Celebrating Beltane with the Virtue of Honor

In a few days the season of Beltane will be upon us on May 1st. Growing up, I knew this day as May Day, and it was honored in the Catholic Church by crowning a statue of Mother Mary. In pagan practices, there are many ways to celebrate Beltane, which represents the peak of the spring season and the union of the Goddess and God.

This union is traditionally celebrated by dancing around the May Pole or jumping over a Beltane fire. Both rituals, include dancing with others and soaking up the merriment. Often people create and wear flower crowns as well. It is also a popular time for handfasting/marriage rituals.

Beltane is a very sensual season, for it encourages us to to tune into sacred sexuality, fertility in all forms (any type of creation- even regular crafting can be a form of fertility), transformation, and prosperity. I associate the virtue of honor with the season of Beltane because "honor" is found in many of the rituals one can do to celebrate this time.

When we consider sacred sexuality or spiritual union, we can consider it an act of honoring the person we are with through the intimacy, pleasure, care, respect that might be offered. Yet, this experience does not need to be with another person!

I believe we can entice creativity, transformation, abundance, and sensuality by honoring our senses: sight, touch, taste, smell, sound. Take time to honor what you see, touch, taste, smell, and hear. Surround yourself with items that nourish these senses and mindfully experience them. Journal about the experiences you have with each.

For example: Create a charcuterie board of sorts...arranging fresh fruits of various colors, edible flowers, chocolate...put on your favorite music and light incense or candles with your favorite scents. As you eat, notice the various textures, flavors, smells. How does the music make you feel? I am just thinking all of this up right now, and it kind of sounds like taking yourself on a date!

If you want, make it a date with a special person or people. Or you could have a date outside with the Fairies! Around the time of Beltane, the veil between our world and the world of spirit becomes thinner. This is similar to the season of Samhain in the fall when the spirits of our ancestors begin to come in a closer due to the thinning veil at that time. During Beltane, however, it is a great a time to commune with the Fairies! They can be helpful allies when the right respect is given.

Personally, I have always lived the imagery of fairies. I used to have a little notebook and I would draw various little ones and name them. For my spring equinox blog, the main picture features a little fairy garden I created. I recently purchased a fairy door to add to my magical space. When I went to a medium, I was seeing small blue lights in my mind’s eye, and she confirmed it was the fairies who were ready and willing to help me.

This year, I am planning to deepen my connection with the Fairies to honor Beltane. Some other ideas I have include:

• Continuing to add flowers and decorations to my front garden.

• Spreading wildflower seeds with intentions that support my creativity and fertility.

• Creating a fairy door key (more on that to come in a future Sacred Space Series post)

  
  

• Creating a ritual to get to know the fairies that reside in and around my home ( I wrote this list before coming up with the charcuterie board idea, so a ritual could include inviting them to a little picnic outside with all those goodies.)