The Wheel of the Year: BELTANE - the Fire Festival of Fertility, Passion & Vitality
It has been raining here in Cornwall where I live for what feels like oh since time began. It’s hard not to feel a bit flat. “It’s spring - a time of renewed light and warmth and marking the return of the sun!” they all promised at Ostara. I should know, I was one of them.
I put off writing this post about Beltane - the Celtic May Day Festival held over 1st-2nd May heralding the coming of summer (ostensibly) - because torrential rain belting down on your roof is not the most conducive to conjuring up warm, sexy, summery-type vibes.
But then today, as if right on cue for Beltane - the sun finally returned in force 🌞🌞🌞 And not just fleetingly - a WHOLE. GLORIOUS. DAY. OF. SUNSHINE (I know this because it’s now the end of the day because I’ve been glued to my outside patio garden soaking up as much Vitamin D like a sun-withdrawn junkie all day).
The word ‘Beltane’ roughly translates as ‘bright fire’ and marks the half-way point between the Spring Equinox (Ostara) and the Summer Solstice (Litha). It’s a celebration of fertility, growth, protection and healing, honouring Nature as she comes into her fullness. The sap rises, the warmth and vigour of the sun increases (at least when he deigns to grace us with his presence) and we feel reinvigorated with an increase in vitality and passion.
Beltane was celebrated as a fire festival in honour of the Celtic sun god, Bel. One of the most important rituals concerned the lighting of the Beltane bonfire - fire was seen as powerfully protective, and as a purifier and healer. Bonfires would have been walked around and danced/jumped over by members of the community to purify their energy and bring blessings, luck, and fertility. Traditionally, all household fires were extinguished, and then re-lit using a torch from the Beltane bonfire.
The Beltane festivals were a time of fostering great joy, pleasure and revelry. It was a time to fully cast off the darkness (where Ostara marked the tipping point of equal dark and light) and revel in the full return of the increased light, warmth and vitality of the summer months ahead.
The festival marked the point where the Maiden phase of the Triple Goddess has blossomed into her fullness and so was a time of passion, courtship rituals, fertility and the union of lovers. Traditionally, Beltane was a time of the blending of energies of the feminine and masculine to celebrate the sacredness of sexuality. The goddess takes on the god as her lover in order to give birth to the full bloom of nature during the summer months to come.
And so, it’s an extraordinarily potent time for fertility - not just in nature and ahem, biologically speaking, but also our own creative fertility. Just as the energies of nature are flourishing, we have the opportunity to use this potent generative energy to fertilise and grow our own intentions, goals and passions (for whatever, or, whomever…😉). It’s a time when goals that were set at the beginning of the year come to fruition, when projects take off and relationships bloom.
Rituals to celebrate Beltane
Beltane Bonfire - have a bonfire gathering if you have the space to do this and dance or jump over it to welcome in blessings and luck for the light half of the year. Or if you’re not bonfire-leaping inclined, you could light a candle in honour of Beltane to honour the element of fire and the su, and write your intentions for what you’d like to manifest for the summer months ahead. Failing that, if you’re a sloth-like Taurus like me, even just getting out in the sun and intentionally soaking up and worshipping the returning light and vitality of the sun would absolutely count as a way to connect with the element of fire….
Music and Dance - Beltane was a time of joy and revelry - so have some fun, call up some friends, done some flower garlands and go to a gig or festival or put on some music, dance and shake that booty - even if its just around your kitchen!
Sensual time - celebrate your passion, sensuality, sexuality and ahem…fertility - enjoy a sexy date with your paramour, cook an aphrodisiacal feast or enjoy a sensual massage with rose essential oil. Or whatever floats your boat in the sexy department…
Reconnect with your passions - not just a time of sexual fertility, Beltane also marks a time of passion and creative fertility - so over this period start thinking about what lights your fire? What creative hobbies or pursuits would you like to put some of this increased vigour and energy flying around into? What creative project or intention have you started that could do with breathing some fire back into it to get it really going?