Beltane (also called Beltaine or Beltain)
30th April/1st May in the northern hemisphere, 31st October/1st November southern hemisphere
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A time for rejoicing! A time for celebrating! A time for love!
Goddess song at Beltane
Feel Me now as Lover
I am life’s lust. Pure love.
I come from the foaming sea waves,
riding white mare through your dreams.
I am the pulsing life-blood...
sap rising...Spring blossoming.
Pause a moment between the waves of being...
Feel My presence
I am life’s lust. Pure love.
It is at Beltane that the fertility and productivity of nature is secured by the union of God and Goddess. The atmosphere of this time is charged with the heady scents of the abundant wild flowers. (Especially the May blossom which to me smells like honey!) Nature is buzzing with the intensity of life-force...sap is rising. It is a time of sexuality, sensuality and procreation. This is the night of the 'greenwood marriage' when traditionally couples would run off into the Beltane night and make love, re-enacting the sacred union of God and Goddess.
Beltane is one of the four cross quarter fire festivals. Bel-tene meaning goodly fire. Fire symbolizing the sun bringing warmth and fertility to the earth. As we move round the wheel towards the summer solstice the fire energy is rising. Traditionally all homes fires were extinguished. Then one huge communal Beltane fire was lit called the tein-eigin (fire essential for life). From this main fire everybody took a piece home to re-kindle their own hearth. This was a beautiful custom that helped to re-establish a sense of community, sharing and new beginnings.
Another very traditional way to celebrate Beltane is dancing around the Maypole, symbolizing the coming together, joining and interweaving of male and female energies.
The two Goddesses that shine for me at Beltane are Flora and Rhiannon. They revel in their beauty, ecstatic with sensual pleasures. Rhiannon hauntingly sings Her seductive song as She rides Her white mare and calls you to pass through the veils between the worlds. Flora spreads Her colourful skirts out and invites you to wrap yourself in them!
Beltane is a time of such beauty and magic. In the ancient woodlands the bluebells make a carpet of delight and the nature spirits and faeries party and play! The place is buzzing!
The following is an excerpt taken from my book 'Luna Moon Hare'
"Welcome Luna, I am Rhiannon. You have journeyed well and have arrived at Beltane. This is a time for love, fertility, abundance and celebration. Come with me, we have a precious gift to give.”
In a swirl of dazzling red and tinkling bells Rhiannon is astride her mare and calls for Luna to ride behind her. With a whinny of excitement they are off.
Surrounded by all the flying faeries, flashing like fire-flies and singing their hypnotic tunes, they travel. Through fragile veils of imagination and labyrinths of dream-filled minds they journey on and on until they reach their destination, the Greenwood. The swirling mists lift and there in a clearing, surrounded by all the creatures and spirits of the wood, a wedding is taking place. The May bride is a picture in white adorned with May blossoms. The groom is strong and handsome dressed all in green. He looks over towards the new arrivals and smiles. Suddenly Luna realizes who it is ... It is the Oak King himself! Resplendent in his crown! Rhiannon climbs down from her mare and reaches inside her red cloak. She brings out a glowing orb, she holds it high. It shines with the light of life! She walks up to the couple and gives them her gift. As they take it the light grows brighter and stronger, lighter and whiter till it becomes too bright to look at and Luna has to turn away. The twinkling faery lights begin to swirl again floating veils of thoughts through Luna’s mind. A calm stillness comes over her and in that silence she has a strange feeling that she has been here before ... She drifts off onto another cloud of apple blossom dreams.
Luna wakes from her sweet reveries bright and energized. She feels Rhiannon’s love enfold her and hears her song in the air. “The seed of life is sown and the wheel turns.”
