
The seasons shift and the Wheel turns bringing us to Beltane, also called Roodmas, Bealtaine in Irish Gaelic, Bealtuinn in Scottish Gaelic meaning Bel-Fire and Walpurgis. It is under this last name of Walpurgis that we see the mirrored image of Samhain that is even now being celebrated in the Southern Hemisphere. These two points on the seasonal wheel and celebrations may seem to be quite different with one taking place in the Light half of the year and the other the Dark, but both have some correlations and shared underlying meaning with Beltane and Samhain tied each in their way to the Spirit world. At Samhain we honor the Mighty Dead and the thinned veil, and at least in the older lore of Walpurgisnacht we see something similar being celebrated, while the more widely held folklore of Beltane sees this time as more a celebration of life and fertility with the spirits of nature being honored as they too are more easily felt on this mirrored thinning of the veil which is only fitting at this time of year as we stand midpoint between Spring and Summer with the tide of life and light rising still.
Beltane is a celebration of life and nature that is rich in history and meaning, many see this as a time of the coming together of the Great Goddess and Horned God symbolizing both fertility and life, this being echoed in some of the older village practices from the United Kingdom where a Queen and King of May were chosen to symbolize and celebrate this sacred time. There was also the of the famous, and infamous at least to the puritans, maypole with it’s dances and customs, traditionally made of oak, fir or similar and cut close to or on the day of celebration. In the present day this is not always possible and in the catta tradition the besom, phallic topped staff , can and has stood in for the Maypole for the celebrations. Whenever possible this Sabbat is best held outdoors to better unite with and honor this special and magical time, space and safety permitting having a bale fire as well that herbs scared to this time can be cast into as a natural incense and offering is always a welcomed addition. There are many different ways to celebrate this special day and however we each of us honor the Green Goddess of Nature and Her Consort hopefully it will be a Blessed and Bright time for all. BB, Aren
