Merry Beltane!

Wishing everyone Beltane blessings! We’ve shed the darkness of the winter and reawakened to the light half of the year. Today is a celebration of fertility and generosity, as both are important contributors to the abundance of the late summer and fall. In Medieval England, villagers would participate in a custom known as “bringing in the May”, in which they would go into the woods and gather flowers and greenery. The collections were used for decoration, as well as rituals involving protection. Beltane is one of the two times a year the veil thins, and it’s said that many would place rowan branches over their windows and doors for protection against unscrupulous visitors. It’s also said that, in some villages, flowers that were collected would be brought door-to-door and shared in exchange for delicious goodies, similar to trick-or-treating.

It was looked down upon for someone to be stingy with their food at this time, because the generous sharing of food, a sustaining substance, among the village was believed to be necessary “in order that the cosmic circuit of life’s substance may be kept in motion (trees, flocks, harvests, etc.).”* I believe in a similar concept, that it is through giving that we receive, and in this spirit, I invite everyone to join us in performing at least one act of generosity today. It doesn’t have to be monetary; give a few minutes of your time to someone who needs help with something, give of your heart to someone who needs some love, offer some extra patience to others while you’re out and about today. Come back to Baubles & Blessings later and share your contribution to the cosmic circuit of kindness and goodwill.

Love,
Bri & AJ

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Words: AJ Spellman
Image: Bri Crofton

*Williamson, J. (1986). The Oak king, the Holly King, and the Unicorn: the Myths and Symbolism of the Unicorn Tapestries.