Beltane Brilliance: A Ritual + A Tarot Spread

Today is Beltane. Also called May Day, this traditional agrarian holiday marks one of the cross quarter days on the Wheel of the Year. The Wheel demarcates the year into 8 sacred days: The quarter days mark the solar events of the equinoxes and solstices; the cross-quarter days mark the halfway points between the quarter days. This was a way for our forebears to stay connected with the earth, celebrating Her cycles and shifts, in order to make the most of each season, and, sometimes, to help them ensure survival during the barren times of Winter. 

Beltane begins at sundown on 30 April, and continues until sundown 1 May. For those traditionally celebrating the Wheel, Beltane heralded the beginning of the Summer season. (In modern times, it aligns with the midpoint of Spring.)

This sacred time is a way of honoring the waxing light and heat of the Sun which encourages the continued growth of florae and faunae in the natural world. It’s also a time for humans to mimic nature by entering their own mating season. To that end, Beltane was often a time when lovers would gather together by the light of the celebratory fires to connect in the sacred rite of lovemaking. 

Fire is a very common feature in Beltane rituals and revelries. It’s an elemental expression of the Sun’s power, creating heat and light. Other sacred symbols for this holiday are sunflowers (and other flowers in bloom), maypoles, the Green Man, the May Queen, baskets/cauldrons, and other symbols of fertility and growth. 

A RITUAL FOR SOLITARY CELEBRATING

If you’d like a simple ritual for honoring this sacred day in your own life, consider finding a comfortable and safe spot near a flame. (If you don’t have access to a bonfire, an indoor fireplace or candle will do nicely. If it’s not safe to have actual fire where you are, pull up a video of a flame online or simply imagine fire in your mind’s eye.) 

Take a moment to regulate your nervous system. Let your body find a comfortable stillness. Invite your breath to become slow, expansive, and easy. Gaze softly at the flame, or close your eyes. Now focus on what you want to birth into the world during this season of fertility and waxing solar energy. See, in your mind’s eye, what your creations look like. Imagine how they sound, taste, smell, feel, and how you feel as they are being birthed into manifestation through your efforts. Sit with these visualizations for as long as you like until you feel like they have been burned into your psyche by the waxing power of the Sun. 

Once you’ve imprinted your subconscious with your desires, hold the vision a moment longer while you cross your arms over your chest. Your right hand will be at your left shoulder and vice versa. Now gently tap your shoulders in an alternating rhythm (right, left, right, left …) while you envision birthing these things into being.) You are building new neural pathways to support your physical efforts. 

When you feel complete, release your hands. Take a couple of full clearing breaths as you bring your focus back to your body. Offer some gratitude to yourself, the Sun, your spiritual guides, and to the cosmos for supporting you during this fertility rite. 

When you are all finished, you can take these images to your journal for additional imprinting and posterity. You’ve sparked the magickal process. Now it’s up to you to take the actions necessary to bring it to fruition.

A TAROT SPREAD FOR BELTANE

If you’d like to incorporate the tarot into your Beltane activities, here’s a special spread you can try to gain some focus on the themes of the season.

Wishing you a beautiful, fertile, prosperous, and passionate Beltane celebration, darlings! xoxo 💋