Beltane, 2009

It is such a beautiful day here – full of life, a perfect Beltane. Hope it is where you are as well! The meditation below is similar to last year – I wanted to change it but couldn’t – it still feels like the right one for the day!

Calling the circle
As we contemplate Beltane, we summon the spirits of the East, spirits of Springtime, new beginnings, new starts. Spirits of the first light, of air, first breath, cool dawn. The power of life, springing forth. We call the spirits of the East and ask them to join our circle.

We call now to the spirits of the South, spirits of strength, power, warmth, clarity, motivation, energy, movement. Element of fire, bright fires lit at midday. The power of light, illuminating us. The fire that is our passion, burning deeply within is always. We call the spirits of the South and ask them to join our circle.

And we call to the Spirits of the West. Spirits of our deepest feelings, our strongest emotions, our truest love. A sunset over a calm ocean, a still lake reflecting back the sky, the still waters that run deep, deep within. Element of water, emanating the power of love. We call to the spirits of the West and ask them to join our circle.

Now we call the spirits of the North. Spirits of midnight, dark moonless skies in winter, places where truths are told. Element of earth, grounding us. Power of law, karma, ancestral wisdom, we call to the spirits of the North and we ask them to join our circle.

And we call to those spirits above us, the moon in her many faces, angels, stars, heavens, light beings everywhere, those souls not yet incarnate. Children of our children. We call the spirits above and ask them to join us.

And we call to the spirits below us, to the earth that grounds us and keeps us steady, the green kingdom with its deep roots and to the lava beneath the crust that impassions us. We call the spirits below and ask them to join us.

Finally, we call to the spirits of the center, where all the directions meet and merge and where they meet and merge in each one of us. The central flame. The sacred spirit. This circle is closed, a safe and sacred circle where everyone is welcome and free to express themselves.

Beltane thoughts/Talking stick
I was looking over my post from last year, which was about wishes mostly. I had forgotten that part of Beltane until just now. I’ve been thinking about it so much more as a celebration of the fertility of the land, which is so easy to do where I now live. It is rich and alive and buzzing. Gary and I just watched two mating dragonflies in the pond, flowers are blooming everywhere, the air is heavy with the smell of hawthorn and we ate our first fresh spinach from the garden last night. I was walking around the field behind our house to celebrate the day, to calm my mind and to forget that I was on conference calls until midnight last night, and what occurred to me is that despite all the things that can distract me from it, the truth of my life is that I am profoundly happy and deeply fulfilled. I love where I am, I love my family, my home, my work, my garden, my dreams for the future, all of it. I appreciate how lucky that makes me, too.

It is real life: there are real problems, real demands, real chaos sometimes, but underneath that, my spirit is quietly soaring along – fulfilled, singing, happy. A few weeks ago I wrote that I believe the energy of the God/dess as one that is ultimately genderless, but in this season, for me, it is hard not to be deep into the Goddess and all her many faces. I feel a part of the land and the traditions that date back for thousands of years on this day in particular and I am proud to say that I feel and celebrate the green witch in me.

My mind also turned to the Goddess Elen, whose ancient statue was found in the field that I was walking around, and thinking of how the people that worked and loved this land before me left their love for her in the earth along with the objects that represented her. I am honored to walk in their footsteps. Elen of the Ways is the protectress of paths in all their forms. At this Beltane I am asking Elen to bless my paths, wherever they may lead. Some paths I can see, others I can’t, but I know and remember that I am always being led.

Back to wishes. My wish tonight will be for Owen – and for myself to remember that every day with him is a gift and to treasure it that way. For myself, I think I only want to offer prayers of gratitude. I think a wish that the headlines of the world would return to something more balanced than crisis and plagues might be nice though – please join me in that one!

Meditation
Imagine yourself lying beneath a flowering hawthorn tree, its fragrance rich and thick all around you. The night is cool and clear; as you breathe in and out feel that you are breathing in time with the stars, that you are a part of the setting that surrounds you. Then allow yourself to imagine that you are getting smaller – smaller and smaller until you are so small that you can stand up and walk into the tree that you were lying underneath. Walking into the tree, looking up, note the vast branch system, how tall and high it is, looking down, note the vast root system, reaching down into the earth farther than you can see. Then, notice that one of the roots is larger than the others, and resembles a spiral staircase. Imagine then stepping onto the 13th step, the step of transformation, then spiraling down and around and inward to the 12th step, then down and around to the 11th and the 10th, spiraling down and around and inward to the 9th, then the 8th, then around and inward to the 7th and the 6th step. Then, pausing on the sixth step, note that as you look up you can no longer see the top, and looking down, that you can no longer see the bottom. You are standing in the middle of the spiral, in a moment of infinite perfection. If there is anything that you are carrying that you don’t want to take with you on your journey, you can leave it on this step. Continuing then to the 5th step and the 4th, spiraling around to the 3rd and the 2nd and then finally the 1st step, then stepping into a clearing with four doorways, each pointing in one of the four directions. Imagine yourself walking down the pathway that heads east.

It is midday, and you step out onto a path that leads into a grove, hawthorn, fruit trees, old oaks, the flowers and green branches reaching down to touch you as you walk past. The earth is rich and dark, and you follow the path deeper and deeper into the grove. You become aware of the beating of drums in the distance and head toward the sound. You feel the beating of your heart within you timing to the beat of the drum, evoking your truly wild self forth, joining your rhythm to the rhythm of the earth, the universe, God/dess.

The drum sounds get stronger as you come toward a large clearing. Looking into the clearing, you see that a gathering is taking place. There is a circle of stones with a large fire in the center. You note that the drummers are positioned in each of the four directions. In the clearing there are friends, family, ancestors, guides, and other light beings dancing to the drums. You step into the clearing and join the dance for a while, losing yourself in it. After a while, the drumming slows and the dancing subsides and you find the right place for you to be within the circle, as do the others. Finally, your wise woman comes into the circle. She comes to stand next to you. As she closes the circle, the drumming stops.

For a few moments, it is absolutely still. The sound of the stillness is as rich and deep as the sound of the drums had been only moments before. Your wise woman beckons you to come into the center of the circle, right in front of the fire. The drummers begin to play again, one at a time, starting from the east, then south, then west, then north. As the drums begin to get stronger, you start to dance again, a wild, freeing dance that comes from the core of you. A dance that weaves magic all around you, a dance filled with gratitude, love, longing, desire, passion. You feel the magic building as you dance, and as you move east, south, west, north, it moves all throughout the circle, the dance builds a life force that comes through you and out of you and up to the heavens and then down deep to the center of the earth. Then, when you are ready, you reach out and let that wild magical vital life force extend out of your body, throughout the whole of the grove, and outward, reaching into the hearts of everyone you love, and finally surrounding the entire earth in a loving embrace. The drums stop again, and you are again able to feel the depth of the energy even more profoundly in the stillness. You can move the energy just by willing it, and you will it anywhere you feel it needs to go. You feel completely whole and strong. Questions silenced. Needs met. Dreams real.

Your wise woman takes you by the hand, leading you to face the fire. She asks you to tell the fire your greatest wish or wishes. You whisper the words to the fire. The fire seems to grow hotter now that it has received your wishes. Then, you cast whatever resistance you feel to having your wishes met into the fire as well. The fire reaches inside of you – removing anything that no longer belongs, leaving only a perfect, hot white light. When you feel ready, you find your place in the circle again.

When you feel that your time in the circle is complete, your wise woman leads you out of the circle and to a beautiful stone table that has appeared, filled with all kinds of food and drink, and those in your circle join you at the table for a wild celebration. You meet and enjoy those gathered, dancing, singing, making love, laughing. The celebration goes long into the night.

When it is finished and is time to go, you say your goodbyes to your guides, friends, ancestors. Finally, you say goodbye to your wise woman, and head away from the circle, back into the grove. The moon has risen, and you let the moonlight guide you back to where you entered the grove. When you get back to the doorway, you give one last look, then walk through the door.

Stepping back up onto the first step, spiraling upward and outward to the second step and the third, and upward and outward to the third step and the fourth. Then spiraling around to the fifth and the sixth step, and pausing now on the sixth step, retrieving anything that you left behind before, or just leaving it behind in that perfect moment in infinity. Climbing now to the seventh and upward to the eighth, upward and outward to the ninth, then the tenth, and around to the eleventh and the twelfth and then finally to the thirteenth step, the step of transformation, then back into to the tree. Stepping out of the tree, you find your place beneath it, again enjoying the sweet night air. Then feeling your consciousness return to the space you are in, and, when ready opening your eyes.

Prayers for our circle

Peace and hope for our earth, and for each of us!

Love and many blessings,

Tara