Temple of the Sacred Spiral

Beltane is held at the halfway point between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice, ie, the beginning of Summer. In the Southern Hemisphere this is November 1st (The eve is October 31st, which is when Beltane rituals are usually held), and in the North, May 1st (hence May Day).

Beltane is considered by most to be one of the two highest holidays of the pre-Christian Celtic calendar (the other being Samhain). The time generally coinciding with the first week of May (in the northern hemisphere, November in Australia) was thought of as the real beginning of the summer season.

The celebration of this Sabbat was always accompanied by great festivity and freewheeling frolic. The fertility of Nature and the lure of romantic attraction was the focus of the observances, and balefires were lit on the hilltops as symbols of the ever strengthening God of Light. It is celebrated as a revelation of the union of Goddess and God as the Grail of Love. It conveys the intensity of desire between the Goddess and the God in their terrestrial manifestations as Maiden and Satyr Lord. It is an unabashed celebration of.the physical, the erotic, and the sensual seductiveness by which life ever regenerates itself. It signifies not only the mating of the Lady and Lord to produce the luscious verdancy of summer, but also Their marriage as well. It is at Beltane that the God in His aspect as Satyr Lord officially becomes the Consort of the Maiden Goddess. Beltane is a Sabbat of earthiness; a reveling in the joys of the physical in both Nature's beauty and the substantive physicality of our own wholistic bodiliness.

Beltane, the anglicized form, corresponds to the modern Irish Gaelic word Bealtaine (pronounced 'byol-tinnuh', approximately rhyming with winner'), the name of the month of May, and to the Scottish Gaelic word bealtuinn (pronounced'byal-ten', with the 'n' like 'n' in 'onion'), meaning May Day.

The original meaning is 'Bel-fire'-the fire of the Celtic or proto-Celtic god variously known as Bet, Beli, Balar, Balor or the latinized Belenus - names traceable back to the Middle Eastern Baal, which simply means 'Lord'. Bel was 'the Bright One', god of light and fire. He had Sun-like qualities (classical writers equated him with Apollo) but he was not, strictly speaking, a Sun-God.

The Bel-fires (now called balefires) were lit on the hilltops to celebrate the return of life and fertility to the world. In the Scottish Highlands as late as the eighteenth century, Robert Graves tells us (The White Goddess, p. 416), fire was kindled by drilling an oak-plank, "but only in the kindling of the Beltane need-fire, to which miraculous virtue was ascribed. . . . It originally culminated in the sacrifice of a man representing the Oak-god." (It is interesting that in Rome the Vestal Virgins, guardians of the sacred fire, used to throw manikins made of rushes into the River Tiber at the May full moon as symbolic human sacrifices.)

In pagan Ireland no one could light a Bealtaine fire until the Ard Ri, the High King, had lit the first one on Tara Hill. In AD 433, St Patrick showed an acute understanding of symbolism when he lit a fire on Slane Hill, ten miles from Tara, before the High King Laoghaire lit his; he could not have made a more dramatic claim to the usurpation of spiritual leadership over the whole island.

In Wales the balefires were kept burning from the first to the third day of May, three being a sacred number to the Celts, and warriors and warrioresses took turns tending the fire throughout the night.

In Scotland, the balefires were required to be lit from another fire known as the tein-eigin, or "need-fire," which had to be created by using the friction of a wheel. This fire was termed a "need" because it was used solely to cook with, and it was the only non-ritual fire permitted to burn on this day. Starting the need-fire from a wheel was symbolic on two levels. First of all, it was the symbolic association with the ever-spinning Wheel of the Year on this first day of the Celtic summer. Secondly, it is traced to a minor god of Celtic Gaul called Taranis, the God of the Wheel, who was also honored in early May.

The Russian tradition requires that everyone wait until moonrise to light balefires rather than lighting them at sundown on April 30. They toss holly sprigs into the fire, perhaps in deference to the soon-to-return Holly King. They also toss aromatic herbs onto the coals to make a ritual incense for the occasion.

An old Swedish custom states that the balefire has to be lit by two people striking two flints together. This is symbolic of the sexual union of the Goddess and God.

In Norway the balefires are called Balder's Fires in honor of their own Sun God. Old brooms were often thrown upon these fires and new ones, made during winter, were brought out and dedicated to their proposed purpose. The Norse believed you had to sleep at home on Beltane Eve and keep a strong hearth fire blazing until dawn. Today's Easter fires are derived from this Norwegian practice.

Germanic and Dianic covens celebrate Beltane as a Night of the Dead, and ancestors are asked to join them at the warmth of the fire in much the same way the Celts do at Samhain.

In Slavic countries, young men travel from house to house just before sundown to collect items to fuel the balefire. In this tradition, Wreaths are tossed into the flames by individuals who wish for healing.

In China a group of men used to wander through the villages reminding people to put out their old fires at the end of April so that all communal fires could be rekindles anew on May 1. Cold food was eaten for a night to ensure that there was no fire in the house.

In many other lands, this Sabbat was not a Sabbat as we know it today, but a day to honor special deities. The best known of these holidays were from ancient Rome: the Floralia to honor Flora, the Goddess of Flowers; and the Bacchanalia, to honor the God of Wine and Frolic. The Romans also honored Lares, a Roman household god whose original Etruscan name means "Lord". The ancient Romans celebrated the Lemuria on May 9, 1 1, and 13; why they split the days this way, no one knows. During these times they honored the wandering ancestral and family spirits. Many modern people still make the trip to the cemetery during the Memorial Day weekend for the purpose of putting flowers on graves, a way of acknowledging and remembering deceased family members.

High in the Tyrolian Alps of Italy, spring comes late, with May marking the first new blooms of the season. There Floralia is celebrated as it has been for thousands of years with community festivals that feature dancing, singing, and the drinking of delicately flavored-but very potent-wines - made from the flowers and plants picked on the first of May the previous year. All the old wine must be consumed before midnight on the first, and new blooms gathered to ferment the next year's batch. Fresh flowers are featured as the primary decorations and they are used to lavishly adorn single young women. Young men who wish to publicly express their intention to court or to become betrothed to any of the women will scale the dangerous alpine slopes and collect the elusive edelweiss, a delicate white perennial herb which grows only in the alps. A man will then return to the festival and present it to the girl of his choice. If she accepts the tiny blooms in front of witnesses, the couple is as good as engaged.

Beltane was called Walpurgisnacht in Germanic lands, and takes its name from a Christianized Teutonic Mother Earth Goddess named Walburga who was thought to marry the God on this night and become impregnated with her son/lover of Yule.

Other festivals that honor deities on or near Beltane are the Festival of Sheila-na-Gig (Ireland), Tithe Day (Germany), and the Festival of Pan (Greece). The Greeks had a special festival for the god Pan during May. Pan was a wild-looking deity, half man, half goat. As a token of his frequent sexual adventures, he was shown with an erect penis. One day Syrinx, the daughter of the river god Ladon, walked along the riverbank near Pan's woodland domain. When Pan spied her, he set out in pursuit, chasing the frightened nymph for some time. At last he was close enough to reach out for her. As Syrinx felt his rough hand and heard his heavy breathing near her ear, she screamed out to her father Ladon to protect her. The river god changed the nymph into a clump of reeds along the bank near the water's edge.

Unwilling to concede defeat, Pan waited for a long time for Syrinx to change back, but she never did. Finally, the woodland god plucked some of the reeds and fastened them together in a horizontal line with stopped ends. When he blew across the open upper end, he found he made beautiful music. Thus the syrinx, or pan-pipes, were invented.

Although Pan came to be portrayed as a lecherous being under patriarchal rule, originally he simply represented the male forces of Nature. He was a son of the Earth, a fertility deity, the Little God. The Christians made him into their main devil.

The Beltane Fire - BALEFIRE

A feature of the Beltane fire festival in many lands is Jumping over the Fire. Young people jumped it to bring themselves husbands or wives; intending travellers to ensure a safe journey; pregnant women to ensure an easy delivery, and so on. The welfare of livestock also figures prominently among the concerns of Beltane. Hunting of summer animals was now permitted, and the hunting of winter game such as the deer was prohibited. Special summer pastures set aside for cattle and sheep were opened for the first time each year only after May 1. Before May Eve the fields were still the province of the phookas, malevolent faeries who claimed them after Samhain. May also marked the beginning of the lambing season, and the condition and color of the first bom lamb to a clan or community was indicative of how the rest of the year would go for them. Driving the animals through or over the balefire as the blaze waned was an old Bealtaine ritual of protection, healing, and purification.

You can ritually purify anything you wish over the Beltane balefire smoke. Pass through ritual tools, cherished possessions, heirloom jewelry, and especially newly-acquired items whose history you do not know. Or pass yourself through the smoke for your own purification prior to your Sabbat rituals.

It is traditional to take home a smoldering piece of the Beltane balefire to bring summer blessings into your home. The first cookfires of the summer season were once lit with part of this fire. But note that the custom asks you to take part of the balefire home, and not ask it as a gift. There was a strong taboo in Ireland and Scotland against giving away any portion of the Beltane fire. It was a basic belief of most Europeans that faeries could not start their own fires, but must obtain them from human sources. The Celts respected faeries, active at this Sabbat, and were sure that these Little People would come to the celebration disguised as humans to ask for a part of the fire which, when freely given, would give the faeries some measure of power over the giver. To use old fire was thought to bring bad luck-perhaps even bringing the winter season back to stay.

The Fertility aspects

The names for the Moon that encompasses Beltane has many fertility associations - Hare Moon, Merry or Dyad Moon, Bright Moon, Flower Moon, Frogs Return Moon, Thrimilch-monath (Thrice-Milk Month), Sproutkale, Winnemanoth (joy Month), Planting Moon, Moon When the Ponies Shed. The hare and Goat in particular were seen as particularly fecund creatures, and sacred to this Feast of erotic love.

Another taboo lifted on May Eve was the early British one on hunting the hare. The hare, as well as being a Moon animal, has a fine reputation for randiness and fecundity - so has the goat, and both figure in the sacrificial aspect of the May Day fertility traditions. The Love Chase is a widespread form of this tradition; it underlies the Lady Godiva legend and that of the Teutonic goddess Eostre or Ostara after whom Easter is named, as well as such folk-festivals as the May Day 'Obby Oss' ceremony in Padstow, Cornwall. (On the alluring and mysterious figure of the love-chase woman "neither clothed nor unclothed, neither on foot nor on horseback, neither on water nor on dry land, neither with nor without a gift", who is easily recognized as the May-Eve aspect of the Love-andDeath goddess," see Graves, The White Goddess, p. 403 onwards.)

But apart from - or rather, in amplification of-the enactment of these Goddess and God-King mysteries, Beltane for ordinary people was a festival of unashamed human sexuality and fertility. Maypole, nuts and 'the gown of green' were frank symbols of penis, testicles and the covering of a woman by a man. Dancing round the maypole, hunting for nuts in the woods, 'greenwood marriages' and staying up all night to watch the May sun rise, were unequivocal activities, which is why the Puritans suppressed them with such pious horror. (Parliament made maypoles illegal in 1644, but they came back with the Restoration; in 1661 a 134-foot maypole was set up in the Strand.)

Robin Hood, Maid Marian and Little John played a big part in May Day folklore; and many people with surnames such as Hodson, Robinson, Jenkinson, Johnson and Godkin owe their ancestry to some distant May Eve in the woods.

Branches and flowers used to be brought back from the woods on May morning to decorate the village's doors and windows, and young people would carry garlands in procession, singing. The garlands were usually of intersecting hoops. Sir J. G. Frazer wrote at the beginning of this century: "It appears that a hoop wreathed with rowan and marsh marigold, and bearing suspended within it two balls, is still carried on May Day by villagers in some parts of Ireland. The balls, which are sometimes covered with gold and silver paper, are said to have originally represented the sun and moon." (The Golden Bough, p. 159.) Maybe-but Frazer, splendid pioneer though he was, often seemed to be (or, in the climate of his time, discreetly pretended to be) blind to sexual symbolism.

The Great Rite, an often misunderstood pagan ritual, is enacted on this Sabbat in nearly every modern pagan circle. The Great Rite symbolizes the sexual union, or sacred marriage, of Goddess and God from whose union comes all creation. The Rite is performed by one male and one female who are representative of the male and female polarities of deity. They unite sexually in a symbolic manner by placing a knife (a phallic symbol) into a chalice (primal female image), though some traditions allow for everyone to leave the circle except the two participants, the only ones to know how the Rite is enacted.

In old Europe, whole communities would celebrate the enactment of the Great Rite and the positive effects such sympathetic magick would surely have on the crops, the animal populations, and the people.

Patriarchal religious teachers have often criticized paganism's use of the Goddess' son as her lover, a man who will again be her son. They use this imagery as "proof" of the "sinfulness and immorality" of pagan religions. Remember that these stories are symbolic, and represent the eternal existence and oneness of the deities rather than concrete familial relationships.

Purification

You may also wish to purify yourself before the start of the Bealtaine festivities by anointing your body with morning dew from a Hawthorn tree. Ritual purification was - and is - an inherent part of pagan practice, but we have two sources of information which strongly suggest that cleansing was even more deeply a part of this Sabbat observance, especially for females. The first of these sources can be found in the Arthurian legends that tell us that Queen Guinevere rode out early on Bealtaine morning with her handmaidens to gather white hawthorn, and the second is a very old English nursery rhyme that states:

THE FAIR MAID WHO ON THE FIRST OF MAY,
GOES TO THE FIELDS AT BREAK OF DAY,
AND BATHES IN DEW FROM THE HAWTHORN TREE
WILL EVER STRONG AND HANDSOME BE.

"One of the most widespread superstitions in England held that washing the face in May morning dew would beautify the skin," the Encyclopaedia Britannica says. "Pepys alludes to the practice in his Diary, and as late as 1791 a London newspaper reported that 'yesterday, being the first of May, a number of persons went into the fields and bathed their faces with the dew on the grass with the idea that it would render them beautiful.' Ireland has the same tradition.

Bells

Bells figure heavily in the Beltane festivities. Most pagan altars sport bells, and bells are often used to ring in the rising May Day sun in the Norse tradition. But the most prominent display of bells is on the heels of Morris Dancers. Morris Dances are old fertility dances traditionally performed around a Maypole. The dances from English and Celtic lands still survive, and on May 1, one need not look long or far to find a group of these dancers with bells tied to their heels.

RIDE A COCKHORSE TO BANBURY CROSS,
TO SEE A FINE LADY UPON A WHITE HORSE,
WITH RINGS ON HER FINGERS AND BELLS ON HER TOES,
SHE SHALL HAVE MUSIC WHEREVER SHE GOES.

The cockhorse is the besom ridden over the fields for fertility, the bells on the toes are the bells of the Morris Dancers, the Lady is the Goddess (in Her form of Lady Godiva), and the music is the praises sung to Her.

The May Pole

Another custom of Beltane which has never died out is that of the May Pole. In many places in Britain, Ireland, and North America, children are still encouraged to grab the white and red ribbons and dance the old Morris Dances.

The May Pole was made from the communal pine tree which had been decorated at Yule, with all but its uppermost branches now removed. The ribbons attached to its top are traditionally white and red, white for the Goddess and red for the God, or white for the Virgin Goddess and red for the Mother. The May Pole is a phallic symbol impregnating the birth canal being woven around it by the dancers. There are two thoughts on the symbology for the white and red streamers. One is that the red stands for the Sun God and the white for the Virgin Goddess, The men, holding the red streamers, and the women the white, weave the birth canal together, representing the union of Goddess and God. The other is that the white, held by the women, stands for the Virgin Goddess, and the red, held by the men, stands for the mother aspect. Together the men help the virgin aspect meld herself into motherhood on the phallic pole.

The dancers then do a Morris Dance, the Anglo name for May Day dances, which are rich with pagan symbolism. There are usually eight dancers-one for each Sabbat of the year-paired into four couples. The dances involve moving in circles and weaving under each other's inter-locked, upheld arms in mock sexual unions.

Ritual

These rites are culled from various sources, mainly Shadwynn's Crafted Cup, Morwyn's Web of Light, and Cunningham's Wicca. They are to be added at the apprpriate place in the generic ritual as seen on this website under Rituals

Opening Exhortation

We gather on this blessed day so that we might celebrate Beltane-the start of the fertile summer season. In this moment between time, we come to praise the bountiful Goddess and her God consort who unite today in sacred marriage.

Blessing

0 Mother Goddess, Queen of the night and of the Earth;
0 Father God, King of the day and of the forests,
We celebrate Your union as nature rejoices
In a riotous blaze of color and life.
Accept our gifts, Mother Goddess and Father God,
In honour of Your union.

From Your mating shall spring forth life anew;
A profusion of living creatures shall cover the lands,
And the winds will blow pure and sweet.
0 Ancient Ones, we celebrate with You!

The Invocation of the Goddess

(After the Invocation of the Elements has been completed, the priestess will stand before the altar facing the east, and lifting up her hands [or sceptre], she will speak the following words of invocation.)

Priestess:
Hallowed Lady of the Hawthorn,
Goddess of the greenwood groves,
we call upon Thee in the season of Thy sensuality,
as Thy blossom opens to the amorous advances
Of our Lord, Thy Lover.

In Thy union
is the fertility of Spring,
and the beckoning whisper of young desire
Touch us with the breath of Thy passion,
that we might seek for the ecstasy of life!

Inflame us with the fever of Thine inmost longings,
that we not be satisfied until our oneness
with the God is consummated!

Capture us with the fragrance of Thine allurement,
that we may be overwhelmed with an obsession for Thy presence!
Bright Maiden of November,
be here among us as we celebrate
the Beltane blessings of Thy bridal-bed!

The Invocation of the Satyr Lord

(After she speaks the invocation of the Goddess, the priestess will then step to the side of the altar to make way for the priest who will then before the altar facing the east, and raising up his hands [or sceptre/staff], he will then speak the following words of invocation.)

Priest:
Horned God of power and play,
we hear the music of Thy melodious pipes
enchanting our ears upon the evening wind!

Beneath the fullness
of the May-night Moon
Thy silhouette plays hide-and-seek
among the shadows of silver-tipped trees,
Thy hooves striking sparks like shooting stars
as they step in spritely patterns
to the rhythm of the Ways of the Wild.

Holy Pan of the shepherds' shrine,
Goat-footed God,
Faunus of the forest glades,
we beseech Thee to be here among us
as we revel in Beltane abandon
beneath the swirling streamers Of Thy pulic staff,
dancing by the light of the balefire's glow!

Sovereign Satyr Lord,
be pleased within this Circle to remain,
as we celebrate Spring and the beginning of Thy reign!
Blessed Be!

The Kindling of the Balefire.

(The priestess and the priest will then go to the kindling prepared for the fire [if the rite is held outdoors; otherwise, a candle within the cauldron is substituted if the rite is indoors or if a fire would pose a hazard in the outdoor location] near the southern quarter of the circle. The priest will then light the balefire as the following incantation is recited by the priestess.)

Priestess:
Strike the fire and let it rise,
Beltane flames 'neath Spring-night skies!
Ancient customs we now renew,
'Tween dusky dark and evening dew!
Fire with warmth of Summer shine,
Invoking Gods from Older Times
For fertile crops with Sun-fed rays,
Gardens of plenty and golden days!

The Love Song of the Maiden

(Now the stage is set for the Love Song of the Maiden; a recited enactment of the passion of Our Lady for the Satyr Lord. Generally speaking, the priestess and priest can take the respective roles of Maiden and Satyr Lord. However, in a larger or more adventuresome grove, two other people [usually a couple] may be asked to play these parts. The Maiden will stand before the altar facing the balefire [or cauldron] in the southern quarter as she recites her lines. The man playing the Satyr Lord may be costumed appropriately with horns and/or goat-footed attire, or else a simple loincloth and a wreathed crown of ivy [although wearing these are purely optional matters up to the discretion of the local grove When it comes time for him to speak, he should be standing on the other side of the balefire [or cauldron], facing the Maiden. Several other women should be chosen to recite in unison the part of the Maids, or the three questions of the Maids can be asked separately, each one by a different Maid, or one Maid can be chosen to ask all three questions.)

The Maids:
Where is She
who is fair as the dawn,
the Maiden missing from Her bedchamber
when we came to rouse her from her dreams?

Where is She
who christens the morning with light,
the Maiden missing from Her emerald throne
in the palace of Spring?

Where is She
who waves Her wondrous, flowered wand,
the Maiden missing from Her gardens
among the orchards of Paradise?

The Maiden: Fear not, young maids,
for your Lady has been called away
by One who would initiate her
into the Rites of the Mystery of Spring.

It is He who comes to Me
in dreams filled with strange desire.
It is He who beckons Me to leave My throne
for a grassy bed of forest green.
It is He who stands naked before Me,
clothed only in the mists of morning.

Wandering along meandering water-tracks of brook and stream,
stepping softly through feathery whisperings of meadowy fields,
searching out the sturdy groves of sacred oak,
I call for Him,
yet He answers not.

But lo!
In fevered vision,
while lost in shadowed woods,
I hear the music of His pipes, haunting Me,
calling to the depths of My untamed stirrings!
Weak unto fainting,
enraptured am I
as before Me He appears!

I am overcome by obsession.
I am driven by yearning in My inmost parts.
I am stung by the impulsive arrows of Eros.

I see the draping curl upon His forehead with sprouted horns
like the two points of the crescent Moon emerging from His tousled locks.
I wonder at His massive chest, a sea of swirling hair,
the tips of His firm-formed nipples adrift upon its waves.

I lust for the embrace of His animal legs, tangled with hair;
muscular, strong; and between them, the gift of the God; ever-resilient,
His hardened horn-of-plenty!

Come, My goat-footed Satyr,
for I have a private chamber
of which My young maids share no knowledge.
Let Me take You there,
for its window is open wide that you may enter in at will.
Pierce Me through with love as I die a little death
in the cradle of Your arms,
carried along upon raging currents of ecstasy!

The Maids: Where is She
who is fair as the dawn,
the Maiden missing from her bedchamber
when we came to rouse Her from Her dreams?

Where is She
who christens the morning with light,
the Maiden missing from Her emerald throne
in the palace of Spring?

Where is She
who waves Her wondrous, flowered wand,
the Maiden missing from Her gardens
among the orchards of Paradise?

The Satyr Lord: Fear not, young maids,
for your Lady has been called away
by the God of wildness,
initiated into uninhibited Mysteries
that are Mine alone.

It is I who came to Her in dreams
filled with strange desire
It is I who beckoned Her to leave a throne
for My grassy bed of green.
It is I who stood naked before Her,
clothed only in the mists of morning.

Beloved Maiden,
I have drawn You into the wilderness,
watching Your wanderings
by rambling waters of forgetfulness,
that You find not Your way again
till our bodies are one
beneath the cream-clad Moon!

But lo!
See, My Lady, standing before You
the firm-framed form of earthy desire,
for Spring's Horned Pan am I,
Living Lord of the Greenwood!

Come close, My Maiden,
and gaze into My crimson face
ablaze with celestial fire,
emblazoned by the very lust of the gods.

Wonder no longer, My love,
at the torso of a god,
but feel the muscled flesh
of Your fevered fantasies!

Explore My mountains and rippled plains
as I search for Your hidden caverns.
Let Your arms entwine Me,
like two vines upon a swaying tree,
for My hardened horn is unbridled as a bolting stallion,
loosing itself from all constraints!

The Maids: Where is She
who is fair as the dawn,
the Maiden missing from Her bedchamber
when we came to rouse Her from Her dreams?

Where is She
who christens the morning with light,
the Maiden missing from Her emerald throne
in the palace of Spring?

Where is She
who waves Her wondrous, flowered wand,
the Maiden missing from Her gardens
among the orchards of Paradise?

The Satyr Lord: Fear not, young maids,
for your Lady has a private chamber
of which you share no knowledge.
There She has taken Me,
through its window, opened wide,
and there have I taken Her
an Initiate of the Mysteries
in the cradle of My arms!

Witches' Rune and Cone of Power

All stand and link hands. Moving clockwise around the Maypole, coveners chant "harahaya " and dance-first slowly, then quicker and quicker. Soon the Priest drops out of the Circle and recites above the voices.

Priest:
As it was in days of old
We dance around the May Day pole
Waking sleepers to the light
Our heart beats skip into the night
Field and forest, stream and tree
May Earth's delights forever be
Impressed upon our hearts and minds
As our souls swirl throughout all time.

The Priest repeats this chant several times. At the proper moment everyone lets go of each other's hands and directs energy toward the Maypole, then all fall to the ground.

Priestess (after a moment):
Gaze upon the Maypole now and see in your mind's eye the gleaming life force reach up through the earth and cascade overhead. Feel it shimmer through us and flow from us into the greenwood. Thus, we are at one with the god -fire.

The Crowning of the Beltane Queen

(At this point, the man playing the part of the Satyr Lord shall go to the altar and take up the garland-crown of flowers. He will then stand facing the woman playing the Maiden, lifting the crown above her head as he speaks the words of her coronation as the Beltane Queen.)

The Satyr Lord:
I give praise to Thee,
vibrant Goddess of youth and sensuality;
Lady of Spring, exuberant Earth Maiden,
dancing in joyous abandon across hillside and field
in vivacious hues of brightness,
exuding the wondrous essence of ululating wildflowers.

Wherefore I offer unto Thee
this floral crown of Thy creation,
laid now upon Thy daughter's head
as the woven splendor of Nature's art;
the many-colored Crown of Beltane,
scented with the mystery and majesty
that is the Maiden!

The Great Rite

The Prefaces

(After the ceremonial theme of the Sabbat has been enacted or ritually performed, everyone will stand around the circle facing the altar in the center. The priestess and the priest will both be standing at the altar itself, facing the other grove members. The priestess, priest, or another appointed reader will then recite the opening preface to the Great Rite which corresponds with the theme of the Sabbat being celebrated.)

Priest:
At this celebration of Beltane,
we rejoice in the twin wonders of love and lust;
those enchanting echoes of eternal intimacy
which insure for the Earth
an abundance of life-giving threads
for the continual re-weaving of Creation's tapestry.

The Readings

These can replace the Great Rite invocation by the Priest in the generic ritual.
(After the seasonal preface has been read, an appointed male member of the grove will then read aloud the following passage.)4

Your sandalled feet are beautiful,
like graceful horses drawing a chariot of gold.
Your thighs are curved exquisitely,
like jewels set perfectly in their settings.
Your vulva is deliciously inviting,
like a rounded goblet of spiced wine.
Your belly moves with the motion
of breeze-blown wheat on a summer's day.
Your breasts are like two clusters of dates,
swaying gently among the fronds of the palm.
My desire speaks deep within me,
Climb up into the palm and grasp its clusters!

The breath of your whispers is scented
with the fragrance of apricots
as I surrender gladly to the taste of your lips,
sweet like the juice of grapes from the vine,
gliding down through lips and teeth.

(Then an appointed female member of the grove will read aloud the next passage.)

Your countenance exudes the freshness of youth, my Beloved.
Your complexion beams the sun-kissed radiance of olive skin,
Your flowing locks are like the fronds of the swaying palm,
black as the raven's sheen.
Your eyes are tender like the dove,
tranquil as a pool of water.
Your beard is a bed of spices to the caress of my cheeks,
scented with fragrant oils.
Your lips are like the crease of the lily,
moist with the dew of morning.
Your hands are hued with the swarthy glow of golden tan.
Your stomach is solid as stone,
lined with muscles of rippled ivory.
Your thighs are alabaster columns
framing the staff of your sensuality.
Your appearance overwhelms my vision and seduces my senses,
handsome like the cedars of Lebanon.
Come, my Beloved,
let us go out into the fields
and spend the night together!
There shall I give you the beauty of my body,
as the mandrakes yield their perfume.
There shall I give you spiced wine to drink
from the juice of my pomegranates.
There shall I give you the gift of my love,
as we lie beneath the arbor in the shadows of the vine.

The Words of Union

(The priestess takes up the Grail Chalice from the altar and holds it forth before the priest. The priest then takes his glaive, lifting it point down above the chalice as the priestess recites the sacred Words of Union.)6

Priestess:
Behold Shakti and Shiva,
El and Asherah,
Solomon and the Shulammite.

Behold in symbol the sacred rite of Aphrodite,
the Threefold Six in manifestation:
Goddess and God,
Yin and Yang
Male and Female.

Behold the creative polarities of the Universe
in the endless union of cosmic ecstasy!

The Words of Consummation

(The priest now lowers the blade of his glaive into the wine of the chalice as he recites the Words of Consummation, which are always unique to the Sabbat being celebrated.)

Priest and Priestess:
Behold the Cup of the Maiden
Who seeks for passionate union
with the hairy, goat-footed God of the Greenwood.

Beneath November darkness,
their love-making a shadowed revelry
reflected in the raging, lusty light of Beltane fire!

The Parting Prayers

(When the priest and priestess sense that the time has come to conclude the ritual celebration, they will then bid all to rise for the Closing Rites. The priestess will then take her place before the altar, facing the eastern quarter, in preparation for the parting prayer to the Lady. She will then raise up her hands [or sceptre] in parting benediction as she says the following words.)

Priestess:
Maiden Lady,
Queen of May,
bestow upon us in overflowing measure
Thy youthful passion for love and life
as we rejoice in the sensual stirrings of the season.

(The priest then stands before the altar facing the east, and raising up his hands [or sceptre/staff], he says the following words in parting benediction to the Satyr Lord.)

Priest:
Sovereign Satyr Lord,
Pan of the Pagan Ways,
at this Sabbat of Springtime's warmth,
bestow upon us the heated breath of Thy lust for living
as we depart this sacred space
with the joyous blessings of Thy Beltane benediction.

The Closing Benediction

(The priestess will then make the final proclamation of the ritual's conclusion.)

Priestess:
This rite of Beltane is ended!
May the love of the Maiden and the Satyr Lord
go with us as we venture onward
into the warming fullness of Summer's promise!

(After the circle has been opened, if the ritual is held outdoors, then can begin some of the general Beltane festivities, such as the Maypole dancing and jumping over the balefire [or cauldron].)

For the purposes of solitary practice, this particular part of the ritual can be changed so as to be adaptable for either a solitary or a small group where no woman may be present.

The Floral Offering to the Goddess

(In a solitary rite for Beltane, the garland crown of flowers is initially placed at the eastern quarter of the circle in preparation for this moment in the ritual. The solitary celebrant will now pick up the flower-crown, and standing or kneeling before the altar s/he will begin the prayer.)

Solitary:
I give praise to Thee,
vibrant Goddess of youth and sensuality;
Lady of Spring, exuberant Earth Maiden,
dancing in joyous abandon with the goat-footed God
across hillside and field in vivacious hues of brightness,
exuding the wondrous essence of waving wildflowers.

Wherefore I offer unto Thee
this floral crown of Thy Creation,
laid now upon Thine altar
as the woven splendor of Nature's art;
the many-colored Crown of Beltane,
scented with the mystery and majesty that is the Maiden!

(S/he then lays the crown upon the altar as an offering to the Goddess.) Click here to go back to Contents.

Recipes

The Foods of Beltane

Goats and rabbits were sacred to the Beltane Sabbat both because of the goat's horns which symbolized the Horned God, and for their reputed randiness. Goats (sacred to the God) and rabbits (sacred to the Goddess) were prolific breeders who could be relied upon year after year to provide food and clothing. The goat also provided milk, cheese, and butter, and dairy products figure heavily in the Bealtaine feast. Sweets were also an important part of the feasting. To combine the two elements, a rich dairy cream pie was baked for the celebrants.

These recipes are taken from D.J.Conway's Moon Magic. Please post us your own Beltane recipes.

Melt the butter in a wide pan over medium heat. (Traditionalists will use a heavy cast-iron pan.) In a separate bowl slowly add the milk to the cornstarch, making sure it is fully dissolved and absorbed before adding more milk. When the cornstarch is fully blended, add this and all the other ingredients, except the vanilla, to the cooking pan. Stir constantly over medium heat until the mixture becomes thick. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the mixture into the waiting pie shell and sprinkle with nutmeg. The pie may be eaten while it is still warm, as long as it has cooled enough to set. Or the pie may be chilled and eaten later.

Eating noodles in the spring is considered good luck in China, where pasta originated. Blend them with goat cheese, another Bealtaine food, to make this Greek favorite.

Preheat oven to 375' R Mix all ingredients together and place them In a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 40 minutes.

Honey is also part of this Sabbat's traditional foods, and bees are one of its many symbols. Serve honey at the feast, offering it as a libation to spring faeries, and burn beeswax candles to honey-scent the air at your ritual site.

Another way to bring honey into your celebration is by making the traditional Celtic ale known as mead. Mead is a savory honey-ale rich in tradition and folklore in the British Isles. In the Celtic tradition it is an aphrodisiac and sexual stamina builder whose recipe was once thought to be a direct gift of the Great Mother. Our modern word "honeymoon" has its roots in the Celtic custom of making and consuming mead. It was a drink shared by couples who began mating at Beltane with plans to marry in June (after the month of May, when the deities wed, was over). The "honey" part of the word refers to the mead itself, and the "moon" part from the approximate period of time that would lapse between the Sabbat and the time of the official handfasting.

Mead, akin to the Irish "midhe," meaning "center," represents spirit, and the drinking of this potion of the deities made one more in tune with that elusive fifth element. Connoisseurs of meade cultivate their brew as carefully as do makers of fine wine, and jealously guard their family recipes. Making mead is not easy since, like wine, it requires a lengthy fermentation period. Here is one of the many recipes for mead.

Heat all ingredients together over medium heat in a large stockpot. As the honey melts, an oily crust forms on the top. Some say to leave this crust on, for it adds to the flavor of the meade; others will tell you to skim it off. I prefer to leave it on. When it is well blended, remove it from the heat, stirring occasionally as it cools. Stir in one package of brewer's yeast and pour the mead into a wooden cask or some other receptacle where it can ferment. You can drink the mead as is without the fermenting process, but it will not have alcoholic content. Like this, it will taste like a sweet honey-lemon tea. The mead needs to ferment for a period of at least 6 months. During that time the casks must be aired daily to allow any buflt-up gas to escape. At least once a month it should be poured into a fresh cask. At the end of the six months you should have a drinkable mead.

If you prefer to try a short-cut method of mead, you can stop the process just before fermentation and add a touch of grain alcohol to the mixture before bottling. You don't get the full-bodied flavor or euphoric intoxication that meade is famous for, but you still get the taste and the idea.

Oat cakes were a Scottish tradition at Beltane, and even today some Scottish covens still use oatmeal to outline their Beltane circle. Oats were also eaten for luck and fertility. This dish, Farls, was a popular Beltane treat in both Scotland and northern Ireland.

Soak the oats in warm water for 15 to 20 minutes until soft and slightly swollen. Mix them with all other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Knead until the mixture is like a thick dough. If it seems too thin or moist, add a teaspoon or two of flour. When it is thoroughly mixed, form small sections into round patties. Fry the patties in hot vegetable oil in a small skillet until lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Feel free to email us with your own Beltane recipes - concentrate on the themes of sexual love, marraige, honey, dairy products, hare/rabbit and oats. Click here to go back to Contents.

Correspondences

Poems

My love is the comely helmsman
Whose frame is never clad by aught
Save a jet-black coat with goodly nap
And a soft wisp of a shirt.

My courteous one among ladies,
My thick strong luxuriant oats,
Turning it, sowing it, harrowing it,
Reaping it every year.

My heart's darling,
My sense's delight,
Lights of my eyes
On an early May morning!

Ho my treasure,
He my treasure,
Ho my treasure,
A branch of the summer branches.

Thou art the darling of my desire,
My satisfying armful,
Sun of my love
On the feast day!

Ho my treasure,
He my treasure,
Ho my treasure,
A branch of the summer branches.

Darling of youths
Fresh and famed,
Vigorous sapling,
The desire of comely women.

Thou wouldst climb, thou wouldst descend,
Thou wouldst climb, thou wouldst descend,
Thou wouldst climb, thou wouldst descend,
The mountain where feats are performed.

Thou art my bread and my meat,
My carolling and my music,
My ale-wort and my beer,
My fowl and my eggs.

Ho my treasure,
He my treasure,
Ho my treasure,
A branch of the summer branches.

A wave of the ocean glides over the sea
And crashes upon the shore.
My body dances over the meadow
And joyfully leaps in the air.
Is the wave not still one with the ocean?

Can I separate myself'from my Source,
When that wellspring flows deep within,
And not on some distant mountain?

I feel the presence
Of our Earthly Mother within me,
And that presence is illuminated
By the warm rays of the Father of us all.

All about me are the gifts
Of the Mother's ripening fruits,
And I know that in my own way
I am ripening too.

Even as my fruits ripen.
As my gifts become manifest,
As I mature in openess and love,
I remember that I have walked this path
And will again.

For the fruits of now
Contain the seeds of tomorrow.
And my seeds of bygone seaso
Have brought this day's joy to
My seeds, my fruits will come
And I will carry on.

Mother of sweet marriage,
you join the world together
with laughter and harmony;
even the Fates obey you.

You are beautiful necessity
even in the frenzy of the shark.
Delicate as sea foam of Cyprus,
fragrant as Syrian oils,

bright as golden chariots on Egyptian plains
by the sandy bank of the turquoise Nile,
a choir of the loveliest Nymphs
sings a hymn to your beauty.

You play everywhere, curious and cautious.
You hold the keys to heaven and Earth.

From fertile plains and far spreading sea
to caverns underground,
everything obeys you.

Congealing in shades of green and blue, forest and sky link fingers to become the essence of purity. The beauty and wisdom of the trees emanate to the creatures below , and we are filled with the real, the truth of nature.

The moon becomes whole and my limbs begin to quiver with the realisation of sacredness and divinity that enwraps my universe. May the stars find peace within my mind, float inside and feel the immense emotions drape you in immortal wisdom.

Words carved upon thy horizon, all of the earth standing firm in their knowledge, paint the space with elemental shadows and observe the ritual of existence.

Tree of Knowledge was hand-fasted with the Tree of Life and so forth all of existence did merge with all of creation in a swoon of life.

I sit upon nature's breast and I am nourished by her soothing voice. She whispers into my ears, prophecies and secrets of the universe's mind; it seeps into my temples and conjures visions of worlds and skies that are but real and pure, in synchronised moments and spaces of deep intense being.

The place of real; truth gazes upon our mortal forms and plants the seed of knowledge, we see the decay of greed and the manifestation of life reborn,...... may all of life be embraced by those who possess the true love of the soul of all.

Links

General Items and Sabbat Activities

The Maypole - or Beltane Pole for Australians

If you wish to wrap a May Pole of your own, you will need a tall object to act as a center pole, such as a branchless tree or a flag pole. If you have neither of these available to you, you might be able to buy a large wooden beam at a hardware store or a demolition site. In any case, the pole needs to be at least ten feet tall. You will also need long lengths of ribbon or cloth about two to three inches wide and at least six feet longer than the length of your pole so you have room to work with them. For example: if ten-foot pole each ribbon will need to be sixteen feet long. You will also need at least seven other dancers, though having more is fine, and bells for your heels. Celtic, Breton, or English folk music is the best choice, but American square dance music is a good substitute.

Hang your evenly-spaced ribbons, alternating red and white, at the ten- foot high point on your pole. You can tack them up any way you like. Use nails, glue, or tie them to a wreath which slips down over the pole. Drape them downward so they flow out at even intervals from your pole.

When you are ready to begin the dance, turn on your music and have the women take the white ribbons and the men take the red) and each stand ribbon in their right hands, and the men will be standing with their left to the pole, the ribbon in their left hands. Begin weaving the symbolic birth canal by having everyone move forward from where they stand, moving alternately over and under the person coming toward them. It is tradition to start with the men moving their ribbon and selves under the upheld ribbon of the women. Proceed in this fashion unitl the May Pole is wrapped about eighteen inches down.

As you move to the music, make your steps a cross between a skip and a jog so that the bells on your heels hit the ground with enough force to mark off the beats of the music.

Mugwort Festival

The fifth day of the New Moon is the Mugwort Festival in China. Mugwort was a sacred herb in China and Europe. As part of the celebration on May 5, the Chinese made dolls out of the leaves. They hung these dolls above gates and doors to repel negative influences and entities.

Mugwort is a very magickal herb, especially when gathered at the Summer Solstice or Full Moon. It was sacred to the Druids and many other ancient cultures for ritual workings. The Chinese considered it so important that they gave mugworc its own festi@.

Mugwort can be rubbed on crystal balls and magick mirrors to increase their strength. To create a clairvoyant drink, soak Y4 ounce of mugwort in a bottle of light wine for nine days (a Moon number), beginning on the New Moon. At the end of that time, strain out the mugwort. Use several layers of fine cloth as mugwort has a lot of fuzz. Replace the wine in the bottle and cap tightly. Drink a small amount to aid clairvoyance, divination, and crystal reading.

This ritual is for use with a crystal ball, magick mirror, or piece of crystal. Even a cup of water can act as a scrying device. A fancy, expensive crystal ball is not a prerequisite to reading the future. Whatever you decide to use (crystal ball, mirror, or sliver of crystal), keep it covered when not in use. People are fascinated by such things and like to handle them. This overlays your vibrations with those of someone else, thus making it more difficult to use the device. Some cats can become absolutely engrossed in looking at crystal balls. I've never found a cat to leave vibrations, though.

Scrying requires a tremendous amount of patience. Seldom do the pictures, in the ball or within the mind, come at once. Relax; don't strain to get something. You don't have to stare at the crystal until you get eye strain or a headache either. Let your vision go slightly out of focus and try to be a spectator. Watch and listen within your mind to what may surface. Some people actually see pictures within the crystal. My experience is that the device seems to clarify and strengthen my psychic powers, providing me with mental images and messages.

Place your scrying aid on your pentacle and circle it five times with your wand while saying:

One for the Maiden, shining bright.
One for the Lady of the night.
One for the Old One, all-knowing and wise.
One for the God of the Sun-washed skies.
One for the gift of prophecy.
I ask you now, show the future to me.

Chaplets and Flowers

Celtic pagans once decorated for Beltane with much the same frenzy as people today decorate for Christmas. Greenery, flowers, and other symbols of spring were brought into cottages and homes and placed around doors and on hearths. Wreaths, those ever-present symbols of the Wheel the Year, were gaily festooned with ribbons and flowers. Occasionally a flowered wreath is still seen topping a modern-day May Pole.

Another form of Beltane wreaths were the leafy crowns woven by elders of the clan for the May King and May Queen. In an ancient Frankish tradition May was the month to celebrate womanhood, motherhood, and the Goddesses, and it is associated with the Anglo-Celtic crowning of the May Queen. This practice still flourishes in rural Anglo-Celtic areas, and the "royalty for a day" idea is still used in modern May Day celebrations. It is derived from the custom of having a young lass and lad perform the Great Rite within the Bealtaine circle. The May King and Queen were ritually crowned with these chaplets of flowers.

In today's covens, most participants wear these to the celebration. You can easily make a chaplet of your own out of artificial flowers that win last for years. At a craft or hobby shop, purchase a dozen or so small white roses with wire stems, a large spool of green florist's tape, and several yards of white ribbon.

Begin by arranging the, flowers in a small circle. A diameter of about nine inehes easily fits most heads. Allow the flower stems to overlap each other as much as needed. When the flowers are spaced the way you want them, begin twisting the stems one around the other so that the circle holds together. Handling it carefully, begin wrapping up the woven stems with the florist's tape. This will not only hold the stems in place, but will give the illusion of natural greenery. Tie the ribbon into a nice bow and attach it to the back side of the chaplet, letting the ends trail down your back.

In Rome, the cult of Flora, Goddess of Flowers, focused heavily on the symbolic meaning of flowers. This knowledge spread across Europe and was nearly lost until it was heartily revived Victorians who were very conscious of flower symbolism. Following is a list of flower meanings. These are not magickal or medicinal uses, but the hidden meanings assigned to them by the cult of Flora, with a few nineteenth century modifications.

Flower	Meaning
Azaleas	Nearness
Buttercup	Friendship
Bluebells	Protection
Camellia	Company, Gatherings
Clematis	Security, Steadfastness
Cowslip	Secrets
Crocus	Birth, Rebirth
Daffodils	Communication of Secrets
Daisy	Simplicity
Hawthorn	Divination
Heather	Powerful woman
Heliotrope	Wellness and vitality
Honeysuckle	Fertility
Iris	Frail bur Hearty
Jasmine	Night rendevous
Lady's Slipper	Wealth
Lily	Purity, Life
Lily of the Valley	Death, Change
Lupin	Passion
Magnolia	Unfolding events
Morning Glory	Quickness, First
Myrtle	Remembrance
Orchid	Promises kept
Pansy	Weakness
Petunia	Gentleness, Shyness
Primrose	Modesty, Guardianship
Queen Anne Lace	Gentleness, Quiet strength
Rhododendron	In waiting
Rose, red	Love, Fidelity
Rose, pink	Youth
Rose, yellow	Infidelity, Friendship
Rose, white	Silence, Purity
Snapdragons	Power, Man
Sunflower	Power, Strength, Watchfulness
Snowdrops	Children
Tulips	Constancy
Verbena	Motherhood
Violets, purple	Fidelity
Violets	Betrayal
Water lily	Other-worldliness, Dreams
Wintersweet	Eternity

Another Beltane symbol is the May Basket full of fresh flowers. Baskets are symbols of sacred marriage. On the macrocosmic level this is the union of the Goddess and God, and on the microcosmic level it is the union of female and male.

Beltane - the beginning of Summer

CONTENTS

About Beltane

The Beltane Fire - BALEFIRE

The Fertility aspects

Purification

Bells

The May Pole

Ritual

Opening Exhortation

Blessing

The Invocation of the Goddess

The Invocation of the Satyr Lord

The Kindling of the Balefire.

The Love Song of the Maiden

Witches' Rune and Cone of Power

The Crowning of the Beltane Queen

The Great Rite

The Prefaces

The Readings

The Words of Union

The Words of Consummation

The Parting Prayers

The Closing Benediction

The Floral Offering to the Goddess

Recipes

The Foods of Beltane

Correspondences

Poems

Links

General Items and Sabbat Activities

The Maypole - or Beltane Pole for Australians

Mugwort Festival

Chaplets and Flowers

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