Hey everyone! So Beltane is approaching (almost here already, dang, wasnāt it Ostara like, LAST WEEK?) and that means itās time to celebrate. But to be honest, I wasnāt really sure Beltane was for me, and I know that there are plenty of people who are on that same page.
What is Beltane on the surface? Well, itās a Fertility holiday, for one thing, and that was the first thing that bothered me. I get it, fertility is absolutely necessary for life - plants, animals, ideas, etc. But this fertility holiday squicked me out more because itās also the celebration of the union of the Goddess and the God.
And I get it again - if you believe that the Goddess gave birth to all (which is an extremely common belief across tons of different religions, pagan and non-pagan), then yes it is a highly important moment to recognize and thatās totes fine!
But Iām more of aĀ āthe universe presents itself as various figures to various cultures throughout timeā and therefore we have all these different deities that humankind has interpreted for whatever need they had. I believe in all of them I guess? But what it comes down to for me is, I donāt want to celebrate a god and goddess boninā down. Not that I donāt appreciate boninā down, and not that I donāt get the importance behind boninā down, but I have never felt at home in some of the more heteronormative celebrations. Not to mention that in this current day and age, the human population is pretty excessive, and medical advances have made procreation and birthing very successful, so I feel like the need to celebrate boninā down is not that high. Personally!
At the end of last year, however, I told myself that I would celebrate the Wheel in full in 2017 so thatās what Iām going to do. So I started to research more about Beltane, and I found a fantastic article about it on Witchvox! (for your reference:Ā http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usma&c=holidays&id=2765)
Here are some other great things to focus on during Beltane if youād rather leave the deities to themselves!
1. Beltane is opposite Samhain on the Wheel, but they have a lot in common despite that, so if Samhain is your jam, you might like Beltane too! Like Samhain, Beltane is a time when the veils between realms are very thin, making it a great time to spend time with departed loved ones, and to do some spirit work.
2. Itās also when the faeries start to rise from their homes they hid in deep in winter. Pair this with the thinning of the veils and you have a great day to work with fae! There are tons of different ways to get a potential sighting, but do be careful! Beltane eve is also the night where the Faerie Queen makes her rounds, trying to entice people to come away to her realm (shit when do we leave letās go). If you hear bells in the wind, it could be her horse!
There are tons of foods, flowers, drinks, songs, etc. tied to the fae, so choosing to dedicate the holiday to them is sure to end in feast and festivity!
3. Fire! Beltane is a day associated with the element of fire. The long journey of winter is over, and we are finally ready to enjoy a prosperous summer. But in many climates, it is still tender conditions for crops. Great care needs to be taken to ensure that they make it to harvest, so humans must step in and nurture. They would build great ritual fires in hopes that it would encourage the warmth of the sun to keep away frost, so that their crops would survive. If you so choose, Beltane would make a great day for a Sun celebration, with a great big fire and foods and flowers associated with the sun.
These are just a few ideas for you to run with if you really want to celebrate Beltane but are turned off by all the rampant sexuality or heteronormativity. It really is a complex holiday, so Iāve learned. I respect the tales of the Goddess and God but Iād rather leave them to their own devices, lol! Call me a prude.
Also, if you decide to work with spirits or fae, as always, exercise caution!Ā They both have the capacity to be, well, douchebags. ;) Protect yourself and go in with as much information as you can. Spirits and fae can both be tricksters so watch out!
Have fun creating a Beltane celebration comfortable to you!
