There are two times of the year when the veil that separates this plane from the next grows thin, making communication with the dead easier, among other things. At Samhain we often invite our dead to sup with us, preparing their favorite foods and drink and setting them out on our tables. Our rituals tend toward the somber at Samhain.
But at Beltane, opposite Samhain on the Wheel of the Year, our rituals are filled with rejoicing, celebrating the awakening of the earth, the growth all around us, and yes, the fertility that will see us through another long winter.
It is a good time to remind us that life will find a way. Even as the society we built cracks under the strain of this pandemic and all that accompanies it, the earth puts forth sprouts and leaves and flowers. In the animal kingdom, babies are born, ensuring that their species will continue. All around us are the signs that if we just hold on through this “winter” life will begin anew.
And maybe, just maybe, we can learn from Mother Earth’s example, and create something new.
We don’t usually stress communicating with the dead at Beltane, but with so many of us channeling life skills that helped our ancestors survive, maybe it’s time we did. Reach out to great-grandma to get her secrets to a successful sourdough starter (I can not get mine to do what it’s supposed to). Call out to your great-great grandpa for advice on planting corn or tomatoes or what have you. Invite them to supper or pour out a cup.
Then go stick your hands in some dirt, grow something. You might be surprised at the joy it can give you.
Happy Beltane, Readers, may it bring you blessings and joy.
Cover Photo by Arno Smit on Unsplash
