The Celtic Festival of Beltane (Beltain, Beltainne, Beltaine, Bealtaine)
is a Cross Quarter Day, half way between the Spring Equinox
and the Summer Solstice. While the Beltane Festival is now associated
with May 1st, the actual astronomical date is a number of days
later, for 2010 the date is May 5th.

In Irish mythology, the beginning of the summer season started
with the Fire Festival at Beltane. Great bonfires would mark
a time of purification and transition, heralding in the season
in the hope of a good harvest later in the year, and were accompanied
with rituals to protect the people from any harm by otherworldly
spirits.

At the Beltany Stone Circle in the North West of Ireland, the sunrise
at Beltane is aligned with the only decorated stone in the circle.
The Beltany Stone Circle gets its name from Beltane which is
associated with the lighting of hilltop fires in a rekindling
of the sun.

Sunrise
at Bealtaine by Ken Williams

The Beltany Stone Circle astronomical alignment is not precise as at Newgrange, it is more circumstantial, the Stone Circle gets its name from Beltane and the sun rises at Beltane behind the only stone that is decorated.

Beltany Stone Circle – Co. Donegal in the North West
of Ireland

Beltany Stone Circle

Beltany Stone Circle

Beltany Stone Circle

Ancient cultures such as the Neolithic (Stone Age) people who
build Newgrange in Ireland aligned their monuments to the major
solar events, the Winter Solstice, the Spring Equinox, the Summer
Solstice and the Autumn Equinox. The solar year was further
divided to mark the half way points between the major solar
events giving the cross quarter days of Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh
and Samhain.

Source:
http://tinyurl.com/6lyvfck

Maypole,
flowers, Queen of the May
dance for us, dance for us, dance for the day

Weave ribbons and
roses and daisies galore
round staffs, and young heads, then cover the floor.

The Lord, a young
man, greets his lover in bloom
in fields and in forests, in every back room.

New life is sprouting
in great singing bursts
the flowers, the beasties, the babies come first!

Romp in the green
that nature’s become
she’s wearing her finest to court her dear sun.

Ripe and
luscious, take a great bite,
then join in the chorus and enter the rite.

Beltane, the wedding,
the joining of all
bring the male to the female, the courting will call.

The great earth mother
lies fertile to sow
lay your seed in her womb and watch the crops grow.

Laugh with
me, fall with me, roll in the grass,
warm spring has come and we’re joyous at last!

(Originally published in Oak Leaves #2)

(This page was downloaded from www.ladywoods.org, the website of the coven of Our Lady of the Woods. It may be used for personal and educational purposes with credit to the author.)

Beltaine (or Beltane) is one of two main Celtic fire rituals on the Wheel
of the Year. It is opposite the other, Samhain. While Samhain honors and celebrates our connection with death and those who have passed on, Beltaine celebrates life and the fertility of the coming growing season. Taking place on April 30, Beltane also is sometimes referred to as “Cetsamhain” which means “opposite Samhain.” The word “Beltaine”
literally means “bright” or “brilliant fire,” and refers to the bonfire lit by a presiding Druid in honor of Bel or Bile.

According to the “Encyclopedia Mythica” Web site,
“It has been suggested that the mythological king, Beli
Mawr, in the story of Lludd and Llefelys in The Mabinogion,
is a folk memory of this god. In Irish mythology, the great
undertakings of the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Milesians–the
original supernatural inhabitants of Eiru and their human conquerors,
respectively–began at Beltane. The Milesians were led by Amairgen,
son of Mil, in folklore reputed to be the first Druid.”

In German legends, the first day of May is the day of Saint Walburga,
(8th century AD), but “the night before, April 30 or MayDay Eve (Beltane Eve), is called Walpurgis Night; formerly the date of the pagan festival marking the beginning of summer.

According to German legend, this festival has been associated with a witches’ carnival, and on this night it was believed that witches met with the devil. In these nights there were usually large bonfires in certain places in the Harz Mountains, Germany, with the purpose to dispel witches.” (Encyclopedia Mythica).

According to Amber K in Covencraft, “the aspect of the Goddess paramount
at Beltane is the Virgin–called Maya, Maia, Mai, or May (for Whom the month is named) in northern Europe, Flora in Rome, or Kore in Greece. She is of course `virgin’ in the old Pagan sense–a woman who belongs to herself…” (p. 159)

Many modern Pagans and Wiccans celebrate the Sabbat by carrying on
some of the traditions found in legends. In the Maypole dance for fertility and to raise power for a bountiful harvest, a tall Maypole is erected into the earth, symbolizing the male fertility being given to the female Earth. The men of the group bring the pole into the circle while the women dig the hole
to place it in. Bright ribbons fall from the top of the pole, and are woven around it as dancers raise power. In ancient times, after the dance was completed, couples often wandered off to be alone and take advantage of the feelings aroused by the symbolism of the Maypole in the Earth. “In India, phallic pillars directly related to the maypole are still venerated.”
(Covencraft, p. 159)

Another tradition is that of the Balefire. According to Merlyn of Our Lady of the Woods, “Other Beltane customs survived and included jumping the Balfire in honor of the God Bel, Baal or Balder. Beltane Fires or Balefires were lit on hilltops to mark May Eve (April 30). Leaping through or over the flames of the Balefire is a more recent custom performed as an act of purification and to bring good luck.”

Our Lady of the Woods traditionally starts its Beltaine ritual with the Garland Dance, which was introduced by a former High Priestess, Faellina Rose. She introduced the tradition from old England practices on May Day. We weave fresh flowers into braided ropes (garlands) with stuffed dolls (poppies) on each end. Some participants pair up and take a garland to chase and capture an individual. The person captured then must forfeit a piece of candy or a kiss, whichever she prefers.

According to Tehom with Our Lady of the Woods, the Garland Dance is “fun,
and kids enjoy it; it involves chocolate and candy; people decorating the garlands can put magickal intent into them; it gets everyone moving around and is a chance to mingle; it’s sexual while being ‘friendly’; the garlands traditionally show male/female joined, but we mix up the dolls (female/female, etc.) to show that we accept different types of relationships. There is more to Beltane than sex, of course, but that is part of it. This dance is a”controlled” way of choosing partner after partner to share affection with that is freely accepted in terms of a kiss or a treat of candy; and, you don’t play if you don’t want to, that is, if it makes you uncomfortable.”

After the Garland Dance breaks the ice, the garlands are placed on the altar, and we gather in the Circle to start the traditional ritual, bringing in the Maypole and dancing.

FURTHER READING

Besides the series of short articles included here, we recommend:

1. Campenelli, Pauline and Dan. Wheel of the Year: Living
the Magical Life. Llewellyn, 1993.
2. Hutton, Ronald. The Stations of the Sun. Oxford
University Press, 1996.
3. Nahmad, Claire. Earth Magic: A Wisewoman’s Guide to Herbal,
Astrological, & Other Folk Wisdom. Destiny Books, 1994.

4. Pennick, Nigel. The Pagan Book of Days. Destiny
Books, 1992.

Persephone on the Cusp of Spring

She waits
upon the ancient stone
The stairway to the world above
O’er Styx in chariot of bone
To shore before the road to love

The mother
waits with bated breath
For daughter to ascend once more
The land laid waste in depth and breadth
In protest of what she abhors

For Death
does come and steal away
The daughter love so carefully wrought
Until rebirth of spring’s first day
Returns that for which she fought

The Kore’s
cyclic loss each year
Brings grief but rest and time to heal
Death’s permanence she need not fear
For Demeter’s love destroyed Fate’s seal

She waits
upon the threshold there
Ascending when the time is nigh
As sunshine hits her shining hair
Demeter’s arms embrace her child

Aine

Aine of
Egobail
of splendor, of fame
Midsummer Nights
Feast to honor your name

Queen of
the Fae folk
Magical Maid
Lies within the
Mound of Cnoc Aine

Who dares
place their hand
in the Well lying there
Shall leave either blessed
or as mad as a Hare

In Wales, May 1 is a holiday known as Calan Mai or Calan Haf, which
means the first day of summer. Celebrations start on the evening
before, known as May Eve, with bonfires; as with Calan Gaeaf,
the night before (Nos Galan Mai) is an Ysbrydnos, or “spirit
night,” when spirits are out and about and divination is
possible. The tradition of lighting Midsummer bonfires happened
annually in south Wales until the middle of the 19th century.
It is the Welsh equivalent of the Goidelic Beltane.

The fire was done in this way: Nine men would turn their pockets
inside out, and see that every piece of money and all metals
were off their persons. Then the men went into the nearest woods
and collected sticks of nine different kinds of trees. These
were carried to the spot where the fire had to be built. There
a circle was cut in the sod and the sticks were set crosswise.
All around the circle the people stood and watched the proceedings.
One of the men would then take two bits of oak and rub them
together until a flame was kindled. This was applied to the
sticks and soon a large fire was made. Sometimes two fires were
set up, side by side.

These fires, whether one or two, were called coelcerth or bonfire.
Round cakes of oatmeal and brown meal were split in four and
placed in a small flour-bag, and everybody present had to pick
out a portion. The last bit in the bag fell to the lot of the
bag-holder. Each person who chanced to pick up a piece of brown
meal cake was compelled to leap three times over the flames,
or to run thrice between the two fires, by which means the people
thought they were sure to have a plentiful harvest. Shouts and
screams of those who had to face the ordeal could be heard ever
so far, and those who chanced to pick up the oatmeal portions
sang and danced and clapped their hands in approval… As a
rule, no danger attended these curious celebrations, but occasionally
somebody’s clothes caught fire, which was quickly put
out.

Customs

• On Nos Galan Mai or May Eve, villagers gather hawthorn
(draenen wen, literally whitethorn) branches and flowers which
they would then use to decorate the outside of their houses,
celebrating new growth and fertility.

• In Anglesey and Caernarvonshire it would be common on
May Eve to have gware gwr gwyllt (playing straw man) or crogi
gwr gwellt (hanging a straw man). A man who had lost his sweetheart
to another man would make a man out of straw and put it somewhere
in the vicinity of where the girl lived. The straw man represented
her new sweetheart and had a note pinned to it. Often the situation
led to a fight between the two men at the May Fair.

• There are echoes here of the fight mentioned in the
Mabinogion story of “Culwch and Olwen” between Gwyn
ap Nudd (mythological king of the Otherworld) and Gwythyr fab
Greidawl. Creiddylad, described as “the most majestic girl
in Britain or the three offshore islands” had gone to Gwythyr,
but before he could sleep with her, Gwyn ap Nudd carried her
off by force. Arthur made peace between the two men by decreeing
that Creiddylad would stay in the house of her father and every
Calan Mai the two men would fight for her; whoever was the winner
on the Judgement day would take her. This story itself probably
echoes an older ritual where the god of the winter half of the
year fights with the god of the summer half, in this case, in
order to win the goddess of sovereignty or the land. Marie Trevelyan
also records that an aged Welshman described to her a battle
fought on Calan Mai in South Wales between Summer and Winter.
The man representing Winter carried a stick of blackthorn (draenen
ddu) and a shield that had pieces of wool stuck on it to represent
snow. The man representing Summer was decorated with garlands
of flowers and ribbons and carried a willow-wand which had spring
flowers tied on it with ribbons. A mock battle took place in
which the forces of Winter threw straw and dry underwood at
the forces of Summer who retaliated with birch branches, willow
(helygen) rods, and young ferns (rhedyn). Eventually the forces
of Summer would win and a May King and Queen were chosen and
crowned, after which there was feasting, dancing, games and
drinking until the next morning.

• May Day was the time that the twmpath chwarae was officially
opened. The Welsh equivalent of the Irish ceili is a twmpath.
Through the summer months in some Welsh villages, the people
would gather on the twmpath chwarae, (literally, tump for playing),
the village green, in the evenings to dance and play various
sports. The green was usually situated on the top of a hill
and a mound was made where the fiddler or harpist sat. Sometimes
branches of oak decorated the mound and the people would dance
in a circle around it.

• Dawnsio haf, summer dancing, was a feature of the May
Day celebration, as was carolau Mai, May carols, also known
as carolau haf, summer carols or canu dan y pared, singing under
the wall (songs being often of a bawdy or sexual nature). The
singers would visit families on May morning accompanied by a
harpist or fiddler, to wish them the greetings of the season
and give thanks to “the bountiful giver of all good gifts.”
If their singing was thought worthy, they would be rewarded
with food, drink, and possibly money.

This is an example of a May carol translated from the early modern
Welsh which evokes the signs of the beginning of summer in the
countryside, and the sexual implications:

A Carol for Mayday

I have a great longing for a girl
Whose love has penetrated my breast
She swears to me
That I will get to see her on Mayday.

I heard the blackbird cock
Singing days ago
Better still I heard the cuckoo
I know that Mayday is not far off.

I saw leaves along the tops of the bushes
I saw lambs and kids
The nightingale warbling night and day
I know that Mayday is near.

A new gate on an oat field
And horses being brought from their stables
And tied in the corner where the rye is
But blessed is Mayday.

Upon my oath I saw the swallow
Nesting at the top of the chimney
The girls dressed up beautifully
That is the sign of Mayday.

I saw last night a fair evening
The cows being milked outside
Small calves playing merrily
Those are the signs of Mayday.

I saw a rich and comfortable gentleman
Gathering together his yokes
And his muck fork and his hay hook
Going to the fair on Mayday.

I saw a showy woman on her behind
Grazing oat shoots
I would get to hunt every afternoon
The bounty of Mayday is fair.

I saw barley shoots joyous
I saw goslings
And chickens and a foal
And what will stop Mayday coming now

I saw a crow’s nest being torn down
And meadows being prepared
I saw the big road being repaired
Mayday cannot be long.

(Translation courtesy of George Jones)

References:
• Trefor M. Owen. Welsh Folk Customs. Gomer Press, Llandysul 1987
• Marie Trevelyan. Folklore and Folk Stories of Wales. EP Publishing Ltd, Wakefield 1973
• Hilaire Wood, http://www.applewarrior.com/celticwell/ejournal/beltane/wales.htm
electronic version

Further reading:
Thomas Parry, Canu Rhydd Cynnar, Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1932, pp. 404-5
J. Ganz, trans., The Mabinogion, Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, 1976.
Rhiannon Ifans, Sers a Rybana. Astudiaeth o’r canu gwasael (Llandysul: Gomer, 1983), pp. 189-209.
Kenneth Jackson. Studies in Early Celtic Nature Poetry, Llanerch, Felinfach, 1995.
Trefor M. Owen. Welsh Folk Customs, Gomer Press, Llandysul, 1987.
Marie Trevelyan. Folk-lore and Folk-stories of Wales, EP Publishing, Wakefield, 1973.

I noticed,
The dawn,
Would appear a little bit earlier
Each day

Almost a forgotten friend,
Long into winter’s dark routine,
I welcomed the suspicion
Of the sun’s return
With joy,
With expectation,
With a prayer

How deep the somber
State of the season
And the flight of the sun,
The rule of the shadow,
The retreat of life,
The retreat from life

I once thought that each season
But the dark One,
Was safe from loss,
Was free from sorrow
Was ruled by increase,
Forward motion,
And peace

But that was not the case:
Slow slide,
Start from the zenith at Mean Samhradh,
Tumble slightly past Lughnasadh,
Past the thorns and brambles
That I found along
The way,
Leaving me lacking,
Doubting,
Less than I was

I could not understand
How the cycles could be
So lightly delineated,
So poorly defined,
So opaque,
That Nature would operate
In a variable way,
That the cycles we subscribe to
Are not cast in stone

What of the monuments
That channel the Sun on a given day?
What of the alignments
That funnel the Light in a determined way?

Made by men,
With clever hands
With wizened eyes
And careful thought

Yet though the Sun
May be mermerised and coaxed,
By such mazes,
Menhirs,
And stones,
The Earth laughs with delight
At such pleasant agreements
Where Sun traces lines,
Enters boxes
And caves,
And illuminates the wonders
Carved by men’s hands inside

Yet, illuminations are not
The providence of men alone:
I watched the hawthorns
As I walk underneath
Their thorns pull away
What of winter remains,
And leaves me fresher,
And newer,
And awaiting the Light

That mischievous Light,
Shine through the hawthorns
And the patterns emerge
Filtered through thorns,
And branches,
And time
To gather symbols,
And ciphers,
And glyphs,
Cast upon surfaces
Earthen and rare
Shifted by angle
Altered by wind
Seen and unseen
With the secrets of time
Writ by the seasons
And told by the Sun
Conspired in branches
The season begun

I look to the sky when
Arising
In thanks
And joy
Almost childlike bliss
I look to the west,
In the late afternoon,
And gifted with further
Warmth and Light
I look to the Spring
So fully in bloom
And dream of the Summer
Coming my way
And feel it eternal
And know that
Midsummer
Is a lifetime
Away

I dream this dream
In the increasing Light
Young leaves
And new sprouts
That I see on my way
Remind me that I too
Am new once again
And this life continues
For again one more day
Then another
Then another again
And one more season
To welcome me in
And once more around,
Another, again

©The Ogmic Press
All Rights Reserved

Long ago, when the realms of Gods and humankind were not so separated
by the veil, Jupiter and Mercury had quite a debate regarding
the selfish and sometimes unkind nature developing among the
people, for it seemed they were forgetting the very basis of
all relationships: hospitality. Xenia, hospitality, was arguably
the most important of virtues, a perfect reflection of the theoxenia,
the hospitality that exists between the folk and the Gods. Mercury
was insistent that the people were growing increasingly self-centered,
caring little for the wants and needs of others, but Jupiter
held a ray of optimism, for he had seen great kindness in their
hearts during his adventures among them. Mercury proposed that
the two should visit the people and see for themselves the state
of their hearts.

Disguised as simple peasant-folk, Jupiter and Mercury descended to Earth
and began seeking refuge among the people of Phrygia. The first
house visited was ornately decorated with columns and surrounded
by a luxurious landscape of exotic plants and lavish gardens.
Before they reached the front door, they were intercepted and
returned to the street—and not quite as gently as they
would have liked! The second house was equally as elaborate,
though smaller and seemingly more inviting. However, the Gods
were met with similar treatment and shown not an ounce of kindness.

On they walked through the village, with door after door slamming
in their faces, their bellies left empty and their bodies taking
on a chill. Finally, the two came upon the house of Baucis and
Philemon. It was a rustic cottage, simple but cozy. When Jupiter
and Mercury knocked on their door, Baucis and Philemon took
pity on their state and immediately brought them in from the
weather, offering them what food and wine they could spare.
They shared pleasant conversation over their meals, and before
long, Baucis noticed that although she had filled their glasses
several times, the pitcher remained full, and the wine was sweeter
and richer than ever before.

Philemon,noticing that his wife had frozen in place staring at the wine
pitcher, inquired if she was feeling well. In a hurried whisper,
she replied, “The Gods have come among us!” Philemon
and Baucis raised their hands in supplication and apologized
for their simple home and fair. Philemon immediately thought
of slaughtering their goose to make a proper meal for the Gods,
but when he went to catch it, it ran into Jupiter’s lap
for safety and set the God to laughing.

“Philemon,” Jupiter replied. “There is no need to slaughter this fine
goose. Your hospitality has been plentiful. It is not how much
you give with your hand that is most important. It is what you
give with your heart.” Jupiter sighed. “I wish I could say as
much for the others we have met along our way.
I am going to destroy this city and all the people who turned
their backs on us. In reward for your generosity, I give you
these instructions that you may be spared. You must climb the
mountain with me as far as an arrow can shoot in one pull and
not turn back until we reach the top.”

The four set off up the mountain in silence. Baucis and Philemon
were disturbed by the sudden claps of thunder and rushing water
behind them, but they never turned from their path. A single
tear fell down Baucis’ cheek as she fought to suppress
the sense of loss that overwhelmed her, though she, too, had
felt the sting of the selfish nature of her neighbors. Once
they reached the summit and were permitted to turn round, they
saw a sight both disastrous and magnificent to behold. The town
had been destroyed by a great flood, but where their humble
cottage once sat there was now an ornate temple.

“Baucis, Philemon, because you still hold sacred the virtue of hospitality,
I will grant you one wish,” said Jupiter.

“Thank you for your great kindness,” replied Philemon. “My
desire is only that my Baucis and I be permitted to stay together
forever. When the time comes for one of us to leave this place,
I wish the other will make the journey, as well, that we may
enter the afterlife hand-in-hand.” Jupiter saw the sparkle
in Baucis’ eyes as she gazed at her husband, basking in
his love for her and knew her wish to be the same.

“Very well!” Jupiter exclaimed with a clap of his hands. “I
hereby appoint you as the Guardians of this temple for all of
your days. When your time has come to pass on from this world,
you shall pass as one.” And with that they were gone.

The couple spent the remainder of their days keeping the temple
in proper shape, providing shelter, food and companionship for
all those who entered their space. They worked hard, but their
stores were never low and their hearts were never fuller.

When their time in the mortal realm had reached an end, they walked
out into the deserted boggy terrain where they were transformed
into an intertwining pair of trees, one Oak and one Linden,
to remain in one another’s arms for all time.

And the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles,
no matter how long,
but only by a spiritual journey,
a journey of one inch,
very arduous and humbling and joyful,
by which we arrive at the ground at our feet,
and learn to be at home.

~~ Wendell Berry ~~
(Collected Poems)

Spring brings cleansing and rejuvenation. Most often the liver is the
target of a cleansing herbal regimen, since the liver is one
of the most important organs in the body. It processes our hormones,
contributes to proper digestion, cleanses the body of toxins,
and many other important duties. A good cleansing regimen, however,
will also cleanse and support other vital organs, such as heart,
kidneys, blood, and digestive system. It will also do wonderful
things for your spirit! It is vital to consume lots of water,
with lemon is ideal, and get fresh air to flush these toxins
out of your system.

Dandelion Root

Dandelion Root can be made into a bitter tea (don’t sweeten it, the bitterness is how it works – you’ll get use to it) as an excellent
tonic for the liver and blood purifier. Dandelion roots are
very high in vitamins and minerals. The common dandelion is
an unusually nutritious food. Its leaves contain substantial
levels of vitamins A, C, D, and B complex as well as iron, magnesium,
zinc, potassium, manganese, copper, choline, calcium, boron,
and silicon. Worldwide, the root of the dandelion has been used
for the treatment of a variety of liver and gallbladder problems.
Other historical uses of the root and leaves include the treatment
of breast diseases, water retention, digestive problems, joint
pain, fever, and skin diseases. The most active constituents
in dandelion appear to be eudesmanolide and germacranolide,
substances unique to this herb.

Milk Thistle

Milk Thistle is the best in cleaning our blood and liver and is a
traditional way to get our health back on track and revitalize
and nourish our entire internal ecological system from the ravages
of winter. Milk Thistle is an excellent cleanser for the liver.
Cleansing is one of the more important roles of Milk Thistle
as it helps to prevent a host of problems our bodies can acquire
from internal and external toxic overload.

Burdock Root

Burdock root helps to purify blood and restore the liver to aid in a
restful sleep. Helps to reduce build up of toxins in the skin
resulting in boils. Helps gallbladder functions and stimulates
the immune system. Seed forms are also used.

Nettle

Nettles are invaluable as a food, rich in vitamins and minerals. Only
the young, tender tips are suitable for cooking, the stalks
and lower leaves are not edible. They can be cooked then pureed
for soup or vegetable accompaniment. Nettles make a valuable
tonic after the winter and are an excellent remedy for Anemia,
their vitamin C content ensures that the iron they contain is
properly absorbed. Nettles increase the quality of the blood
helping to give a healthy glow to the skin.

Yellow Dock

Yellow Dock is applicable to all the purposes for which the other species
are used. The root has laxative, alterative and mildly tonic
action, and can be freely used as a tonic and laxative in rheumatism,
bilious complaints and as an astringent in piles, bleedings
of the lungs, etc. It is largely prescribed for diseases of
the blood, from a spring eruption, to scurvy, scrofula and chronic
skin diseases. It is also useful in jaundice and as a tonic
to the stomach and the system generally. It has an action on
the bowels very similar to that of Rhubarb, being perhaps a
little less active, but operating without pain or uneasiness.
Rumicin is the active principle of the Yellow Dock, and from
the root, containing Chrysarobin, a dried extract is prepared
officially, of which from 1 to 4 grains may be given for a dose
in a pill. This is useful for relieving a congested liver, as
well as for scrofulous skin diseases.

Echinacea

First used by the Indigenous North Americans who harvested the plants
for extensive use in the treatment of infectious wounds and
burns or eruptive skin complaints. It enhances the phagocytic
activity of white blood cells – identifying and retiring
bacterial, viral and fungal infections, in addition to the clearance
of these from the lymphatic system. Higher doses are often used
for affecting acute immune responses.

Astragalus

To be used after colds or infection to rebuild immunity, Astragalus
is a sweet tasting herb effective in restoring both resilience
to future respiratory infections, and efficiency of metabolism
to ensure optimal nutrition for immune reserves to fight off
those spring colds. This herb is the best for restoring energy
to the body very quickly.

Garlic

Garlic was worshipped by the ancient Egyptians, chewed by Greek Olympian athletes and thought to be essential for keeping vampires at
bay! But it is also good for zapping bacteria, keeping your heart healthy, warding off coughs and colds. Garlic is an antibiotic that can actually kill infecting bacteria and at the same time protect the body from the poisons that are causing the infection. It is known that the most sensitive bacterium to garlic is the deadly Bacillus anthracis which produces the poison anthrax.
Vapor from freshly cut garlic can kill bacteria at a distance of 20 cms!

Marshmallow

Marshmallow stimulates the immune system and the production of white blood cells. It also soothes inflammation, slows production of mucus,
and reduces sugar levels in the body.

Andrew Pacholyk, MS, L.Ac
www.Peacefulmind.com
Therapies for healing mind, body, spirit

A Grove member participated in our Yule Rite despite being busy with a toddler who had just joined her household. She is also a student so her schedule was overwhelming. As we said our goodbyes outside the Taco Bell where we had gone to indulge in some junk food after our Rite (budgets were also extremely tight), she whipped out her cell phone and played a brief recording I’ll never forget.

The air rang with the loudest, most joyous, most uninhibited laughter I’ve ever heard. It was the laughter of toddlerhood, of innocence, of wild, primal, surging joy—and damned be anyone who tried to contain it, to make it conform!

A toddler boy’s laughter rings in my memory as I contemplate Beltane. Daffodils, tulips and trees exploding in pink and purple are visions of that laughter, that play, that flirtation that is the first step to new creation.

A toddler’s laughter makes me yearn to laugh that way, play that way, feel that way—the way I felt when school was about to pause for the Winter Holidays or summer vacation, when I sat around a campfire next to a snug little travel trailer that would soon shelter me for the night, when my Birthday arrived, on Christmas Eve. Everything faded into a bright mist of contentment and happiness.

Beltane’s archetypes resonate with all living things. There is the obvious—sacred sexual encounters and the Chalice and the Blade uniting in the
Great Rite. I struggle with that archetype because I am not sexually active. But that laughter brought the deeper meaning, the one that applies to all Life, into sharp focus. I am constrained by my workplace and by being spiritually in the closet at home but my Soul can soar with that passion. I can unite the Blade of my passion, energy and strength with the Chalice of receptivity to my every experience.

I can bring passion to answering letters and e-mails at work as completely and clearly as I can. I can bring passion to my relationships, especially a passion for what will serve my loved ones. I can bring passion to my stolen moments with the Nature Spirits and Shining Ones. I can bring passion to cooking to nourish my father and me. I can even bring passion to washing a dish or mopping a floor!

A little boy’s laughter echoes from a cell phone speaker and Beltane’s Needfires shout to me from ancient Celtic hills: “Don’t hold back!” Cry, laugh, dance, release! “

Nothing can manifest without a union of Passion and Intent, of Yin and
Yang, Male and Female, flint and stone. Hold back and there can be no spark to light the void. The time for rest, for constraint, is over. It is time to run, to shout, to roll in the grass, to fertilize the Universe and be fertilized by the Shining Ones.

What sparks will you ignite?

How something is made flesh
no one can say. The buffalo soup
becomes a woman
who sings every day to her horses
or summons another to her private body
saying, come, touch, this is how
it begins, the path of a newly born
who, salvaged from other lives and worlds,
will grow to become a woman, a man,
with a heart that never rests,
and the gathered berries,
the wild grapes
enter the body,
human wine
which can love,
where nothing created is wasted;
the swallowed grain takes you through the dreams
of another night,
the deer meat becomes hands
strong enough to work.

But I love most
the white-haired creature
eating green leaves;
the sun shines there
swallowed, showing in her face
taking in all the light,

and in the end
when the shadow from the ground
enters the body and remains,
in the end, you might say,
This is myself
still unknown, still a mystery.

~~ Linda Hogan ~~
(Rounding the Human Corners)

First of all, I’m not obsessed with Polyamory. I am obsessed with Polyfidelity. This is about having multiple COMMITTED relationships, not just casual friendships (with benefits). So, what I mean by Polyfidelity is group marriage,but it really goes beyond even that. What I am really interested in is what Robert Heinlein, in his novel, The Moon Is A Harsh
Mistress, called a Line Marriage.

In this scenario, two people fall in love and marry. Later,
one or both of them fall in love with other people, but instead
of breaking the marriage apart, the new lovers are added to
the marriage. Now you have potentially four people, and all
four of them could theoretically fall in love with other people,
and these in turn would also be added to the marriage. Now you
have a group marriage, with multiple wives and multiple husbands
– co-wives and co-husbands. But this is still not a Line
Marriage.

Line Marriage takes time, and grows over time. The idea here is that
as the marriage continuously grows, people are eventually going
to die off. Unlike conventional monogamous marriage, where a
death ends the relationship, a Line Marriage continues beyond
death. Theoretically, a Line Marriage could last forever. That
means that rather than going through probate, the dead partner’s
property would simply pass on to the group. That would include
investments, businesses, real property, etc. Those investments
would also continue to increase in value, so that down the road,
and assuming that the marriage would remain intact for say,
a generation or more, the family could be worth billions.

Children born of such an arrangement would have tremendous opportunities only dreamed of by others. First, they would have a support
group of a multitude of adults. Lots of role models – no one gets too tired to give the children the attention they need, or the homework help they need, etc. They also have the built in support of many, many brothers and sisters. For the children born into the family twenty or more years down the line, they would enjoy a guaranteed college education. Think of what the holidays would be like!

But to want this, I must be obsessed with sex.

Actually, sex has very little to do with it. I am obsessed with
love. I am attracted to the idea of having continuous love and
support, of being surrounded by people who genuinely love me
for who and what I am. I love and support Ceridwen now, who
loves and supports me. Many people are in fact jealous of the
relationship we enjoy. There have been at least two times now,
when someone has attempted to drive us apart, and failed. One
of these held out the promise of a poly relationship, like a
carrot, but ultimately was only interested in me, and not in
Ceridwen. But that was the deal breaker, because Ceridwen and
I are a package deal. You can’t have one of us without
the other. But, there are others out there, somewhere, who are
just like us. We dream of meeting them, and of courting them,
and of adding them to our collective (it does sound a bit like
“the Borg” doesn’t it?).

Why should love be limited to just two? Why should love have
to end when one person dies?

One of us will die someday. What happens to the other one when
that happens? The older one gets the less likely one is (unless
you are really, really wealthy) to find new love. I watched
my father disintegrate after my mother’s death. Now granted,
it happened over 13 years, but he never remarried, and I don’t
believe he ever even dated during that time. My mother took
care of him, but once she was gone there was no one to take
care of him anymore. If there had been another wife, a co-wife
at least, it’s possible he’d still be alive today.

I think people die for lack of love. I don’t think this
has to happen though. I certainly don’t want it to happen
to Ceridwen and I don’t want it to happen to me.

“Oh well, that’s just life,” you say. “That’s just the way it is.” But it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s only that way because we choose it to be that
way. It’s only that way because we have accepted societal programming that monogamy is the only way that exists. But we know just from observing society that this isn’t true. Over 60% of marriages end in divorce today, usually within three to five years. 90% of these divorces end because one or both of the partners has an affair. Why? Because monogamy isn’t hard wired into any of us, in spite of what society says, or what religion says, or what anyone else says. No one loses the capacity to fall in love just because they get married. It’s not just temptation either. It’s not just “She (or
he) is hot. I want to frak her.” No, most of the time genuine caring develops. Most of the time the person who has fallen in love genuinely loves both people s/he is involved with, but is forced – by society, by religion, by convention – to choose.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Love doesn’t have to end in divorce or death. There is a better way, and group marriage – Line Marriage — is the way we can sustain love, and maybe life, FOREVER.

ADDENDUM
by Ceridwen Seren-Ddaear
Archdruid of RDG

Since there seems to be some confusion about the terminology for multiple
people in a relationship, here are few terms I’d like to share:

1. Polyamory (many loves) – the ability to LOVE more than one person in a relationship format (NOT to be confused with “swinging” – the difference is LOVE!)

2. Polyfidelity – A close personal relationship with more than one person – with respect and fidelity with each other in that relationship.

3. Compersion, n.: the feeling of taking joy in the joy that others you love share among themselves, especially taking joy in the knowledge that your beloveds are expressing their love for one another.

A famous example of “Compersion” might be found in the story of King Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot…at least in “most” versions of the story I’ve read, they all love each other nearly equally: Arthur seems to look the other way when Gwen and Lance are carrying on, and when Lance keeps trying to leave, Arthur keeps asking him to come back and stay at court…yet Lance loves them both enough to “try” to stay away…and obviously Gwen loves them both and feels torn between them, yet wants them both to keep their close relationship too. Kind of a “twisted” example, perhaps, but I can
see the desire on each of their parts for the happiness between the other two, and the pleasure they each take when observing the love shared between the others…and even when eventually jealousy did rear its ugly head, there was still a great love between all three that lasted till the very end…

I personally believe that humans are not particularly wired to be “monogamous” per se…monogamy is primarily a societal construct pushed on us since we were little children – especially with little girls, who grow up planning their “fairytale marriage to Prince Charming”…

Look at the Greeks for example! Be with who you love! If it includes the three pillars of a successful relationship: Love, Trust and Respect, you can successfully have a romantic relationship with more than one person…or if you are into “serial monogamy” – having fidelity with oneperson at a time – then you can know when the contract is up and it’s time to move on to the next person you have a contract with…

Now I know this idea may sound strange to some,
but I’ve been studying this for some time. Some societies on Earth are open to these ideas – even some places in this country (for example, California!), but most of the country still can’t wrap their minds around it…love needs to be possessed, and jealousy abounds…”you’re MINE and you can’t even look at someone else or you will be breaking the loyalty you have with me!” Look at the state of “marriage” in this country – over 60% end up in divorce – some very nasty! You have “pre-nups” because you don’t trust your partner enough to not want to rip you off if you should split up with them…

You need all three: Love, Trust and Respect – you can’t have a successful relationship if any ONE of them is missing! And all of us – gay, straight, etc., should have the inherent right to love whom we choose and marry whom we choose!

Now, all this is not to say that there is anything wrong with monogamy – for some of us have found our romantic soulmate and just might want to be with them and them alone – that’s fine! If it is YOUR idea and not an expectation from society or your family, then go for it! I’m trying to make sure I’m not sending the wrong message here…but I really think that we have to eventually become more accepting of alternative forms of relationships! I mean, how does some gay couple’s marriage hurt someone else’s monogamous relationship? It has nothing to do with each other – both couples have the right to find love and happiness with whomever they choose (or even with a third or fourth partner as well!)