Happy Beltane - the beginning of Summer!
Happy Beltane Friends,
Today is the sacred celebration of Beltane. This is one of the cross quarter days of the year between the Equinoxes and Solstices that have been celebrated for millennia, by Pagans, Celts, the Norse and Romans. Each marks the beginning of the season and honors the power of the Earth and our connection to its evolving, cyclical nature.
Imbolc, on February 1 between Winter Solstice & Spring Equinox (beginning of Spring).
Beltane, on May 1 between Spring Equinox & Summer Solstice (beginning of Summer).
Lughnasadh, on August 1 between the Summer Solstice & Autumn Equinox (beginning of Autumn).
Samhain, on November 1 between the Autumn Equinox & Winter Solstice (beginning of Winter).
The festivities and rituals associated with each holiday align with the spirit and energy of the season beginning. With Beltane (also known as May Day), we celebrate fertility - the fertility of the Earth and all living beings, but also the metaphorical fertility of growth, creation, expansion and abundance.
Fire is the most prevalent element of all Beltane Rituals. Special bonfires would be lit, whose flames, smoke and ashes were thought to have protective powers. People and their cattle would sometimes walk around or between bonfires, and sometimes leap over the flames or embers. In homes, hearth fires were extinguished and relit with the flames of the Beltane bonfires to encourage prosperity and abundance within the home and in the coming harvest season.
In some traditions, Beltane also focuses on the Sacred union between the God and Goddess and celebrates sexuality, as well as the sacred union of the Divine Masculine and Feminine within us.
What cross-quarter holidays could mean for you
Each of the eight Pagan sabbats of the year including these cross-quarter days, provides me with an opportunity to connect and be intentional. To notice the change in season and notice the change in myself.
Today, as you enter the technical beginning of Summer, consider this time of fertility: what is growing, being created, becoming, coming alive and blooming? Ask for protection and abundance and allow yourself to open up to the possibility of what is wanting to come alive within you and around you.
An Opportunity to Connect
As we are at the beginning of the Summer, it feels right to share that I will be holding the next of my Sacred Transitions gatherings for Summer SOULstice on June 20, 2024 from 7:00-8:30PM at the Portland New Church, and there is also an option to join online if you are not local.
We will celebrate the spirit of Summer Solstice, but these gatherings are more about you connecting with your SOUL. They are a moment in the year to connect, reflect and intentionally step forward on your continued path. So whether you resonate with the Wheel of the Year or not, there is something here for you.
May your summer be bright, your creations be fruitful. May your home and harvest be protected. And may your Soul, Spirit and Life feel abundant.
Rev Dev
The Connected Way™