Samhain’s light twin, Beltane is the polar opposite of the Witches’ New Year. The term Beltane, Bealteinne, or Beltaine are used for this holy day in reference to the bale fires lit, a tradition that stems from the celebration of the Celtic god Bel, Beli or Belinus who can be traced to the Middle Eastern god Baal. Other names for the Sabbat include Kalenda Maia, Roodmas, Walpugis, May Day, or simply May.
While Beltane is a festival of Life and fertility, it is also a festival of death. This is a time in ancient years past in which a sacrifice might have been made in order to ensure the fertility of the land and the prosperity of the many. This sacrifice in today’s rituals is purely symbolic but still holds the abundant magic of old. The magic of Beltane held such deep significance for the Celts that many important historic occasions were said to have taken place on that date including the settling of Ireland by the Tuatha De Danan.
Activities for the holy day include dancing around a May Pole, which is still done today. The pole itself is made from birch, one of the nine sacred trees of the Druids and is a phallic symbol that is planted deeply and firmly into Mother Earth. The pole also represents the movement of energy between Father Sky and Mother Earth that is further symbolized by the spiraling of ribbons down the pole during a May Pole dance.
A May Queen and King are also selected. The Queen is usually a maiden selected by the community for her beauty or other generous endowments. She either selects the King or he is selected by some activity as a foot race, a hunt, or having climbed the May Pole itself. The two represent the Mother Goddess and the Hunter and their union on this holy day.
The visitation of sacred sites, especially standing stones, is popular during this time. In olden days, offerings of milk and honey and herbs were given to these stones. It was believed that passing of a babe, an ill person or initiates through a hollow of a stone gave them protection and cured disease.
As a day of fertililty, this is also a day in which romance is in the air, especially for young people. Young women would wake early, before dawn, on Beltane to go out into the fields and wash their faces in the first dew of the day in order to obtain beauty to lure a mate. Young couples take to the hills, newly plowed lands, and forests to energize the soil with their…activities.
Though romance is high on this day, it is said to be unlucky to marry on Beltane. In fact, the Celts often held divorce procedures on this day! This belief may be due to the tendency to be a little cavalier in ones sex life during this Sabbat.
Correspondences for Beltane
- Deities: The Mother Goddess Eartha, Demeter, Mati Suira Zemlya, Yemaya, Gaia, and others; the God in his aspect as Huntsman and Consort; Bel.
- Herbs: Almond, Belladonna, Clover, Frankincense, Hawthorn, Ivy, Marigold, Meadowsweet, Orchid Root, Rose, Rowan, Sorrel, Woodruff
- Stones: Malachite, garnet, rose quartz, emerald, beryl, tourmaline.
- Foods: Fresh fruits and vegetables, flowers are in everything including salads, sweets of all kinds such as candied violets and honeyed roses.
- Libation: May wine, honey mead, fruit punches
Suggestions for Sex Magic
Beltane is a great time for using that fertility magic for creation - if you're trying to have a baby this a fine time to harness that cosmic power for conception. If you're an artist, see if you can't use that power for inspiration. If you grow your own food or simply want to send some loving energy to Earth Mama, perform sex magic outside and let the creative energy seep into the land.
Other Sexy Posts
Let's Talk About Beltane Sex, Baby! by The Coexist Cafe
Fertility Ritual and Sex Magick for Ostara and Beltane by Ed/Dragon
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