Beltane & Busyness

LOVE this photo. You can just see the little bud sprouting, plus you have what appears to be some sort of altar on the ground.

This weekend, many nature-lovers and pagans will celebrate Beltane, the half-way point between spring and summer. Looks like I'm going to be busier than a one-armed wallpaper hanger, however. Lots to write, still more painting at the house, and need to visit my mom after she had a short hospital stay. I'm not even going to whip up my usual altar or ritual this time. Feels like I need something different, another way to mark the occasion.

Since Beltane is opposite Samhain (Halloween), many say this time of year is also when the veil between the worlds is thin. I've always felt that way at Samhain, so I'd like to find time to meditate on that this weekend. We'll see.

Hope you all have a chance to get outside and enjoy spring!

Beltane & Busyness

LOVE this photo. You can just see the little bud sprouting, plus you have what appears to be some sort of altar on the ground.

This weekend, many nature-lovers and pagans will celebrate Beltane, the half-way point between spring and summer. Looks like I'm going to be busier than a one-armed wallpaper hanger, however. Lots to write, still more painting at the house, and need to visit my mom after she had a short hospital stay. I'm not even going to whip up my usual altar or ritual this time. Feels like I need something different, another way to mark the occasion.

Since Beltane is opposite Samhain (Halloween), many say this time of year is also when the veil between the worlds is thin. I've always felt that way at Samhain, so I'd like to find time to meditate on that this weekend. We'll see.

Hope you all have a chance to get outside and enjoy spring!

Beltane 2009: Growth and Foolishness--but No Naked Maypole Dancing

Yeah, the neighbors might frown on that naked dancing bit. But you don't have to have the maypole to enjoy a meaningful May Day celebration. We're halfway to summer (and I can't wait!), and as nature bursts forth with new growth, so we are reminded to take stock of our own lives.

To symbolize Beltane and growth, my altar contained a variety of flowers, a blackberry branch, a mayapple (or "witch's umbrella") and a photo of a monarch butterfly taken by a friend. I haven't seen any monarchs yet but they'll soon emerge from their cocoons. The 2 candles symbolize the Green Man and the May Queen, traditional images for fertility and growth.

To help myself get into the mood of springtime frolicking and revelry, I read an excerpt from a Rudyard Kipling poem that I like, "A Tree Song." You've probably seen it before:

"Oh, do not tell the priest our plight,
Or he would call it a sin;
But we have been out in the woods all night,
A-conjuring summer in!"

Next I wrote down 4 areas of my life in which I'd like more growth: growth in my writing, growth in creative expression, growth in my commitment to the Earth and growing deeper roots in my spiritual life. To add a little luck, I "washed in the morning dew." Actually, I used the small bowl of water on my altar, dipped in my fingers and symbolically "washed" my face. It's one tradition said to bring luck, health or beauty.

Because of its agricultural roots, Beltane is associated with fire, when people would purify the land to cleanse it, ensure fertility and ward off evil spirits. With the same intent, I then burnt the paper containing my goals for growth. To make sure I had the spirits' attention--and to add a little music to the occasion--I shook a rattle for good measure.

Occurring opposite Samhain/Halloween, Beltane is also associated with mischief and was traditionally a time when people were allowed a reprieve from acting so respectable. With that in mind, I mediated on the Court Jester. The meditation encourages us all to not to take everything so seriously--not even Beltane rituals. I so need more of this in my life. To create a little chaos, more surprises, to defy expectations and refuse to acquiesce to our dominant culture. In the end, most things we worry about are unimportant, and we could all use more laughter and levity.

Which means, next year I totally need to do the naked maypole dance!

Beltane 2009: Growth and Foolishness--but No Naked Maypole Dancing

Yeah, the neighbors might frown on that naked dancing bit. But you don't have to have the maypole to enjoy a meaningful May Day celebration. We're halfway to summer (and I can't wait!), and as nature bursts forth with new growth, so we are reminded to take stock of our own lives.

To symbolize Beltane and growth, my altar contained a variety of flowers, a blackberry branch, a mayapple (or "witch's umbrella") and a photo of a monarch butterfly taken by a friend. I haven't seen any monarchs yet but they'll soon emerge from their cocoons. The 2 candles symbolize the Green Man and the May Queen, traditional images for fertility and growth.

To help myself get into the mood of springtime frolicking and revelry, I read an excerpt from a Rudyard Kipling poem that I like, "A Tree Song." You've probably seen it before:

"Oh, do not tell the priest our plight,
Or he would call it a sin;
But we have been out in the woods all night,
A-conjuring summer in!"

Next I wrote down 4 areas of my life in which I'd like more growth: growth in my writing, growth in creative expression, growth in my commitment to the Earth and growing deeper roots in my spiritual life. To add a little luck, I "washed in the morning dew." Actually, I used the small bowl of water on my altar, dipped in my fingers and symbolically "washed" my face. It's one tradition said to bring luck, health or beauty.

Because of its agricultural roots, Beltane is associated with fire, when people would purify the land to cleanse it, ensure fertility and ward off evil spirits. With the same intent, I then burnt the paper containing my goals for growth. To make sure I had the spirits' attention--and to add a little music to the occasion--I shook a rattle for good measure.

Occurring opposite Samhain/Halloween, Beltane is also associated with mischief and was traditionally a time when people were allowed a reprieve from acting so respectable. With that in mind, I mediated on the Court Jester. The meditation encourages us all to not to take everything so seriously--not even Beltane rituals. I so need more of this in my life. To create a little chaos, more surprises, to defy expectations and refuse to acquiesce to our dominant culture. In the end, most things we worry about are unimportant, and we could all use more laughter and levity.

Which means, next year I totally need to do the naked maypole dance!