First Day of May
In the northern hemisphere, May 1st marks the beginning of the summer season in the Celtic pagan calendar! As one of the eight festivals in the “wheel of the year,” Beltaine celebrates what is bursting into life. In parts of the world where the Celts inhabited, cattle were usually driven out to pasture during this time. To this day, bel-fires are traditionally ignited as a way to “jump into summer” as well as to protect the investment of cattle (seen as a form of abundance in those times) from any harm such as disease, famine, or even supernatural causes. Rituals have been performed for the abundance of crops and also for the people in the community. Offerings have also been given to the Good People (the fae), also called the Aos Sí, to appease them during this very active time, as they might be seen as a cause of potential supernatural shenanigans. Rituals were also done to protect the dairy products that one’s cattle provided, being a time before pasteurization.
We can celebrate this time of year by raising the energy of our optimism about the coming of summer and future possibilities. We might honor the many forms of abundance and prosperity that summer brings us by being grateful for the longer, brighter days as well as the literal and metaphorical planting of seeds for the future. Having passed through the stillness of winter, we might also recognize that we have let go of some parts of ourselves while allowing other parts to be birthed. Beltaine is a perfect time to “weed” our inner garden while feeding the new seeds that have germinated within us, allowing us a new chapter of our lives while letting go of ways that are no longer aligned with what we envision for ourselves and our world around us. Feeding our visions of the palpable experiences our new world might contain is also a big part of manifesting.
Carving out time in our lives to birth these new seeds is important too. For instance, if we have chosen to germinate a creative part of ourselves while letting go of a more pragmatic side to ourselves, then we would need to be mindful of carving out time to indulge in creative activities. If we would like to nurture our Inner Child, then we can support this by asking our Inner Child what it needs while being sure to follow through with those requests. And, if we are germinating a physically healthier life, then we would want to literally feed ourselves nutrient-rich foods and be disciplined in giving our bodies plenty of exercise.
When done authentically, the art of manifesting our lives is truly a path of self-love. We are making a conscious choice to love ourselves so much that we are willing to let our inner weeds die in order to give birth to a new way of being that feels aligned with who we are becoming. Perhaps you might use this time of year as an opportunity to focus on what dreams that live in your heart deserve your ultimate love and attention.
