Kate Braun : Beltane Is About Fertility, Life

Beltane Fire Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, 2008. Image from Wikimedia Commons.  2012 spring fertility festival: 
Beltane: Monday, April 30 / Tuesday, May 1

By Kate Braun / The Rag Blog / April 23, 2012

“A health to the mothers of the Merry Begotten/ A health to the maiden with the fiery eyes/ A health to the crone that smiles beside us/ On the other side of the Beltane fire.”

Whether you choose to celebrate Beltane on Monday, April 30 or Tuesday, May 1, the emphasis is on Fertility and Life. The Goddess is Matron, her Lord is the Green Man, this third spring fertility festival celebrates their union with much festivity, music, and fire.

All colors of the rainbow may be used in your decorations, but be sure to incorporate red, white, and dark green. Red represents the active masculine force; white is for the feminine influences; dark green stands for fertility. Use braids, plaits, knot-work such as macrame in your decorating scheme. Braid your hair, using ribbons and/or flowers in the braids. Wear flowers in your hair, especially roses: they represent the flowering of the spiritual dimension of the human soul.

Honor all the local demi-goddesses and gods. Don’t neglect the fairies. Blow horns; raise your voices in song, build a fire, whether in a cauldron, a Weber grill, or a chiminea. Be sure to toss fragrant healing protective herbs such as rosemary on the fire’s embers and use a feather to waft the smoke around you, your guests, and the family pets. Small pets should be carried through the smoke.

Serve your guests a buffet of dairy foods, red fruits, oat or barley cakes, green salads, plenty of breads and cereals, honey, sweets of all kinds. Toast Goddess and God with with sangria. Celebrate outdoors if at all possible. Dance barefoot on the grass under the waxing moon.

The veil between the worlds is very thin on this night. While this celebration is all about the generation of new life and is focused on pleasant thoughts and fun activities, it would not be amiss to also make intentions for protection from possible malevolent spirits.

[Kate Braun's website is www.tarotbykatebraun.com. She can be reached at kate_braun2000@yahoo.com. Read more of Kate Braun's writing on The Rag Blog.]