Beltane, meaning ‘the goodly fire’ or ‘the fire of Bel’, marks a time of revelry in the Celtic spirit. Since antiquity men and women have gathered to celebrate Beltane at dawn during the first few days of the month, or at the nearest full moon to when the hawthorn, the tree most sacred at Beltane, is in blossom. Its importance is such that May Day remains a festival throughout Britain and much of Europe. It is a time when the faery realms interact with us all, granting wishes and playing tricks. It is also the time when the god and the goddess are wed, issuing in a time of increased fertility and the promise of summer ahead.
Key Themes
Cross quarter
virility
sacred union
Celebrating and honouring
fertility
attraction of opposites
beauty
love
sexuality
physicality
sensuality
sovereignty
wildness
In the Celtic Wheel of the Year Beltane is one of the cross-quarter or fire festivals. Associated with the direction of the southeast, the bright morning of the year after the dawn of the equinox, it is a time of burgeoning life, the great wild greening of the earth. During Beltane we can use the fresh energy of the earth’s life force to energize and inspire us, to discover where our passions lie and what makes us feel truly alive at this time.
The god Bel, also known as Belinus, Belli or Bilé is one of the most ancient in the Celtic pantheon. A god of the sun but also, later, one of warfare and death, he is most often understood as partnered with the primal mother goddess, Danu (Don in the Welsh). Like Bilé he is also associated with the World Tree or Tree of Life. In Celtic times the Druids held certain trees as of special significance, and would honour the largest or oldest tree in an area, usually an oak or a yew, as a living World Tree. Later in Celto-Roman times this idea was expressed in the Jupiter columns – carved stone pillars topped by a statue of the god Jupiter and often decorated with oak leaves, which represented the union of heaven and earth.
Belinus was worshipped all across the Continent, particularly in France, Austria and Italy, as well in Ireland and Wales, and some scholars believe he can be traced back to the Phoenician God Baal, which means ‘lord’, while Bel in Gaelic means ‘bright’. However, the goddess Danu is even older, mentioned as already ancient in the Indian Vedas – which are based on an oral tradition that dates back to 10,000 BCE. Danu means both ‘knowledge’ and ‘river’, and is sometimes interpreted as meaning moist or fertile earth, the place where the water meets the land. Known as a goddess of the primal birth waters, and of the attaining of wisdom through knowledge and skill, she is the Mother of the Irish Gods, the Tuatha dé Danann. They are traditionally said to have arrived in Ireland on 1 May, and honoured their father Bel by lighting the first Beltane fires when they burned their ships at dawn.
Later the Druids would re-enact this story by lighting Beltane fires across the land, over which men and women would jump to ensure their fertility. As at Samhain (see page 224) all fires in the household were extinguished, then relit with flames from the sacred Bel fire, bringing blessings into the home, which benefited from the union of the goddess and god.
In honouring the festival of Beltane, we draw this fresh, virile energy into our lives at a time when, according to Irish myth, the gods arrived in the mortal world, literally infusing physical matter with divinity. At Beltane we can reinvigorate our lives with this divine current. We can also tune in to this time of duality and sacred union to honour our hearts and the romantic and sexual energies in our lives.
Try calling Bel into your own life to help you live a more vital, virile life in a myriad of ways. To do this, you might like to light a candle or a fire or greet the sun at dawn, and call to him in your own words. What do you want to say to him? How do you think he should be called? Using your initiative will make your invocation more effective, but you may want to try the following words as a starting point:
‘Mighty Lord Bel, radiant one! May you shine your light on my heart and upon my life! I call you to me, and honour you this day! Blessed be!‘
Take some deep breaths, focus your intention and feel the power of the spring, the rising green and the summer to come touch your spirit so that you may align yourself to the power of Beltane and bring new life, in whatever way you chose, into being at this time.
Bel, god of the sun
Beltane, together with the Summer Solstice, is mentioned in many folkloric tales as the time when winter and summer do battle for the hand of the goddess of the land. This motif can be seen in the tales of Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere, and of Robin Hood, Maid Marian and the Sheriff of Nottingham, as well as of Gwyn ap Nudd and Gwythyr ap Greidawl, who do battle each Beltane for the hand of the spring goddess, Creiddylad. These battles are re-enacted in mummers plays and at May Day celebrations across Britain, held like Beltane on 1 May. This popular celebration is a later British and northern European festival and traditionally includes Morris dancing, maypoles and the election of a May queen to oversee the festivities, which commonly now also recognizes workers’ rights. Drawing on the Celtic and Gaelic Beltane celebrations, as well as on the Roman festival of Floralia (the festival of flowers on 27 April), the day has a less overt pagan flavour than in the distant past, though there has been a resurgence of large Beltane events in recent years, such as the yearly Edinburgh Beltane Fire Festival that captures much of the festival’s ancient spirit in its style and atmosphere.
The goddess at Beltane goes by many names. She is the flower maiden Blodeuwedd (see also page 55); she is Creiddylad, Rhiannon, Guinevere, Maid Marian and many others. Often she comes from faery to the mortal world, to be fought over by the Oak King (see page 129) and the Holly King (see page 264), or a pair of young and old suitors, conferring sacred kingship for a time upon the winner of her hand. Often the form of the White Mare represents this goddess of the land, and images of white horses are found carved into the chalk hillsides of much of Britain, most notably the White Horse at Uffington in Oxfordshire. She is also sometimes known as a beautiful cow, especially in Irish legends, where she is associated with Boann and Queen Maeve due to her notable sexual appetites and her connection with cattle – Beltane falling within the astrological sign of Taurus, the bull. At this time she quickens life in all she touches, and births all living things upon her mantle. A goddess of blossom and nectar, she is the primal and sacred source of all fertility. Without her, all becomes barren as she retreats to the underworld in the winter months, but her return at Beltane restores the fecundity of the earth itself. These goddesses are fought over by the dual kings or forces of the land, by winter and summer, life and death, or have interchangeable lovers, but the goddess, the sovereignty and soul of the land herself, remains constant throughout.
Electing a May queen from among the local girls or young women has been a popular part of May Day festivities for hundreds of years. A personification of the flower goddess, the May queen is also, in the Catholic religion, seen as a representation of the Virgin Mary. The May queen leads the May Day procession and initiates the dancing and other festivities, such as dancing around the maypole. A phallic symbol representing the male aspect of fertility as well as an axis mundi, a hub around which the world spins, the maypole harks back to the sacred trees of the pagan days, known in the Irish as bilé trees (see page 87).
At Beltane the goddess can help with all aspects of fertility, love and beauty, as well as with any issues concerning personal sovereignty and power. You may like to call upon her as the May queen, or as a more specific goddess, such as Creiddylad, for whom the gods Gwyn and Gwythr do battle each Beltane, or as any other goddess that appeals to you. Traditionally these goddesses would be invoked at dawn, out in nature, but they can hear you wherever and however you call. Try this invocation to Creiddylad to get you started, but you could call any f lower or fertility goddess you choose in this way, changing the words to suit your needs and hopes.
Go out barefoot into your garden at dawn, and sprinkle a circle of rose petals around you on the grass. Feel the dew on your feet, and look up into the blue sky and around at the flowers and plants springing into life. Take three deep breaths and say:
‘Queen of the May, great lady of the flowers, Creiddylad I call to you. Bring me your blessings and your beauty. Guide my heart to a safe harbour. Bring me love, great goddess, this Beltane. Blessed be!’
Finish by spending some time in meditation on the grass, watching the first minutes of the day unfold, noticing the beauty of the spring all around and allowing a quiet space to feel the goddess’s guidance.
Beltane is the prime time to rediscover your goddess or god within, and reinvigorate the divinity inside you. Woo your inner lover with self-care and nurture, but also discover or encourage your inner hero or your wild side, as well as your innate wisdom. In the Celtic traditions, goddesses associated with Beltane are wild and alluring, huntresses and flower maidens. The wizard Gwydion magically brought Blodeuwedd into incarnation as a bride for his nephew, yet she spurned her husband’s love in favour of her lover Gronw for which she was turned into an owl. This shows the dual nature of the Beltane goddesses – although beautiful, they are also spirits of the wild, of nature untamed. They are the sovereignty of the land herself, over which numerous male gods or protagonists do battle in a ritualized cycle mirroring the seasons themselves.
Gods connected to the traditions of Beltane include the sun god, Bel, as well as wilder figures, such as the Green Man (see page 263) or Jack-in-the-Green, and semi-divine heroes such as Robin Hood. Another male protagonist connected to Beltane is the wild man, sometimes known as the Woodwose – a great, hairy, sometimes antlered giant representing the spirits of nature and wild animals (see page 94).
At Beltane, the sun god, or the god of the green wood, is rising in power, virility and energy and so can you, if you align yourself with this divine aspect within. Remember the importance of deep roots, and of drawing in strength from the earth, as well as of reaching high and absorbing the sun’s light and bright influence. Take the time to ask yourself what makes you feel really alive. What gives you a sense of physical wellbeing and spiritual vitality? What in your life makes you feel proud? What gives you a sense of adventure?
Deep inside you know how and this is the time to enact those ideas. Stand up for yourself and your dreams. Do not allow yourself to be tamed by circumstances, but let your creativity and determination help you find a life that feels authentic and reflects your nature. Seek out ways to become prouder of yourself and, if necessary, adjust your self-image and even your appearance to take your accomplishments and positive attributes into consideration, so that you can act from a position of self worth and confidence.
The Woodwose or Wodwose is a traditional English figure representing the wild man of the forest in a similar way to the Green Man (see page 263). Derived from the Old English wudu (wood/forest) and wasa (being), the Woodwose is featured in the 14th-century tale Gawain and the Green Knight. As part of the May Day celebrations, it is traditional in some areas to make a Woodwose costume out of wickerwork, cloth and green leaves, which can be worn by a man or a sequence of men throughout the festivities, as they run and cavort through the crowds, blessing all who come near, and bringing the spirit of faery and otherworldly wildness into the town.
Beltane is all about getting in touch with the love in your life. This exercise can help you expand and heal your heart, helping you to access a more loving, heart-centred life.
Sitting comfortably with eyes closed, take three deep calming breaths. With each breath feel your tension and attention to the day’s events slip away and gently turn your focus within. Feel the earth beneath you, supportive and nurturing, and the heavens above you, inspiring and expansive.
Now, with another three breaths, feel the energy from the earth filling your body. Place your attention above, and for another three breaths feel the energy from the heavens descend and also fill your body, mingling with the earth at your heart centre. See this as a gently turning sphere of golden light, gently filling your chest, glowing and warm.
Here in this sacred private space, how do you feel? Physically as well as emotionally? What does your heart say to you? Just allow this private heart space to fill your awareness for a while. See in your mind’s eye the glowing sphere shape itself into a beautiful flower, filling you with more love, and more awareness of this love with every gently opening petal. You can change this imagery to green oak leaves if you prefer. Feel into this, sitting with the beauty of your heart for a while, before opening your eyes and gently taking your awareness back to the everyday world.
Beltane was traditionally held at the first full moon after the flowering of the hawthorn (crataegus monogyna), also known as the May tree. The hawthorn is sacred to the goddess as maiden, mother and crone. The blossom is her maiden aspect; the berries, the mother; and she is protected by the thorns of the crone, ensuring only those worthy of her love may enter beneath her sacred boughs to achieve fruitfulness. Hawthorns are faerie trees, and tradition holds that only faerie friends may safely cut its wood, and only ever with permission. Hawthorn is also associated with the heart (it is a useful herbal medicine for heart complaints) and this is a clue to its ancient magic: to befriend the hawthorn you must learn the wisdom of the heart, and thereby attain inner sovereignty. Only a king can wed the queen of the May, by learning this mystery and proving his worth.
In Wales it is traditional to decorate the outside of the house with hawthorn at Beltane to call in the blessings of the season, but hawthorn should never be brought inside. This is bad luck, as the faery revels it encourages may wreak havoc throughout the house and home.
Hawthorns are easily identified due to their craggy bark, small multi-lobed leaves and the pink or white blossoms they bear at this time. Beltane is a good time to visit a hawthorn with an offering of fresh or bottled spring water, or, more traditionally, to make a wish and tie a ribbon or cloth, known as a clootie, to one of its branches. Traditionally, only hawthorns next to holy wells or springs were used in this way, and the cloth was first dipped into the water and then used to soothe a person’s forehead or other body part to cure them of injury, illness, bad luck or distress. The cloth was then hung on the tree to take away the problem in exchange for blessings and protection.
If you choose to tie a clootie onto a hawthorn or other tree, be sure to use biodegradable cloth and, after a month, return and untie it, so that you do no harm. Use your own words for your wish or prayer. This ritual is best practised with trees in your own garden or land, rather than ones in public areas where you may encourage others to follow your example with less responsibility. It is important that we honour and continue our traditions, but in the modern era we also need to take a greater environmental perspective into consideration and allow this to inform our practices where relevant.
This spell will bless and strengthen an existing relationship or draw a new one to you. Take a bowl of fresh or bottled spring water, and a candle coloured green or pink – the colours of Venus, the planet of love. Using a knife, inscribe a heart onto the candle, or the name of your lover. What do you want to bring to you? Focus your intention, asking in your own words that love come your way, or that your existing love be strengthened. Then, when you are ready, light the candle with a fresh match and say:
‘I light this candle that the spirits of Beltane bless me. May I know love. May I be loved. May I be loving in return. May the wisdom of the heart guide me. Great goddess and god, bless the love in my life!’
Let the candle burn down safely. As the candle burns so the magic ripples out across the worlds, to come back to you manifested when its work is done. Blessed be!
Natural springs and holy wells were revered as deeply sacred places in the Celtic tradition, and have been honoured as far back as Neolithic times. These were places belonging to the spirits and most commonly to feminine goddesses, thought of as life giving as well as dangerous and to be feared. Celtic nemetons, or sacred groves, were often sited at wells and springs, and received all manner of offerings, from the heads of heroes and enemies to precious swords and votive statues. In later Celtic traditions, these places received offerings of flowers and coins, becoming the wishing wells we know of today.
The tradition of making offerings of flowers to holy wells has continued through the times of Celtic Christianity, during which the goddesses were usually demoted into saints, right through to the present day. This custom is known as ‘well dressing’ and can be an extravagant affair. In the Peak District villages of Derbyshire, as well as other rural parts of Britain, well dressing involves making a picture of the local goddess, now mostly thought of as Britannia, the over-arching spirit of the land, out of flowers pressed into damp clay to keep them fresh. Symbolic items relating to fertility and goddess lore, such as seashells and pine cones, are also added, as well as prayers or national slogans. These again invoke the goddess of the land, albeit subconsciously for some, though the pagan threads of this practice are becoming more obvious again in our era. The offering is often then paraded through the town and placed with great pageantry by the waters, with many onlookers and May Day pilgrims in attendance.
The ’Obby ’Oss
The ’Obby ’Oss or Hobby Horse is another ancient figure associated with Beltane. He takes part in May Day festivals across the southwest UK, most famously at Padstow in Cornwall, where a special song rings out across the town as he dances through the streets to the pounding rhythm of the drums. ’Obby ’Osses can also be seen at Barnstaple and Combe Martin in Devon and Minehead in Somerset, and are now being reawakened in other parts of the country.
A strange figure, the ’Obby ’Oss doesn’t look like a horse, but instead has the appearance of a large black witch’s hat, skirted with black cloth, with a stylized horse face attached. The men of the town take turns carrying this wicker form, embodying the ’Oss, the spirit of wild fertility, which bucks and spins around the town, sometimes chasing the women and teenage girls. Once the ’Obby ’Oss used to mark all he touched with a thin layer of soot for the day, and it was said that this conferred fertility and would ensure any women so distinguished would become pregnant. The costume’s strange shape is intended to be a disguise – the pointed head perhaps hiding the horn of a unicorn’, an ancient magical creature of sexual potency and the friend of all maidens. You might like to try a Beltane pilgrimage to one of the villages where he is still honoured to catch a glimpse for yourself, and partake of his wild revelry, or make one to use yourself and revive his magic in your own home town.
The ’Obby ’Oss
This Beltane, try seeking out a well, spring or river near you, and see if you can learn some of its history, its old names and traditions. The local library can help with this. Prepare a gift of flowers for the ancient spirit of this body of water, so important to those who lived on the land before us. Also, consider the uses and essential nature of water, precious for all yet scarce for so many on earth: in what ways can you honour it? You might, for example, want to make a commitment to use eco-friendly cleaning products or give a gift to a water charity. In this way we can use Beltane as a way of expanding our hearts to become more environmentally aware, as well as honouring water as the element most associated with our emotions and deepest feelings.
When you visit your local well, spring or river, take some time to just sit by it and feel the atmosphere of the place, as well as allowing some space for your own feelings and the promptings of your heart to surface. By creating an opportunity for some quiet, sacred moments we allow ourselves to get into greater contact with ourselves, as well as reflect in a clearer way upon our relationships – all good activities for a deeper understanding of Beltane and its unique spirit.
The Padstow May Day song is very old and very long, and has two versions, one for the night and one for the day. You can listen to different recordings of the tune online if you visit YouTube, but this abridged version works well as a chant to used as part of your own Beltane celebrations and practice. Try singing it under the full moon or around a Beltane fire to draw in the old magic of the season:
‘Unite, unite, let us all unite
For the summer is a coming today
And wither we are going, we all will unite
In the merry morning of May.’
Beltane sees the change of the seasons become visible in earnest even in the night sky. In the northern hemisphere, as the evenings progress, the very top of Orion the Hunter can still be seen, as can his faithful hound Sirius, in the southwest. To the west of this, above Orion, is the constellation of Cancer, the crab – this grouping of five stars is rather like a downward facing Y and its three ‘legs’ point south, southwest and north.
Low in the southeast horizon during the spring evenings of April and May is the brilliant jewel Spica, its name meaning ‘ear of wheat’. This star is part of the constellation of Virgo, the maiden goddess who comes into greater importance at this time of the year as she is ritually wed to make the world fertile once again. Holding the ear of wheat, she carries the abundance of crops to come, and has the ability to provide for her people, and the seeds of the future. While she provides for all, she is also virgin – inviolate and sovereign in herself. Once the word virgin did not mean without sexual experience, rather an unattached free woman, and here we see Virgo bringing in the greening of the year via her own productive power, the equal of her lover in both power and desire. As such she can be understood in the Celtic tradition as Danu, goddess of fertility and fecundity and the mother of the gods (see page 87).
Another figure in Celtic myth that fulfils this role is Queen Maeve of Ireland. She is associated with great sexual appetite and with cattle, and so also with Beltane, which occurs during the sign of Taurus, the bull (see page 91).
Below Virgo are the smaller constellations of Corvus the Crow and Crater the Cup. The Crow is of great importance in Celtic tradition as a messenger of the gods, and a reminder of fate and sacred lore. The Cup (or cauldron) is a sacred vessel of female power and the regeneration of the soul – the grail of later Arthurian myth.
This meditation explores the constellation Virgo, the maiden goddess, to align with her great fertility and vigour and her lovers, the dark and light parts of the year itself. She holds all the potential for the year ahead in her womb and her passionate sexuality will bring the crops to fruition across the land. As the wheel turns and her lover the lord of summer comes into ascendency, her great kundalini (life force) will bring us renewed energy and enthusiasm as well as increasing our ability to create and bring new life and blessings into our lives.
Sitting comfortably, close your eyes and take three deep breaths. Let your eyes gently relax behind your closed lids, and allow your imagination to sink into the darkness. Let your breathing deepen and slow naturally, then expand your awareness to imagine that you are walking along a path of pale stone, winding around a vast hill. Above the night sky glitters with stars, and your footsteps are soft upon the soil. The air is still.
As you ascend the hill you see that across the land from horizon to horizon a vast network of lakes surrounds you, reflecting the light of the stars in their still waters. You climb steadily, and as you ascend a vast crowd of beings meet you, some of them seem human but others are part animal or part tree. Birds swoop overhead and rabbits and deer sit side by side in the grass, but all are silent.
At the top of the hill an amazing sight greets you: the night sky is so huge that it takes up almost all that you can see, the land below a smooth dark mirror reflecting its light. Above you, enthroned in glittering stars as white as blinding snow, sits a woman. She is impossibly tall, her head crowned with stars that glimmer in her long silver hair. Her gown is made of the deepest blue and black of space, studded with constellations like diamonds. In her hands she holds a sheaf of wheat made of spun golden light, and as you stare up into her face you see her eyes are like vast blue sapphires that remind you of the deepest seas.
At once you are overcome with wonder, and lower your head from her blinding radiance. And then you notice that on either side of her are two figures dressed like ancient warriors, one wears red and gold, and the other black and white. They hold long swords and do battle at her feet in graceful, light-footed movements, in a ritualized dance. You see that these two beings are evenly matched, neither one stronger than the other. They spin and turn and the heavens reel overhead, turning the seasons, until with one great arc of his sword the warrior in red and gold suddenly slays his companion, and a great cheer goes up from all around the hill. The warrior in black and white falls to the ground, but he will rise again when the seasons turn to winter.
In the meantime, the red warrior bows at the lady’s feet, and all the hill is full of cheer and shouting, and the beating of drums and the sound of flutes fill the air. The lady smiles, bowing her head and raising her hand in blessing upon all those called here, at this sacred time. Immediately you feel a wave of energy, of life, rush out across the land, and you tremble in its wake. It feels as if shivering fire is running up your spine, and you feel a sudden lightness and excitement tingle in your skin, in your very bones. The red warrior now wears a golden crown, and the air grows warm and shimmers with heat all around him, and all those gathered here hail him as the king of summer.
Take a while to breathe in the scene, and muse upon what you have seen and felt. The ancient symbolism of this sacred drama speaks not to the mind but to the spirit, aligning your soul’s journey with the rhythm of the land and the ancestors.
After a while you sense that it is time to return to the everyday world. Give thanks in your heart for what you have experienced, and return the way you came, down the hill. With every footstep upon the path you descend to the everyday world once more, until your footsteps shift from the soil and earth to stillness, and your breath settles in your chest where you sit. Feel yourself back in your body, easily and gently.
Hold for a moment the memory of what you have seen and felt, and know it is yours, always, before wriggling your fingers and toes, and opening your eyes as you return to the everyday world. You may need to ground yourself carefully after this exercise by eating and drinking and taking your time to feel yourself back in your body.
April and May are busy months in the garden. Now is the time to sow herb seeds, such as dill, coriander (cilantro), chives, mustard, parsley and borage. Borage (borago officianalis) is a wonderful garden plant with beautiful deep blue, star-shaped flowers that are great in salads and make a good herbal tea for nerves and anxiety or for combating adrenal fatigue. It can also be taken as starflower oil capsules, as borage is very high in gamma linolenic acid, and can be used to ease arthritis.
Comfrey (symphytum officianale), another important wisewoman plant, will be putting on new growth now. The leaves can be steeped and infused in oil to make an excellent remedy for bruises, sprains and even aid healing of broken bones (its folk name is ‘knitbone’).
To make your own comfrey oil just gather and finely chop your comfrey leaves or buy some dried and put them in a sterile clear glass jar. Add enough vegetable or olive oil to cover the leaves and fill to the top so there is no air in the jar when the lid is screwed on and store on a sunny windowsill for about a month. Strained and stored in a dark glass bottle somewhere cool, this should last for a year.
Comfrey can also be used to make an excellent organic mulch or feed for your garden. To make comfrey ‘tea’ plant food, place as many leaves as you can in a bucket and pour in some rain or tap water until the leaves are fully covered. Cover and leave somewhere well away from the house for a month or so (the smell is not pleasant) before adding a cup of the brew to a watering can’s worth or so of water.
May is also an excellent time to sow a wildflower meadow, which no matter how small can help protect endangered species of plants, as well as the animal wildlife that it supports. Meadows prefer nutrient-poor soil, which needs to be thoroughly weeded if you are beginning from scratch with a wildflower seed mix. Alternatively, you can use pots filled with used (not fresh) compost and sprinkle wildflower seed on the surface. Other than a little water, these plants need little or no attention to blossom beautifully in the summer. Try this little chant as you sow or tend to them to help them bloom and to tune in to the spirits of the flowers.
‘Wild spirits, wildflowers, grow and grow, grow and grow.
Bring beauty here, bring life here, grow and grow, grow and grow.’
Beltane is a time of wild, greening energy, alive with nature’s sensual eroticism. Have fun using your creativity to express the beauty of this season, by making flower garlands for your hair or crafting antlers to honour the festival’s fertile faerie magic.
Symbolic of the World Tree and a focal point for the fertile magic of May, a maypole takes some time to prepare. The upright pole is usually constructed from a tree trunk, which needs to be straight, tall enough, (say 5m/16ft), with the branches trimmed away. Next, the pole needs to be ‘planted’ deep enough to be stable, perhaps 2m (6½ft) below the ground. This is a group effort and safety must come first.
You then need an equal number of ribbons, around 1.5 times the height of the pole, in two contrasting colours, usually red and white (a sacred faery combination, signifying the male and female, the red and white dragons and much else – see page 27). These are attached to a wreath at the top of the pole, suspended by two lengths or wire or cord. These ribbons will be held by the dancers who spiral around the maypole, weaving back and forth, mirroring the turn of the seasons and the dance between the goddess and god.
Alternatively, a small maypole for children can be made using a thin plastic or wooden pole, secured in the ground, with an eye bolt or a hook for the ribbons. A table-top version can be made with a stick planted in a pot of soil or stones, decorated with ribbons and flowers.
These look beautiful and evoke the wild magic of the season as well as the king and queen of the May.
You will need
• Long, whippy lengths of ivy
• Leafy, thin branches of oak (or another tree)
• Long-stemmed flowers or climbing flowers (e.g. clematis, roses, honeysuckle)
• Florist’s wire
• Ribbon
• Hair clips
Measure the ivy around your head for a comfortable fit before tying it into a circlet with florist’s wire or ribbon.
Now you have your base, you can start weaving in the flowers around it. Tie each flower firmly to the circlet of ivy with florist’s wire.
Keep weaving in flowers until you achieve the desired effect, then secure on your head using hair clips.
Alternatively, crowns of oak or other leaves can be made using thin branches, again secured with florist’s wire, with more leaves woven in. Use a strong-stemmed plant as your base and the rest is easier than it sounds. You can also weave leaves and/or flowers around a wire base, twisting the wire around the flowers and foliage to hold it all together.
Flower crown
Some people like to wear antlers during their Beltane celebrations, to align with the virile fertility of the stag, sacred to the untamed sexual spirit of this time. This can be done in many ways, including using a whole deer skull or threading the antlers through a safety helmet covered with deerskin to help the wearer support the weight. Red deer antlers are the largest and are very impressive but the smaller antlers of the muntjac or roe deer are often cheaper to acquire, as well as easier to use and wear, and still look lovely.
Alternatively, antlers can be made of suitable branches or sticks. These look great attached to a hat, often inserted through slits in the cloth.
Bring the blessings of spring and early summer into your home by creating a collection of seasonal objects – spring flowers, seashells, crystals and other beautiful natural things, in honour of the goddess of the green world. Suitable colours are green to honour nature and the faeries, or red and white, to represent respectively the feminine and the masculine, the goddess and the god. Two candles of red and white, for example, can be lit in a prominent position to honour the sacred union of the god and goddesses at this time.
Beltane is a perfect time to create sensual fresh feasts and indulge in the delicious tastes of early summer. The land is now lush and green and the earth’s abundance is now really emerging. Revel outside with picnics, garden parties and romantic outdoor suppers, and infuse your cooking with local produce, foraged treats and a little wild magic.
You will need
• 750ml/26fl oz/3 cups red wine
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 50g/1¾oz/¼ cup brown sugar (or to taste)
• A handful of fresh or dried rose petals
Put the red wine, cloves and cinnamon in a large pan on a low heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the brown sugar to the wine and spices in the pan, and stir well until dissolved. Add more sugar if you prefer a sweeter taste and less if you prefer a tarter flavour.
Sprinkle rose petals to bring love to the potion, stirring deiseil (clockwise) with a wand, or a wooden or silver spoon. Ask the goddess to bless the wine with her loving energy. You could call upon any goddess you chose, but perhaps try this to get you started.
‘Creidyladd, queen of the May, bring your blessings here, to you I pray, make this a potion of love and desire, of fertility and hearts afire.’
You might also like to leave a cup of wine on your seasonal altar as a gift to the goddess, perhaps as part of a Beltane feast or during a handfasting (pagan wedding).
Good with ice cream, and poured over fruit salads, this delicious syrup evokes the goddess of the May and is infused with the powerful magic of the rose, attracting love and faerie blessings.
You will need
• 350g/12oz/4 cups fresh rose petals
• 480ml/16fl oz/2 cups water
• 450g/1lb/2¼ cups sugar
• 1 stick cinnamon or star anise (optional)
Place all the ingredients in a large pan on a low heat and bring to a gentle simmer for 60 minutes.
Pass the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve before decanting into sterilized bottles (if you are intending to keep it) or use fresh, stored in the fridge.
The colour of the syrup will vary depending upon the natural variations of the petals, and the quantity will vary depending on how much of the water has evaporated.
Mai bowle is a traditional punch that is popular in German May Day celebrations and uses the wild herb sweet woodruff (galium oderatum), also known as ‘wild baby’s breath’ and ‘master of the woods’. This beautiful herb shouldn’t be taken in larger quantities without the guidance of a qualified herbalist, but is perfectly safe in the amount suggested here.
Traditionally, woodruff was used with other herbs to invoke visions and to arouse men’s desires. It was sacred to the season and used in various forms of Beltane magic, honouring the gods of the forest such as Jack-in-the-Green and Cernunnos (see page 229), as well as the faerie folk.
You will need
• 1 handful woodruff (wild baby’s breath), plus extra to serve
• 240ml/8fl oz/1 cup water
• 960ml/32fl oz/4 cups Champagne or sparkling wine
• 480ml/16fl oz/2 cups white wine
• 200g/7oz/2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped or whole
Place the woodruff in a large bowl, reserving a few sprigs for serving, and pour over the water before leaving to soak for 2 hours.
Strain the water through a fine-mesh sieve, preserving the water and discarding the flowers.
Then, in a large bowl, combine the water, Champagne (or sparkling wine) and the white wine, before adding the strawberries.
Cover and place in the fridge for 1 hour to chill. Sprinkle with a few sprigs of fresh woodruff before serving.
In Wales, Beltane or May Day is called Calan Mai or Calan Haf (‘the calend or first day of May’, ‘the calend of summer’). Traditionally, celebrations began the evening before with a big bonfire. In Wales and elsewhere, these fires were usually lit with great intent and ceremony, using what is sometimes known as ‘wildfire’ or ‘need fire’, made by rubbing wood against wood in order to rid the community and cattle of disease and bad luck. The need fire was so magical that there were many special rules about how it should be made, one common one being that all other fires must be extinguished before it is lit. In Wales, the need fire was sometimes lit using two sticks of oak, but the fire itself was often said to need nine sacred woods, placed crosswise in a circular fire pit. A Scottish account suggests the need fire must be lit by rubbing wood against a turning spindle wheel, while others describe how a vertical pole was placed in the earth and a horizontal pole turned around it to create the flame, this symbolism being reminiscent of the Celtic Jupiter columns (see page 87) and the maypole (see page 106).
Sometimes a sheep or a cow was roasted on the flames of the Beltane fire, again to banish disease from the livestock. In Ireland twin fires were lit and the cattle driven between them for the same reason.
Lighting a Beltane fire can help to clear your energy, as well as draw in the blessings and virility of the season. You might choose to jump the fire (see page 115), which is a potent blessing, or use the fire to burn a list of your sorrows and ‘dis-ease’ or regrets, as well as any wishes to grant you a fresh start, such as prayers for health, a lover or a child, or for anything you wish to grow with love.
Beltane is one of three spirit nights of the year, the others being the Summer Solstice and Samhain, when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. At Beltane, the goddess and the god, sometimes known in folklore as the faery king and queen, are wed, bringing life to the land. Now is the time to look out for faeries and other spirits, who travel this night on the quarterly migrations and to celebrate the greening of nature. Leave a gift of cream on the doorstep for them as an offering as they pass by, to honour their kinship and seek their blessing. Traditionally, at this time you may sleep beneath an elder tree for a vision of the faeries – but beware, you may cross over with them, never to return, unless you carry a piece of iron in your pocket.
In this guided journey you can connect deeper with the mysterious teachings of the season by witnessing the union of the goddess and the Green Man, as the lord of summer bringing fertility to the land.
See before you an oak door. This is the first step of your journey to explore the sacred mystery of Beltane. Take a deep breath, open the door and follow a path through the trees. It is early morning, and a light mist still clings to the tree roots, fading as the warm, bright sun filters through the leaves, dappling the ground before you in green and gold.
You see others are joining you, making their way through the trees and on the path ahead of you and behind you. Some are dressed in fine clothes, long brightly coloured robes, while others wear gowns of green leaves and fur. Antlers, flowers and feathers are entwined in their hair, so they appear as tree people, animal people, strange and wild faery people defying description. Some have flickering lights around their heads, while others are clearly mortal folk, dressed in jeans and leather boots. In the distance you hear the sound of high, shrill pipes playing, and the pounding of drums. You begin to walk to their insistent rhythm, your body leading you forward as if along a thread, your heart beginning also to beat in time to the drums.
Through the trees you see more people, walking the same way as you, and you realize they, too, are following paths. Some are singing as they go, ‘Unite! Unite! Let us all unite! For summer has come today!’ They repeat the words over and over like a mantra, and you find yourself repeating their words under your breath, gradually louder and clearer as you go. Ahead you see a great gathering of people, as well as animals of every kind – stags and deer, bears, wild cats, badgers and foxes, even wolves – all lying around peacefully or weaving through the crowd. Children laugh and run around, some riding the animals fearlessly. There are also owls, ravens, herons, hawks, eagles, as well as the smaller birds, the sparrows, the wrens – the trees are crowded with every type of bird, sitting among ribbons and bells tied to the branches. The air is full of celebration, laughter, delight and, through it all, the chanting, ‘Unite! Unite! Let us all unite! For summer has come today!‘
You make your way through the crowd, and as it parts to your right and left, a great hush descends upon the forest. To your right walks a man, tall and broad, in a green cloak with serpents twined around his bare arms. He wears a crown of oak leaves and is surrounded by an entourage of warriors clad in leather and cloth dyed blue with woad. With them come stags and hunting dogs, creatures and men of the forest and mysterious, cloaked wisemen.
To your left, surrounded by a great company of spirits, faeries and f lower folk scattering petals in her wake, walks a tall woman, beautiful beyond imagining, her features shifting and settling in gentle waves like a soft breeze across a meadow. She wears a green gown and there are stars in her hair, and f lowers spring from her footsteps. As these two deities draw closer, approaching one another from east and west, the air tingles with their power and sanctity.
Here in this forest glade, you have come to witness the holiest of things, the sacred union that makes the land anew. The goddess and the Green Man reach out to one another as equals, and dragons spiral around their wrists, twisting and merging and bringing them together as one. As these two figures embrace a great roar of rejoicing breaks out across the land:
‘Summer is come! The land is fertile! There shall be new life! Unite! Unite! Let us all unite! For summer has come today!’
The music and the drumming start up again and the crowd surges around in a dance that picks you up and takes you with it, away from the goddess and the Green Man, through the trees. All around the morning is bright and blossoms burst forth on every bough so all the forest is covered with flowers and rings with voices, laughter and delight. You feel your spirits lift and tingle with new life, ideas and ways of being. A unity within yourself grows and blossoms, you know and love yourself a little deeper than before. You know and love the world more also … delight fills your heart and spills over, and you find yourself laughing, singing and dancing through the trees with the crowds. Be with this for a while, and let yourself feel your freedom, and your joy, your unity with creation.
In time, you will see the path once more. You know it is time to return home, to your body and the present time. Retrace your steps along the path and back through the oak door. Take your time. Feel yourself back in the here and now, and wiggle your fingers and toes before moving about.
Remember to ground yourself well afterwards by eating and drinking and perhaps recording your experiences in a journal.
Spring is turning to summer, so now is the time to go camping or even sleep under the stars, perhaps lighting a Beltane fire to jump over when the dawn comes.
Celebrating with friends, family and/or the wider community
Head off to the woods for a celebratory family or community picnic. Visit a bluebell wood if you are lucky enough to have one near you; at this time of year it will be a fantastic spectacle, the forest floor carpeted with these beautiful blue flowers, which are sacred to the faeries. Alternatively, the local park can be a great place for a group celebration. Get together with other members of your community and reinitiate May Day celebrations with a May king and queen, traditional dances and perhaps even a maypole (see page 106). You could draw on the practices that once took place in the area where you live, or even on your own ancestral traditions.
Dancing around the maypole
Encourage everyone to wear flowers, and those who can sing or play instruments to join together and make music. Get the children to dress up in their finest clothes and look out for faeries and pixies in the trees. Perhaps the elders will tell tales of when they fell in love or danced all night, and talk about how they have kept their loving relationships strong over time.
Celebrating alone
In the days leading up to Beltane you might wish to try an all-night vigil under an elder tree to catch a glimpse of the faeries and the spirits of the land, or make a pilgrimage somewhere sacred and full of magic, a romantic destination that you have always wanted to visit. Allow yourself time to relate to yourself and your spiritual path, your inner sovereignty and divinity. Treat yourself as special.
You might also like to prepare for your Beltane ceremony by gathering greenery and flowers and decorating your space with flowers, green branches and leaves, as well as candles.
When it is time to begin, create a sacred space by calling in the four directions (see page 14). You may also wish to invoke your ancestors, and the goddess and the Green Man, or Bel and Danu, and ask for their blessings, to bring new life and fertility into your life, on any level, or to improve your image of yourself. Invoke them using your own words, or try these:
‘Lady of the green wood, great goddess, lord of the sun, Jack-in-the-Green, I call to you this Beltane, to ask for your blessings and guidance … bring us love and life! Blessed be!’
After this would be a good point to perform the Beltane stellar meditation (see page 102), as well as any spells or prayers, such as the Beltane love spell (see page 96). You may like to chant the Padstow May Day song (see page 100) and light a Beltane fire (see page 115). Jumping it for blessings and purification can be exciting and great fun, but only do it when the fire is small and low. Safety first!
Whether you are celebrating with friends and family or alone, finally, take a moment to give thanks and gratitude to each direction and element, as well as to any gods or ancestors for their help in your ceremony and their presence in your life. Give thanks for all the blessings of every kind that have come to you over the last year. This makes us conscious of the bond we have with all creation, and the interconnectedness of all things, which helps us grow into greater harmony with life.
The first Beltane celebrations of wild abandon were very different from the sedate May Day fairs of the last few centuries. Now we see a return to a wilder Beltane in many large public celebrations. When we organize Beltane events ourselves, we have a chance to make the festival truly relevant to us, now, and to how we feel. The wheel is ever turning so initiate your own traditions, as well as remembering the old ways. Inside we are always young – love knows no age, no distance, no restrictions and the heart is our wisest teacher.
Blessed be!