Beltane: Summer Quarter Festival
Pronounced: BEY-al-TIN-ah
Agricultural
Beltane is concerned with the fertility of the soil. It is the time to plow the fields and amend the resting soil to ensure that the potential yield is at its peak level. This metaphor can be taken to extremes, but basically, anything that can represent plows or fertile fields is most welcome at the Beltane festival.
Element
The following are the traditional Beltane woods for the bonfire: oak, ash, rowan, alder, willow, hazel, hawthorn, birch, and holly. Sometimes two fires would be set and walking or dancing between them would bring blessings, cleansing, and protection. The ash from these fires was also considered protective and have the power to increase fertility. In fact, all household fires were extinguished and then the cleaned fireplace would be re-lit from the Beltane fire.
Lord and Lady
Beltane is the time to honor the renewal of the Earth’s fecundity. The union between the Maiden and her young Horned God arrive along with spring fever. It is a time of young love, full of possibility. Sexual allusions abound, and it is an opportunity to see this aspect of our lives with openness and humor and grace.
The Magic of Beltane
Correspondences
Herbs: Lily of the Valley, Almond, Cowslip
Totems: Dove, Swan, Bee
Stones: Moss Agate, Rose Quartz
Colors: Red, White, Green, Yellow
Offerings: Poppy Seed Cake, Honey, Flowers
Spellwork
Love
Romance
Prosper
Fertility
Create
Beltane Oil
3 drops Ylang Ylang Oil
2 drop Jasmine Oil
2 drop Rose Oil
Symbols of Beltane
Maypole
Traditionally men would go into the forest and cut down a Birch tree, trim it down, and carry it into the field. Meanwhile, the women would prepare the hole in which it would be planted. Sexual joking and innuendos inevitably ensued, as the people worked together to erect the Maypole. Ribbon length should be at least one and a half times the length of the pole. Plan for ribbons in multiples of four in order to get the colorful weaving pattern upon the pole. There are many different dances to be done around the pole. Select the one that best fits your group.
Handfasting
As Beltane is the union of the goddess and the horned god, it is common for new couples to be formed. Some of those joinings will agree to stay together for a year and a day. The following Beltane they may choose to stay together as a couple or part as friends. If the relationship is going well and the couple would like to make a more permanent agreement, a handfasting ceremony can be done. In keeping with the themes of this holiday, Beltane is a very popular time for pagan weddings or handfastings.
Maying
To go a-Mayin’ is one of the traditions of May Day. It once began at dawn, when women would go out and gather flowers and the morning dew. They would wash their face with the dew, and adorn their hair with the flowers. In the afternoon, they would take their gentleman out for a picnic. This was an opportunity to go off in privacy to flirt, be romantic, and perhaps have a romp among the wildflowers.
May Baskets
May Day also had the tradition of leaving anonymous paper baskets on the front door filled with flowers and candy for friends and loved ones. Louisa May Alcott describes the tradition of May Baskets in day in her book, Jack and Jill: “Such a twanging of bells and rapping of knockers; such a scampering of feet in the dark; such droll collisions as boys came racing round corners, or girls ran into one another’s arms as they crept up and down steps on the sly; such laughing, whistling, flying about of flowers and friendly feeling—it was almost a pity that May-day did not come oftener.”
Beltane Chant
Friends that in the circle stand,
Heart to heart and hand to hand,
Bringing Beltane to the land,
Let the sleeper awake!
Let the flames of Beltane burn,
May the Old Ones now return,
May we of their magick learn,
Let the sleeper awake!
Let the streams and fields be pure,
Earth and sky be clean once more,
Love and laughter long endure,
Let the sleeper awake!
Forests spreading, peace returning,
Where the Pagan fires are burning,
Now the inner light discerning,
Let the sleeper awake!
May the Lady’s touch again,
Rest upon the barren plain,
With the sunshine and the rain,
Let the sleeper awake!
Beltane magick here we sing,
Chant the rune and dance the ring,
Joy and blessing shall it bring,
Let the sleeper awake!
Poetry of the Flesh
Beltane comes, and I feel a stirring in my body.
Beltane comes, and I feel a fire in my gut.
Beltane comes, and I want to turn up the music,
put on something colorful (or take it all off)
and roll around on a patch of green.
Beltane is, for me, a time to feel the pull of the wild,
the pull of some primordial life-force.
I feel Beltane in my very flesh.
Spring grants us permission to be alive in our flesh.
This permission is no frivolous thing.
We live in a time when many would regulate our flesh,
govern our flesh, make proclamations about which uses
of our flesh are sanctified and which are immoral.
We are told that our flesh would be better
if it were trimmer; more attractive if it were smoother;
more acceptable if it resembled the flesh of others.
We are told that the flesh is weak,
that the flesh should be subdued,
that the god of some other religion
would have us not gratify the flesh.
The flesh is understood to be
the place where evil resides
and from which torment wreaks havoc upon the mind.
The flesh is temporary, so it must be trivial.
The flesh will not remain, so we must not give it credence.
The flesh will pass unto the earth, rot in the ground, turn into dust.
We are told again and again to dismiss the flesh.
But Whitman says, “And your very flesh shall be a great poem.”
Yes.
Among apple blossom and bluebell’s corridor,
We give a nod of respect to the old ways
Hail Beltane, time now to leap the fire,
Jumping flames, time to throw away inhibition
Passion released as we dance round and round,
Feasting on colour, in celebration of all shades of life
Emerging triumphant out of the depths of death and dreaming,
The goddess awakening, abundant, joyful, and benevolent
There is beauty in the world, so much power lies in the land,
Bringing joy to cancel out sorrow, to lift us with change
Sacred elements of air, fire, water, earth, and spirit,
Let Beltane’s warmth in and feel magic unfold
Forget the cares, that worries often bring,
May your songs soar into the night
Your dancing be full of life and strength,
Earth mother opening up to the fertility god
Queen of may and jack o’green laying on the grass,
Sap rising with the embrace of longing
With love in hearts, people bonding,
Petals unfurling releasing the scent of unity
Seeds are sown, rich and poor join in revelry
All night fires will spiral, hilltops glimmer
Far above the stars shine and shimmer,
Towards the brightening horizon of dreams
Let the blessings of the season be to you and yours.
A Beltane Poem, Quite Possibly The Worst One Ever
It’s Beltane.
Knock boots.
Bump uglies.
Enthusiastically say “yes” to having someone else’s bits in your pieces.
Perhaps, just for a change of pace, let someone put their pieces in your bits.
You might entertain aligning bits with bits or pieces with pieces or mixing pieces and pits in glorious, and as of yet, unheard of combinations.
You never know, a dalliance with daring, might change your life.
It’s Beltane
Regard growth
Be becoming
Wholeheartedly give yourself over to the utter deliciousness of it all.
Perchance, start sentences with “perchance” when speaking of bees.
Consider honey and blossoms and bulbs and all manner of verdant things being verdanty just because they can.
You never know, being verdanty like only you can be verdanty, instead of being someone else’s idea of verdanty, might change your life.
Also, make up words that make your mouth smile at itself and add lines to the second verse just to throw things off a bit.
It’s Beltane after all. Go a bit wild.
Wiccan Rede
Nine woods in the Cauldron go,
Burn them fast and burn them slow.
Birch in the fire goes
To represent what the Lady knows.
Oak in the forest towers with might,
In the fire it brings the God’s insight.
Rowan is a tree of power,
Causing life and magic to flower.
Willows at the waterside stand
Ready to help us to the Summerland.
Hawthorn is burned to purify
And to draw faerie to your eye.
Hazel – the tree of wisdom and learning
Adds its strength to the bright fire burning.
White are the flowers of Apple tree
That brings us fruits of fertility.
Grapes grow upon the vine
Giving us both joy and wine.
Fir does mark the evergreen
To represent immortality seen.
Elder is the Lady’s tree
Burn it not or cursed you’ll be.