There will be Beltane celebrations a plenty this week throughout the world and according to where you are and what greenery is available the old custom of garlnd making is always a lovely thing to do, to hang on your or someone else's door on the 1st May.
You should however take care as to what greenery you choose for some plants carry a specific message.
Always use plum for those who are glum
Always choose pear for those who are fair
Always use gorse for those who are coarse
Always choose vine for those who are fine
And so it goes on....
Enjoy your garland making and the deeper meanings behind them.
Blessed Beltane
Read more 'Mrs darley's Pagan Whispers'

May Marriages

The month of May is traditionally thought to belong to the Goddess and as such any man who was brave enough to marry during the month was said to fall prey to the lust and power of a woman!

The Romans too considered May an unlucky month for a wedding, due to the celebration of their festival of 'Lemuralia', at which sacrifices were made to purge each house of hostile spirits and therefore marriages were not considered wholly appropriate.

With the coming of Christianity, May became the month of the Virgin Mary and was a time associated with chastity and purity, therefore not a time to celebate the nuptuals!

If, however you are celebrating a wedding this month, may the Goddess smile upon you and bring you love, healthand happiness.

The Joy of Beltane

The season of Beltane is upon us, joyful, beautiful and life giving. Beltane was the festival that marked the beginning of the Celtic summer, it was a time when the animals were put out to pasture and was celebrated with acts of love, lust and fertility.

Many love chases were madethrough thewoods on Beltane Eve, an act which was referred to as 'going a maying'. Here lovers would spend the night in the woods, doing what came naturally to them and these liasons were often known as 'greenwood marriages'. The Puritan writer, Phillip Stubbs was quoted as saying:

'I have heard it credibly reported by men of great gravity, credit and reutation, that of fortie three score maids going to the woods over night, there have scarcely the third part of them returned home again undefiled.'

Even when more formal marriage rites were introduced, the rules were still relaxed at Beltane. Any children resulting from these unions were often called after spirits or legendary characters of the woods such as Jackson, after Jack in the Green, a derivation of the green man. Hodson, after Hod, a woodland sprite or Robinson after Robin Goodfellow from Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream or perhaps the legendary Robin Hood. Rudyard Kipling captured the essence of Beltane with these words:

Oh do not tell the priest of our art, or he would call it a sin: But we shall be out in the woods all night, a-conjuring summer in!'

May the season of Beltane bring you joy, love and hope.

From 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers'

June Marriages

The month of May has never boded well for marriages but where exactly did this superstition come from? In ancient times it was considered unlucky to marry in May, as this was the month of the Goddess and any man who married during this time would fall prey to the lust and power of a woman! For the Romans May saw the festival of Lemuralia at which sacrifices were made to purge the home of hostile spirits, hence marriages were not considered appropriate. With the arrival of Christianity May was seen as the month of the Virgin Mary, a time associated with chastity and purity, therefore again not approriate for marriage.

On the 1st June however all of May's restrictions were lifted and at one time this became the most popular month for weddings. The full moon in June (which falls on 26th this year) is usually rich in colour and was known as the 'honey moon', hence the term following a marriage became known as a honeymoon.

If you have a wedding or civil ceremony this month, may the Goddess bless your union.

The Old Festival of Beltane

Before the introduction of the Gregorian calander in 1752 there were 11 extra days in the year, which made the old fertility festival of Beltane appear on the 12th May rather than the 1st as we know it today. When the calander reforms took place there were riots in the streets, especially in Bristol where people considered themselves deprived of 11 days of life!

As this is the closest weekend to that date and it is also the time of the new moon in Taurus, the sign of sexuality, earthiness and sensual pursuits, perhaps it is time to make this weekend one of sharing if you are with a partner, or one of self indulgence if you are spending it alone.

Whatever you do, it gives us an opportunity for a second celebration of a festival that is fun, indulgent and loving. Enjoy!

The Festival of Beltane

Sunset on the 30th April heralds the Celtic festival of Beltane, the beginning of summer. It is a joyous festival and celebrates the gift of life in all its forms, from the gathering of greenery to decorate and protect homes, to making love in the woods until dawn. Many Pagans enact the marriage of the God and Goddess in their Beltane rituals which symbolises the masculine sun and the female earth, the union of which will hopefully result in an abundant earth as we move into the warmth and beauty of summer.

Celebrate this coming weekend by attending one of the many May Day festivals that are held around the country, perhaps the Green Man Festival in Clun Shropshire or the classic and evocative 'Obby 'Oss festival in Padstow Cornwall.

Whatever you decide to do for May Day however, make sure you celebrate the joy of life.