Chapter 8

may

May is one of my favorite months. Spring has firmly settled in, and we are surrounded by greenery and blooming flowers once again. The days are longer and lighter, and the whole world seems to be coming back to life.

Beltane (also spelled Beltaine), or May Day, is also one of my favorite Wiccan holidays. It falls on the first of May, although many Pagans start their celebrations the night before. Based on an ancient Celtic fire festival (the word “Beltane” is derived from the word for “bright fire” in Old Irish), Beltane is the celebration of life and fertility, and marks the beginning of the summer growing season.

Beltane is the time when the goddess and god are at the height of their youth and vigor. The goddess and her consort come together in passion, and renew the earth with their love. Pagans have traditionally celebrated this season with dancing, feasting, and all acts sensual and sexual. It is the perfect time for handfasting (the pagan marriage ritual), for love spells, and for magick dealing with increase of any kind.

Wiccans dance around the Maypole (the pole represents the god, and the colored ribbons represent the goddess winding herself around him in love and union), jump the fire, and celebrate love in all its forms.

Pagan partners, whether long term or temporary, come together in the Great Rite. This magickal sexual ritual uses the participants’ own bodies to symbolically represent the coming together of goddess and god in a powerful form of worship. Or Witches wander through the woods alone, reveling in nature (and picking up trash along the way).

No matter how they celebrate, this is a time for Wiccans to gather with others with like beliefs and renew our commitments to the ancient gods, to the land, and to each other. So light the bonfire, dance around the Maypole, sing, drum, and feast. Rejoice in the company of other Witches, and in the power and glory that it is Wicca.

Beltane ritual

Notes: Unlike many Wiccan rituals, Beltane is usually celebrated during the day (sometimes all day and into the night!) If at all possible, this ritual should take place outside around a bonfire. I would rather celebrate a day early or late if it rains, for instance, if waiting means that we can be outside rather than inside.

Remember to make the bonfire fairly small if you are planning on jumping it—nobody wants to repeat the Burning Times by mistake! Or you can jump over a small fire in a bowl or cauldron, or a candle instead, and save the bonfire for dancing around. It is a good idea to have a bucket of water standing by, just in case.

If you are going to use a Maypole, you can cut down a small tree (this is typically the men’s job, while the women dig the hole for it—no sexual symbolism there, eh?), or simply find a medium-sized pole to stick into the ground. Tie multicolored ribbons around the top, and dance in opposite directions around the pole, weaving the ribbons in and out as you go.

As an alternative, you can use a “May bush” instead. Pick a living bush or tree on the property you will be using for your ritual, and take turns tying a ribbon around a branch while making a wish. This is sometimes easier for small groups to do, when there aren’t enough people to do a real Maypole dance. If you have to be inside, you can even use a tall houseplant!

The Beltane ritual in this chapter has many of these different elements—you can do them all, or leave some out if you choose. For instance, the ritual uses the May bush, but feel free to do the Maypole dance instead, if you have enough room and enough people.

If you want, you can cast the circle as usual. But one of the large Beltane gatherings I’ve been to locally does things somewhat differently for this holiday. Due to the greater number of participants (there are sometimes over one hundred people there) and the wide-ranging activities, some of which require a lot of space, the Beltane ritual is done using what is referred to as an “open circle.” In this instance, the circle is mentally and spiritually expanded to include the entire surroundings, and the whole world. The truly amazing amount of positive energy generated by the ritual itself is enough to create sacred space and keep us safe, even without the formal circle casting.

Supplies:

These will vary depending on which parts of the ritual you decide to do, and how you decide to do them. The supply list covers everything you might need. Just leave out anything you decide not to use.

• Wood for a bonfire (pre-dig the fire pit if you don’t have one, or use a portable fire pit)
• And/or a small cauldron or large dish with coals, and an alcohol fire or candles
• A Maypole (or pick out a bush to use as a May bush)
• Many multicolored ribbons (these should be longer than your pole, as they get shorter as you wind around)
• Copies of The Charge of the Goddess and The Charge of the God (see the last section of this book)
• Mead or juice
• Flowers to decorate the altar

• • •

• Consecrate and cleanse the circle by having a group member walk around the outside with sage or incense. (Rose or mint incenses are good.) Waft with a feather if you like.
• Consecrate and cleanse the circle by having a group member walk around the outside with salt and/or water. (You can do these separately if you want.)
• If doing so, cast the circle by having the HPS or HP walk around the outside of the circle with an athame or sword.
• Call the quarters.

HP invokes the god:

Great Pan, Lord of the Woods and King of the Wild Creatures, come dance with us on this magickal day! We gather here to rejoice in love and light and to celebrate your union. Be with us in this sacred space! Fill our minds and hearts and spirits! Welcome, Green Man, and blessed be!

HPS invokes the goddess:

Great Rhiannon, Lady of the Fertile Fields and Queen of the Fairies, come sing with us on this magickal day! We are here to rejoice in love and laughter and to celebrate your transformation from Maiden to Mother. Be with us in this sacred space! Fill our minds and hearts and spirits! Welcome, Queen of the May, and blessed be!

• HPS reads The Charge of the Goddess.
• HP (or another circle member/guest) reads The Charge of the God.

HPS/HP:

We are gathered here to celebrate Beltane, also known as May Day. Passed down to us from an ancient Celtic fire festival, Beltane is a celebration of life, love, and fertility. The sun has returned, and the land is blossoming. The god and the goddess are at the height of their youth and vigor, and they renew the earth with the consummation of their love.

Today, we come to this circle to rejoice in the light and the warmth, and the potential that this season brings. And we rejoice that we are here together! Let the revels begin!”

• HPS/HP start drumming. All in circle start drumming.

HPS/HP:

We drum the heartbeat of the earth. We drum the pulse of life. We drum the rhythm of love. We drum because we are Witches and all these things are a part of who and what we are.

• Drumming

And as we drum, we touch the gods, and the gods touch us. And in this union, we can feel our own power, and our own potential.

• One at a time, as you are moved to do so, pick a ribbon from the altar, and tie it around the May bush (a bush or pole should be clearly indicated in some way before the ritual starts—a large ribbon or a star will do.) Each ribbon signifies a wish for the year to come—you may speak yours aloud, or say it silently.
• The drumming continues, and participants place ribbons on the bush or pole one by one. It’s fine for people to do so more than once. People can also dance around the circle if they are so moved. When everyone has finished, including the HPS and/or HP, the drumming stops.

HPS/HP:

“From times long passed, people have jumped the Beltane fires to bring good luck and prosperity in the year ahead. Who will be the first to leap the fires today?”

• One by one, participants can jump over either the bonfire—if it is small—or a small fire or candle placed in a cauldron instead. Couples may jump the fire together if they want to. Everyone else should clap and cheer as each person jumps.

HPS/HP: [Holds up chalice]

We celebrate the fertility of the land, and vow to do our part to nurture the earth our Mother. [Pours mead or juice from the chalice onto the ground.] We pour a libation to the god and goddess. [Pour again.] We pour a libation to the fairies that rule unseen. [Pour again.] We pour a libation to love!

• Pass the chalice around the circle for cakes and ale. Each person in the circle says, “May you give and receive love with an open heart.”
• Pass cakes “May your life be sweet.”
• Pass the speaking stick.
• Dismiss the quarters.

HP thanks the god:

Great God, we thank you for your presence in our circle and in our lives. May you shine your bright light on us always. Farewell and blessed be.

HPS thanks the goddess:

Great Goddess, we thank you for your presence in our circle and in our lives. May you share your love with us always. Farewell and blessed be.

• Open the circle by reciting the Wiccan Rede:

Bide the Wiccan Law ye must

In perfect love and perfect trust

Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill

An it harm none, do as ye will

Lest in thy self defense it be

Ever mind the law of three

Follow this with mind and heart

And merrie ye meet and merrie ye part!

The circle is open, but never broken.

• • •

• Feast!

May New Moon

Love charm sachet

The theme for the month of May is love. For the New Moon, we often craft magickal objects or tools to be used in later magickal workings. This month, your group can make a love charm sachet to use during the Full Moon ritual in a couple of weeks—or any time you need it.

Sachets or charms are usually created by taking a bag or piece of cloth and filling it with herbs, gemstones, or other objects that contain magickal potential. The bag is then closed, or tied with ribbon, and consecrated. Sometimes a spell is said over the charm, to give it even more power.

Charm bags may be made out of plain muslin, or you can use silk or cotton cloth (always use a natural material.) If you want, you can use a color that is associated with the type of magick you are doing. For love, it should be white or pink. The one used for prosperity work should be green.

Remember that as you craft your charm or sachet, you should be focusing all your intent on the goal you wish to achieve. It is this that makes the charm work, not just the herbs you put inside.

Supplies:

• A pink, white, or red bag or piece of cloth
• If using cloth, a pink, gold, or white ribbon to tie it with
• The following herbs: rosebuds or petals, lavender, rosemary, carnation, cinnamon, marigold (calendula). You do not have to use all of these, although you can. Try to have at least four of the six listed. The flowers can be fresh or dried, the cinnamon should be in stick form, and not powdered, if possible.

• • •

• Consecrate and cleanse the circle by passing sage or incense (if using incense, try lavender or rose.)
• Consecrate and cleanse the circle by passing salt and water.
• Cast the circle.
• Call the quarters.

HPS invokes the goddess:

Great Goddess, from whom all love flows, help us in our magickal work tonight. Welcome, and blessed be.

• Sit in circle and make yourselves comfortable. (This is a good time to use quiet background music.) Each of you should take a bag or piece of cloth on which to place your herbs. Pass the herbs around the circle (it is nice to use decorative ritual bowls, but not necessary.) As the herbs are passed, the HPS should say out loud why that particular plant is being used:
  • Rosebuds or petals to find or keep love
  • Lavender to attract love
  • Rosemary for love, lust, and memory
  • Carnation to add spice to love
  • Cinnamon for passion
  • Marigold for strength, and to comfort the heart

As each herb is placed in the cloth, concentrate on its gift, and how you wish to use it. When the bags are filled, close them, or tie them with ribbon, and take a moment of silence to focus your will and intent. Then say the spell together, repeating it three times (three is a magickal number, and repeating spells increases their power):

Love as a blessing

Love without harm

Love filled with sweetness

I call with this charm.

If you like, you can even write the spell on a piece of paper and slip it into the bag.

Later, you can hang the charm by your altar, place it under your pillow, or carry it with you as needed.

• Pass cakes and ale.
• Pass the speaking stick.
• Dismiss the quarters.

HPS thanks the goddess:

Great Goddess, help us find the love we seek, and keep the love we have. We thank you for the love in this circle tonight, and for the love you bring us always. Farewell and blessed be.

• Open the circle.

May Full Moon

Opening to love ritual

Love spells are one of the hardest kinds of magick to get right. For every Witch who will tell you that she met her true love after casting a love spell, there are three more with terrible—although often funny— stories about how a love spell brought only disaster. I’ve got a couple of those stories myself, so I know whereof I speak. Oh, fine—go ahead and laugh.

They are also hard to write without breaking any of the rules. Remember that in Wicca you should never do anything that interferes with someone else’s free will. And since a love spell usually involves someone besides yourself (at least in theory), you must take extra care not to write or cast a spell that forces someone to love you. It’s not nice, it’s not fair . . . and it will get your butt kicked by the karma police. Just don’t do it.

Even if you know exactly who you want to have love you, these spells are hard to write. They’re even tougher if you haven’t met the right one yet, and want a spell to call him or her into your life. Even worse is when you are in a relationship that is failing, and you want to cast a spell to make your partner stay. Repeat after me: free will, free will, free will.

Beware of fooling yourself into thinking that you are doing something for someone else’s good. For example, “He’ll be happier if I make him love me,” or “I know the gods intended her to be with me; she just hasn’t figured it out yet.”

I know a Witch who cast a spell to bring back the man she was sure that she wanted. Unfortunately, when she finally realized that they had broken up that first time for a reason, she found out that her spell had bound him to her so strongly that she couldn’t get rid of him. They split up, only to get back together again, and even after the final breakup, he stalked her on and off for years. The lesson here is the oft-repeated saying, Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.

The moral of this story is simple. If you decide to use a love spell, be very, very careful. It is a lot trickier than it seems.

So what’s a lonely Witch to do? Well, you could try doing a spell that doesn’t involve anyone other than yourself.

Sometimes, without being aware of it, we put up barriers to love. Even when we know we’re doing it, this can be a hard thing to fix. People put up walls to keep themselves from being hurt, and then they don’t know how to take them down again. Couples grow apart and can’t seem to find their way back to each other, no matter how hard they try. Or maybe they just stop trying.

The May Full Moon ritual in this chapter contains a possible remedy for all these problems, and can be useful in dealing not just with romantic love, but also the love between family, friends, and more. Rather than being a spell to find love, or keep love, it is simply a spell to be open to love.

When casting this spell, the intention is to remove those barriers that we—purposely or without knowing—put up to keep love out. If we are open to love, in all its forms, then maybe that perfect mate will finally see us, a partner will feel safe to open up to love again, or a family rift will start to mend. As with all magick, there are no guarantees. Much depends on your will and your intent. But unlike most love spells, this one is much less likely to backfire on you.

Yes, it is always a risk to let love in. But Wicca is all about taking those risks, in search of the greater good. It is said in Wicca: love is the law, and love is the bond. At its very core, love is what Wicca is all about, the essence of being a Witch. May you find the love you seek, and may it warm your heart and gladden your spirit. So mote it be.

Supplies:

• The love charm that you made at New Moon (if you didn’t make charms for some reason, and don’t want to make them, you can buy love sachets from catalogs, or buy them online or at a local Wiccan store if you’re lucky enough to have one nearby.)
• Pink candles (one for each of you, and a big one to use as the goddess candle or a group candle if you wish.)
• Anointing oil (rose is traditionally used for love spells, but real rose essential oil can be expensive, so you can also substitute lavender, gardenia, or another flower blossom oil.)
• Optional: a piece of rose quartz (one for each group member is best, but share if you have only one.)
• Optional: rose incense (if no one is allergic. Otherwise, lavender or some other natural scent is fine.)

• • •

• Consecrate and cleanse the circle with rose or lavender incense.
• Consecrate and cleanse the circle with salt and water.
• Cast the circle.
• Call the quarters.

HPS invokes the goddess:

Great Goddess, we gather under the Full Moon to work our Craft in your name, and with your blessing. Help us to find love, and keep love, to give love and accept love, in any way that is positive and beneficial. For you have taught us, and we know that it is true—love is the law and love is the bond. So mote it be. (Light a pink goddess candle if you are using one.)

Sit comfortably and talk for a few minutes about what love means to each of you. Discuss the ways in which love is already in your lives, and the ways in which you feel it is lacking. (Don’t forget that love is not just about romance, but also about family, friendship, pets, and, of course, the love of your group and of the gods.) You may wish to figure out exactly how you want love to manifest—whether you want to, say, get along better with your family or meet the perfect man—and what things you can do to help make that happen.

Hold, or place in your lap, the love charm you made at New Moon, and the piece of rose quartz. (If you have only one, you can leave it on the altar.) Hold your pink candle in your other hand and visualize your heart and spirit opening up. Close your eyes if that makes visualizing easier for you. See yourself welcoming in love in all its positive and beneficial forms, surrounded with a glow of love and of happiness. If you are trying to be open to a particular kind of love, such as romantic love, visualize yourself in the situation that you are hoping to bring about. (If you are having family issues, for instance, you can see everyone sitting around the dinner table laughing and talking.) Pass the oil around the circle, and anoint your candle with it, while focusing on being open to love.

When everyone is ready, say this spell together:

Open to Love Spell

I call upon the goddess wise

To open heart, and mind and eyes

To see potential where it lies

I call upon the goddess wise

I call upon the goddess strong

To send me love for which I long

To help me sing a loving song

I call upon the goddess strong

I call upon the goddess fair

To help me love and help me care

To give me courage, help me dare

I call upon the goddess fair

I call upon the goddess wise

To open heart and mind and eyes

To see her love in every guise

I call upon the goddess wise

In this I swear I’ll do my part

To open up a loving heart

So mote it be

• • •

Have a moment of silence. (Note that you can burn your candle immediately, later that evening, or whenever you feel the need. You can use this spell as often as you feel you need it, replacing the candles as they burn down. Love magick is usually done on Fridays, but this type of spell can be done on any day or every day, as necessary.)

• Take a deep breath and ground, letting go of the intense energy and feelings that may have arisen during the spell casting. (After all, love is emotional and powerful.)
• Pass cakes and ale (this is a good time for chocolate anything!)
• Pass the speaking stick.
• Dismiss the quarters.

HPS thanks the goddess:

Great Goddess, beautiful and wise, we thank you for the love we share with each other and with you. Although the moon may wax and wane, your love is a constant, on which we can depend. For love is the law, and love is the bond. Thank you for your presence in our circle and in our lives. Farewell, and blessed be.

• Open the circle.

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