May 1
Beltane is the Celtic fire cross-quarter holiday to initiate the growing season and begin the Celtic light half of the year. We celebrate fertility. This date in the Celtic past signifies the beginning of summer and the time for sowing seeds. The purpose of the ritual was to ensure a healthy crop and a bountiful harvest in the late summer and fall.
Purpose
To celebrate Beltane.
Welcome and Greetings
Welcome to our Beltane ceremony. Introduce yourself and go around the circle having each participant share their name and why they came to the circle. Have them close their eyes and share a moment of silence to prepare for the ceremony.
Call the Directions
Call in the energies of Beltane. We honor fertility and the renewal of life. Call in the fairies and give them gratitude for the help they provide for the growth of the flora upon our earth. Call in the maiden aspect of the Goddess.
Teachings
Today we too are grateful for the return of the sun and the abundance that we are offered.
We honor the fairies and the elfin people and the unseen realm. We give our gratitude to the devas and dryads of each plant and tree species who organize and protect every aspect of the seasonal growth. This is a time for magic and gaiety, frolic and merriment. This is the night that we honor the maiden as well as new growing generations. We honor Gaia, our Mother Earth. We honor sexuality, sensuality, progeny, and the miracle of birth. We celebrate the renewal of her life force. All around us is new growth in the buds and blossoms of springtime.
Beltane marks the change that moves a maiden forward into the fires of her own sexuality. Spring flowers are used to commemorate the classical drama of the maiden’s blossom-time and return from the underworld. The names of some of the universal maiden Goddesses of this return are Kore, Flora, Freya (Scandinavian), Blodeuwedd, and Persephone (Greek). Flowers are the symbol of the season as well as symbols for female sexuality.
The Maypole dance is a part of this celebration. The Maypole represents a gigantic phallus planted in Mother Earth to fructify her womb. The ribbons of different colors are used to braid over and under around the pole as participants passing on the inside must duck under the ribbons carried by those who are moving on the outside of the circle, and then shift places as they continue moving in opposite directions around the Maypole. The weaving represents the weft and warp of our lives and loves.
We celebrate the weaving of the universe into existence by Spider Woman (Native American). We honor the blooming and passion of both the coming-of-age goddess and the earth herself. This is also a time for celebrating sisterhood. And we celebrate romantic love and attraction, which ensures sexuality leading to the mystery of fertility and progeny. The custom of making love in the fields on May Eve was done in early times to enhance the fertility of the planted crops. It may also have been a remnant of the days when women menstruated in the fields, for the same reason.
Sing
Choose suggested songs for Beltane in the Appendix A or select songs that have to do with the Goddess, fertility, and celebration.
Chant
What is the teaching of Beltane? Passion is your birthright.
Our joy comes from our sensual sexual natures.
Behold! All acts of pleasure belong to our Goddess.
We are free to enjoy the mystery of her fertility.
We seek pleasure and the expression of our passion.
What is the teaching of Beltane? Be free.
Activity: Weaving with Ribbons of Our Intentions
Have single multicolored ribbons about eight inches long available within a basket on your altar and ask each person to choose a ribbon and think about what it stands for. They can choose words to name their ribbon, such as love, forgiveness, laughter, joy, intelligence, discrimination, growth, etc.
As the leader, you take your ribbon and share its name and then push one end through a small hole or slash that you have made at the center of a large, colorful paper plate. Pull your ribbon through enough so that it is held in place. Say: “My ribbon represents love and I add my ribbon to the community.”
Pass the plate so that each person can push their ribbon through the center of the plate and say: “My ribbon represents _____ and I add my ribbon to the community.”
When all the ribbons are placed through the center of the plate you as the leader can tie them together at the back of the plate. Now you have a bundle of multicolored ribbons streaming from the plate.
Pass the plate around and have each participant weave or braid the ribbons together. Each one can do just a portion of the weaving and then pass it on to the next person. As the plate is passed read the selection below.
Read
We are a circle. We meet at the center. We are many. We are one. We bring our light and our love to share. Our light grows. We are never-ending. When we create together we make beauty and create peace. And so it is. Blessed be!
Chant
We are the weavers of life.
We are the creators within the grand mystery.
We are the warp. We are the weft.
We are the web. We are the thread.
We are the makers of beauty.
With our hands and our souls and our hearts
We weave and braid and sew our visions.
We are the weavers of life.
Read
This is Beltane, the fullness of spring. It’s a time to open and to rise and to grow. May is the time for joy, hope, and promise. We feel excited and the sap of sensuality and sexuality rises in our bodies. The maiden returns from her winter retreat. The young maiden reaches menarche and begins her bleeding. Whether maiden, mother, or crones, all women share this blood mystery with her. And all men, through their association to the women in their lives, are also blessed. We celebrate the blooming of spring and the return of the sun. We plant our food and we plant our dreams and desires. The maiden attracts a lover, the other half of herself, and they learn passions together. All acts of love and pleasure are the rituals of the Goddess. What is it that you wish to attract into your life that is as sweet as honey?
Out of our passions we create. Could this be a baby? Or a project? A piece of art? A poem? Or the trip of a lifetime? What is your joy to celebrate and create today?
Sing
Play music of your choice or sing songs that honor the Goddess.
Guided Meditation
Take your time. Close your eyes and go within. Breathe deeply and slow your breathing down. Let go of the outside world. Drift into peace. Drift into silence. Allow yourself to center at your heart. Focus there and breathe into the silence … (pause)
You find yourself in a beautiful open field surrounded by a grove of Oak trees. It is warm and inviting and everyone has gathered to celebrate Beltane. Notice the air of anticipation and the beauty of all the women dressed in long flowing dresses with crowns of flowers in their hair. The men have on long white shirts full of decorated embroidered color and sashed at the waist with brightly colored ribbons. There is a table laid out with food and drink. It is a time of great merriment and there is much relief that another hard winter has passed. As you look around you might notice that some of your loved ones are not present, and you remember that they have crossed the veil and you send them some love, as they are not so very far away.
Then the group comes together in a circle. Each person shares what they want to attract into their life. It may be a lover, a new home, a business venture, a child, a piece of art … (long pause) When it is your turn, share what you would like to attract.
Notice how your circle totally supports you, witnesses your desire, and finds you totally worthy to receive this honey that you want to attract. Take that in and feel that love and support.
Then your group members each take a ribbon that flows from the tall Maypole at the center of your circle. As you stand in pairs, one of you faces right and the other faces left, and the weaving dance of over and under begins. Simply imagine the happy tune of the drum and the fiddle. You hear music and you begin to dance. Imagine the fun and the joy of being in your body and dancing in celebration. As you pass each partner you look into their smiling face with love.
As the dance comes to an end, the Maypole is now woven and the community is restored. Give gratitude for the celebration and for the circle that joined you here. Take a moment to say your goodbyes. Slowly, come back from the grove to your own circle and to the room you began your journey from.
Sharing
Have your participants take a moment to share their experience within the meditation and what they want to attract into their life.
Activity: Jumping the Candle Flame
Have your participants jump the bonfire if you are outside or jump over the flame of a candle if you are inside. (Be cautious with this. Take off long wraps or tuck up long skirts.) This is done for fertility, health, and good luck for the year.
Say: “Before you jump, focus on your wishes so that they may come true. Make your wish out loud as you step over or jump the fire. Make as many wishes as you desire. The last round over the Bel-fire is for good health and prosperity for the year.”
Endings
Release the directions and give your gratitude to the energies of Bel-tane. Open the circle.