Calendar of the Sun for July 31

Calendar of the Sun

31 Haymonath

Oiche Lughnasadh: Lammas Eve

Colors: Golden and purple
Element: Earth
Altar: The golden and purple cloth is laid for the Lammas altar, and a single purple candle is lit in the center, but nothing else is in place. This is a time of waiting.
Offering: Promise to work for the harvest.
Daily Meal: Fasting, till nightfall. The great feast will come on the next day.

Lammas Eve Invocation

Imagine…..
That you fly through the air on the back of a crow
Fly back in time
See all our ancestors
Reaping the harvest
Reaping the grain
That will be their daily bread
Reaping the life
From the breast of the Earth
Who feeds us forever.
Imagine
That you fly high in the air
Watching the fields stripped
Like a man combs his hair
Like the scythe reaps the row
Like the wings of the crow
Like golden Lugh shining bright
Like the wind bears your flight
Like the Sun that blinds your sight….
Imagine.
(Each approaches the altar and lays down an empty basket, which will be filled tomorrow.)
Summer is the season for cultivation and caring.
Flowers come forth, later to give way to fruit.
Now is the time for us to review all things –
That which is to remain, and that which must
Be pruned away, for the sake of growth.
Growth in all things; in the seeds of the Earth
And in ourselves.

Chant: We look forth to the grain,
We look back to the grave.

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Activities For Families and the Young at Heart in the Harvest Season of Lammas And Mabon

By Ana

Harvest your herbs and flowers and use them!
This is fun for everyone. Get up early one morning and pick your herbs and flowers. Or, for even more power, go out late in the evening on a full moon to pick them (bring a flashlight! you could also have a fun fire or hot cider or another special treat and make a night of it!). If you like, allow the children to pick their favorite flowers and make a bouquet to hang upside down to dry. They could keep these in their doorways or rooms for whatever blessing they want- you could say a simple chant while you wrap the ties around them to dry, to help focus the intent. I also like to make smudge sticks- they are simple- take a bundle of sage and wrap it with embroidery floss. Hang to dry- usually takes a few weeks, and then each person will have their very own home grown smudge stick to use through the fall or winter. Another idea is to make dream pillows. Sew small pillows together with fun fabric. If you hate to sew, buy fabric glue and glue together three sides. Then have the children place in a small amount of stuffing along with their favorite herbs (you can try to have this coordinate with what their needs are, or just let their heart lead them to what they need). If a child is having nightmares you could go further with this as a protection from that. Once filled, sew or glue the remaining side! One last idea to use your herbs- go ahead and save some lavendar and rose petals while collecting your plants in the morning. When your work is done, take them and let them steep along with you in a hot bath!

Make a Scare Crow
This is easy and fun, and looks best in the height of summer and fall. There are many ways to do this. Ours is made using an old lamp post we had lying around (that had broke a year before!), but you could use an old shovel or broomstick stuck in the ground deep. I have an old shirt of my grandfathers placed on the edges of the post (if you use a stick, you’ll need a cross-stick to make a T for the shirt to have shoulders/arms to rest on). Then we used string to tie on old gloves (ones I couldn’t find the match to!) and an we have him holding onto a garden bulb tool (that I hated using and didn’t work so it was fine to give it to the scare crow:). For the head we took old rags, but straw would be very appropriate, and an old piece of fabric in a circle. We then gave him a nice garden hat. For me it’s a sense of garden protection, but more importantly a remembrance of my grandfather. You could also do this as a remembrance for your ancestor, or a spirit or elemental or Goddess protection, using whatever things (beads, colors, etc.) draws that presence out for you. They can watch your garden with you:) This can be a family project, or a child could work on making small protection for their own space in the yard or garden, or near a playhouse or favorite spot perhaps? The possibilities are endless!

Natural Art:
This is something you could change with each season, or with each year. Go out into nature and have your children collect their favorite items- fall leaves, grass stalks, flowers, etc. Then take a large piece of posterboard (or cardboard you have extra- let’s try to recycle what we already have:), and have the children decorate. Make a Harvest Goddess for your window! Make a Summer Sun God (you could get extra fancy with this one, and make it out of something that could be sacrificed- either to the elements by being left out over the winter, or something that could be burned). Or just fingerpaint with nature! Now, as a crafty pagan mama, while this is going on, I can take those leaves and create a altar environment on my dining table… or find things to make a harvest wreath for the front door. To make it more magical, find herbs of protection and blessings for your home:)

Go Raspberry Picking
Something we do every year in early or mid-September is go raspberry picking! This is great fun, and a great way to celebrate the equinox. Last year my daughter ate so many berries I could not believe my eyes! We always pick up some local honey at this farm as well. Then when we get home, I make a berry cobbler, some berry muffins, and then I rinse all the left over berries and let them dry overnight. The next morning I take them and put them in small baggies and freeze them for smoothies throughout the fall and winter season (this is much cheaper than buying berries at the store in winter!).

Salt Dough
Salt dough is a great way to get creative (and not spend any money:) Take 4 cups flour, 1 cup salt, and a little over a cup of water. Mix it up and there you go- instant clay. You can make all kinds of decorations for the seasons or esbats.
Use star shapes, or moons, spiral goddesses, sunflowers, and more. You can let it dry, or place them on cookie sheets on your lowest oven setting for awhile to dry them out (or stick them out in the hot sunshine). If you want to save them, take a clear paint (I use those sparkly craft ones) and do a few coats over them (this is nice on a yule tree). One fun activity I came up with lately was a bowl. Each person makes a small bowl- mine was a Goddess bowl, but it can be any type of bowl. Let the children make their own designs in it. Then, after it dries (this takes a few days, or else some time in the oven), have each child place something special to them in the bowl. I used affirmations. But, for the harvest season, one could place things they want to either plant (the Goddess plants her seeds in the fall) to grow in the future, or things they want to be released of or transformed through the death of the harvest making room for new things to grow in their life. This would be for older children obviously- my children just like to feel the dough and listen to circle round over and over again:)

About The Author: Ana is a Level I student in the White Moon School, with Luna Blanca. A stay at home mother of two small children, and focuses much of her energy on them, her home, husband, garden and pets. She is new to the White Moon School this spring, and has been studying pagan paths for the last 13 years or so. Before focusing on mothering, Ana was a yoga teacher and women’s counselor, with a degree in psychology and women’s studies. Her focus as a yoga teacher is on compassion to the self, incorporating meditation and extensive relaxation for the union of body, mind, and spirit. She enjoys reading, gardening, being at the lake, crafts, and vegetarian cooking.

Daily Feng Shui Tip for July 26

Water lilies and sweet pea are the two plants most associated with the month of July. The water lily is akin to the Eastern symbol of the lotus; the most beautiful of flowers that begins its journey heavenward while still being rooted in the earth. Water lilies have a long lore associated with spirituality and religion. The Christian Church sometimes depicts the Archangel Gabriel bringing glad tidings of water lilies to the Virgin Mary. The offering of these flowers signifies fire and water, and this idea of creation/generation has survived through the ages. Complimenting the idea of being rooted in the earth while reaching for the sun is the iconography concerning the sweet pea. This plant strives to teach us all that we can be a socially connected ‘climber’ while still stirring a strong sense of community. This plant also engenders a sense of our own individual and powerful place on the planet. If you ever feel like you’re wandering and you can’t seem to find your place in this world, a few drops of sweet pea flower essence remedy under the tongue a few times a day (for at least a dozen days) will bring you back to balance, and you’ll soon feel rooted again. The essences and energies of both of these plants allow you to reach for the stars while keeping your feet on the ground.

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com

Your Magickal Correspondence for Monday, July 23

Magickal Intentions: Psychic Sensitivity, Women’s Mysteries, Tides, Waters, Emotional Issues, Agriculture, Animals, Female Fertility, Messages, Theft, Reconciliations, Voyages, Dreams and Merchandise
Incense: African Violet, Honeysuckle, Myrtle, Willow, Wormwood
Planet: Moon
Sign: Cancer
Angel: Gabriel
Colors: Silver, White and Gray
Herbs/Plants: Night Flowers, Willow Root, Orris Root, Birch, Motherwort, Vervain, White Rose and White Iris
Stones: Carnelian, Moonstone, Aquamarine, Pearl, Clear Quartz, Fluorite, Geodes
Oil: (Moon) Jasmine, Lemon, Sandalwood

Monday belongs to the Moon. Monday’s energy best aligns itself with efforts that deal with women, home and hearth, the family, the garden, travel, and medicine. It also boosts rituals involving psychic development and prophetic dreaming.

Seasons Of The Witch for July 19

Seasons Of The Witch

Corpus Christi

– This Catholic festival, which takes place on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, promotes the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation: that the host consecrated in the Mass becomes the Body of Christ. It was first established by the Council of Vienna in 1311 and really promoted during the Reformation as a demonstration of Catholic solidarity. It features a procession during which the priest displays the host in a monstrance, which is shaped like a sunburst. The whole point is a conspicuous display of pomp and pageantry. This year when it falls so close to summer solstice, the similarities between the two festivals, in symbolism and attitude, are readily apparent.

In France, it is called Fete Dieu or the Feast of God. The priest wears red and gold lavishly embroidered garments. The monstrance is a golden vessel shaped like the sun. It is usually shielded by a canopy of silk and cloth of gold. Streets are scattered with flower petals and householders decorate their homes, often by pasting flower petals on a sheet and hanging them up.

Small altars are created along the roads. In France, they’re called reposoirs and are built at crossroads. They are decorated with flowers, garlands and greens and covered with canopies of interwoven boughs. The priest goes around and blesses them. Perhaps this would be a good day for witches and pagans to sponsor Altar Tours, opening our homes for viewing of our altars and shrines. Or maybe we should go out and build a shrine at the nearest crossroad.

Carol Field describes the way Corpus Christi is celebrated in Spello, Italy, where pwople transform the main street into a carpet of color using flower petals (infiorate). Collecting the flowers takes as long as two weeks. The oldest women are given the job of taking the flowers apart, petal by petal, and separating them by the subtle differences of hue. Pine needles, ivy leaves, chamomile and fennel are ground up to make green. Poppies are used for red, broom for yellow and white from daisies. The designs are complicated, and often reproduce famous paintings, usually religious ones. The priest when he emerges from the cathedral holding up the Host walks down the length of flower carpet, and the petals scatter to the breezes. It is a display of beauty and richness that is as ephemeral as it is extravagant. Field, Carol, Celebrating Italy, Morrow 1990
.
Saints Gervase and Protase – Another weather oracle day associated with the saint’s day of two martyrs of Milan. It is said that if it rains on this day, it will rain for forty days afterwards. Blackburn, Bonnie and Leofranc, Holford-Strevens, The Oxford Book of Days, Oxford University Press, 2000

School of the Seasons

Remember the ancient ways and keep them sacred!

GrannyMoonsMorningFeast

July 12 – Daily Feast

The fragrances of the countryside are exhilarating after a summer rain. Wildflowers and morning glories have spread profusely along fence rows, and bittersweet vines abound wherever they can take hold. One breath of fresh air, one beautiful smell of petunias on the evening breeze, is never enough. It has to be repeated and held in remembrance for another time, another place. A pill doesn’t exist that works better than a country lane after a rain shower. Huge drops make secret symbols in the dust and are a da to li gi, a blessing on the head of a Cherokee. It is a special message, a private baptism from the Great Spirit.

~ This country is mine, I was raised on it; my forefathers died on it; and I wish to remain on it. ~

CROW FEATHER

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Heal Me Tea

Although your potions should never replace a trip to the doctor when you are ill, this tea can give you a magical boost to speed your healing. Focus on ridding your body of whatever ails you. If you are running a fever, add 1 part of Feverfew.

4 parts rose petals

3 parts violet petals

2 parts dried apples

1 part dried blackberries

1 part eucalyptus leaves

1 part ginseng root

Your Magickal Spell for Monday, July 2 – Broom Purification

Broom Purification

Supplies:

tree branch
brightly colored long-stemmed flowers
string or thread

Procedure:

Before dawn, take a branch from any tree. Thank the tree for its gift and leave a coin or semi-precious stone at its base in payment. Next, obtain several brightly colored flowers on long stalks. Tie these flowers to the branch to fashion a sort of broom, then sweep the floor in every room of the house, visualizing the flowers of the broom absorbing negativity and “evil” as you work. Then, still before sunrise, leave the broom at the crossroads. Traditionally this ritual is repeated at the first of each month.

Your Magickal Correspondence for Monday, July 2

Nature Comments & Graphics

Your Magickal Correspondence for Monday, July 2

~Magickal Graphics~

Daily Feng Shui Tip for June 12 – ‘Red Rose Day’

On today’s ‘Red Rose Day’ we’ll employ two red roses to help attract a loving mate and everlasting love. First, be sure to remove the thorns from the stems of the roses. Then place two long-stemmed red roses in any white earthenware vase. Position this vase on your bedside table on the side of the bed that you sleep on. When you awake in the morning and before you fall off to slumber at night express gratitude that this Feng Shui cure will now make your romantic intentions grow to fruition. After three days, replace the two original roses with two fresh ones. Do this one more time for a total of three times, or nine days. At the end of the ninth day collect all the petals from all the roses and put them into a bath. Soak in all the love for at least twenty minutes. Dispose of the petals outside of the house while getting ready to receive a brand new love! Welcome home true love and give thanks to the two red roses!

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com

Calendar of the Sun for June 12

Media Ver

Color: Green
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon a green cloth set growing herbs and flowers in pots, a pitcher of rainwater, small dishes of late-sowed seeds such as lettuce (as many as there are people), a flower wreath, and a single green candle.
Offerings: Seeds to be planted in the garden.
Daily Meal: Vegetarian

Media Ver Invocation

Earth, you have awakened to our touch!
The winds have stirred you,
The rain has nourished you,
The sun has opened your eyes.
Your million mouths open
On the unfolded leaves of every tree.
We glory in your abundance,
In the dance of your youth,
And we dance for your brilliant life
And your new season.
Yet now is the time when the real work begins.
If we would keep what we have sown,
We must not stop here,
But we must labor for the sustenance
Of our creation, as it has always been.
For the first growth is a miracle from the Gods,
But the second growth is the miracle unseen,
From the labor of our hands,
Which is also sacred.

Chant:
Green growing
Green Man knowing
Path of striving
Way of opening

(Each takes a pot of seeds and goes to the garden, and hoes or otherwise prepares a space for planting, and then plants their seeds, chanting while doing so. The pitcher of rainwater is carried out and ritually poured onto the seeds. Weeding should also be done at this time, and the care for plants that have already broken the surface.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Moon for June 9th

9 Huath/Thargelion

Thargelia Day III: Eireisione

Color: Green
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon a green cloth set a cut branch of some food-giving tree, such as olive or apple. Each member of the community should bring some small thing to tie to it, for it shall be a charm to hang over the door for good luck. Its name is Eireisione. Also set out a cup of wine, a cup of milk with honey in it, a wreath of flowers, and a small bowl of barley.
Offering: Good wishes for the House and its members.
Daily Meal: Vegan. Thargelos, which is a soup of barley, corn, and fruit, sacred to Apollo.

Eireisione Invocation

As we cast up our barley in little showers,
A little grace from the birds is ours.

(The officiant throws a handful of barley into the air.)

A holy heifer’s milk, white and fair to drink,
Bright honey drops from flowers, bee-distilled,
With draughts of water from a virgin fount
And from the ancient vine its mother wild
An unmixed draught this gladness and fair fruit
Of gleaming olive, ever-blooming
And woven flowers, children of Mother Earth.

(The milk and honey is poured out as a libation.)

Eireisione brings all good things,
Figs and fat cakes to eat,
Soft oil and honey sweet,
The brimming wine-cup deep
That she may eat and sleep.

(All approach the altar with their items. Traditional items are dried barley cookies, sacred wool from first-shorn sheep, small corked bottles of wine, figs and dates, and small bags of grain. Anything will do, however. Each ties their offering on and speaks its meaning. The wreath of flowers is ceremonially added last by the officiant, and then Eireisione is carried in procession to the front of the House, where she is hung over the door with great ceremony. She is taken down on Puanepsia and burned in the fire.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Daily Feng Shui Tip for May 30 – “Water a Flower Day”

It’s ironic that today would be ‘Water a Flower Day’ since everybody knows that April showers bring May flowers. The floral most associated with this month is the regal magnolia, a tree native to the southern United States. It’s generally acknowledged that spring doesn’t begin until the magnolias bloom, and that splendid beauty and dignity accompanies every opening bud. This flower has long symbolized beauty, perseverance and nobility. Feng Shui has always believed that the white magnolia represents purity, and that a single magnolia tree planted in the front of the house will bring pure contentment and joy. A magnolia tree grown in the back garden is said to symbolize hidden jewels or the gradual accumulation of wealth. But the single greatest Feng Shui cure for using this beautiful flower is to bring a mate or partner who will also bring love everlasting. Placing a pair of magnolia flowers in the Romance area of the main floor or bedroom is believed to attract a mate for life, and a union that will forever bloom and grow. There’s hope worth watering!

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com

Create a Memorial Garden

by Judi Gerber

For many people, Memorial Day is just another day off, and is seen as little more than the unofficial start of summer and a great day to barbecue. But, the real purpose of the day is to remember those who have died in service to the United States.

If you are looking for a way to truly observe Memorial Day, you can visit a cemetery and place some of your homegrown flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers. Or, if you aren’t a gardener, but are equally concerned about the negative environmental impacts of conventional flowers, buy organic flowers.

A more lasting remembrance is to plant a tree, or even a garden, in memory of a lost loved one or other service members. As I have written about before, giving somebody the gift of a garden is one of the most memorable things that you can do. This is all the more true if you create a “memorial” garden either in remembrance or in honor of someone.

Aside from remembering those we have lost, there are some things we can do to help the thousands of men and women now serving. For example, are you a gardener? Do you want to make a difference? Then why not put your green thumb to use. For service members that are deployed, consider “adopting” their garden while they are gone. You can even involve his or her family in the care of the garden. Not only will they benefit from beautiful flowers and delicious food, but working in the garden is therapeutic and can help them deal with the stress that comes with the deployment of their loved one.

Not only can you take care of their garden for them, but, if you incorporate edibles, when it comes time to harvest, you can donate that produce to a local veteran’s agency or hospital, or to other military families whose loved one is also deployed.

You can also create a cut flower garden and give the flowers to the same veteran’s organizations. Or, you can go and regularly place them on military grave sites and deliver bouquets to other military families as well.

Calendar of the Moon for May 15th

Calendar of the Moon
15 Saille/Mounukhion

Day of the Honeysuckle

Color: Apricot
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon an apricot cloth set a vase of honeysuckle vines collected earlier and forced to bud, a single apricot candle, a pot of soil, flower seeds, a bowl of water, and a bell.
Offerings: Plant seeds. Be tender toward someone or something.
Daily Meal: Vegan

Invocation to the Green Man of the Honeysuckle Vine

Hail, Green Man of the Spring!
Honeysuckle of the twining limbs
Falling across hedge and fence,
Delight of children and lovers
Whose heady scent intoxicates,
You sacrifice to us your tender flowers
And grow anew each year.
Teach us, honeysuckle, that tenderness
Is never weakness
And that which is easily withered
Can also be that
Which is most easily regenerated,
And that which is softest
Can be strongest.
We hail you, sacred honeysuckle,
Green Man of the Spring,
On this your moment of sweetest nectar.

Chant:
Flower of the dawn
Flower of the morning
Flower of the day
Through the springtime turning

(Each comes forward and plants a seed in the pot of soil, saying, “Hail Green Man of the Earth!” Water is poured onto the pot, and then the rest is poured out as a libation. Ring bell and dismiss.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

CANDLE COLOURS BY USE

COLOURS BY USE
A
To guard against accidents…purple & orange
To achieve for yourself…orange & red
To help others achieve…white & red
To be given advice…white & blue
For someone to have affection for you…white & yellow
To receive alimony…green
B
To have babies…pink
To release pain in your back…orange
To obtain a loan from a bank…blue & green
To see your own beauty…pink
To bring back a lost love…yellow & pink
C
To receive a call from a certain man…yellow
To receive a call from a certain woman…yellow & pink
To Improve where you are in your career…yellow & white
To win at the casino…Green (I have personally won Thousands doing this
one!)
D
To protect yourself from danger…purple
To release your fear of death…white
Release your need for delay…pink & yellow
To eat a healthy diet…blue
To divorce and remain friends…White
E
to have energy…Red & blue
To enjoy life…blue & pink
To take and pass an Exam…blue & yellow
F
To be faithful…pink & purple
To have a close Family…Blue
Release the need to fight…yellow & white
G
To get a job…green & blue
To get a car…white & green
To get money…green
To stop gossip…white & black
H
To release habits…yellow & pink
To find happiness within yourself…pink & white
To have hope…Pink & purple
I
Release the need for an emotional imbalance…blue
To have the ability to use your imagination…pink & yellow
To improve the quality of your relationship…pink
The ability to use your intuition…orange
J
To find a job…green
To have joy in your life…yellow & blue
K
To find a lost keepsake…blue
L
Release your need for laziness…orange
For good luck…yellow
to have a lover…pink & yellow
M
To perform magic…brown & yellow 😉
The ability to afford and move…green
To get married…yellow & pink
N
Release nicotine addiction…orange & brown
To release your need to be negative…pink
O
To have an opportunity…blue
To be outgoing…red & white
P
To be peaceful…blue
To get a promotion…blue & white
To be preceptive…orange
Q
To have some peace and quiet…white
R
To have the truth Revealed…white
S
To have an increase in salary…green
To have sex…red
T
To pass a test…yellow
To resist temptation…white & purple
The ability to travel…Blue & yellow
V
To go on vacation…yellow & white
To have a visitor…blue
W
To get your wish…pink
Y
To find yourself…white

Calendar of the Moon for May 3

Calendar of the Moon
3 Saille/Mounukhion

Day of Olwen

Color: White
Element: Earth
Altar: On a cloth of white place a glass bowl of water and flowers, a white stone, and a single white candle.
Offering: Plant clover seeds.
Daily Meal: Vegetarian.

Invocation to Olwen

Maiden of the white clover
That scatters like the multitude of stars
In the dark night sky
Mirrored in the green fields,
Let us see beauty in the small things,
The ordinary things,
That which we pass by, unknowing.
Let us realize that this is true beauty,
The balm for our aching hearts,
The salve for our aching souls.
Maiden of the pink clover
That blooms like spring passion
In fields of cattle and sheep,
You balance the woman’s body,
You feed those who feed us,
You bring the milk thick and white with cream.
Maiden of the yellow clover,
The river of blossoms that swarm with bees,
Beloved of the golden queen and her
Thousand flying daughters,
You bring the sweetness of honey,
The pale gold of future mead,
To every tongue that knows your scent.
Bless us, maiden of the clover,
That we may know you beneath our feet.

(Each comes forth and takes a flower, and wears it throughout the day in honor of Olwen. The water is poured out onto the gardens as a libation, and gardening should be done on this day.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Setting Up Your Beltane Altar – What To Include on Your Beltane Altar

By Patti Wigington

It’s Beltane, the Sabbat where many Wiccans and Pagans choose to celebrate the fertility of the earth. This Sabbat is about new life, fire, passion and rebirth, so there are all kinds of creative ways you can set up for the season. Depending on how much space you have, you can try some or even all of these ideas — obviously, someone using a bookshelf as an altar will have less flexibility than someone using a table, but use what calls to you most.

Colors of the Season

This is a time when the earth is lush and green as new grass and trees return to life after a winter of dormancy. Use lots of greens, as well as bright spring colors — the yellow of the daffodils, forsythia and dandelions; the purples of the lilac; the blue of a spring sky or a robin’s egg. Decorate your altar with any or all of these colors in your altar cloths, candles, or colored ribbons.

Fertility Symbols

The Beltane holiday is the time when, in some traditions, the male energy of the god is at its most potent. He is often portrayed with a large and erect phallus, and other symbols of his fertility include antlers, sticks, acorns, and seeds. You can include any of these on your altar. Consider adding a small Maypole centerpiece — there are few things more phallic than a pole sticking up out of the ground!

In addition to the lusty attributes of the god, the fertile womb of the goddess is honored at Beltane as well. She is the earth, warm and inviting, waiting for seeds to grow within her. Add a goddess symbol, such as a statue, cauldron, cup, or other feminine items. Any circular item, such as a wreath or ring, can be used to represent the goddess as well.

Flowers and Faeries

Beltane is the time when the earth is greening once again — as new life returns, flowers are abundant everywhere. Add a collection of early spring flowers to your altar — daffodils, hyacinths, forsythia, daisies, tulips — or consider making a floral crown to wear yourself. You may even want to pot some flowers or herbs as part of your Sabbat ritual.

In some cultures, Beltane is sacred to the Fae. If you follow a tradition that honors the Faerie realm, leave offerings on your altar for your household helpers.

Fire Festival

Because Beltane is one of the four fire festivals in modern Pagan traditions, find a way to incorporate fire into your altar setup. Although one popular custom is to hold a bonfire outside, that may not be practical for everyone, so instead it can be in the form of candles (the more the better), or a table-top brazier of some sort. A small cast-iron cauldron placed on a heat-resistant tile makes a great place to build an indoor fire.

Other Symbols of Beltane

May baskets
Chalices
Honey, oats, milk
Antlers or horns
Fruit such as cherries, mangos, pomegranates, peaches
Swords, lances, arrows

Calendar of the Sun for April 28th

Calendar of the Sun
28 Eostremonath

Floralia: Flora’s Day
Walpurgisnacht Day VI

Color: Pink
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon a cloth of pink set a pitcher of water, pots of earth, flower seeds, incense of flowers, a bowl of beans, and many fresh flowers should be strewn around the room. The candles of Walpurgisnacht should remain and be lit, and a sixth added to them, for Odhinn’s journey continues even as we celebrate Floralia.
Offerings: Give flowers to people. Allow a rabbit and a goat to run free in the house.
Daily Meal: Vegan. Beans. Salad with edible flowers in it. Flower jams.

Floralia Invocation

Hail Flora, Lady of Beauty!
We must have not only our bread,
And our work, and our discipline,
But we must also have beauty in our lives,
That we may never become mere worms,
Measuring out our dull grey lives,
Never thinking to look around
And see the great beauty
That the Gods have made for us.
Let us look upon their gifts
And see in that loveliness
A measure of their love for us.
Hail Flora, who lights up our eyes!

Chant:
Oh, She will bring the buds in the spring,
And laugh among the flowers.
In summer’s heat Her kisses are sweet,
She sings in leafy bowers.
She cuts the cane and gathers the grain
When fruits of fall surround Her,
Her bones grow old in winter’s cold,
She wraps Her cloak around her.

(All come forward and plant flower seeds in the pots of earth, which are afterwards carried outside and transferred to the garden. As they plant, they say, “I plant beauty in my life,” and say what sort of beauty they hope to see. The pots are watered, and the rest of the water is poured out as a libation for Flora. The rest of the day is spent adding beauty to the House.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Beltane – Celebrating the Goddess Flora of Springtime and the May Queen

Beltane – Celebrating the Goddess Flora of Springtime and the May Queen
In the month of May, Spring is in full bloom and at its height. The flowers are a beautiful palette of vivid colors blossoming everywhere and the trees are abundant in their greenery. The Earth feels fully alive and vibrantly awake after the deep, long, grey slumber of Winter. Birds sing messages of joy and hope as the sun rises each morning and a new day begins to unfold. Life is flowering and lush.
The Roman Springtime Goddess Flora, the Goddess of Spring and Flowers, puts on her floral rainbow dress and her crown of flowers. She dances under the blue skies and greets the sun as the May Queen.

May 1 begins with the pagan sabbat Beltane. This day celebrates love, fertility, sensuality, sexuality, abundance, beauty, growth, awakening, and all the signs that summer is coming as the days grow lighter and warmer. To honor and celebrate the Goddess of Springtime Flora, the Queen of May and her within your self there are many simple ways to do this during Beltane and the beautiful month of May.

Some ideas are:
*Create a crown of flowers from wild flowers outdoors or from your garden and crown yourself the May Queen. Celebrate yourself as the Queen of Spring.

*Spend time walking in nature connecting to the beauty of Springs full abundance. Go to your local park, garden, or take a hike.

*If you have a garden this is a great time to spend connecting with your plants and flowers as well as blessing you garden on Beltane.

*Pick some flowers and make a May Basket from paper in the shape of a cone to place them in. Give this as a gift to someone you love or decorate your home with it bringing Springtime indoors with the lovely scent of flowers.

*Decorate your home with flowers and greens inside and out.

*If you are an artist take your sketchbook or paint outdoors and draw and paint the flowers and trees blossoming around you. Capture the beauty of the Goddess on paper.

*If you like to write take your journal outdoors and write about your experience in the beautiful Spring weather or write a poem that honors the season and the Goddess Flora and May Queen.

*Dress up in many bright Spring colors as Flora the Spring Goddess and May Queen. Feel your own beauty within manifested in your dress. Celebrate the beauty and sensuality of yourself.

*Think of ways to connect to the sensuality of the Spring season through all your senses-smell, taste, sight, touch, and sound.

*Enjoy your own sensuality and sexuality with yourself or a lover. Honor your body as the Goddess and Queen.

*Have a Spring picnic outdoors. Bring a blanket, picnic basket, and sit on the grass. Make it a May Feast to celebrate the Goddess and Queen within yourself. Invite others and have a Beltane celebration. Buy local Spring foods to share such as berries and honey.

*Contemplate what ways you would like to blossom full this Spring from now until the Summer Solstice and the sabbat Litha. What would you like to grow and bloom more?

*Think of ways to nurture and be self loving everyday in the month of May. Allow new habits to grow and flourish as you treat yourself like the May Queen and Goddess Flora of Springtime.

*Create a ritual to honor the Goddess Flora and connect to beauty, love, sensuality, growth and the abundance of Spring.

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