up the strand that represents it. Each crossing of the ribbons increases the magic and binds it securely there. In the future, when you have great need of any of these attributes, loose one section of the braid to release the magick within.
When the ribbon is completed, tie it off so it doesn't unravel, then leave it on the altar. Next, begin dancing clockwise around the fire. There are no special movements to this waltz; simply dance the dance of life. Let it pour from deep within you. Begin slowly, while chanting:
"The fire in me, the magick is free!"
let the dance grow naturally faster, then quiet again.
Move to the front of the altar. Place the covered fire source in the center of the floor with plenty of space on the side facing away from the altar. Light the long wooden match from the brazier, then leap over the fire source to bring fertility to any endeavor. Alternatively, shout out any bad habit you have as you cross; this purges those things that hold you back.
Once across the flame, go directly to your hearth with the match. While this is probably located outside your normal ritual space, know that the protective energy goes with you. Re-ignite the stove or fireplace, saying,
"Fires of the Sun, to my home...to my heart."
Return to the altar for any other activities and your closing.
Other Activities
Make flower garlands, go on a picnic, and take long walks outdoors. If you have rowan trees nearby, bring one of the branches into the sacred space and walk with it around the altar counterclockwise. Afterward this branch, when kept in the home, gives off protective magic. (Be sure to thank the Rowan tree deva for the branch and leave a little something behind).
Traditionally, farmers often blessed their cattle on this day; you may wish to likewise bless your pets. Use a feather or fan to disperse the smoke from protective herbs such as oak, sage, or mint around their fur. Also consider making them a special charm to wear around their collars - perhaps a small empowered silver bell.
Beltaine is a good date to consider Menopause, Menarche, Initiation, and Conception Rituals. Because it also represents the sacred marriage between God and Goddess, weddings might be planned around this day.
As the ritual began, so it will end, with the final dismissal (other than Center) in the south.
Closing The Circle
West~Spirits of Water, of dew drops, ye Fey, thank you for your presence today. Return safely now to your home in the sea but leave firm your lesson, the magick is me!
North~Spirits of Earth, of stones and the sand, thank you for your helping hands. Return safely now to your home in the ground. For 'tis true in Nature, magick abounds.
East~Spirits of Air, of whimsy and play,thank you for this Beltaine day. Return safely now to your home in the winds, so the magick can begin.
South~Spirits of Flame, of passion and Fire, thank you for empowering my heart's desire. Return safely now to your home in the hearth. Merry meet, and merry part.
Center~Devas of Spirit, of unity and power, thank you for your presence this hour. Return safely now to your home in the light and guide my magick on its flight!
After the ritual, take the ashes from the burned effigy and your bread and mix them with the water. Distribute this evenly in any garden or planter for abundance. Also pick up the half piece of bread left on the altar and take it to the natural location upon which you meditated, as a gift of thanks to the fairies. If you can't do this, just eave it outside for the birds. As they eat, they will take your appreciation on their wings.
Post Ritual Foods
Try red foods for love and the fire element. The traditional May bowl consists of wine in which strawberries and woodruff float. In Celtic tradition, oat cakes were made with charms inside, each symbol foretelling the recipient's future. Oatmeal cookies are a good alternative.