|
Beltane Ritual for Solitaries
by
Maria Kay Simms
Obviously, Beltane is a festival you should share, if you possibly can. But what if it just isn't possible for you to either join in an open ritual with a Maypole dance, or to invite a group to celebrate with you?
Begin just before dawn by going outdoors in your bare feet to feel the May dew on the grass. If you know of a Hawthorne tree, that will fit the Mother Goose rhyme the best. If you don't, that's OK, too. It is said that May dew from the grass, itself, or any plant, is sacred. Gather dew in your hands and bathe your face, feeling the magic and the beauty of it flow over you. If you have flower shrubs or May flowers in bloom, gather some to bring back inside to brighten your home.
Whenever you can throughout this day, pamper yourself in ways that celebrate your sensuality. Anoint yourself with fragrant oil, wear soft garments, indulge in favorite foods and eat them slowly, savoring every bite. Play favorite music and dance to it.
Buy or make special scented
bath salts
for a ritual you'll do this evening. To make bath salts, combine Epsom salts with a few drops of a favorite essential oil, and perhaps some finally shredded flower petals.
You might share some of your day by making little May baskets for others, filled with a few fresh flowers and little treats. Especially your elderly neighbors who remember May Days fondly from their childhood will appreciate your gift and the memories they conjure.
When evening comes, treat yourself to a long and luxurious ritual bath. Prepare a favorite tea or May wine, and light the room with candles. Set out a fragrant essential oil and have soft music playing. Lay out your largest and softest towel. Turn off the phone to avoid any interruptions. Draw a nice hot bath. Disrobe and with your oil at hand, visualize roots from the bottoms of your feet extending deep down into the Earth to the molten core of the Mother and drawing Her energy back up to enter your body. As you feel the energy move through your body, anoint yourself with oil in the appropriate places as you say:
Blessed be my feet that walk in the ways of the Goddess.
Blessed be my sex, creative power of life.
Blessed be my breasts formed in beauty (or for a male, formed in strength).
Blessed be my heart that I feel compassion for all who are living.
Blessed be my mouth that speaks the sacred names.
Blessed be my eyes that behold the beauty of Nature.
Finally anoint yourself in the center of your forehead:
Blessed be my inner sight that I may receive a message within my soul.
Draw a pentagram in the air over the steamy bathwater and cast in the salts, then lower yourself slowly in, savoring the feeling and the scent. Enjoy your soak as you open your senses to savor-the taste of tea or wine, the scents of your oil and bath, the sounds of the music, the sights of flickering candlelight, the touch of the warm water. Ask the Goddess for insight into any question you may have:
Bless me, my Lady, that I may see
The truth of what I ask of thee
In love and trust, so mote it be.
Let your mind and intuition be free to dream and to be open for to the message that you will receive in your inner knowing.
When you are ready, leave your bath, thank the Goddess for her blessings, extinguish your candles, and then sleep with pleasant dreams of your Beltane Day.
Copyright © 2003
Maria Kay Simms
|
THE CRAFT
Facts about The Craft
What are Wicca and Witchcraft?
The Wiccan Rede
& the Law of Three
The Pentagram
The Elements
Air |
Fire |
Water |
Earth
The Wheel of the Year
The Timing of the Sabbats
Samhain |
Yule |
Imbolc |
Ostara
Beltane |
Litha |
Lughnasad |
Mabon
Magical Moon
Maria Kay Simms' monthly column on
lunar and astrological events to
help you plan your magickal calendar.
Recommended Reading
Moon Tides, Soul Passages,
The Witch's Circle,
A Time for Magick,
Future Signs, and
Your Magical Child
by
Maria Kay Simms
Books on Spellcraft
Books on Wicca & related subjects
|
