Spring Omens
The month of May is upon us! And from the Celts, lives on a celebration called Beltaine which falls on May 1st, and is the halfway point between the Vernal Equinox and Summer Solstice. In Ireland and Scotland as well as other parts of the UK, cattle were brought to summer pastures for grazing during this time. The Celts kindled Beltaine bonfires and walked the cattle between or around the flames in order to protect them for the coming year. All fires kept inside homes would be extinguished and then rekindled later from the Beltane bonfire. The Celtic celebrations would include feasts for the community, and, not surprisingly, food and drink were offered to the aos sí, “the fair people,”(the Fae) to be in right relationship with the Wee Folk in order to ensure abundant crops for the coming months.
The ancient Celts (among other indigenous people) honored nature, as they relied on it for survival. They viewed the world as being inhabited by many types of spirits and also perceived the divine manifesting in our natural world. Although modern humans are a bit disconnected from the elements in nature, it is hard to ignore that everything around us is coming to life once again in the Northern Hemisphere. As we begin to spend more time outside to enjoy warmer weather, we can sink into the experience of the sweet goings-on around us, which can be a momentary reprieve from the busyness of our lives.
As with most shamanic cultures, the Celts believed in omens, which are signs from the spirits containing particular messages for us. The behavior of certain animals, birds, and even weather patterns were observed for possible omens. Omens tend to get one’s attention, such as a bird of prey sitting in the tree in one’s yard, or an occurrence of an animal crossing one’s path. Omens come in many forms and range from the movement of the wind through the trees to a feather found at one’s feet during a walk. A recent Spring omen for me was finding this sweet house finch nest sitting atop of my front door wreath one morning (see photo above).
The wonderful thing about shamanism is that it is a path of direct revelation. This means that the occurrences around us can give us powerful personal messages. These messages cannot be fully decoded in any book, because it limits the power of the omen. So, if you know how to perform a shamanic journey, you can ask your helping spirits about certain occurrences that are happening or have happened around you in the natural world. When we journey to the helping spirits, the unique messages hidden in an omen can be mind-blowing… and something we would have never even thought of otherwise. What Spring omens are happening around you?
