Beltane is a traditional Irish-Celtic holiday that celebrates fertility, growth, and the blossoming of life, celebrated at the midway point of the Spring and Summer equinoxes. Historically, it was observed with bonfires, feasting, dancing around the Maypole, and rituals to ensure fertility for crops, livestock, and people. In modern times, Beltane is often celebrated with a focus on renewal, vitality, and connection to nature and it revolves around joy and games. While I didn’t grow up celebrating this holiday, there are many ways we can celebrate this sabbat that connects with us by looking at the ideas and themes that resonate within us.
What resonates with me, is the focus on celebrating the wheel of the year and this season in time when we can connect with nature and the divine feminine. During Beltane we honor this stage of life, the blossoming of our ideas and self, we honor Mother Nature, and the divine feminine.
To celebrate Beltane, you can go outdoors and connect with nature, try gardening and planting seeds in the soil. Tending to their growth throughout the season. You can also light a bonfire and get together with friends and family while telling stories, playing music, and dancing. You can even build a Maypole and dance around it with ribbons! This might take some extra work, as I don’t think pre-made Maypoles are sold, but that’s part of the fun. Integrating Beltane symbols of fertility, like flowers, greenery, eggs, milk and honey, can also invoke the energy of growth and abundance.
For the creative individuals, Beltane is a wonderful time to harness the energy of renewal and inspiration. What a beautiful time for ideas to blossom. You can take time meditate and visualize your creative goals and imagine them blossoming and coming to fruition in the same way the flowers are blossoming this spring. Express yourself in painting, writing, poetry, or any other way that resonates with you. Create nature-inspired creations by adding flowers and lush green landscapes to your canvas or write an ode to spring. All of this can be done as well in collaboration with others as well, adding to the energy of an inspirational garden.
By tapping into the energy of Beltane you can channel the spirit of renewal. Last night we did just that and it was indeed so magical. I’m so grateful for my magical friends who joined in this Beltane ritual. I adapted the ritual from the Witch’s Wheel of the Year: Rituals for Circles, Solitaries & Covens by Jason Mankey. We danced, jumped over candles, manifested, and returned our high energy back to the earth to heal where it is needed. We also read tarot and the synchronicity just showed how connected we all were.
For this ritual you’ll need:
a candle
incense
offering
tarot
paper and pen
music
The songs I played were:
Consider becoming a paid subscriber to see the video of our Belatane ritual below. But here’s a short clip of what our ritual looked like tonight. It was so much fun! If you’re interested in joining please feel free to reach out!
I hope you have a blessed and joyous Beltane. Go outside and smell the roses, hear the birds chirp in a springtime song, and feel the warmth of the sun on your face. Let the blossoming earth be your inspiration to create.
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