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May Day, May Day! The Astrology Of Beltane… & The Midpoint Of Taurus Season!
May's Pagan Rituals Of Fertility And Sexuality...
Beltane occurs May 1st.
A pagan Sabbat, Beltane celebrates sexuality, fertility and LIFE!
It’s always honored on the first day of May, and is known as May Day, Walpurgisnacht, Rood Day, Rudemas and the Festival of Tana. A time for celebrating Mother Nature it’s a day to revel in the peak of spring….
Growing up we would dance around the phallic symbol the Maypole, and I also remember the elected ‘Lady Godiva’ riding her white horse through our town. Supposedly naked with her long hair covering her boobs, ours would be wearing a flesh coloured body suit but the sentiments were the same for this rite of passage.
The astrological significance of Beltane is that it’s the midpoint between Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice.
In astrology, a date is never just a date it’s a degree of the Zodiac, in this case it’s 9º Taurus. When the sun is around this degrees of any of the Fixed Signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius), we take into account its positioning between equinox and solstice.
You can read more about the bigger picture, here, but essentially, these are known as cross-quarter days, and the Four Lunar Fire Festivals, ancient ceremonial holidays)…
The Four Lunar Fire Festivals Are:
- Beltane (May Eve) – 9º Taurus – May 1st
- Lughnasadh (Lammas) – 9º Leo – August 1st
- Samhain (Hallowe’en) – 9º Scorpio – October 31st-November 2nd
- Imbolc (Candlemas) – 13º Aquarius – February 2nd-7th.
Earth energy is strong in the midst of Taurus, flowers are in bloom, perfuming the air – it’s truly a moment to inhale the gifts of nature (and man).
> Read more about the Lunar Fire Festivals, plus the Solstices and Equinoxes.<
So what are some of the traditional customs associated with this time?
Rituals For Beltane…
Make note of the Fixed quality of earth, as Taurus Season reigns; indulge in this – the most tactile of times!
- Wear Your Best – gorgeous colours of spring
- Wear A Flower Crown – this is the festival of Flora and Ma, so invite the healing properties of florals upon you
- Revel in The Fertility Of The Land – eat soemthing delicious and ripe
- Take A Walk In The Forest – put your attention on the trees around you, and dance like it’s a maypole with colorful ribbons
- Wash Your Face With Cold Water – honour spring and the sensation of freshness
- Gather Morning Dew – go to the grass and wildflowers to gather the fresh water of morning, powerful sprinkles for rituals and potions…
- Light A Bonfire – ideally you would start the fire with nine pieces of wood, collected by nine men from nine different trees, an old Celtic tradition
- Make Love! Giving you an excuse to enjoy yourself with bae…
Seasonal Foods Of May…
- Vegetables:
asparagus, broccoli, carrots, jersey royal new potatoes, lettuce & salad leaves, new potatoes, peas, radishes, rocket, samphire, spinach, spring onions, watercress, wild nettles.
- Fruits:
bananas (Windward), kiwi fruit, rhubarb.
- Herbs:
basil, chervil, chives, coriander, dill, oregano, mint, nasturtium, parsley (curly), rosemary, sage, sorrel, tarragon.
- Meats:
lamb, wood pigeon.
- Fish:
cod, coley, crab, haddock, langoustine, plaice, prawns, salmon, sardines, sea trout, shrimp, whelks, whitebait.