Beltane.

Oh my goodness! I don’t think there could be a more fun Celebration if I even tried…though Midsummer is also a fave this is one of the first years I’ve begun publicly embodying my deeper truths and so I dove right into the Spirit of this Gaelic/Pagan tradition with nothing but a smile on my face…

….which is just as Beltane should be; pure, sexual, nude, fun! Beltane literally translates into the Fires of Bel, Bel being Belenus or Pan! who is the God of Nature and similar to Cernunnos in Celtic traditions. Since I was raised in the white Western culture where none of these holidays or traditions are massly celebrated, I didn’t know too much about it in the past, other then the May Pole (seeing as I do dance with Trees and have my own Sacred Divination Pole in my apartment) and I’d often just do some Flower Magick or be outside among the Forest and Fae Creatures…

….now, having seen into the depths of my own soul I was feeling soooooooo excited to completely set the tone for Beltane moving forward in my own life experience. I spent some time at the Spring Equinox honouring Pan and including his Essence and Energy into my Moon Rituals and Embodied Ceremonies so I would be able to have a clear conduit to his Essence for this special time! In my personal experience working with Deities and Archetypal Structures I have found that if one doesn’t have a lot of experience working with them, it is best to dedicate some time to explore this in “baby steps” (this has been especially true for those who do Embodied Journeying or Ceremonial practices like I do) this allows me to “stir up” the polarities of how the Archetype might be interacting with my own Shadows and Light beings, that way I can be more consciously aware of whether it aligns with my Heart Truth or whether it’s just something that will work in opposition. I will write more about my experience with archetypal structures and how they influence the energetic body, but for this post just know that though we can honour and invoke a God or Deity, we can get blindsided in ignorance. It has happened to me a great many times and Lilith was probably one of the worst for me personally. She took me over since the opposing magician in me was in direct alignment with her Essence and my Innocent Denier self wasn’t aware of it.

Anyway, no need to be afraid; just be aware! Self Awareness is a key component of Magical Practices. So, anyway, since I’ve been working with different energetic streams of “the Horned God” in all his forms for a couple months in the days leading up to today, Beltane, Pan was ever present in my reality! I could feel his beast, saytr energy mixing in with the Faery Realms and I was honoured to include him in my Sexual Ritual Magick. I never did realize that I wanted beast, dragon and other fantasy Creatures to devour me sexually….but this is what holidays like Beltane can teach one about themselves 🙂 lol

My good friend Selkie helped me out by creating me a Beltane Playlist and sharing her family traditions with me, since she is from Germany where Beltane is widely celebrated. The week leading up to today I harvested some Hawthorn, Cherry and Violet flowers and leveraged the Full Moon to make essences, aura sprays and one Love Spell Infusion that I then added to a tea which I alchemized into a Love Potion that I will share with my Fae Sisters today when we fire dance this evening! Beltane is all about LOVE! Fertility, Sacred Sexuality and it was a time when the coming Summer was honoured and celebrated. Lovers could decorate May Poles as a phallic symbol of their love, the ribbons used in the past were white (for semen) and red (for menstrual cycle) this was a time when the Maiden stage or a Boy transitioning into a Man were honoured and held deeply sacred. Imagine if the western world celebrated our own sexuality like this!

For me personally, I have this Sword Stick that I had found after I had partaken in a Warrior Essence activation with Shamir from GridActivations… I wanted to leave my Hero/Maiden peter pantress self behind and so I mounted my old NG Sticks on my wall and had found a new more “mature” sword stick. I learned that in his culture the Swords decorated were viewed as a divine feminine embodiment and that the “word” on the sword was the masculine intention. This is very different thant our culture who would view the sword as masculine due to it phallic shape. So I’ve been carrying this “sword” in public as a way of allowing my own inner masculine to honour my femininity. Now, because it’s Beltane I have set it aside as my own personal adaptation of the May Pole and I will decorate it to celebrate.

I also had found two sticks that looked like Stag Antlers months back so last night when I was dancing naked around my candle ceremonial spell for new love and inner divine union, I decided to create my own hours/antlers and I think I will wear them today! Beltane in energy is beautiful and alive and feels like Nature’s Magic just embodied in a ritualistic experience. I have already gathered old things from past lovers that I will burn in the fires tonight as we dance at the beach. Yesterday I also spent time with Grandfather Sun, as the sun’s energy plays a large role in Beltane too! Dandelions are a great flower to honour this time of year, as they look like the sun, but you can also leverage the moons’ energy when they go to seed and you blow them to make a wish!

Leveraging Flowers Magicks is a special way to connect deeper into Nature. Always asking before to ensure you’re responding to which flowers would like to be included in your ceremony always yields better results than mindlessly picking them without care for the Faery Folks that live amongst and care for them. I always revisit places prior if I know I’ll be using them for Beltane, or any other magical ceremony. This way both the Fae and the Flowers know your intentions and they will infuse their full essence into what you’re planning, especially if it aligns with their goals and that of Mother Nature’s. Flower Crowns are a nice way to celebrate today, also if you are with a special lover doing a hand-fasting ceremony with plants and flowers, ribbons or otherwise can bring you both closer together.

Beltane is all about the Sacred Marriage that exists between Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine…. regardless of what vessel your soul inhabits, this can be a great time of year to move yourself into wholeness within, balancing The Horned God with the Trinity of Goddess works really well for me. I find Pan’s energy very focused on the Maiden so I personally pull out my own inner Pan to honour the Crone and Mother within as well! I’ve done this in numerous ways but for my own Heart led path specifically wearing the horns myself helps me feel more Crone in essence and pulling from my Dragon Heart Fire, which is an Essence so Sacred that I won’t be sharing too much about it yet….but Dragons were and are the TRUE Seers, this is my wisest, oldest Feminine Embodiment in truth….so pulling from the Horned God and the Dragon Queen energies in alchemy have helped me, a Mother myself, feel divinely honoured in a Sacred Union within…

…Anyway, I’m super excited for May Day! and I couldn’t be happier to have these things more present in my everyday life so I don’t have to make up stories hoping others will understand. I am not ashamed that I am from the Stars… I am no longer ashamed of my Heart Truths…

So I hope you all enjoy this very happy festive day! Happy Beltane!!!

~ Raven