The Spiritual Festival of Beltane/May Day

May 01, 2022 1 Comment

Are You Ready For Love, Abundance, Fertility, and Fires? Happy May Day.

Celebrate the halfway point to summer on May 1.

The earth comes alive in abundance in the month of May.  Going back to ancient Roman times the 1^st of May has been celebrated as the return of spring. Romans also claimed May to honor Flora, the goddess of bloom or blossoms. They celebrated “floral games” at the end of April and petitioned Flora’s intercession for all that blooms

It is time to give thanks for the many gifts of nature.  Newborn animals are being birthed.  Flower buds are opening up into their Glory as flowers.

May Day has been also known as Beltane which celebrates the coming together of male and female energy to create new life, the Goddess and the Green Man.

The Virgin Mary is also honored throughout the month of May. A “May Altar” is erected with a statue or picture of Mary, flowers, and perhaps candles. The altar stands from May 1 to 31 as a reminder of Mary’s importance in our lives.

Symbols we are familiar with might include the Maypole, the May Queen and abundant flower baskets. There’s no doubt about it, it’s a special time of year. Even people whose lives are fairly unconnected to the natural world tend to notice a change in their energy levels and feelings of productivity around this time of year. It’s as if the natural world is urging us to wake up, to enjoy our human bodies – dancing, running, playing, making love – and to harness our wonderful potential to create. Whatever you intend to bring the fertile energy of Beltane to, you’ll find that connecting to nature’s wild and free spirit enhances all your endeavors.

Beltane/May Day is a time when the ‘veils are thin’, so take time to connect spiritually with all that is divine.

The colors to wear for May Day.

• Red for Love and Passion.
• White for Peace and Harmony.
• Green for Good Fortune and Wealth.
• Purple for Spiritual growth.
• Yellow for Joy.

Maypole dancing is a tradition on May Day. It is believed to have started in Roman around 2,000 years ago, when soldiers celebrated the arrival of spring by dancing around decorated trees thanking their goddess Flora. These days’ dancers weave ribbons around a pole rather than a tree.

Light a Beltane fire. Traditionally, fires were lit at Beltane. The word itself originates from the Celtic God ‘Bel’, meaning ‘the bright one’, and the Gaelic word ‘teine’, meaning fire. A special fire was lit for Beltane, with all other fires extinguished and then re-lit with the Beltane fire.  In ancient Celtic tradition couples jumped the fire as an act of union, hoping that it would bring the blessings of fertility to their lives together.

You don’t have to jump over a fire to enjoy this special time of year.  You can light a fire outside in a fire pit or barbecue and enjoy the energy as you eat foods that are associated to springtime.  As you gaze at the fire Meditate on what you would like to bring forth this spring.

Leap, dance and go wild! The lambs have got the right idea at this time of year. Look at most animals and they are frisky with the returning warmth and sense of playfulness that spring engenders. Put some music on and dance freely with no inhibitions just like a little lamb.  

Seek out the faeries –. It is a time of magic and wonder, when miraculous things seem to happen. You might like to set off an adventure looking for faeries with your children, seeking out discarded hats (acorn caps) on a riverbank or soft bedding (moss) in the woods. Why not make little fairy houses for these reclusive creatures to live in.  I’m sure they will bless you.

Set the stage for this Beltane by finding out what ignites your Beltane Fires and what the energy of May Day/Beltane is delivering your way through one of my Spiritual Readings.

Springtime blessings,
Cherokee Billie

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