Beltane Ritual
Beltane is a festival celebrating spring, and welcoming summer. Beginning on April 30th at sunset and going until May 1st at sunset. It is a time to think about the coming summer and offer blessings and protections. It’s an optimistic time that honors abundance and fertility. A time of appeasing the spirits and the earth in hopes of bountiful summer.
A bountiful summer might be less about livestock and plantings, and more about enjoying the warm weather with friends and family. It might be planning camping trips, vacations, and outings. Now is a time to consider the “seeds” you are planting for the coming year.
To me, the eight Sabbats are periodical times of the year to check in with the earth and honor the changing seasons. Don’t be afraid to make your own sabbats and rituals. I usually change my altar to reflect the season and try to find time for a ceremony or journaling. Below are some suggestions to put together your own ritual. I like to think about the different ways I can bring the elements together to make cohesive ritual, so I’ve broken them up as such below.
The Element of Fire
Beltane is about the coming summer, and many traditional practices revolve around fire. Bonfires were danced around, and a fire was used for protection and abundance.
Create a sacred fire - anything from a bonfire to a candle will work. Use this sacred fire to light other fires throughout your house. Spread the joy of the sun around your space. Think of the ways energy and fire can fuel your upcoming projects.
Use fire and ash to protect - Since the beginning of time humans have used fire as a symbol of protection. It warms us, it guards against the darkness and inspires us. Walk around the perimeter of your home with a candle or torch and ask for protection. Use the ash or soot from your sacred fire to anoint your forehead or wrists.
Journal about love and fertility - Sex and love are rituals in their own right, what do you want this part of your life to be like? Are you happy where you are? Are you looking to attract a partner? If so what does that relationship look like? Fertility isn’t just about producing offspring. It can be about growing something that lasts--a project, a home, a relationship, or an actual child.
The Element of Earth
The earth is blooming again, and the cycle begins anew. This is a time to celebrate the circle of life.
Decorate your altar - Use fresh flowers and plants to decorate your altar and sacred spaces. Use bright spring and summer colors to bring in joy and abundance. Other symbols of fertility and abundance, like eggs, are great additions as well
Create a maypole - If you have enough people, a true maypole is so much fun. If not you can still weave a small one for your altar. Use colorful ribbon and string to create a pattern along the stick or pole. Consider how we weave the threads of our life.
Grow something from a seed - We can’t all be farmers, but growing a small herb on your kitchen windowsill can be a small but powerful ritual. I am not much of a gardener. I seem to do fine with house plants, but growing seeds has been a struggle. Nurturing a small little seed into a plant has been a humbling experience. What the cycles of nature can accomplish automatically, is a process for myself. Contemplate what other things you nourish in your life.
The Essence of Spirit
Make offerings to the spirits and the earth - Beltane was a time to ask the earth and the spirits of the land for their protection and blessings. Give thanks with offerings of wine, flowers, and food. Decorate a tree or bush with brightly colored ribbons for the spirits and the fae.
Listen to the spirits - Some believe like Samhain, the veil is at it’s thinnest during this time. Meditate quietly and listen. Try to pay more attention during the days surrounding Beltane. Are there subtle hints and clues
Do a tarot spread - Any tarot spread will do. A Beltane themed four card spread is. I like to put the seed card closet to me, then the water and sun, then the blossom at the top.
Seed - what are you planting?
Sun - How can you apply energy to this?
Water - How can you nourish this?
Blossom - The outcome
The Element of Water
Water nourishes and cleanses us. In some traditions, sacred wells were visited and decorated during Beltane.
Collect some holy water - The first water drawn from a well on Beltane was thought to be especially potent. As was morning dew. Collect some of this water to use in spells or rituals.
Take a ritual bath - In many religions and cultures, water cleanses and purifies. We are made from water, we are incubated in water in the womb, and we need water to survive. Draw a ritual bath. Add candles, bath salts, and incense to the space. Maybe even fresh or dried flowers to the bath. Cleanse away the dirt and grime of winter, and be rebirthed in the new season.
The Element of Air
Smoke to purify and protect - Burn lilac, rose, or frankincense incense. Use the smoke to cleanse you, your ritual tools, and your home.
Speak your magic - Words are power. You’ll notice I don’t give you any words to speak during your rituals. I do this because I think it’s essential to find our own words. As you do a ritual speak aloud your offerings of gratitude. Don’t worry about being poetic. Be honest and true. If you want poetic words maybe take some time to write them ahead of time.
Meditate and journal - Think about what a bountiful summer means to you. What do you want to grow? How will you tend to your garden? And I say this literally, and figuratively.