RITUAL ETIQUETTE
WICCAN REDE
THIRTEEN GOALS OF A WITCH
THE LAW OF POWER
THE WITCHES RUNE
THE WHEEL OF THE YEAR
THE CHARGE OF THE GODDESS
THE CHARGE OF THE GOD
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May 1st
"This is the time when sweet desire weds wild delight. The Maiden of
Spring and the Lord of the Waxing Year meet in the greening fields and
rejoice together under the warm Sun. The shaft of life is twined in the
spiral web and all of nature is renewed. We meet in the time of flowering,
to dance the dance of Life” Starhawk
Beltane (also spelled Beltaine, Bealteinne, Bealtaine and various other ways) is the beginning of the Celtic Summer, the light season of the year. Like Samhain, it is a time when the veil is thin between the worlds, a time to communicate with spirits, particularly at this time nature spirits. In Irish Gaelic, Bealtaine is the name of the month of May.
In Scottish Gaelic Bealtuinn means May Day. The word originally meant "Bel Fire" or "Bale Fire", and Beltane is associated with the Celtic God Bel, also known as Balor or Belenus. Bel is a God of Light and Fire and has been equated with the Greek Apollo, and associated with the Sun. Fires were traditionally built at Beltane, and people would jump over the fire. Young, unmarried people would leap the bonfire and wish for a husband or wife, young women would leap it to ensure their fertility and couples leap it to strengthen a bond. People would also banish things by mentally casting them into the fire.
Cattle were driven between two Beltane fires to ensure a good milk yield. The maypole, still used in Mayday festivities, is representative of both the God and the Goddess, as a phallic symbol entering Mother Earth.
The mating of the Green Man with the Goddess as Queen of May was a magickal act considered necessary for the fertility of the Earth. Beltane is a time of fertility and is also an excellent time for Handfastings. The Hawthorn tree (also called the May tree) blossoms at this time, and we are in the Hawthorn month. The blossoms can be gathered, and a delicious wine made from them, to be drunk the following Beltane. Celebrate Beltane by taking pleasure in life and enjoying the gifts of the Goddess.
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