Beltane

With Beltane (May 1) being on Tuesday I want to start with this as my first post. 

Beltane falls opposite of Samhain on the Wheel of the Year. These Sabbaths Are one of the most important Sabbaths Because they mark  the beginning and end of the two highly recognized seasons on the Celtic calender. 

 Beltane is a celebration of life being the fertility Sabbath. It is a fun, joyous, lusty Sabbath. You can celebrate Beltane with a party with friends and family. Dancing around the may poll and having a big feast and end with a bale-fire, or a small ritual for you or a group Coven. Anyway that you chose to celebrate Make sure it is a happy fun celebration because you are celebrating the union of the goddess and the god. Also the life of everything blooming and growing in the earth.

If you are lucky to be able to build a bale-fire for Beltane outdoors for your ritual here is a list of woods that can be used for the fire.

Rowen      Mesquite      Dogwood    Poplar

Oak        Juniper       Pine       Cedar

Apple

 If you are in a area where these wood are not available you can use any native wood from where you live. 

         *Thank you Scott Cunningham for the list.

I won't be able to have the bale-fire outside due to where I live so what I am going to do is light a candle in a fire prof container and make a small bundle of twigs from some of the trees on this list in my area and burn them so I can jump the fire for Beltane. 

Attn: Make sure if you do this do it in a part of your house that you can open doors windows have a fire place etc. So there is no fire hazard or smoke inhalation and fire alarms going off. I have a garage I use.

You can also have a May poll too for your celebration. Just staple ribbon to a small tree branch that you screw or nail to a base piece of wood.If outside you could bury the poll in the ground to keep it from moving. Yes its hard to dance around the poll by yourself with different ribbon and get the same result as a 20 foot poll that many people dance around. Have fun with it anyway!

This is a old folk song That is from Cornwall that you could sing as you dance around your May poll.

"A May Day Carol"

Awake, Awake, My Pretty Prithy Maid,

Come Out Your Drowsy Dream,

And Step Into Your Dairy Hold,

And fetch Me A Bowl Of Cream,
 

If Not A Bowl Of Cream, my Dear,

A Cup Of Meade To cheer,

For The Lord knows We shall Meet Again,

To Go Maying Another Year.

A Branch Of May I Brought You Here,

While At Your keep I Stand,

'Tis But A Sprout All budded Out,

By The Power Of Our Lord's Hand.

My Song Is Done and I Must Be Gone,

No Longer May I Stay, 

God Bless you All, The Great And Small, 

And Send You A Joyous May. 

Attn: When collecting wood for your bale-fire or may poll try to get wood already falling from the tree's so they are dried out and will burn. Also if you have to take a branch from the tree try to find one that looks dead. Always Thank The tree for its sacrifice and leave a gift for the tree. I usually bury pennies at the trees base to thank it.

Here is a fun activity you could do. If you have children you can involve them in this too! Make cones out of paper fill with flowers,candy,seeds anything you feel you want to put in them. Hang them from your neighbors doors to leave a surprise for them to come home to! If the person is home try to put it on the door without them seeing you doing it. Makes it more fun!

One year me and my oldest Daughter made them for a neighborhood we moved into. It was a small neighborhood not to many houses but we Ding dong ditched them on the doors of the people we knew it was so much fun! We would run and hide and watch from a far to see the neighbor get there May day cone surprise! My daughter thought this was the funnest thing in the world. Besides The making of the cones.

Beltane foods:

Here is a small list of some foods you can make for your celebration. I am going to make a list of just the title of the recipe names if anyone wants the recipe just post and I will add it. There is a few and I don't want to fill the post with recipes.

Beltane Cream Pie, Makaronio Me feta, Meade, Farls, 

 Beltane Marigold Custard, Soft Mead 

and anything else you want to make.

Beltane Herbs you can use for Incense:

Hawthorn    Honeysuckle    St John Worth     Wood ruff

All Flower

Beltane Ritual

I decided to use the ritual from the book 

The Sabbats A new approach to living the old ways  

by Edain McCoy. 

I like this ritual because it celebrates the union of the 

God and Goddess. Without there union life would not be made. Also this was adapted from the group ritual and that ritual is beautiful in my opinion.

For the ritual you will need to have your usual ritual tools, and some spring flowers. Having a chaplet of flowers  for yourself is optional. (My suggestion is if you don't have real flowers use artificial for your chaplet, if you still don't have artificial get some leaves from some trees and make one as best as you can but its optional and your choice to use it or not.)

Here is a idea of a paper one I found on a DIY site

Here is one idea

 

Website for paper Chaplet (they call it a wreath)is:

 http://www.thesweetestoccasion.com/2010/01/diy-paper-fabric-floral-flower-wreaths/

 If you have a chaplet leave it on your altar until it is needed.

When you are ready to begin you should cast your circle, call your quarters and invite your Deities.

(I will add a circle cast and quarter call and Deities invite at the end for the beginners that would like one.)

 Say:

Blessed be this day of Beltane,

wedding day of the Goddess and God.

holy day of sacred marriage, holy

night of sacred union.

Now take your athame in your right hand and your chalice in your left. hold them in front of you. See them as the earthly vessels of deity.

Say:

Tonight (or today) I witness the marriage of my goddess and God. May the union be fruitful.

Place the athame inside the chalice and feel the union of the 

God and Goddess.

Say:

 As they are one, they become one.

As they become one, they are one.

And I,too, am one with them.

Raise the athame and chalice, still united, to your forehead to honor this union of the three of you. You may now crown yourself with the chaplet of flowers. This will signify that you are a Queen or King, just like the Deities. 

When you are finished eat cake and wine(juice)leave some for the God and Goddess. Then you can dance around your May poll and light your indoor bale-fire twigs. Jump your bale-fire dance around and have fun! Play music, meditate, work on any spell or divination you want to. When you are done thank and release the Deities.End and open the circle how ever you want after circle is opened and celebration is done

Say:

This circle is open,but unbroken. 

Blessed Be.

Two solitary circle castings one is a chant the other is a statement of intent. you could change the words if you like. I have when casting my circles. Also the invoking and the God and Goddess call I got them out of the book

Embracing The Moon  by Yasmine Galenorn

Solitary Circle Chant

Three times 'round I cast my blade

That this circle shall be made.

First, white crescent from the Maiden's Brow,

Her strength and Independence, be here now.

Second, red blood from the Mother's womb,

As I weave my life on Her starlight loom.

Third, black shadow from the Crone's Abyss

Teaches me wisdom with Her Underworld kiss.

sacred Space within this circle now lies

Protected from unwelcome eyes

let no one enter here within

who has not been made welcome.

So Mote It Be.

  Calling The Circle

I cast this circle with my blade of power.
I cast this circle once in the name of the Maiden and the Green man,
that Their youth and vitality embrace my rites this night.
I cast this circle twice in the name of the Mother and the Horned Lord,
that Their strength and passion empower my rites this night.
I cast this circle thrice in the name of the Crone and the Lord of Death,
that Their wisdom and shadows balance my rites this night.
In the name of the Lord and Lady, This circle is cast.
Let nothing unwelcome enter within.
By my will, so mote it be.

Invoking The Elements

                                                      

North: light candle, Raise athame in greeting and say:

Spirits of the North, Spirits of the Earth, You who are stone and rock, bone and crystal

You who are tree and root and branch, whose soil is the body of the Goddess

And whose grass is the green of Her hair, Spirit of earth, come to me!

I call upon thee to bring to this Beltane your spirit of prosperity, Of stability and manifestation.

Spirits of the Earth, welcome and blessed be!

East: light candle, Raise athame in greeting and say:

Spirits of the East, Spirits of the Air, You who are mist , vapor and cloud

you who are fresh breeze and wild hurricane, you who are the fog at Dawn

you who whisper the Devine secrets heard through trees, come to me!

I call upon thee to bring into this Beltane your purification and clarity, Sweep through and remove stagnation.  Spirits of the Air, welcome and blessed be!

South: light candle, Raise athame in greetings and say:

Spirits of the South, Spirits of the Flame and Faerie fire, You who are the crackle of bonfires

You who are the golden sun and glowing lava, you who are the heat of the desert, and the Sparkle on the shore and in the water, come to me!

I call upon thee to bring into this Beltane your spirit of creativity and passion, Your ability to transmute and rise new from the Ashes.

Spirits of the Flame, Welcome and blessed be!

West: light candle, Raise athame in greetings and say:

Spirits of the West, Spirits of the Water, You who are the Moon Mother, You who are the Undines of the Rivers and the Sirens of the crashing ocean waves, you who are the rains of life, come to me!

I call upon thee to bring to this Beltane your deepest intuition and truest emotions, Teach us to be flexible, to adapt and flow like your waters.

Spirits of the Water, welcome and blessed be!

Light center candle and say:

Great Spirits I invite you to join us for this celebration of Beltane, I ask for you to watch over our coven on this night an let nothing enter that is unwelcome.

Great spirits welcome and blessed be!

 walk the circle with incense, water and salt 

                                       

                                                      

    Call the God and Goddess

Lord of the sun, Lover of the Goddess, Farther of all life I ask for you to be present and bless me during this Beltane.

Lady of the moon, Lover of the God and Womb of his birth, Mother of all life I ask you to be present and bless me during this Beltane.

Cakes and Wine

Bless these cakes in the name of the Great mother who provides sustenance that I use to live. In the name of the Goddess these cakes are blessed.

Bless this wine in the name of the Horned God whose blood is the fruit of the vine. In the name of the god this wine is blessed.

                                                  

     Thanking The Deities

Lord and Lady, I thank you for participating in my rites tonight. As I open the circle and go about my daily live, remain in my heart, watch over me and guide my feet along the path that is best for me. Blessed be!

          Dismissal of Quarters

You dismiss your quarters going counter clockwise.

Blessings upon thee, Spirits of the (North, East,South,West), Spirits of the (Earth,Air,Fire,Water)We humbly thank you for joining in our Beltane celebration this sacred night. 

We bid thee a fond farewell. So mote it be!

        Opening the Circle 

Though we are apart, we are ever together for I am one in the spirit of my Goddess and my God.

 Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again.  

Blessed Be!