Over the last several years, there has been some debate about when to celebrate Beltane, which is kind of crazy if you ask me. The calendar modern society runs off isn't the same one our ancient ancestors used. They used the sun and moon to measure their Wheel of the Year, and their New Year was very often when it was warm enough to start planting.
Modern witches often celebrate Beltane on May 1st (tomorrow!!). But we can also celebrate on other days, depending on what you use to mark time. For me, it's usually the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice.
HOWEVER, my birthday is also May 5th (Cinco de Mayo!) and there are times when the midway point between the spring equinox and summer solstice falls on either the 3rd or 4th of May, so that's when I usually celebrate. This year I will be honoring the spirit of Beltane on the 4th and celebrating my birthday with a trip to the opening weekend of the Tennessee Renaissance Festival.
So, what do I do to honor this turning of the Wheel? Normally I change out the flowers on my ancestral altar, but since we spent quite a bit of time painting and rearranging the house and I ended up moving that particular altar into my office upstairs, I've already placed my spring flowers. This year I will be bringing in some of my irises - which have really taken off for some reason. I also discovered I have a wonderful gift growing against my fence - a wild rose bush!
It finally feels like the year is starting for me, after a couple of false starts if I'm honest. I've decided I'm going to write a book about modern Hearthcraft and really delve deep into my practice as much as I can. I work two jobs and have done so for years now and it's really taking a toll on my energy and my health, so it's time to start figuring out ways to honor those two things and to become more in tune with the natural world around me. I turn 55 this year and all of the kids are grown and out of the house, it's time for me to start taking the time to nurture my own soul and honor not only the Earth and the seasons, but to also honor myself.
In that vein, I'll be posting more here about what's going on so I hope you'll sign up to my newsletter and follow me here as I embark on this journey back to self.
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