Blessed Beltane

Wild Blessings!

Beltane is a celebration that falls on May 1st, midway between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice, the time of the Willow Moon. It is a time to honor the peak of springtime and the coming summer, a day to celebrate the new life that is emerging and the fertility that lies ahead.

Beltane is a time to honor themes of growth, abundance, protection, fertility, light, love and sexuality. It is a time when the world around us is greening and beginning to bloom. The Celtic word Beltane means “bright fire” or “fires of Bel” (Bel was a Celtic deity.) Traditionally, it has been a fire festival, a time for the God and the Goddess to wed, with a promise of future fruitfulness.

Beltane is a season to offer a bow of gratitude to the archetype of the Oak King; symbolic of the earth god’s lighter half, the Oak King now reigns, having replaced his twin and darker side, the Holly King. These twins can be understood as representations of the timeless mythology and wisdom of the annual cycles of summer and winter, light and dark, that we find in many cultures, including the Celts.

Beltane, indeed, carries the energies capable of renewing life and enhancing growth; a time to connect to the living, breathing energies of the universe, a time to offer gratitude, and a time to ask for continued blessings. Ultimately, it is a time to tune into the current of life, renewal, and optimism! 

I would like to share a traditional Beltane blessing with you all.

Beltane Blessing:

Bless, O Divine One, Queen of All, on this day of fire and flower,

my family and myself

my pets, my plants,

all wild things that share my world,

and all children of the Great Mother.

Bless everything within my dwelling, all my possessions, all my work.

I give them now to You, a crown of flame and flower.

I ask that you shield my loved ones between the Beltane fires.

On this May Day, bless everything and every one I touch.

May your tending follow them.

May your blessing make them fruitful. May your love embrace them.

You who gave me birth give birth now, I pray, to Your work of fire and flower in each detail of my life.

Bless, O Divine One, Queen of Love, on this day of fire and flower.

As I mentioned earlier, Beltane falls at the time of the Willow Moon. The Willow Moon is associated with rain and wetness, as well as the healing of pain. Willow bark contains salicin, which is a chemical similar to aspirin. In combination with the herb’s powerful anti-inflammatory plant compounds, salicin is thought to be responsible for the willow’s pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects. In addition, because new trees can grow from broken branches, the willow is associated with immortality. The tree is also well known for its flexibility. As Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “I am a willow of the wilderness, Loving the wind that bent me.” I would like to offer a traditional blessing to the Willow Moon, for anyone who may be interested.

Willow Moon Blessing:

Look up and see the Willow Moon,

The King of life blessing her;

Fragrant be every night upon which she shines!

May her luster be full to each one in need;

May her course complete, around all beset with trouble.

May her light above shine on everyone in dire danger;

May her bright guidance illumine all need.

May the Willow Moon shine through the rain clouds, on me and on every one clouded with dark tears.

May her light be Mystery’s hand in every danger I face, now and in each spiral of my death, and on each spiral of my rebirth.