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SUMMER SOLSTICE-June 21st is the longest day of the year and marks
the high point reached by the Sun on its yearly journey. It is the
height of Summer and the fields are green with the new crops. Life
abounds all around us and in every living thing is the feeling of
oneness with nature. It is easy to stand in a woods or a field and
feel the Earth around you while the Sun shines on your face. To hear
the birds in song or to watch the animals teaching their spring born
young what they must learn to survive winter is a beautiful feeling
of oneness with all beings.

A Celebration of
MAY DAY

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'Perhaps it's just as well that you won't be here...to be offended by the sight of our May Day celebrations.'
--Lord Summerisle to Sgt. Howie from 'The Wicker Man' 

There are four great festivals of the Pagan Celtic year and the modern Witch's calendar, as well. The two greatest of these are Halloween (the beginning of winter) and May Day (the beginning of summer). Being opposite each other on the wheel of the year, they separate the year into halves. Halloween (also called Samhain) is the Celtic New Year and is generally considered the more important of the two, though May Day runs a close second. Indeed, in some areas -- notably Wales -- it is considered the great holiday.

May Day ushers in the fifth month of the modern calendar year, the month of May. This month is named in honor of the goddess Maia, originally a Greek mountain nymph, later identified as the most beautiful of the Seven Sisters, the Pleiades. By Zeus, she is also the mother of Hermes, god of magic. Maia's parents were Atlas and Pleione, a sea nymph.

The old Celtic name for May Day is Beltane (in its most popular Anglicized form), which is derived from the Irish Gaelic 'Bealtaine' or the Scottish Gaelic 'Bealtuinn', meaning 'Bel-fire', the fire of the Celtic god of light (Bel, Beli or Belinus). He, in turn, may be traced to the Middle Eastern god Baal.

Other names for May Day include: Cetsamhain ('opposite Samhain'), Walpurgisnacht (in Germany), and Roodmas (the medieval Church's name). This last came from Church Fathers who were hoping to shift the common people's allegiance from the Maypole (Pagan lingham - symbol of life) to the Holy Rood (the Cross - Roman instrument of death).

Incidentally, there is no historical justification for calling May 1st 'Lady Day'. For hundreds of years, that title has been proper to the Vernal Equinox (approx. March 21st), another holiday sacred to the Great Goddess. The nontraditional use of 'Lady Day' for May 1st is quite recent (since the early 1970's), and seems to be confined to America, where it has gained widespread acceptance among certain segments of the Craft population. This rather startling departure from tradition would seem to indicate an unfamiliarity with European calendar customs, as well as a lax attitude toward scholarship among too many Pagans. A simple glance at a dictionary ('Webster's 3rd' or O.E.D.), excyclopedia ('Benet's'), or standard mythology reference (Jobe's 'Dictionary of Mythology, Folklore & Symbols') would confirm the correct date for Lady Day as the Vernal Equinox.

By Celtic reckoning, the actual Beltane celebration begins on sundown of the preceding day, April 30, because the Celts always figured their days from sundown to sundown. And sundown was the proper time for Druids to kindle the great Bel-fires on the tops of the nearest beacon hill (such as Tara Hill, Co. Meath, in Ireland). These 'need-fires' had healing properties, and sky-clad Witches would jump through the flames to ensure protection.

 

Sgt. Howie (shocked): 'But they are naked!'
Lord Summerisle: 'Naturally. It's much too dangerous to jump through the fire with your clothes on!'
--from "The Wicker Man" 

 

Frequently, cattle would be driven between two such bon-fires (oak wood was the favorite fuel for them) and, on the morrow, they would be taken to their summer pastures.

Other May Day customs include: walking the circuit of one's property ('beating the bounds'), repairing fences and boundary markers, processions of chimney-sweeps and milk maids, archery tournaments, morris dances, sword dances, feasting, music, drinking, and maidens bathing their faces in the dew of May morning to retain their youthful beauty.

In the words of Witchcraft writers Janet and Stewart Farrar, the Beltane celbration was principly a time of '...unashamed human sexuality and fertility.' Such associations include the obvious phallic symbolism of the Maypole and riding the hobby horse. Even a seemingly innocent children's nursery rhyme, 'Ride a cock horse to Banburry Cross...' retains such memories. And the next line '...to see a fine Lady on a white horse' is a reference to the annual ride of 'Lady Godiva' though Coventry. Every year for nearly three centuries, a sky-clad village maiden (elected Queen of the May) enacted this Pagan rite, until the Puritans put an end to the custom.

The Puritans, in fact, reacted with pious horror to most of the May Day rites, even making Maypoles illegal in 1644. They especially attempted to suppress the 'greenwood marriages' of young men and women who spent the entire night in the forest, staying out to greet the May sunrise, and bringing back boughs of flowers and garlands to decorate the village the next morning. One angry Puritan wrote that men 'doe use commonly to runne into woodes in the night time, amongst maidens, to set bowes, in so muche, as I have hearde of tenne maidens whiche went to set May, and nine of them came home with childe.' And another Puritan complained that, 'Of forty, threescore or a hundred maids going to the wood over night, there have scarcely the third part of them returned home again undefiled.'

Long after the Christian form of marriage (with its insistance on sexual monogamy) had replaced the older Pagan handfasting, the rules of strict fidelity were always relaxed for the May Eve rites. Names such as Robin Hood, Maid Marion, and Little John played an important part in May Day folklore, often used as titles for the dramatis personae of the celebrations. And modern surnames such as Robinson, Hodson, Johnson, and Godkin may attest to some distant May Eve spent in the woods.

These wildwood antics have inspired writers such as Kipling:

 

Oh, do not tell the Priest our plight,
Or he would call it a sin;
But we have been out in the woods all night,
A-conjuring Summer in!

 

And Lerner and Lowe:

 

It's May! It's May!
The lusty month of May!...
Those dreary vows that ev'ryone takes,
Ev'ryone breaks.
Ev'ryone makes divine mistakes!
The lusty month of May! 

 

It is certainly no accident that Queen Guinevere's 'abduction' by Meliagrance occurs on May 1st when she and the court have gone a-Maying, or that the usually efficient Queen's Guard, on this occasion, rode unarmed.

Some of these customs seem virtually identical to the old Roman feast of flowers, the Floriala, three days of unrestrained sexuality which began at sundown April 28th and reached a crescendo on May 1st.

There are other, even older, associations with May 1st in Celtic mythology. According to the ancient Irish 'Book of Invasions', the first settler of Ireland, Partholan, arrived on May 1st; and it was on May 1st that the plague came which destroyed his people. Years later, the Tuatha De Danann were conquered by the Milesians on May Day. In Welsh myth, the perenial battle between Gwythur and Gwyn for the love of Creudylad took place each May Day; and it was on May Eve that Teirnyon lost his colts and found Pryderi. May Eve was also the occasion of a fearful scream that was heard each year throughout Wales, one of the three curses of the Coranians lifted by the skill of Lludd and Llevelys.

By the way, due to various calendrical changes down through the centuries, the traditional date of Beltane is not the same as its astrological date. This date, like all astronomically determined dates, may vary by a day or two depending on the year. However, it may be calculated easily enough by determining the date on which the sun is at 15 degrees Taurus (usually around May 5th). British Witches often refer to this date as Old Beltane, and folklorists call it Beltane O.S. ('Old Style'). Some Covens prefer to celebrate on the old date and, at the very least, it gives one options. If a Coven is operating on 'Pagan Standard Time' and misses May 1st altogether, it can still throw a viable Beltane bash as long as it's before May 5th. This may also be a consideration for Covens that need to organize activities around the week-end.

This date has long been considered a 'power point' of the Zodiac, and is symbolized by the Bull, one of the 'tetramorph' figures featured on the Tarot cards, the World and the Wheel of Fortune. (The other three symbols are the Lion, the Eagle, and the Spirit.) Astrologers know these four figures as the symbols of the four 'fixed' signs of the Zodiac (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius), and these naturally align with the four Great Sabbats of Witchcraft. Christians have adopted the same iconography to represent the four gospel-writers.

But for most, it is May 1st that is the great holiday of flowers, Maypoles, and greenwood frivolity. It is no wonder that, as recently as 1977, Ian Anderson could pen the following lyrics for the band Jethro Tull:

 

For the May Day is the great day,
Sung along the old straight track.
And those who ancient lines did ley
Will heed this song that calls them back.
 
Copyright © 1986, 2002 by Mike Nichols

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TRADITIONAL FOODS
 
Green Salads
Dairy Foods
Strawberries
Ice Cream and Dairy Products
Cherries
Oats, Oat Cake, Oatmeal
Wine
 
 
HERBS AND FLOWERS
 
Almond
Clover
Belladonna
Hawthorn
Daisies
Marigold
Peach
Meadowsweet
Orchid Root
 
 
INCENSE
 
Lilac
Frankincense
Rose
Ylang Ylang
Vanilla
Musk
Camphor
 
  
SPECIAL ACTIVITES
 
Wrapping/Making a Maypole
Blowing Horns
Gathering Flowers
 
 
COLORS
 
Green
Red
Dark Yellow
White
and really all the colors of the rainbow !
 
 
STONES
 
Rose Quartz
Bloodstone
Sapphire
Emerald
Garnet
Tourmaline
 
 
MYTHICAL/ANIMAL ASSOCIATIONS
 
 
Goats
Rabbits
Honey Bees
Faeries
Pegesus
Satyrs
Pegasus 

 
 
Submitted By ~ Soul WindChime

(c) 2004-2005 A Witch For All Seasons. All Rights Reserved.

Recipe for Beltane

Fried Honeycakes

From Wisteria's Faery Recipes

These cakes are not unlike those made on the night before Beltane by women around the turn of the century. These cakes were left in the garden to please Faery visitors.
1/2 cup sweet white wine
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1 cup honey
2/3 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Oil for frying
1/8 teaspoon salt
Beat the wine & egg in a medium bowl. Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt & sugar in a small bowl. Stir into the egg mixture. Let stand 30 minutes. Combine the honey & nutmeg in a small bowl. Heat 1/2-inch of the oil in a frying pan until hot, but not smoking. Drop the batter into the oil 1 tablespoon at a time; fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Dip into the honey.
Yield: 1 1/2 Dozen.
Can also be eaten on Lammas and the Day of the Dryads.

Beltane Oil

from Myrriah's Homepage
1/2 dram Sage oil
1/2 dram Pennyroyal oil
Mix well and bottle.

Beltane Marigold Custard

(from Wicca:A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, by Scott Cunningham)
2 cups milk
1 cup unsprayed marigold petals
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 to 2 inch piece vanilla bean
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. rose water
Whipped cream
Using a clean mortar and pestal reserved for cooking purposes, pound marigold petals. Or, crush with a spoon. Mix the salt sugar and spices together.
Scald milk with the marigolds and the vanilla bean. Remove the vanilla bean and add the egg yolks and dry ingredients. Cook on low heat.
When the mixture coats a spoon, add rose water and cool. Top with whipped cream. Garnish with fresh marigold petals.

Elder Flower Fritters (Medieval England)

From Wisteria's Faery Recipes

The French use elder flowers to pack apples. They claim that this enhances the flavor.

1 egg
1 cup self-rising flour
1 teaspoon Rose Water (see following recipe)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
2 cups elder flowers, freshly picked & cleaned
2 tablespoons brandy
Mix the egg, rose water, honey, & brandy in a medium sized bowl. Stir in the flour & cinnamon; the batter should resemble slightly thick pancake batter. If the batter is too thin, add a little more flour; if too thick, add more brandy. Fold in the elder flowers. Fry like pancakes or drop by the teaspoon into a deep-fat-fryer until golden brown. Serve with a sprinkling of orange water & fresh lemon, or dip into fresh sweet cream.
Yield: About 2 dozen
Note: If you are not using self-rising flour, add 1 teaspoon baking powder & 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Variation: If you can't find elder flowers, substitute 1 cup finely diced apples & a hint of fresh mint for similar magical effects.
Magical Attributes: Protection from Faery folk, trust, beauty, energy for attraction, & magical ambience. Can also be eaten on Lammas, St. Valentines Day, or Hallow's Eve.

Dandelion Salad

1 Dishpan full of young dandelion leaves
4 Strips of bacon
1/2 c Sugar
2 T Flour
1 ea Egg beaten
1 t Salt
1/2 c Vinegar
1 1/2 c Water
3 ea Eggs, hard boiled, diced
Wash, drain, and cut up tender dandelion leaves. Brown bacon; remove drippings and crumble Combine sugar and flour. Add egg, salt, vinegar, and water and mix until smooth.
Pour into bacon drippings and heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens.
Pour warm dressing over dandelion. add crumbled bacon and hard boild eggs. Toss lightly and serve immediatly.

Strawberry Crisp

1 c Uncooked Oatmeal
1 c All purpose Flour
1 c Brown Sugar
1/4 c Chopped Walnuts
1/2 c Butter or margarine
1/2 c Sugar
3 c Sliced fresh or frozen Strawberry
Mix together oatmeal, flour and brown sugar. Add nuts. Cut in butter or margarine until crumbly. In another bowl, mix strawberries and white sugar together. Grease an 8" square pan. Spread half the crumb mixture on bottom. Cover with strawberries. Spread remaining crumb mixture over top. Bake at 350 deg F oven for 45 minutes. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or topping.

Jam Filled Lemon Tarts

--from Auramooth's Wiccan Page
1--3oz package softened cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.

2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Add sugar and lemon.
1 cup flour
Mix in flour. Gather dough into two balls, chill one hour. Roll out dough, cutting 2" disks out with cutter. Spoon 1/4" of jam into center of disc. Gather edges into three equally spaced corners--like a tricorn hat--and roll points over slightly, pinching shut. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Tasty jam: rhubarb ginger, apricot, cherry, etc.

BELTANE SPELLWORK

Spellwork is a funny thing for me. I believe that people need to create their own spells as much and as often as possible. Since the majority of spellwork is about personal intent and prayer, using someone else’s spells is like wearing someone else’s shoes.   Well, ok, maybe not that gross but hopefully you get my point.

Remember, Spellwork is about making something *happen*, not about giving thanks.  It is about using and harnessing energies that float all around us and tunneling them into places that we want to use and grow with and from.  Spellwork, like many other things in a Pagan path, can be as elaborate or as a simple as lighting a candle with intention.

That said, here are some ideas for Beltane Spellwork -- they are about fetility....in whatever manner you are seeking fertility.  As discussed in this sabbat's Paperless Publication, fertility can come in so many forms.  Take some time during this sabbat's passing to really sit down and do a list of fertility goals in your life.

THEMES:
Fertility (again, get creative!!!)
Garden and growth of items
Focus on the continuing growth of the year
Earth Day (although it will have passed by Beltane, this is still an option to look at)
Forward movement -- such as job, school, goals
Growth of your mind -- your biggest asset
Honouring the passing waxing part of the year

IDEAS:
?  Fertility for personal growth -- getting back into school, committing to reading more about your Craft and path

 ?  Blessings of plants and herbs you have currently growing

?  Continuing growth during the last 7 weeks of the waxing part of the year, honouring the life-giving force of the Sun

?  Moving toward a better financial situation in the sense of habits, etc. during this waxing part of the year so the habits are more ingrained during the upcoming waning part of the year.

?  Giving thanks and honour for the good things that have happened during the past 6 months, gifts of the Goddess, gifts of your spellwork, etc.

?  Giving thanks that we have made it through yet another Mercury Retrograde

BELTANE RITUAL

BRINGING IN FERTILITY

Historical accounts of various Beltane activities show that the Celts were working towards ensuring fertility of their lands and oftentimes fertility of their homes. Following Imbolg and Ostara, it wraps up the ‘fertility’ aspect of the Wheel of the Year as we move into Midsummer.

The Beltane Ritual you find below is about bringing fertility to YOURSELF in whatever form you specify. Grow in many venues is extremely important to Pagans and there is no better time to work towards fertility than now.

Basic needs:
Seasonal altar cloth – choose colours or fabrics that speak to you
3 tapers, preferably dripless
3 candlestick holders
A headwreath of flowers
candles and candleholders for corners
items to represent the elements if you wish
smudge stick
libation
offering
salt
water
Incense
Items to ask for blessings during this growth in the sun period – maybe job listings, maybe a project you are working on or just some mental image you will concentrate on

Extras:
Compass and lighter if necessary

BEFORE THE RITUAL:

Set up circle with altar cloth, candles, items to bless and/or focus on, incense & holder libation and offering in the center.

Gather up the headwreath you have. It will be placed in the center of the altar cloth, with ‘growth’ items placed either in it or on it.

Keep smudge stick, salt, water and lighter available for circle casting.

Place candles and items to represent the elements.

RITUAL ITSELF:

Cast circle in your preferred method. I do three passes – one with smudge stick, one with salt and one with water.

Call corners in your preferred method, lighting candle for each as you go.

"Mother and Father, as you come together today
Bringing joy to all that are living.
We stand here with you and honour all blessings
And give thanks for the fertility we are given."

Gather the head wreath in your hands.

"This circle in my hands,
is the circle of all living things.
Covered with flowers and green,
Sprung up from the passing Spring.”

"No beginning and no end,
Use this circle to show me,
How fertility will circle my life.”

Light the incense and candles.

While lighting the three candles, say:

"Sun, Moon and Spirit
Be with us this day.
Balance and life are with us
Spinning the Wheel again."

Gather the items that you wish to ask for blessings of and pass them through the incense for purification. Consecrate the headwreath in the same fashion.

"God and Goddess, please grant growth
To what I lay before you
To give light, beauty and strength
For all to grow anew. "

Gather libation and offering:

"I offer up this draught in honour of day and night
Striving to maintain fertility in my life and hearth.

I offer up this offering in honour of day and night
Striving to maintain fertility in my life and hearth."

Drink and eat, offering to those around you, being sure to leave some for offering after ritual to the nature around you.

To close ritual say:

"As the Wheel of the Year turns
And we begin to make another round
We give heartfelt thanks for what has come
Watching the web of the world be wound."

Release the circle and quarters. Leave libation and offering, if you so choose. Display the headwreath on your altar or some other prominent place – consider hanging it above the altar on the wall or adorning your bed somehow (although don’t tempt the Goddess if you don’t want to become pregnant).

Beltane: Its History and Modern Celebration in Wicca in America
by Rowan Moonstone

The celebration of May 1st, or Beltane as it is known in Wicca Circles, is one of the most important festivals of our religious year. I will attempt here to answer some of the most often asked questions about this holiday. An extensive bibliography follows the article so that the interested reader can do further research.

   1.

      Where does the festival of Beltane originate?

      Beltane, as practiced by modern day Witches and Pagans, has its origins among the Celtic peoples of Western Europe and the British Isles, particularly Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
   2.

      What does the word Beltane mean?

      Dr. Proinsias MacCana defines the word as follows: "... the Irish name for May Day is Beltane, of which the second element, 'tene', is the word for fire, and the first, 'bel', probably means 'shining or brilliant'."1 The festival was known by other names in other Celtic countries. Beltaine in Ireland, Bealtunn in Scotland, Shenn do Boaldyn on the Isle of Mann and Galan Mae in Wales.2
   3.

      What was the significance of this holiday to the ancients?

      To the ancient Celts, it symbolized the coming of spring. It was the time of year when the crops began to sprout, the animals bore their young and the people could begin to get out of the houses where they had been cooped up during the long dark cold winter months. Keep in mind that the people in those days had no electric lights or heat and that the Celtic countries are at a much more northerly latitude than many of us are used to. At that latitude, spring comes much later and winter lasts much longer than in most of the US. The coming of fair weather and longer daylight hours would be most welcome after a long cold and dark winter.
   4.

      How did the ancient Celts celebrate this festival?

      The most ancient way of observing this day is with fire. Beltane, along with Samhain (Nov. 1), Imbolc (Feb. 1), and Lughnassadh (Aug. 1), was one of the four great "fire festivals" which marked the turning points of the Celtic year. The most ancient records tell us that the people would extinguish all the hearth fires in the country and then relight them from the "need fires" lit by the druids (who used friction as a means of ignition). In many areas, the cattle were driven between two great bonfires to protect them from disease during the coming year. It is my personal belief, although I have no documentation to back up the assumption, that certain herbs would have been burnt in the fires, thus producing smoke which would help destroy parasites which might make cattle and other livestock ill.
   5.

      In what other ways was this festival celebrated?

      One of the most beautiful customs associated with this festival was "bringing in the May." The young people of the villages and towns would go out into the fields and forests at Midnight on April 30th and gather flowers with which to bedeck themselves, their families and their homes. They would process back into the villages, stopping at each home to leave flowers and to receive the best of food and drink that the home had to offer. This custom is somewhat similar to "trick or treat" at Samhain and was very significant to the ancients. John Williamson, in his study "The Oak King, the Holly King and the Unicorn" writes: "These revelers were messengers of the renewal of vegetation, and they assumed the right to punish the niggardly, because avarice (as opposed to generosity) was dangerous to the community's hope for the abundance of nature. At an important time like the coming of summer, food, the substance of life, must be ritually circulated generously within the community in order that the cosmic circuit of life's substance may be kept in motion (trees, flocks, harvests, etc.)."3 These revelers would bless the fields and flocks of those who were generous and wish ill harvests on those who withheld their bounty.
   6.

      What about maypoles?

      The maypole was an adjunct to the festival of bringing in the May. It is a phallic symbol, and as such represented fertility to the participants in the festival. In olden days, the revelers who went into the woods would cut a tree and bring it into town, decking it with flowers and greenery and dance around it clockwise (also called deosil, meaning "sun-wise", the direction of the sun's apparent travel across the face of the Earth) to bring fertility and good luck. The ribbons which we associate with the maypole today were a later addition.
   7.

      Why was fertility important?

      The people who originated this custom lived in close connection with the land. If the flocks and fields were fertile, they were ableto eat; if there was famine or drought, they went hungry. It is hard for us today to relate to this concept, but to the ancients, it was literally a life and death matter. The Celts were a very close tribal people, and fertility of their women literally meant continuity of the tribe.
   8.

      How is the maypole connected with fertility?

      Many scholars see the maypole as a phallic symbol. In this aspect, it is a very powerful symbol of the fertility of nature and spring.
   9.

      How did these ancient customs come down to us?

      When Christianity came to the British Isles, many of the ancient holy sites were taken over by the new religion and converted to Christian sites. Many of the old Gods and Goddesses became Christian saints, and many of the customs were appropriated. Charles Squire says," An ingenious theory was invented after the introduction of Christianity, with the purpose of allowing such ancient rites to continue with a changed meaning. The passing of persons and cattle through flame or smoke was explained as a practice which interposed a magic protection between them and the powers of evil."4 This is precisely what the original festival was intended to do; only the definition of "evil" had changed. These old customs continued to be practiced in many areas for centuries. "In Scotland in 1282, John, the priest in Iverkething, led the young girls of his parish in a phallic dance of decidedly obscene character during Easter week. For this, penance was laid upon him, but his punishment was not severe, and he was allowed to retain his benefice."5
  10.

      Were sacrifices practiced during this festival?

      Scholars are divided in their opinions of this. There is no surviving account of sacrifices in the legends and mythology which have come down to us. As these were originally set down on paper by Christian monks, one would think that if such a thing had been regularly practiced, the good brothers would most certainly have recorded it, if for no other reason than to make the pagans look more depraved. There are, however, some surviving folk customs which point to a person representing the gloom and ill fortune of winter being ostracized and forced to jump through the fires. Some scholars see this as a survival of ancient human sacrificial practices. The notion that animals were sacrificed during this time doesn't make sense from a practical standpoint. The animals which had been retained a breeding stock through the winter would either be lean and hungry from winter feed, or would be mothers nursing young, which could not be spared.
  11.

      How do modern day pagans observe this day?

      Modern day pagan observances of Beltane include the maypole dances, bringing in the May, and jumping the cauldron for fertility. Many couples wishing to conceive children will jump the cauldron together at this time. Fertility of imagination and other varieties of fertility are invoked along with sexual fertility. In Wiccan and other Pagan circles, this is a joyous day, full of laughter and good times.
  12.

      What about Walpurgisnacht? Is this the same thing as Beltane?

      Walpurgisnacht comes from an Eastern European background, and has little in common with the Celtic practices. I have not studied the folklore from that region and do not consider myself qualified to write about it. As the vast majority of Wiccan traditions today stem from Celtic roots, I have confined myself to research in those areas.

Footnotes

   1. MacCana, Proinsias, Celtic Mythology, The Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited, London, 1970, p.32.
   2. Squire, Charles, Celtic Myth and Legend, Poetry and Romance, Newcastle Publishing Co., Van Nuys, CA, 1975, p.408.
   3. Williamson, John, The Oak King, the Holly King, and the Unicorn, Harper & Row, NY, 1986, p.126.
   4. Squire, p.411.
   5. Hole, Christina, Witchcraft In England, Rowman & Littlefield, Totowa, NJ, 1977, p.36.

Bibliography

    * Bord, Janet & Colin, Earth Rites, Fertility Practices in Pre-Industrial Britain, Granada, London, 1982.
    * Danaher, Kevin, The Year in Ireland, The Mercier Press, Cork, 1972.
    * Hole, Christina, Witchcraft in England, Rowman & Littlefield, Totowa NJ,1977.
    * MacCana, Proinsias, Celtic Mythology, The Hamlyn Publishing Group, Ltd., London, 1970.
    * MacCulloch, J.A. Religion of the Ancient Celts, Folcroft Library Editions, London, 1977.
    * Powell, T.G.E. The Celts, Thames & Hudson, New York, 1980.
    * Sharkey, John, Celtic Mysteries, the Ancient Religion, Thames & Hudson, New York, 1979.
    * Squire, Charles, Celtic Myth, Legend, Poetry, and Romance, Newcastle Publishing Co., Van Nuys, CA, 1975.
    * Williamson, John, The Oak King, The Holly King and the Unicorn, Harper & Row, New York, 1986.
    * Wood-Martin, W.G., Traces of the Elder Faiths of Ireland, Kennikat Press, Port Washington, NY, 1902.

BELTANE FOOD

We barbeque a LOT in our household, especially come summer in Florida – WHO wants to cook in that heat?

The Beltane meal will be a BBQ and what is more fitting given that one of the symbols of the sabbat is fire! I kept the menu simple as it is summer here already and time should be spent lying about reading books, not slaving in the kitchen. *GRIN*

MENU is for 6 people

Tomato & Mozzarella Salad
Chuck’s Big Piece of Beef
Parmesan Corn on the Cob
Sugar Snap Peas & Peppers
Grilled Vegetables
Wheat Rolls (store bought from the most fantastic local bakery ever – The French Pantry)
Angel Food cake and Strawberries
Watermelon slices

Tomato Mozzarella Salad

6 tomatoes, thinly sliced
9 oz Mozzarella, thinly sliced
15 basil leaves, chopped
3 tablespoon tarragon vinegar
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, sliced very thinly
salt and pepper
3 crushed clove garlic

Arrange tomato and Mozzarella, layering some onion in-between, alternately on platter. Sprinkle with basil. Combine remaining ingredients and shake well. Pour over salad.

Chuck’s Big Piece of Beef

This is really a no-brainer. We use a wonderful butcher here in town and purchase 2 ½ pound piece of beef tenderloin, season it with salt and pepper and then Chuck smokes/grills it until it is done perfectly. Those who know Chuck’s cooking can attest that he can really do right by a piece of lovely meat. It is seasoned simply because that allows the beef taste to really ring out, clear and true…and why else would you spend $25 on a piece of meat if you are going to cover it up.

For your menu, use your favorite beef recipe for the grill and do it up just the way you like it!

Parmesan Corn on the Cob

This is done in the micro, and that is alright because between the steak and the grilled veggies, the grill is chock full up and it also means I don’t have to heat up the stove.

6 ears fresh corn
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried whole salad herbs

Remove husks and silks from corn just before cooking. Combine butter and remaining ingredients, stirring well. Spread mixture on corn, and place each ear on a piece of heavy-duty plastic wrap.

Roll wrap length-wise around each ear, and twist wrap at each end. Arrange ears of corn, spoke-fashion, on a microwave-safe plate.

Microwave corn on High 10-13 minutes, rearranging ears occasionally. Cooking time will vary depending on size of ears.

Sugar Snaps and Peppers

2 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pound fresh Sugar Snap peas, trimmed
2/3 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
2/3 cup finely chopped sweet yellow pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cook garlic in olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, 1-2 minutes.   Add peas and sweet peppers; cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Try to cook this dish at the absolute end so the veggies don’t get mushy.

Grilled Vegetables

I marinate lengthwise slices of zucchini and eggplant in a vinaigrette of oil, salt, pepper and crushed garlic (completely made to taste) for 24 hours and then put them on the grill. The lengthwise slices mean they are not going to slip through the grill slats. These are good to be the first thing put on the grill because they are yummy to munch on.

Angel Food cake and Strawberries

I make a cake from a box (they really are good, I promise). I make this the day before. While the cake is baking, I slice the strawberries up and throw them in a glass bowl, sprinkle some sugar and some lemon zest over them and let them sit overnight. Top with a dollop of homemade whip cream and it is to die for.

Watermelon slices:

I slice a big, seedless watermelon and sprinkle some finely chopped mint over it to give it a little kick. I leave a portion without mint for the kids.

I knot this garland
That love may bloom,
Love from the Earth!
Love from the Air!
Love from the Fire!
Love from the Water!
Garland of flowers,
Make love bloom.
 
- Scott Cunningham, Spell  Crafts
 
Beltane
Springtime Rituals, Lore &  Celebration
by Raven Grimassi
 
The Beltane season is one of the most  festive of the year.  You can create
both new and time-honored arts and  crafts to celebrate Beltane.  Perhaps you
might even want to bring back  some of the old May Day traditions such as
leaving a small May basket of flowers  on a neighbor's door or porch.  The flowers
can be selected according to  their meanings in folklore, as noted in chapter
4.
 
The craft projects described in this  chapter include a May Day wreath, a May
garland, a Maypole table centerpiece, a  May basket, and pentacle braids to
enhance one's appearance at a May  festival.  Read over the instructions and
note the supplies needed before  trying to make any of the items.
 
May Wreath
 
Grapevine wreath
Variety of flowers
Greenery (ivy, rosemary, myrtle,  etc.)
Decorative items (ribbons, figurine  to set in wreath opening, raffi, etc.)
Scissors
Glue or hot glue gun
 
1.  Assemble supplies:   grapevine wreath, greenery, various flowers, moss,
glue gun and glue sticks,  scissors, and raffi.
 
2.  The greenery goes on  first.  Weave, wrap, or tuck it into the grapevine.
  Glue it in  strategic places if necessary.  Ivy, myrtle, rosemary, and moss
are just a  few of the choices.  Use fresh or dried.  The moss tucks nicely
into  the grapevine weave.
 
3.  Place a variety of flowers  loosely around the greenery on the wreath
before gluing them in place.  If  the flower has a stem, again it can be tucked
into the grapevine and then glued  at the base of the flower head.  If the
stems are brittle and break easily,  just glue the flower head directly in place.
 
4.  After all the flowers are in  place you can add the little extra items
that will make it unique.  Use  your imagination - ribbons, a fairy figure,
beads, crystals, etc.
 
May Garland
 
Sprigs of greenery (myrtle, rosemary,  bay leaves, etc.)
Variety of fresh or dried  flowers
Ribbons
Floral wire
Wire cutters
Scissors
Glue or hot glue gun and  sticks
 
A single "backbone" that runs the  full length of the garland is the secret
to its structure.  heavy gauge  wire for heavier materials such as evergreens
is wise.  Evergreens, herbs,  fresh or dried flowers are just a few of the
choices.  Myrtle for May would  be very appropriate as it is sacred to the fairies
and is lightweight.   Fresh flowers can be kept alive with floral water tubes.
 
The basic rule of construction is to  start at one end and move toward the
other, allowing each bundle of greenery to  cover the means of attachment over
the next one.  Deciding how long you  want the garland to be will determine how
much material will be  needed.
 
1.  Assemble clumps of flowers,  wrapping the stems together tightly with
floral wire.  Make as many as  desired for every sprig or to be scattered
throughout.
 
2.  Wire flower clumps to sprigs  of greenery, either on main stem area or to
other stem parts.
 
4.  Now use a continuous wire,  unwinding the spool as you work (this is the
spine).  Start by overlapping  one sprig onto another and wire together on the
thickest stem parts.  Try  to obscure the wire wrap with greenery.  Continue
to wire together until  the desired length is accomplished.
 
5.  Here is the fun and  finishing part - add ribbons (with bells or beads).
Glue on buttons,  beads, crystals, and seasonal decor.  String the garland
over the doorway,  along the door jam, on the mantle, or wherever you desire.
Enjoy the  vision.
 
Maypole Centerpiece
 
18" wood dowel or thin  branch
6-9" diameter flat round wooden  plaque
Small grapevine wreath, approximately  6=8" diameter, decorated on both sides
1 year each of red and white  ribbon
Scissors
Drill and a 1/4" drill  bit
1- 1 1/4" flathead wood screw (adjust  length to thickness of wood plaque as
screw will need to extend through the  plaque to secure the dowel on the other
side)
Hot glue gun and glue stick (or  carpenter's glue)
 
1.  Assemble your  supplies:  the dowel, round plaque, ribbons, glue gun and
sticks, and the  small grapevine wreath.
 
2.  Drill pilot holes completely  through the center of plaque and 1/2" deep
into the bottom end of the  dowel.
 
3.  Cross the ribbons and glue  on top end of the dowel.
 
4.  Attach the dowel to the  stand by screwing the screw through the plaque,
and then into the bottom end of  the dowel.
 
5.  Glue wreath on top of the  dowel by melting a medium dab of glue on top
of the crossed ribbons and on the  bottom of the wreath, then join the wreath
to the top of the dowel.  To  make it more secure wait a few minutes and then
glue around the edge of the  wreath where it meets the dowel, filling in gaps.
 
6.  Braid the ribbons - one  color going left and under the other color,
which is moving right.  Braid  about 2 inches down the dowel and tack to the dowel
with hot glue to keep in  place.  When set, tack the ends of the ribbons to
the edge of the wood  plaque with hot glue.
 
7.  You can also add a small  figurine, a bird figure, or other symbolic
items in the opening of the  wreath.
 
May Day Cone Basket
 
Construction paper
Glue or tape
 
1.  Out of bright colored  construction paper cut a circle that is about 12
inches in diameter, then cut a  triangle or wedge out of the circle, allowing
for 1/2-inch overlap.  Roll  the paper into a cone and glue or tape the two
sides together.
 
2.  Cut a strip of construction  paper that is approximately 12 inches by 2
inches.  Glue or tape it onto  the top of your cone to make a handle.  Fill
your cone basket with real or  homemade flowers and hang it on a neighbor's or
friend's doorknob in the early  morning while everyone is asleep.
 
If you enjoy these book excerpts, we  encourage you to support the author by
purchasing this or other books by him. If  possible, support your local Pagan
community by purchasing at a local Pagan  shop. You can also find the books at
neighborhood or online booksellers, or  online Pagan shops. Below are listed
other books by Raven  Grimassi.
 
Wiccan Magick
Wicca Mysteries
Italian Witchcraft
Heriditary Witchcraft
and many  more!

Beltane is the "old" pagan name for the May Day
festivities still celebrated today.  Useful for both
drawing a new love interest into your life and
deepening the passion in your existing relationship,
this Beltane Love Spell provdes just the spark to
kindle a little romance and old-fashioned passion.
 
List of Items needed:
 
Red altar cloth - 2 pink candles with holders - 1
finger sized clear quartz crystal point - vanilla
inscense and censer or vanilla oil and diffuser.
 
Spinning the Spell:
 
Draw a circle and set your dream guardian in place.
Next put the two pink candles in holders on your altar
side by side about four inches apart.  Then light the
candles.  Place the clear quartz crystal point between
the candles with the point toward you.  Gaze at the
crystal, and sense or see the image of your lover (or
prospective lover) within the crystal.  As you gaze
into the crystal, chant these words of power...
 
"Candle light, lover's fire
Burn strong, burn bright.
Crystal fire, lover's desire
Burn strong, burn bright.
Sacred love, sacred light
Beloved, be mine tonight."
 
Leave the circle open while you sleep, allowing the
candles and incesne to safely burn all the way down.
In the early morning take the crystal outside and wash
it in the morning dew and then place it under your
mattress.  Then pull up the circle and release your
dream guardians.
 
 
This spell was taken from the book "Dream Magic -
Night Spells and Rituals for Love, Prosperity and
Personal Power" by: Sirona Knight

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