Beltane–Bright Fire
Happy May As the year speeds by, it is only natural to stop, take a breath and observe the natural cycles and passages as they arrive. Beltane, also related to May Day, Walpurgis Night or Calan Mai, occurs from sunset on April 30th to sunset on May 1st. It is a fire festival, a cross-quarter of the Eight-fold year marking the half way point of the succession from spring to summer. It is the time of growth and renewal, fertility and abundance. The Goddess, celebrated as May Queen or May Bride, and the Masculine God―the Oak King, Jack-In-The-Green, or the Green Man―fall in love and consummate their marriage, assuring blessings and abundance for the growing season. Beltane is passionate, sexual and fecund. It is a celebration of the principles of pro-creation, the occasion of the Sacred Marriage (or Heiros Gamos) between god and goddess, earth and sky. Handfasting, a traditional…
