Tag: May Day

Beltane Ritual: The Red Fruit of Joy by Suzanne Ress

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Before the evening of April 30, you’ll need to prepare a few things for this group ritual. You’ll need a Green Man mask – be as creative as you like with it. An easy way to make one is to glue artificial oak leaves all over a simple gree, brown, or gold eye mask. You can do something much more elaborate if you are so inclined, from a whole-face to whole-head-covering mask, purchased or handmade, with real or artificial greenery.

You’ll need a wreath of spring flowers. Ideally, the flowers should be fresh lilacs, lily of the valley, and hawthorn blossoms, but other kinds will do, as will artificial ones. The flower colors should be white, blue, purple, and yellow. they can simply be attached to a wire head-sized circle with pipe cleaners or, as with the mask, feel free to create something much fancier.

The ritual is best done in an open space with, optimally, a large oak tree to oversee. Two bonfires should be made with at least six feet between them. If you are unable to build open bonfires legally and safely, white pillar candles can stand in for them. If you do not have access to an open space with a large oak tree, obtain several acorns, and a wand or stick of oak wood.

You will need a bowl full of red fruit. Strawberries are best but, in case of allery or other reasons making strawberries impossible, you may use cherries, red apples, or red grapes.

You wll need a bottle of red wine or, if preferred, red fruit juice and a beautiful goblet in glass or silver.

Prepare your altar and bonfires, if you will be using them, ahead of time. If you are permitted and desirous of using bonfires, gather up your wood, kindling, and lighters in two safe locations, side-by-side, with at least six feet between them – wide enough a space for people for to move between them safely.

If you are using pillar candles to represent bonfires, make sure you have lanterns or hurricane lamps to contain them in; otherwise, even an imperceptible breeze will blow them out. You can use as few as two of them or as many as you can afford! These can be set on tables or directly on the ground. Make sure there is no dry organic material near them that could accidentally catch fire.

Make an altar facing north, facing an abalanced evenly between the two bonfires, at least six feet away from them. On the altar, place the Green Man mask, the wreath of spring flowers, the bowl of red fruit, the wine or juice, the oak stick or wand and acorns, and any other items, such as ritual jewelry, potion bottles, magic coins, amulets, etc., you wish to consecrate and charge.

The bonfires or candles should be lit at moonrise on April 30. It is important that this ritual is held outdoors, but if it is raining or the weahter is otherwise inclement, the ritual may be held under a portico, a covered deck ,or perhaps inside an open garage (no bonfires, obviously!). At the very least, open up all the windows in your indoor locale so that fresh air may circulate.

When all participants are ready and hte bonfires or candles have been lit the leader shll lift the oak stick or wand in her left hand and create a magical enclosure by leading all participants in walking deosil around and between thebonfires and the altar to form the shape of a three-leaved clover. Particpants may drum, chant, ring bells, shake maracas, or just meditate as they walk the clover many times over and over. This will draw in fairies adn magic and close out any negative forces, as well as raise the group’s collective energy to a crescendo.

After enough time has elapsed, and the group’s energy level is very fine and focused, the noise and movement should be halted by the coven leader by returning to the altar and raising her wand or stick. She will then select two people to represent the Green Man and the Great Mother. These two will come forward and stand before the altar with the bonfires to their backs. The flower wreath will be placed upon the Great Mother’s head, and these words spoken by the coven’s leader:

You stand before us wreathed in flowers, immortal and perfect, the mother of all earth.

The mask shall be put on the Green Man’s face, and the following words uttered:

You stand here covered in green leaves, the spirit of renewal and joy.

Take a few moments to feel the presence of the Great Mother through this respresetative human.

Now the Green Man and the Great Mother turn to each other and take each other’s hands, and the leader says:

Joined together, spirit and body, you will reach ecstatic pleasure, ensuring fertility and new life and spirit for all here present.

Take some moments for the Green Man’s joyous presence to be felt and appreciated.

Now the two shall dance and skip along the clover path previously marked, singing, shouting, laughing, or remaining silent, as they see fit. Others fo the group may drum, play their various instruments, or vocalize, as desired. After a short time, the remainder of the participants will join in the dance, following the two lovers, faster and faster around the three-leaf clover, until everyone has had enough.

Then, still inside the magic dome, the leader shall return to the altar and present thebowl of strawberries to the fairies and other beneficial spirits present, who shall eat some of it first, and only after they have eaten their fill shall the human and god-represntative participants enjoy some for themselves.

The leader will say:

All eat now of the bountiful red fruit. Let the sweet juices of fairy spittle and fertility, and all of earth’s creativity, enter into you.

The red wine shall be poured ito hte goblet. The leader will bless this with her wand and say:

All partake of the red libation, its earthly goodness bringing joy to our spirits.

First the fairies adn then each human person shall drink some of it.

Taking the acorns into her right hand and tapping them with the oak stick or wand, the leader will say:

Overseen by the great oak, king of trees, may all of us here, visible and invisible, take pleasure in the continuing productivity and ever-renewed beauty offered by the Great Mother and celebrate her union with the Green Man. Go forth all, in happiness and in peace.

At this point in the ritual, if there are items to be charged, now is the time.

To reopen the magic ome, the leader will walk the clover widdershins and backwards three times. And now, all may partake of whatever other refreshments there may be, or they may dance, or relax, or lie down upon the earth, or converse with the fairies or with one another, or walk amongst the trees until they are exhausted or until the dawn of May 1, whichever comes sooner.

Passion Fruit Smoothie

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Passion fruit embodies positive energy. It encourages passions of the flesh and of the spirit. The passion vine enjoys a thriving symbiosis with ants, feeding them nectar in exchange for their protection from pests with herbivores. That makes it a great support for healthy relationships. Its extravagant flowers bloom in shades of purple, pink, and red, making them a dramatic symbol of amorous interest. In addition to the previous associations, passion fruit also relates to friendship, harmony, magic, and sleep. 

Prep time:  10-15 minutes
Servings:  3
  • 1 cup passionfruit juice
  • 1 cup vanilla yogurt
  • 1 passion fruit
  • 1/2 banana
  • 1 mandarin orange
  • 2 Tbsp fresh pineapple or canned crushe pineapple
  • 2 Tbsp fresh or frozen mango chunks
  • 2 Tbsp fresh or frozen papaya chunks
  • 2 Tbsp fresh or frozen strawberries
  • 1 tsp freeze-dried goji berry powder or 1 Tbsp dried goji berries
  • 1 Tbsp hemp seed hearts
  • 1 Tbsp coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup ice
  • (For a dairy-free version, susbstitute nondairy yogurt or plant milk)

Put the liquid ingredients into the blender first: 1 cup passion fruit juice and 1 cup vanilla yogurt.

Rinse and dry the passion fruit. Using a serrated knife to get through the rind, carefully cut it in half. Scoop the juice and seeds out of hte rind into the blender. Don’t scrape hard because the rind is bitter and you don’t want any of it to get into your smoothie.

Peel the banana. Cut it in half. (Save one half for the next recipe.) Cut one half into the chunks and put them in the blender.

Peel the mandarin orange. Pull apart the segments to check for seeds, removing any that you find. Add the segments to the blender.

To clean a pineapple: Twist off the spiky top. Slice off the top and bottom so the fruit stands on end securely. Slice down the sides to remove the outer rind, leaving a cylinder of fruit. Cut the cylinder in half, then in quarters, then in eighths. Lay each eighth on its side and cut away from the pointed edge to remove the tough core. Cut the remaining fruit into bite-sized chunks. If you don’t hae a fresh pineapple, you can use canned crushed pineapple, but include both the fruit pulp and its juice. Add 2 tablespoons pineapple to the blender.

To clean a mango: Slice the plump side “cheeks” away from the big seed. Use a knife to score vertical and horizontal lines through the fruit, forming cubes, without cutting through the peel. Push hte peel so the cubes stick out, then shave the fruit away from the peel with a knife. Alternatively, you can use frozen mango chunks. Add 2 tablspoons mango to the blender.

To clean a papaya: Cut the fruit in half. Scoop out the seeds. Rinse the fruit. Then scoop out the soft pulp with the spoon or melon baller. You could also use frozen papaya chunks. Add 2 tablespoons papaya to the blender.

Fresn strawberries should be rinsed and patted dry. Use a paring knife or strawberry huller to remove the stem and the core around it. Drop the strawberries into the blender whole. You can also use frzone strawberries. Add 2 tablespoons strawberries to the blender.

Add 1 teasponn freeze-dried goji berry powder or 1 tablespoon dried goji berries to the blender. Add 1 tablespoon hemp seed hearts if you want them in. (If you prefer thm as a crunch topping, put 2 teaspoons into the blender now, and reserve 1 teaspoon to put on top of the smoothie when served.) Add 1 tablespoon coconut milk and 1/2 cup ice.

Put the top on the blender and lock it down. If your blender has a “smoothie” setting, use that. Otherwise, blend until smooth.

Flower Salad by Elizabeth Barrette

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Lettuces, herbs, and other greens are among the early harvest of spring. Edible flowers add color and a festive touch. Fresh fruit represents the sweetness of life. 

Prep time:  5-10 minutes
Servings: 4-6
  • 1 package (10 ounces) spring mix salad greens
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup mixed fresh herb leaves
  • 1 cup assorted edible flower petals
  • 1 cucumber, sliced
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1 pint fresh raspberries, rinsed

Into a large salad bowl, put 1 package spring mix salad greens. Over the bowl, use kitchen scissors to snip 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves and 1/2 cup mixed fresh herb leaves. Toss gently.

Add 1 cup assorted edible flower petals. (I start with marigolds because they give many petals per head. Bee balm, apple blossoms, nasturtiums, pinks, roses, and violas all work.) Toss gently.

Add 1 sliced cucumber, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, and 1 pint rinsed fresh raspberries. Toss gently.

Serve with a light vinaigrette, such as hte citrus one described in the Winter Solstice Salad.

Resources

Llewellyn’s 2022 Sabbats Almanac: Samhain 2021 to Mabon 2022

Chia Pudding with Tropical Fruit

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Tropical fruit symbolizes the joy and freedom of the warm season. Chia seeds and plant milks create the rich base to the pudding. The spicy, floral flavor of cardamom evokes a festive mood. 

Prep time:  10 minutes
Cooling time:  refrigerate 4 hours or overnight
Servings: 4 (1 cup) or 8 (1/2 cup)
  • 1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk
  • 4 cups almond milk (18.5 oz)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup sugar (if using unsweetened milks)
  • 1 tsp ground cardamom
  • a pinch of sea salt
  • 1 cup chia seeds
  • 1 cup crushed pineapple
  • 1/4 cup coconut chunks or flakes
  • 1/2 banana

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 can full-fat coconut milk and enough almond milk to make 4 cups. whisk in 1 tsp vanilla extract.

If using unsweetened milks, add 1/4 cup sugar. Whisk in 1 tsp ground cardamom and a pinch of sea salt.

Whisk in 1 cup chia seeds. Wait 1 minute, then whisk again. Wait 2 minutes, then whisk again. Wait 5 minutes, then whisk again. This minimizes the tendency of the chia seeds to float to the top and form a skin.

There are two ways to serve chia pudding: One is to measure individual servings into dessert cups. Another is to put all of it into a large bowl or dessert ring. Transfer the chia pudding into your chosen container(s) and place it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Just beore serving: Distribute 1 cup crushed pineapple evenly over hte surface of the chia pudding. Make small piles using 1/4 cup coconut chunks of flakes. Thinly slice 1/2 banana and make a little fan of banana slices beside hte coconut on each serving of chia pudding.

This recipe makes four 1 cup servings as a light lunch or a eight 1/2 cup servings as a dessert.

Garden Blessing

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The month of May is a wonderful time to perform a garden blessing. You can do it at planting time or just after planting. If it’s still too early in your region for planting, save this spell for later in the season or use it to bless seeds or seedlings before planting them outside. You can also use it for an indoor garden – houseplants need blessing too!

Ideally for this spell you need a tall container or lantern for your candle – you’ll be carrying it around outside and you don’t want it to be blown out during hte spell. But be careful not to burn yourself! The tops of some lanterns can get hot.

Since the spell requires you to allow the candle to burn out, you may wish to use a tea light since they only burn for a few hours. Or, if you prefer to use a larger candle, repeat the spell on successive days or nights, allowing the candle to burn for an hour or two each time until it’s spent. You could begin during the waxing moon and complete the spell on the full moon. Alternately, perform this spell on Beltane.

If you don’t have an outdoor garden, this spell can easily be adapted for any situation. If you have a balcony garden or even just a windowsill you can walk around containers or gesture around them.

If possible, perform this spell during a waxing or full moon phase. Prepare your candle by anointing it as desired, and place it inside the container.

Walk around the garden clockwise three times. The first time, chant these words and keep repeating if you have a large garden space: 

Earth, air, fire, and water nourish, 
help these plants grow strong and flourish.

The second time as you walk, say these words followed by the name of every plant in the garden.

By the power of this flame, I bless you as I call your name: (list the plants).

The third time, chant these words. Again, repeat the chant as many times as necessary: 

Bless this garden safe and sound - 
bless these plants, bless this ground.

After the third walk around the garden is complete place the lantern or candleholder in a safe area either in the garden or near it and allow the candle to burn out. Say these words as you place the candle:

By this candle’s power, bless every leaf and bud and flower.

Don’t eave the candle unattended; be sure to stay nearby so you can keep an eye on it.

Optional: carry a clear quartz crystal point or cluster (or other stone of your choice) with you as you walk, and place it in your garden during your third walk around it.

The Fires of Beltane by Jason Mankey

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The first written reference to Beltane (spelled “Belltaine” in the text) dates from the year 900 CE and comes from the The Sanus Chormaic (also known as Cormac’s Glossary), an Irish glossary attributed to Cormac mac Cuilennain, an Irish King and Christian Bishop. In Cormac’s entry on Betane, he states taht the world Beltane means “lucky fire” and that the holiday was presided over by Druids. He also writes that the purpose of the holiday was to safeguard cattle, and that livestock were run between two fires to protect them from disease (Cormac 1868, 19).

By the year 900 CE, Ireland had been Christianized for several hundred years, so Cormac’s description of Beltane does not come from firsthand information. It’s likely that Druids presided over at least some Beltane celebrations amongst the Irish-Celts, but by the year 900, “Druid” was often used as a general term for a diviner or a user of magick, and because there were far more cattle than Druids during the days of the Irish-Celts, it’s likely that a wide-ranging group of people probably oversaw Beltane activities (Hutton 2009, 38-39). Anyone who was proficient with magick could have led the cattle through the Beltane fires.

Activities similar to the ones described by Cormac (minus the Druids) were a part of Irish celebrations of May Day well into the 19th century. There were slight variations of course, cattle may have been encouraged to jump over a (small) fire instead of running between two of them. But such activities share enough in common so suggest that there was most certainly a common origin point, an anceitn Pagan holiday celebrated near the first of May.

For many modern Witches, Beltane is a purely celebratory sabbat. With winter compeltely over and hte heat of high summer still a few months a way, the start of May is generally a very pleasant time (and it would have been the same in ancient Ireland). However, for epopel who relied on the cattle they raised for sustenance, there were always things to worry about. Disease was a constant thread, but there less mundane concerns as well.

Even today, many people in Ireland and other parts of the world worry about the Fae (faery folk) and the havoc they might unleash on livestock. The Fae were thought to sour the milk of cows who belonged to humans they did not like and were capable of far worse if circumstances warranted it. Fear of the Fae was very real, and hte tricks they played on hymans were taken very seriously.

Farmers in 19th-century Scotalnd were especially scared of Witches rather than fairies! It was believed that on the night of May 2 large bands of Witches roamed across the Scottish countryside casting spells to sour the milk of cows and promote disease and other maladies amongst the livestock. According to folklorist Walter Gregor in his 1881 work Folklore of the North-East of Scotland, farmers kindled large fires on the night of May 2 that they called bone-fires to keep evil Witches away from cattle and corn (Gregor 1881, 167).

Despite the name “bone-fires,” the protective fires generally used substances like hay and straw for kindling. Instead of running their cattle over or between the bone-fires, the evening’s fires were taken out among the livestock and grain crops on poles or pitchforks held high overhead. Those without a pitchfork or pole stayed near hte fire and danced around it shouting: “Fire! blaze and burn the witches; fire! fire! burn the witches” (Hutton 1996, 222). If you have any neighbors today who engage in this activity, it’s probably best if you don’t invite them over for Beltane.

Gregor also writes that in certain areas large cakes of oat or barley were rolled through the ashes. After the cake and everything else in the fire had been burned up, the ashes were taken from the bone-fire and then scattered around the farm for protection. The scattering of the ashes were not done in silence either, Gregor says those doing the scattering did more screaming at the local witches, crying “Fire! burn the witches” (Hutton 1996, 219).

In the Scottish Highlands, farmers petitioned the Beltane fires directly to keep their livestock free from disease malicious magick and certain predatory animals. On the night of May 1, farmers would gather around a large fire and cook a simple meal. Once the meal was finsihed cooking, they would pour some of it onto the ground as a libation. From there, they would each diide up an oatcake into several smaller pieces and petition the fire to spare their cows, sheep, and horses,” or whatever other animals they were worried about (Pennant 1776, 111).

Once petitions had been made to the fire, the farmers would repeat the ceremony, but this time invoking the names of certain predatory creatures to leave their livestock and draft animals alone. Author Thomas Pennant in his A Tour in Scotland 1769 writes that the farmers would say things like “This I give to thee, O Fox! Spare thou my lamb.” He also recounts other animals the farmers were worried about such as crows and eagles. The night ended with celebratory drinking and the meal that had been cooked earlier. The remains of the dinner and the fire were then hidden by two of the rite’s participants (Pennant 1776, 111).

In addition to using fire for protective purposes, there is also some curious lore surrounding home fires near Beltane. It was considered bad luck to let anyone take the fire from one’s heart on the evening of April 30 through May 1. Those that stole fire from their neighbors over that period of time were believed to gain control over those neighbors. Since it was considered bad form to steal fire from someone on Beltane, those that did so were often labaled Witches (Hutton 1996, 220). Of course, we know that Witches have much better things to do on Beltane, whether that’s dancing around a maypole or sprinkling some ashes from a fire around our homes for protection.

References

Cormac. Cormac’s Glossary. Translated by John O’Donovan. Edited by Whitley Stokes. Calcutta: IrishArchaeological and Celtic Society, 1868.

Gregor, Walter. Notes on the Folk-lore of hte North-East of Scotland. London: Elliot Stock, 1881.

Hutton, Ronald. Blood and Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain. New Have, CT: Yale University Press, 2009.

Hutton, Ronald. The Stations of hte Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.

Pennant, Thomas. A Tour in Scotland 1769. 4th ed. London: Benjamin White, Publisher, 1776.

Resources

Llewellyn’s 2022 Sabbats Almanac: Samhain 2021 to Mabon 2022

May Day Astrological Symbols

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Images of the Empress and Mother Earth resonate with Beltane. In the tarot, she is the third card of the major arcana, often pictured in a lush landscape with a baby in her bell and a crown upon her head. The fertility of hte empress signifies gestation of any kind, from childbearing to long-term projects such as writing a book or building a home. At Beltane, the Sun is her mate, contributing to fertilization and progress. Number 19 in the major arcana, the Sun depicts a happy child, suggesting joy and youth. These and cards of the pentacles suita align with Taurus season. Include them in spells or display them as reminders of what you intend to grow. Infuse your intentions with pink and green crystals or candles to align with Taurus energies including formation, fruitfulness, and procreation. Rose quartz opens to love and relationship, while jade offers the nurturing influence valued by this sign. Wear precious green emerald for contentment and bliss. In the garden, invite bees, hummingbirds, and other pollinators by tending to flowering plants. Invoke these creatures in meditations and journeys as they teach the healing powers of flowers and how to draw in the nectar of life.

Rose (Rosa spp.)

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Rebirth, resurrection, funerals, memorials, initiations, luck, love, passion, sexuality, sensuality, seduction, marriage, Great Rite, handfasting, Beltane. The white rose represents purity, perfection, innocence, virginity, and the Maiden Goddess, while the red rose is earthly passion, fertility, and the Mother Goddess. Red roses are ruled by Jupiter, damask roses by the planet Venus, and white roses by the moon. All fall under the element of water. Sacred to Adonis, Aphrodite, Artemis, Aurora, Bacchus, Blodeuwedd, Christ, Cupid, Demeter, Dionysus, Eros, Flora, Freya, Hathor, Horus, Hulda, Hymen, Inanna, Ishtar, Isis, Kubaba, the Mothers, Nike, Ninsianna, Saule, Venus, Virgin Mary, and Vishnu. [1]

When thinking about planting a protective barrier or plants and flowers near your threshold, let’s not forget to mention roses. The flower of peace, love, and friendship, the rose is also highly protective when planted near the entrance of a home. It helps prevent negativity from entering any dwelling. Just scattering a few rose petals near the threshold will ease domestic tensions. This will also neutralize any dark energy left behind by an unpleasant visitor who has just left. Today there are many easy-care roses available, so you needn’t worry about fussing over them with toxic sprays. However, today’s easy-to-grow roses shouldn’t need sraying. Simply plant them and enjoy their protective qualities. [2]

Resources

[1] The Hearth Witch’s Compendium by Anna Franklin

[2] Llewellyn’s 2022 Magical Almanac by Chi Cicero

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

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Sun emblem, energy, vitality, divination, Beltane. Sacred to Brighid, Green George, and Hecate. Ruled by the planet Jupiter, the element of air, and the sign Sagittarius. [1]

Resources

[1] The Hearth Witch’s Compendium by Anna Franklin

Daisy (Bellis perennis)

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Purity, innocence, faithful love, attracting true love, Beltane, Midsummer. Ruled by the planet Venus, the element of water, and the sign of Cancer. Sacred to Alcestis, Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis, Belenos, Belidis, Christ, Dryads, Freya, Saule, sun gods and goddess, Thor, and Venus. [1]

Resources

[1] The Hearth Witch’s Compendium by Anna Franklin