The Fertile Center of Spring: Beltane's Beauty

As we approach the fertile center of the Spring season, we find ourselves greeting the season of Beltane (meaning "bright fire"), usually celebrated on May 1st. Belane was historically celebrated by the Insular Celts as the beginning of summer, and welcomed the growing light with large bonfires and revelry. This passage of time (for around a week beginning today), indicates that we're right between the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice, and stepping into the final chapter of increasing light before we reach our outermost expression at Summer Solstice. Beltane falls opposite of Samhain in the yearly cycle, and holds some of the same thematic gifts, including the opening of portals, or thinning of the veil, to connect with the Otherworld, the ancestors, and the Fae folk.

This season invites us to see into the magical workings of the unseen nature of reality. It's a time to tune into your intuitive nature, and bring some of the magic of the earth into your body and home.

Beltane and Samhain are two of the most sacred times in the year for me, times when mystery, magic, and wonder draw near. The land where I live is bejeweled with vibrant blossoms, alluring fragrance, and a busyness amongst the wildlife. This time is laden with sensuality, beauty, and pleasure.

It invites us into our sensual bodies, and asks us to take pleasure in the well-orchestrated, yet improvisational show that’s unfolding before our eyes.

How are you participating? Are you taking time to literally stop and smell the flowers? Touch the flowers? Taste the flowers?

Are you letting your eyes rest upon pleasure-inducing landscapes, wildlife, or the open sky for an elongated amount of time?

Can you let your body relax into this beauty and invite in more ease, pleasure, and true delight?

Sometimes we’re moving so fast or focused that even if we enjoy the colors, textures and scents on a surface level, they’re not landing in our body. Our body isn’t fully receiving what’s being offered. And, my oh my, what an offering we're being gifted right now!

Part of what we will be exploring in my upcoming program, Infusing the Sacred into Your Life, is allowing ourselves to receive the experience of what’s sacred into our bodies and our lives.

We can do all the things we think we need to do to connect, but if our bodies aren’t open to receiving, then nothing we do will feel impactful. Our actions will feel more like we're going through the motions, rather than it being a nourishing, expansive experience.

I invite you to take at least a small moment to honor this time, and practice receiving it deep into your cells.

Some ideas to celebrate and bask in this Beltane moment:

make a Beltane fire
connect with your own inner fire of desire
linger on a walk and absorb the sensual nature of this time of year
create a Beltane altar
leave an offering outside for your ancestors or the land spirits (perhaps a baked good or sweet)
do something that brings you pleasure
create art
dance
simply be present for a moment outside to absorb the beauty.