Spring Ends, Summer Begins
Beltaine
Beltaine, often spelled Beltane or called May Day, is the beginning of Summer. The earth is bursting with fertile energy, making this the best day for a handfasting or marriage ceremony, and for love, lust and sex magic. Festivals on this day include an abundance of flowers, and a sacred bonfire, traditionally made of nine woods.
Beltaine is a cross-quarter holiday, and marks the planting time, and in the endless cycle of the Horned God, it is the time of peak fertility when the He courts and impregnates the Goddess. Celebrations of this sacred reunion include dancing the Maypole, feasts, and outdoor activities of every sort.
Beltaine is a fertility celebration, making it a perfect time to celebrate weddings, handfastings, and unions of every sort. This abundance applies to all things, so this is a good time to focus on your garden, and to nurture your goals.
Metals and Stones
- Emerald
- Malachite
- Amber
- Carnelian
- Sapphire
- Rose Quartz
Herbs and Plants
- Frankincense
- Lilac
- Rose
Bonfire Woods
- Alder
- Apple
- Ash
- Birch
- Fir
- Grape Vine
- Hawthorne
- Hazel
- Holly
- Oak
- Rowan
- Willow
Beltaine: Spring becomes Summer
altar decorations and seasonal correspondences
Celebrate Beltaine by decorating your altar with the plants and colors of the season: use bright colors: green, pink, red, blue, yellow and brown, along with Lily of the valley, mint, elder, ivy, honeysuckle, lilac, rowan, rose and hawthorn.
This is a time of unions, so cord or knot magick is especially powerful. Celebrate the transition from spring to summer with foods like bread, honey, oat cakes, strawberries, cherries, wine and green salads
