Beltane

[Autumn-Forest]

Merry meet,
I was just wondering what your plans were for Beltane, I am planning it and need some ideas.

Last year, my coven (I no longer have, :( Moved away.), put symbolic objects into a cauldron and burned them, then we crushed up the ashes and made it into a powder and smeared it on each other. We then called the rain. Sort of a purfication ritual type thing, I could do it again this year, but I was wondering what you were doing? :)

blessings,
Autumn

[Windsmith]

Since Beltane is t-6 days to my handfasting this year, I imagine I'll mostly be flailing about wildly. But I hope to have it together enough to call a circle and do some of my flailing outside. :awilly:

[Astara Seague]

we keep it pretty simple, we usually have a feast a do a small ritual, our male female ration is not even so we dont do any of those type things, plus our group is a little shy about certain beltane customs, but we burn a Beltane fire and dance about, those of us who have partners prepare a special night together in private for later

[BlueMoon13]

On Saturday, my boyfriend and I are going to a large open circle complete with Maypole and Bonfire.

Then on Sunday (Walpurgisnacht) we will probably have a small celebration with a few friends in my backyard,followed by burgers on the grill. Since my boyfriend is from a different tradition than I and my friends it could be...interesting.

[MysticWitch]

We are traveling out of town to a Beltane festival. :woot:
It's a pot luck and we are to bring ribbon for the may pole.
I'm all excited! :D

[Redshire]

we'll have our first Maypole in our backyard! It's not too tall, but we're going to attach all of our athames to the top of it, so at least it will be higher than the tallest member. :) Then, aside from some feasting, I think thats about it.

[Zephyrstorm]

We're going camping :woot:

The plan is that there will be between 9-13 of us camping and having fun. The night before will be a toasting of all the things we're thankful for having and a chance to honor each other for what we've done together this year.
Then at noon the next day we're crowing a May King and Queen and then he'll be charged with capturing her in a ritual chase. We're also planning on swimming and doing some ritual cleansing stuff in the lake.

Additionally, we're also jumping the campfire and dancing a may pole. All of us are college students and finals are only two weeks away, so we're concentrating on creative energies for term papers and exams. heh.
Z

[Silvan]

Merry meet,
I was just wondering what your plans were for Beltane, I am planning it and need some ideas. No ideas to offer. We just stand around a fire and try not to look too Pagan. Unless it's raining, then we skip it. We usually do skip Moonquarter/Beltane anyway for some reason. I guess because our big spring thing is at Sunhalf/Ostara. Where we stand around a fire, and try not to look too Pagan. You could say we're ritually impaired. I'd love to hook up with some more organized local Pagans for one of these things someday.

Anyway, I'm rambling. The real reason for writing is to ask when Beltane is this year. My calendar says May 5th, but I have a sinking feeling I got that wrong. I'm thinking it's really April 30th this year.

[Autumn-Forest]

Beltane is May 1st, but we're celebrating Friday. We as in my fiancee and I.

I planned some things last night, since we are engaged to be handfasted since Febuary and Beltane is the time for that, we are going to promise our love to each other again. Going to bless our rings, doing an endurance spell and chanting. Also going to teach him how to preform a candle spell (he is not a witch but hes very interested. :) Cute little hippie fellow.) We may drum too, to send some energy, but i'm not quite sure yet. Maybe healing and purification? I am not so sure. Hmmm...Anyways, i'm growing pretty excited.

We should decide on some food to eat also, but I'm sure will throw something together last-mintue-style! Ha! You all sound like you have some pretty good celebrations awaiting you! I hope everyone has a ton of fun!

Keep em comin!

[BlueMoon13]

No ideas to offer. We just stand around a fire and try not to look too Pagan............ You could say we're ritually impaired.
:yayah: :yayah: :yayah: :yayah: :yayah: :yayah: :yayah: :yayah:

[Élistariel]

I'll probably be doing nothing. Studying maybe. Unless I decide to go home that weekend, then the most I'll be doing is driving back to college.

[Childof_theMorrigan]

our coven will be doing a ritual, dancing the maypole, jumping the bonfire... then we'll have a commonmeal, sit around the bonfire and have drinks till all hours of the night

[BrigidMoon]

I am moving during Beltane.

[MysticWitch]

We just stand around a fire and try not to look too Pagan.


What does a Pagan "look" like? :lol:

[Faia Kokoro]

Sadly, my Beltane will be pretty uneventful this year. I don't have much planned seeing as I am rarely physically around other pagans. I'm working on writing out a ritual and I'll probably make some kind of traditional celtic dish for dinner.
I read that at Beltane people would rise at dawn, and go out and pick greenery to decorate their house/each other with. That sounds fun, I'll probably do that.

[enchancea]

Im not totally sure what Ill be doing yet but I plan on doing something at home by myself.

[mandalamama]

Since Beltane is t-6 days to my handfasting this year, I imagine I'll mostly be flailing about wildly. But I hope to have it together enough to call a circle and do some of my flailing outside. :awilly:
congratulations! and many blessings :smile:

my love is finally coming home after a long haul on the road. but he won't be back until May 2nd. i suspect i'll be "dancing" on a certain May Pole to celebrate his return :viking: go, sex magic!

[cartweel]

i suspect i'll be "dancing" on a certain May Pole to celebrate his return :viking: go, sex magic!

Oh no! My virgin ears! :blushake:

This Beltane is an auspicious occasion indeed. I've got my first fully functioning Sabbat altar! w00t! I'm planning on going out into the woods (really the brush behind a classroom) with two friends and holding a little circle. Nothing big, since neither of them are specifically Pagan; they're just... understanding. It'll be fun, and I'm excited.

[Zephyrstorm]

Well, my Beltane weekend was very magical. As I said, we went camping, but the toast didn't go as planned - the island we camped on didn't like fire much, and it took us (who had four pyros with us - including myself) three hours to get the camp fire going.
It was the first time for us to use the campsite, because all the one's that we were familiar with were destroyed by hurricanes Katrina and Rita last year. So we didn't know the trees would have poison oak and ivy on them - no may pole for us. heh. (the plan was to use one of the trees.)
The island hated fire so much, it took a few minutes for our incense and candle to get lit during the rite proper. (But after the rite, we immediately noticed a mated pair of woodpeckers flitting around the trees near our camp - a good sign I'd say.)

Even so, it was a beautiful weekend, and the energy on the island was surprisingly good - it rained most of the time we were there too, so a lot of the things we'd planned were tossed aside. This was a good thing - it led to an impromptu berry picking spree in a meadow, and a nature walk, where we watched ravens, black vultures and other local critters play and romp.

We took note of signs of new life and older deaths that had been in the area - signs of the vultures feasting, for example, and talked about the various things we noticed.

And of course, there was music, singing (that's what it took to get the fire going - we sang to it and it faired better than without,) food and fun. I'd say it was a good success.

Z

[cartweel]

^^^^ Yay! Goodness abounds!

Alak, I'm still waiting for tomorrow.