Beltane: Fire and Fertility!
Beltane blessings to all that follow! And to those that don’t.. maybe you’re wondering what it is all about?
Firstly, it is one of the eight Sabbats celebrated throughout the year by many Pagans marking the halfway point between spring equinox and summer solstice – and finally the beginning of summer! Officially observed on the 1st May (but continuing throughout the month), it is a time when the light is truly overcoming the dark, the sun is coming out and life is abundant everywhere. You can witness all this in the natural world around us – animals are having babies, flowers are in full bloom and (hopefully) the warmer days are now in full swing. And, if you are like me, you will be donning your biggest wide-brim sunhat, slathering yourself with high-factor sun cream, and finding a way to stay cool and look cool in the heat…
Fertility festival
Beltane is a lively and vibrant festival heavily associated with fertility and the celebration of life! This is typically commemorated with energetic folk music and a dance performance around a huge Maypole. Ever seen the film The Wicker Man? This is demonstrated in one of the scenes where the dancers create patterns with ribbons to bind the maypole and thus is a manifestation of fertility. It is even mentioned how the pole itself is actually a phallic symbol!
This is also widely performed even today and is seen as a crucial part of May day celebrations as well as being a ritualistic rite. There is sometimes even dramatic displays where a May Queen and King are crowned on the day and are representative of the god and goddess who will be bringing life into the world.
Please see these outstanding pieces by Alchemy below, Danu and Sin Horned God showcasing the wisdom and serenity of the mother goddess and strength and wildness of the Green god – honour the Queen and King within!
Celebrations and Manifestations
Although symbolic of fertility, Beltane is also a time for love and bringing forth new ideas and ventures. It is the new birth of creativity, and breathing life into our hopes and dreams! You can create your own small spells and rituals using simple methods to manifest what you want to achieve in this season. One way would be to create a spell jar – a very effective and easy way to channel magic into your every day life.
Love spell bottles made by The Self-Care Emporium. Photo by Cat Crawford on Unsplash
Start by gathering ingredients that are associated with Beltane, for example – the colour red, plants such as hawthorn and sweet woodruff, brightly coloured flowers, crystals (Rose Quartz, Carnelian to name a few good ones) and any special trinkets or personal talismans you may own or wish to use. Then find a good jar for to put your items into, clear your mind and focus on your intended purpose – should it be to bring new love into your life, or strengthen a current relationship, or to bring forth joy or intimacy or whatever it is you crave! You may speak words or you may wish to be silent in your spell working, but once this is complete you can seal the jar with candle wax and then burn the candle nearby to activate the magic and blessings. Don’t forget to display your spell jar somewhere it is prominent and visual to remind you of it’s power and energize your intention every time you are near it!
Remember that you can use all these aforementioned items as decorations for your home and altar to honour Beltane – as well as using them to decorate yourself! You can add some sensational key pieces to really make your ritualistic attire stand out:
Bonfires are a real key part of the celebrations at this time of year, the bigger the better. It is an event of jubilation, passion and lots of excitement! Fire is representative of the energy and vigour of this sacred time, and it is used by those who wish to embrace the power from that natural element. Originally, as part of Druid beliefs, it was said that people would lead their cattle between two huge bonfires to ensure they would be rid of disease for that year.
Fire-jumping is also a key tradition of Beltane where participants literally leap over the flames in order to manifest their desires as well as banish the things they no longer wish to hold onto – as well as bringing fertility to young maidens! You can see this (again)! in the film the The Wicker Man where naked women leap over a small fire in which to encourage the blessing of bearing children. And if you are feeling like you want to encompass the spirit of this fiery tradition then look no further than the Pagan totems that Alchemy have to offer – see one of my favourites Corn Witch below:
If you decide to take part in anything with open flames then it is best to partake in an official marshalled event and be fully aware of fire-safety.
Modern festivities
The actual festival of Beltane lands on the official May Day date and this is typically celebrated throughout Britain from organised community events to closed rituals and all in-between – basically it is a time to party! You can expect to see Morris Dancing (one of my personal favourites), archery competitions, folk music and live performances. And of course plentiful food and drink! So fill up your tankard and join us in the merrymaking:
One particular event that took place this year was a May Day commemoration at The Wolseley Centre in Staffordshire – this was complete with dancing, music, a May Pole and a live dramatisation of the fight between winter and summer – the Ice Queen and Green Man battle it out! Do we want bright sunny days and beer garden afternoons? Or ice-bitten fingers and endless bouts of the flu?
This performance was accompanied by drumming and throwing snowballs at the Green Man, much to the amusement of the children in the audience, as the Ice Queen made her vain attempt to remain on her throne – yet she was overthrown! Hopefully that means the rubbish weather has passed for now and we can finally enjoy flowers and fruits from our gardens and relax in the warmth of the summer months.
After the performance, a more solemn and traditional ritual was held as a local Druid group performed an open circle where the Quarters were called and the orchards were blessed. Local families were also encouraged to join in and speak about any hopes or thanks they wished to bring forth. It was a truly magical experience all round that I was lucky to be a part of!
So if you want to wholeheartedly take part in pagan traditions or simply want to enliven your inner witch, then check out what Alchemy has to offer to help you manifest your desires for this season:
– Rose Jekylle 🌹