Beltane

Beltane Ritual , Holidays 2002

This holiday celebrates the ascendancy of the female principle in nature -- The Goddess -- and takes place in the astrological sign of Taurus. It is the Second Planting, a time of sowing and planting seeds and seedlings, as well as a celebration of the flowering of earlier crops. A major fertility holiday, Beltane is considered an excellent time for human conception. In fact, the idea of people conceiving children at the same time that crops are planted is a time-honored connection. Each activity was believed to aid the other, and to be reflected by nature's bounty, healthy livestock and healthy babies.

In pre-Christian Europe, sexual activity was considered sacred, and Beltane was literally a night of love. Women and men met in the dark, and paired off under sacred groves of trees, or lay on newly-sown fields. This was believed to create healthy babies, and simultaneously provide a blessing for the crops. Any child conceived on Beltane Eve was considered a child of The Goddess and The God. All such children were given the last name "Robinson," which means "child of The God," and considered special. The names Robin and Marian were folk names for The God and The Goddess. Many villages chose a King and Queen of May, which were honorary Priest and Priestess positions for the holiday.

Beltane was also celebrated with Maypole dances by day and bonfires by night. The Maypole, a tall pole festooned with long ribbons, is both a phallic fertility symbol and a Springtime representation of the Tree of Life. oatmeal cakes are traditional Beltane food. In Germany, the holiday is called Walpurgis Night, and even in Russia it is still celebrated -- as Mayday.

One ancient Beltane ritual involved "riding" the broom, and leaping over the freshly-sown fields as a fertility blessing. In modern covens, we take turns riding the broom and leaping over a house plant. This is still a blessed time to conceive a child.

Suggested ways to celebrate Beltane today: use the imagery of planting and sowing seeds for your own crops; relationships, projects, work and family. Since this is the Second Planting, you might be able to follow-up with the next phases of projects begun at the Spring Equinox -- but of course, any planting (beginning) is appropriate now. If you have a garden, plant your warm weather crops (hot weather crops must come a few weeks later in the Northern Hemisphere). This is a propitious time to focus on love relationships and children. If you have a Beltane celebration, decorate with seasonal flowers -- and don't forget the oatmeal cookies!

Excerpted from THE ANCIENT/MODERN WITCH by Marion Weinstein