Wheel of the Year 101: Beltane

So far in my “Wheel of the Year” series, we’ve talked about Imbolc and we’ve talked about Ostara. Now we get to talk about Beltane, commonly celebrated on May 1, and probably the most well known Sabbat after Samhain/Halloween. (Fitting, as Beltane and Samhain are opposite each other on the Wheel.) Beltane gets the most press as a wild fertility holiday full of bonfires and casual sex. It’s mentioned in, among other sources, Marion Zimmer Bradley’s “Mists of Avalon” and the musical “Camelot”. While Beltane IS a fertility holiday, don’t get the impression that all we do on this holiday is, uhm, frolic in the woods. Beltane is the third Sabbat on the Wheel, starting with Imbolc. It is also the last of the Spring fertility festivals. At Imbolc, Winter’s hold starts to recede… the snow melts, the early flowers begin peeking up, and many animals begin preparing for mating season. It’s a time of hope for future warmth. At Ostara, we can now begin planting our seeds. The days are warming, though the nights may still be chilly. Birds are nesting, and buds begin appearing on the trees. We can fully celebrate the end of Winter and turn our thoughts towards the future. At Beltane, not only are the days getting warmer, they are markedly longer. Baby animals can be found everywhere, and the trees are in full flower (and full pollen). Crops sewn at Ostara will be seedlings now. Now we can celebrate the fertility of the earth. The symbolism of Beltane is two-fold in this respect. On one level, we’re honoring that fertility all around us. On another level, we’re using sympathetic magic to encourage our crops to grow and flourish throughout the summer. For these reasons, Beltane is as much of an agricultural folk festival as it is a holy day. Traditional Beltane celebrations included fire-jumping, dancing the May Pole, outdoor festivals and feasting, rites honoring the Fairy Folk (as the veil is thin towards them here much as the veil is thin towards our deceased at Samhain), and trysts between lovers. I found a wonderful essay at Witchvox with a lot of Beltane facts and lore at http://www.witchvox.com/holidays/beltain. I recommend checking it out. While you’re there, be sure to check out their Circles, Events, and Festivals listings at http://www.witchvox.com/vn/vn_index/xeve. to see if there are any cool Beltane festivals in your area. I’ll be attending Fairie Festival in Pennsylvania this Beltane with a whole pack of friends (http://www.fairiefestival.net/) Dancing the May Pole is one of my favorite things to do around this time of year. Though it’s a little complicated, it’s worth it. Building a May Pole isn’t too difficult. You’ll need a sturdy pole about 10-12 feet high, one length of wide, strong ribbon for each person participating, an 18-20 foot circle of cleared flat ground, and a group of friends. Attach each length of ribbon to the top of the pole. Before sinking the pole into the ground, you may want to place a wreath over the top. Sink the pole into the ground so it’s straight and doesn’t wobble. Now comes the fun part. Have each participant stand in front of a ribbon. When the pick up the ribbons, the wreath will rise to the top of the pole. Now they dance around in a circle, weaving the ribbons around and around the pole, and the wreath will slowly slide down (as an obvious phallic symbolic penetration). The easiest way to dance is to have your group form an inner and outer circle around the pole. Have one circle go clockwise, the other go counter clockwise, and then the people will weave in and out of each other. It sounds a little complicated to explain, but it isn’t hard to do. The year my coven did it we had a ton of fun even though we kept mixing up who was supposed to weave in which direction. I’m sure the neighbors enjoyed the show! In my other Wheel of the Year essays, I’ve talked about how we can apply the symbolism of the Sabbats to our own personal goals. Imbolc was a time of gathering ideas, and I decided to try to declutter my apartment and work on my health. Ostara was a time of sowing the plans, and I talked a little about my strategies for meeting these goals. Beltane is a time of helping these plans to germinate. We’re beginning to put plan into action, laying the foundations for our harvest later in the year. To that end, I’ve been working out three times a week at the gym and I’ve been spring cleaning at my home. Take some time to pause and reflect on your own plans and goals for the year. Are you at a point now where you can start putting those plans into action? What sort of sympathetic magic could you use to spark the fertility of these plans? If you’re wondering about the term, since I tossed it out earlier as well, sympathetic magic is magic that uses the idea that like attracts like. The May Pole could be considered a form of sympathetic magic. You dance around and raise energy, and as you’re doing that the wreath at the top of the pole slides down. Doesn’t take much imagination to see that this is symbolic of sex. One idea for using sympathetic magic to achieve your goals is to buy a small plant and charge it during ritual with your intent to reach your goal. As you nourish that plant, caring for it and watering it, the magic will encourage you to take the same care with your goals. By the end of the summer when harvest time is near, you’ll have a healthy plant and a healthy goal. Simple, yet powerful. A few obligatory links for more research: http://www.witchvox.com/holidays/xbeltai. has an extensive list of Beltaine resources on the Witchvox site, including the site I mentioned earlier in the essay. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/72. is the Beltane section of Mike Nichols Wheel of the Year site. Mike’s writings are always well-researched and interesting, and I highly recommend checking this page out for more Beltane background info. Happy Beltane, everyone! Go out and enjoy Nature in all her spring finery on May 1.