Happy Beltain!
Beltain is the cross-quarter festival of fertility and fire. It celebrates the potency of the earth at this time of year, where nature abounds with life force – she is at her most potent.
This is the time to be in touch with our own potent life force too, and its power on the physical, spiritual and mystical levels – we are as much a part of nature as the trees, flowers and plants and the more we can live harmoniously, the better for this planet.
Beltain represents the peak of the Spring and the beginning of Summer. The Beltain energy is one of reverence for all of life, celebrating and honouring the fertility that grows from the union of opposites. It is about the sacredness and power of love and sexual untion and the deepest of connections of the heart and soul.
I love Beltain. I love the energy. I love the potential. I love the potency. I love the fertility, that there is this energy of creation and here, now, today, we can tap into it with ease, and begin to grow seeds.
I thought I’d try and watch the sunrise, but it was cloudy when I looked out the window, so I went to the Gran’Mère at St Martin’s church, and adorned her garlands of grass and shells, and gave thanks for all she represents, and prayed for assistance in creative endeavours ahead.
As I made my way home, this just a little after 6am, I noticed the sun light beginning to peak above the clouds, so I stopped and watched the sunrise from the lane near our house. There is nothing quite as potent as a sunrise to set you up for the day ahead, and there was definitely a spring in my step returning home.
It was a funny day though, I taught a class which was just what I needed as I was able to enjoy the Goddess energy with a group of lovely ladies (you can access it on the Beinspired YouTube channel). This was followed with a session with my friend Jo de Diepold Braham, to help shift some stagnant energy that has come up with all the hip practice this week
Even though I know, because I practice distance Reiki, that energy can travel regardless of time and space, it still blows my mind that energy sessions can be held remotely. That Jo can literally tap into my energy field from another country, and feel into it, and I can feel her holding the space for it. It proves that there really is more to us than we see.
Then a class I was meant to teach remotely couldn’t be held, because the internet dropped out, quite unexpectedly. I didn’t react, I have come to recognise that for whatever reason, and often I will never know what it is, it’s just not meant to be. If there is one thing we learn from Covid-19 is to become increasingly comfortable with the not-knowing and the acceptance.
Then a funny thing happened. I’ve not been wearing any deodorant or essential oils lately, because I’ve been swimming in the sea most mornings and then haven’t bothered showering until the evening because I haven’t been seeing anyone. However I did shower this morning after sea swimming as I was teaching, and because it was Beltain I thought I’d use deodorant and a goddess oil mix.
Fast forward a few hours and I was out for a short ‘head space’ run and I felt decidedly sick as I smelt the essential oils on my skin. It made me think how sensitive we can become to smell when we live increasingly without. There wasn’t anything wrong with the oils by the way, just they’re no longer resonating with me, goddess, or no goddess!
Traditionally the fire is central to Beltain evening and so we thought we’d celebrate that way too. E and I jumped the fire, which is meant to purify and cleanse (and bring fertility, but we’ll see that more as invoking the creative!) and pledge ourselves to each other! I also used it as an opportunity for more letting go with a burning bowl ceremony of my own.
We visited the water that flows at the lane down the road just as the sun set too – not quite the same as the ancients, who were said to sit all night by sacred wells and healing springs as the water was meant to be most potent at this time. The half-moon shone above us and I don’t know that it was potent, but the experience was calming albeit with the children!
We tied ribbons to the tree in our front garden yesterday. Traditionally ribbons and threads of clothing were tied to hawthorn trees, especially those growing by sacred wells, but this was the best we could do. We cycled down to La Varde dolmen yesterday too, to give thanks to the goddess and fertility energy of this ancient site; it has a special energy.
There were other things we could have done that we haven’t, like walk the labyrinth and dance a maypole, but these were beyond the realm of my efforts today, and anyhow, we need to save something for next year! I’m certainly feeling energised this evening as I write this, happy beltain and love to you all.
