About Beltane

As the Wheel turns to Beltane, we are at the peak of Spring. Flowers are blooming all around us and the leaves on the trees are unfolding and stretching out their fingers. Birds are singing and warm breezes are blowing. The energy of Gaia is at its strongest, abundant and fertile on all levels. Life has returned and the Earth is offering herself to us, inviting us to drink in her beauty and know that we are part of her. She encourages us to fully inhabit our bodies, so that we may physically connect with life and feel this energy coursing through us as well.

It is a time to rejoice in ourselves and in our world for new life is coming into form all around us. 

​

At Beltane, the Maiden Goddess has reached her fullness and represents the peak of Earth’s fertility and the Young God is in the prime of his virility and strength. They are balanced in age and power, truly equals, and they fall in love. The union is consummated, the sacred marriage, the union of Mother Earth and Father Sky, Heiros Gamos. Beltane is the celebration of this union, for together, they create the Divine energy of pure creation, of bringing it forth into form. 

​

Beltane offers us the opportunity to embody and become our Mother’s seasonal energies, of pleasure and lushness. To become the sacred union of the Goddess and God, to marry the feminine and masculine vibrations within us. To marry our receptivity and sensitivity, our inward knowing with the energy of action and doing, expansion and movement. It is a brilliant moment in the Wheel of the Year to bring ideas, hopes and dreams into action. Every cell in our body has a direct relationship with this divine, creative life force, and we can summon the energy, that is here to fuel our dreams, our ambitions, our creativity. 

​

History of Beltane

Historically, the ancient Celts divided their year into two parts: the Dark Half, which consisted of harvesting crops, cold weather, and conserving food stores to last them until the Light Half of the year. Beltane marked the beginning of the warm, bright half of the year and was a sacred bridge between the hardships of winter and the abundance of summer. It was celebrated when the Hawthorn trees started to bloom, usually occurring in late April or the beginning of May. In Celtic mythology, the Hawthorn is one of the most sacred trees, symbolizing love and protection. It is a tree of magical enchantment and also known as the Fairy Tree, as fairies live under the Hawthorn as its guardians, and so were treated with great respect and care.

The word 'Beltane' originates from the Celtic God 'Bel', meaning 'the bright one' and the Gaelic word 'teine' meaning fire. Together they make 'Bright Fire', or 'Goodly Fire' and traditionally bonfires (good fires) were lit to honor the Sun and encourage the support of Bel and the Sun's light to nurture the future harvest and protect the community. Traditionally all fires in the community were put out and a special fire was kindled for Beltane:

"This was the Teineigen, the need fire. People jumped the fire to purify, cleanse and to bring fertility. Couples jumped the fire together to pledge themselves to each other. Cattle and other animals were driven through the smoke as a protection from disease and to bring fertility. At the end of the evening, the villagers would take some of the Teineigen to start their fires anew." ~ From Sacred Celebrations by Glennie Kindred