Beltane Blessings

Today is Mayday and also Beltane, one of those midway markers celebrated by our pagan ancestors and also by modern pagans. It marks the halfway point from the spring equinox to the midsummer solstice and is traditionally celebrated with bonfires, revelry and commemoration/ dedication to the growth and reproduction of all species to include our own! It was important to our agrarian ancestors to keep their crops and livestock fertile and increasing. The frolics of the elder times were legion and some still enjoy such today. It is a kind of "what happens on Beltane stays with Beltane" kind of night! As in many cultures, the old Celts marked their days from sundown to sundown so celebrations would begin at dusk on the appointed date and continue to the end of the following day.

Here in the high desert today felt like the first taste of summer. The mercury hit at least 89 and may have touched 90. Considering that Monday was jacket weather and there was snow in the mountains not twenty miles from here although some 4,000 feet higher in elevation, this is quite a change. I, for one, am not unhappy to see it. Although heat can be oppressive, I find it preferable to cold and don't mind shifting to light, cool summer garb for the duration. Almost time to dig out the shorts and sun tops! Hurrah.

Anyway, I wish a joyous Beltane to one and all, however you see fit to mark or celebrate this turning point in the seasons, or even if you simply let it slide by. This holiday along with Candlemas or February 2 is often dedicated to the goddess (or saint if you prefer) Brighid, sometimes called Bride in the old Gaelic tongues. Since she is rather a favorite of mine, I will perhaps light a candle and think a bit upon her this evening as I prepare to settle down for the night. I relate to her as the patron of home and hearth, the forge, and also the creative fire that drives us to make things of beauty or utility, to write, paint, or even sing as a way of expressing our gratitude for the wonders of the world in which we live and the good that is all around us even in the midst of the complex and difficult world we see and deal with every day. Turning briefly to the old ways is not always a bad thing. Brightest blessings to all who read these words!

If you are interested in learning a bit more about the Celtic spiritual paths and related matters here are a couple of links that you may follow for a start. They belong to a lady named Mara Freeman who has done a lot of study and writing on pagan and related matters. Although she sells books and classes some of her newsletters and such are free.                                                                       

www.chalicecentre.net
www.celticspiritjourneys.com
 email: mara@chalicecentre.net