I sing of brooks, of blossoms, birds, and bowers: Of April, May, or June, and July flowers. I sing of Maypoles, Hock-carts, wassails, wakes, of bridegrooms, brides, and of the bridal cakes. ~Robert Herrick
May Dates of Interest:
- May 1 - Beltane / May-Day / Walpurgisnacht
- May 2 - SoS Beltane Ritual (on Zoom)
- May 3 - SoS Maypole & Beltane Ritual (@UUCLV)
- May 4 - Intergalactic Star Wars Day - MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU!
- May 4 - Magic Brew Coffee Social w/ Sin City Witches
- May 5 - Cinco de Mayo / Revenge of the Fifth
- May 9 - Peter Pan Day
- May 11 - Mother's Day
- May 12 - Full Flower Moon @ 9:55 am
- May 17 - Leveling Up Your Spells w/ The ICS @ 6:00 pm UUCLV
- May 17 - UUCLV Food Pantry
- May 20 - World Bee Day
- May 22 - Witchcrafting - DIY Ogham Divination
- May 23 - Full Flower Moon @ 6:53 am
- May 23 - World Turtle Day
- May 24 - Ritual Magic Class w/ The OTO
- May 26 - New Moon in Gemini @ 8:02 pm
- May 30 - Memorial Day
- May 31- National Meditation Day
“As it fell upon a day In the merry month of May, Sitting in a pleasant shade Which a grove of myrtles made.” ― Richard Barnfield
Fire. Fertility. Chaos.
How Scotland is reviving an ancient pagan ritual
By Rebecca Crowe w/ Nat Geo
This Celtic celebration of fire and fertility culminates in the marriage of the May Queen and the Green Man—and the arrival of summer.
Each spring, on the night of April 30, thousands gather on Edinburgh’s Calton Hill to welcome the return of summer—with fire. Performers dressed in dramatic costumes move through the crowd, reenacting ancient rituals to drums and chants echoing across the city.
The crowd—locals and tourists alike—comes for the Beltane Fire Festival, Britain’s largest modern celebration of an ancient tradition that honors fire, fertility, and the changing season. Revived in 1988 by a group of artists and volunteers, the festival has grown into a high-energy spectacle rooted in tradition but shaped by modern values.
So how did a nearly forgotten pagan fire ritual become one of Scotland’s most iconic annual events?
What are the origins of Beltane?
Beltane (pronounced BEL-tayn) is one of eight seasonal festivals in the Celtic calendar, alongside Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, midsummer, Lughnasadh, and Mabon. Its roots stretch back centuries across Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and the Isle of Man.
Beltane translates to “bright fire,” which is central to the festivities. It celebrates the coming summer sunshine months and the fertility of nature, including the people and livestock that come from the changing seasons.
Historically, everyone in the community would have to put out their individual home fires, and a grand bonfire, known as a “need-fire,” would be lit in the community space. Part of this ritual would include driving cattle between two central “need-fires” to protect their health for the season ahead. After this protection ritual was completed, music, dancing, and drinking would continue late into the night.
“Beltane has long been an important part of Scottish traditions and culture since the pre-Christian/Anglosaxon colonization of the land,” says Romaine Furmston-Evans of the Beltane Fire Society. “When these takeovers occurred in history, traditions like Beltane were adopted by the dominant culture and shifted to suit their means. So, the celebration never really stopped; it was just altered and often renamed. In Beltane’s case, it became May Day.”
The history of Edinburgh’s Beltane Fire Festival
Although the repression of paganism and traditional festivals continued throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Beltane didn’t disappear entirely. In 1988, a group of performance artists resurrected the festival’s spirit on Calton Hill. Still run by community volunteers today, the event has grown from a small audience of about 50 in its first year to roughly 10,000 by 1999.
Ross Tinsley, a lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University who has researched Beltane extensively, says, “the group who resurrected it were seeking a release from struggles against the dominant political landscape of Thatcherism.”
Historically, the Beltane celebrations would’ve been celebrated on the slopes of Arthur’s Seat. But because this land is crown-owned—and given the political symbolism—organizers chose Calton Hill, a space known in the 1980s for its connection to queer counterculture.
(This ancient festival celebrates springtime—and a brand new year.)
The story of the May Queen and the Green Man is at the heart of the modern festival. The May Queen is almost a Mother Earth figure, representing nature. The Green Man tries to get the attention of the May Queen throughout the festival but isn’t successful until he shrugs off his winter coat and embraces the new season. The culmination of the festival is the marriage of the two and the start of summer.
As the narrative unfolds, other characters representing aspects of nature join the performance. The Whites, attendants of the May Queen, embody her emotions and energy. The Blues, elders of the festival, uphold tradition and order. The wild and unpredictable Reds represent nature’s chaos and carnality—and often disrupt the other groups. These roles unfold across Calton Hill over four hours, creating an immersive, interactive experience.
Beltane’s revival
Beltane’s rise in popularity is about more than spectacle. “We are currently seeing a resurgence of embracing indigenous cultures across the world,” says Furmston-Evans. “This is part of Scots reclaiming our heritage.”
In part, Beltane’s popularity reflects a growing desire to reconnect—with each other, the natural world, and rhythms that feel older than modern life. “This growth can be seen as a reflection of dissatisfaction with more traditional religion and with the pace of contemporary Western society,” says Tinsley.
According to the Beltane Fire Society website, “The motives behind Beltane are the search of a human primal nature, the need to reconnect with land and nature, the contraposition of the chaotic and wild movements of the elements of life and nature in opposition to the over rationality and disciplinarian order of the central state at that time.”
“Beltane is a festival of hope for brighter times ahead,” says Furmston-Evans, something many find comfort in during uncertain times.
The month of May was come, when every lusty heart beginneth to blossom, and to bring forth fruit; for like as herbs and trees bring forth fruit and flourish in May, in likewise every lusty heart that is in any manner a lover, springeth and flourisheth in lusty deeds. For it giveth unto all lovers courage, that lusty month of May. ~Sir Thomas Malory
May's Lunar Spotlight
Excerpts from: Stephanie N. Campos w/ wellandgood.com
Full Moon in Scorpio
You don’t have to be an astrology buff to know full moons are practically synonymous with wonky emotions (and strangely vivid full moon dreams, at that). But there’s perhaps no more emotional full moon than a full moon in Scorpio, the deeply intuitive water sign. This lunation shines a light on what’s hidden beneath the surface and all things taboo, inviting you to explore the full spectrum of your feelings.
Paired with the sign’s emotional water element, Scorpio’s fixed modality (which marks the signs with the strongest convictions) makes it a resilient sign well-adapted to navigate the unknown. When you think of Scorpio, you can think of the water at the bottom of a well or the depths of the ocean—it’s still, dark, deep, and full of mystery. Scorpio keeps its cool and operates in this arena, learning to rely on instinct and self-trust, and that’s precisely what we’re all pushed to do under a full moon in Scorpio.
New Moon in Gemini
Fresh Starts and New Opportunities
On May 26, 2025, at 8:02 PM PST, the New Moon in Gemini arrives, bringing clarity, inspiration, and fresh ideas. Gemini energy encourages open communication, creative thinking, and intellectual curiosity.
How to Utilize Gemini New Moon Energy:
- Set Intentions: Journal your dreams, intentions, and projects you want to manifest.
- Crystal Grids: Arrange crystals like Citrine and Labradorite to amplify intention-setting and new beginnings.
- Clear & Cleanse: Burn a Palo Santo candle or cleanse with sage to refresh your environment and welcome new energy.
Crystals for the Gemini New Moon:
- Citrine: Brings positivity, clarity, and prosperity, great for manifesting abundance.
- Clear Quartz: Amplifies energy and enhances clarity, making your intentions stronger.
- Blue Lace Agate: Facilitates clear communication and open-mindedness—perfect for Gemini energy.
A New Moon & Mercury Cazimi
Gemini season’s magic starts to sparkle come May 26, when a gorgeous new moon rises in this air sign’s realm. This is a fabulous time for making connections, sharing ideas, and taking the small steps necessary to reach your most aspirational goals. Keep your mind and heart open to new information that can inspire some fresh ways of thinking and communicating.
This bright and buzzy vibe continues on May 30, as the sun will join forces with Mercury in Gemini for an exciting Mercury cazimi. This confidence-boosting planetary connection can light up all sorts of creative thoughts and visions, so use it to get crystal clarity on all the new moon manifestations that are still coming to life.
May's Full Flower Moon (aka Willow Moon)
Adapted From: The Farmer's Almanac
The full Moon May 2025 marks the peak of spring in many parts of North America that acts as a transition into summer’s sunny days and warm nights. The May full Moon is often called the “Flower Moon” with reverence to abundant flowers in bloom, a prelude to Mother Nature’s coming attractions.
May’s Flower Moon name should be no surprise; flowers spring forth across North America in abundance this month!
- “Flower Moon” has been attributed to Algonquin peoples, as confirmed by Christina Ruddy of The Algonquin Way Cultural Centre in Pikwakanagan, Ontario.
- May’s Moon was also referred to as the “Month of Flowers” by Jonathan Carver in his 1798 publication, Travels Through the Interior Parts of North America: 1766, 1767, 1768 (pp. 250-252), as a likely Dakota name. Carver stayed with the Naudowessie (Dakota) over a period of time; his expedition covered the Great Lakes region, including Wisconsin and Minnesota areas.
- Henry David Thoreau sparked the Native American Moon names as well, referencing the Flower Moon and Carver when he wrote about Native Americans.
ALTERNATIVE MAY MOON NAMES:
- Budding Moon and Leaf Budding Moon - celebrate the awakening of local flora (Cree)
- Planting Moon - marks the time when seeds should be started for the farming season ahead. (Dakota, Lakota)
The activities of animals marked spring’s arrival, too. The three names below indicate that warmer weather is on the way!
- Egg Laying Moon (Cree)
- Frog Moon (Cree)
- Moon of the Shedding Ponies (Oglala)
MOON FOLKLORE:
- Clothes washed for the first time in the Full Moon will not last long.
- The Full Moon is an ideal time to accept a proposal of marriage.
Full Moon Rituals: Using The Moon For Personal Growth.
This comprehensive guide dives into the world of full Moon rituals, empowering you to harness the Moon’s potent energy for personal growth and well-being. Learn how to make Moon Water and so much more! Brought to you from The Farmer's Almanac:
“And a bird overhead sang Follow, And a bird to the right sang Here; And the arch of the leaves was hollow, And the meaning of May was clear.” ― Algernon Charles Swinburne
May Full Moon Magic:
This full moon is pregnant with energy and is very important in Wicca since it symbolizes the feminine divine. Witches like to perform their magickal workings at this time since the energy of the full moon lends itself well to more powerful spells and more effective spell casting.
This is the high time for magickal workings related to divining and protection, and also casting spells for healing, abundance, and prosperity. If you’re thinking of switching careers and jobs, this is the time to ask for guidance. To those with rune stones and crystals, this is the time to use them to draw power from the moon.
The Flower Moon also symbolizes us humans. Like the flowers, it is time for us to blossom, to grow day by day by soaking up the sun’s rays, and to gather our energy from it.
It symbolizes shining a light on our darkest days and illuminating the deepest and darkest corners of ourselves, allowing the light of awareness in the darkest places of ignorance, shame, guilt, and embarrassment. The Flower Moon is there to assist us in shedding our outer skin as a form of renewal.
This is the time for self-reflection and self-assessment. Look into yourself for the things that have been hidden. They will now make themselves known. You are given the chance to heal, and you now have the chance to look at yourself in a whole new light, the light that shines from the moon.
This is the chance for rebirth. So go out and experience being under the full and bright light of the Flower Moon! It brings with it a great potential for change. Embrace this change and welcome the magnificent shifts coming your way!
The time is nye, the veil grows thin; Hasten to circle - we’ll conjure Summer in! The Spell is wrought – the Ring is cast, Look to the future, shed the past! Chants and drumming call Them to play; Magick begins with the Frogs and the Fae! ~ Lady Laurelinn
Craft Corner...
~ Beltane Ritual Candle ~
By: Moody Moons
It’s easy to DIY a Beltane ritual candle (or 10!). All you need is a few basic, seasonal herbs, some unscented tea candles, and a lazy spring afternoon.
Magical Correspondences
We chose all of the ingredients in this project for their association with the season of spring, Beltane and the cultivation of fertile ground for your aspirations and goals.
Mint - In the early, freshly thawed earth of springtime, mint appears in the garden as one of the earliest signs of spring. Magically, mint symbolizes new beginnings, fresh ideas, and an openness to change.
Rose - A favorite flower in fairy gardens, soft pink roses represent innocence, purity, and trust. We use them in this spell candle to attract the mystical allure of woodland spirits on the night of Beltane.
Lavender Flowers - When I see lavender flowers in late spring, I think of the tender purple of dyed eggs and late spring sunsets. In modern witchcraft, lavender cultivates a deep sense of mystical awareness, enhances dreams and encourages the tender feelings of lifelong friendship.
Lemon Peels - Lemon is a classic sun symbol and an ode to the return of the light. We add it to this candle project to welcome back the solar reign of the sky.
Damiana (optional) - Damiana is a potent vision herb. If you have access to some dried damiana, use it rituals for both Beltane and Litha to make the most of the thinning of the Veil during the spring Sabbats.
Spell Candle Ingredients
- 4 unscented tea candles (soy, beeswax or natural candle way preferred)
- 8 drops lemon essential oil
- 4 drops lavender essential oil
- dried roses (pinch for each candle)
- dried mint (pinch for each candle)
- (optional) dried damiana (pinch for each candle)
Step 1
Put a small amount of water in a small saucepan on low or very heat. When you place the candles in the pan, the water should not come up higher than halfway.
Wait for the wax to melt. Do not leave it unattended. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.
Step 2
Remove the candles from the heat, taking care not to let the wax spill over the size of the tea candle containers, and not to allow the water to get mixed in with the wax. Place the pan on a heat-safe surface.
Step 3
Leave the candles in the water. Trust me—it’s more trouble than it’s worth at this stage to try and remove them.
To each candle, add two drops of lemon essential oil, one drop of lavender essential oil, and a pinch each of dried roses, dried mint, and (if using) dried damiana.
Step 4
Allow the candles to cool for at least 48 hours before you burn them!
Happy Beltane, everyone!
Blodeuwedd
By Sarah Persson
Something prehistoric yells in the trees,
like an owl mourning flowers.
The Alun streams strange,
flowing up from the sea
bubbling back
back
to a girl
making mud men,
slippery on the clay banks.
She dreams in flowers, oak,
broom, bundles of nettles, meadowsweet
white daisies and bluebells.
A jealous boy throws rocks
Miss me
Miss me
Now you gotta
kiss me.
The stream swallows the shock of
them,
closes around the wounds
so quickly she wonders
if the rock was a trick of the light,
as if the story never happened at all
although the wall builds beneath the surface.
She adjusts the water,
pushes out posies on rafts of bark,
smooths herself with sunlight,
the rock in her heart
and an owl screeching.
Smooths herself with sunlight.
Artwork: Blodeuwedd - Flower Face
By: Naomi Cornock
It's May, the lusty month of May. That darling month when everyone throws self-control away. ~Alan Jay Lerner
The Kitchen Witch's Cauldron
~ Hawthorn Blossom Puddings for The May Queen ~
A new amazing recipe from Gather Victoria!
It is a well-understood fact of fairy folklore that woe befalls those who neglect to offer the fey folk their just desserts. So I offer you these simple old-fashioned puddings inspired by the “Queen of the Fairies” and the “Queen of May,” both of whom play a starring role in the Celtic festival Lá Bealtaine (anglicised May Day). Be sure to go to the website and read the full article, the information shared is well researched and always amazing!
O The month of May, the merry month of May, so frolic, so gay, and so green, so green, so green! O, and then did I unto my true love say, Sweet Peg, thou shalt be my Summer's Queen! ~Thomas Dekker
Greenwood Marriages
& the Fiery Passions of Beltane
by Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway
It is also the holiday of soulful love, a time when we feel called to open our hearts and or connect more deeply with others. It celebrates love, attraction and courtship, and "spring fever" or "mating season."
It's May... It's May... the lusty month of May...
Beltane, also known as "May Day," is the ancient Celtic fertility holiday that celebrated the rites of spring with much frolicking and fun. It begins at sundown April 30th and lasts all day on May 1.
Beltane signals the beginning of the bright half of the year. It means "bright fires," or "brilliant fires."
It is also the holiday of soulful love, a time when we feel called to open our hearts and or connect more deeply with others. It celebrates love, attraction and courtship, and "spring fever" or "mating season."
Many modern couples decide to marry, or pledge their love in a sacred ceremony or hand-fasting on this holiday.
It is major Sabbat in Earth and Goddess-based spirituality, and participants continue to enact some aspects of these rituals around the world.
One of my favorite examples of Beltane is the scene in the movie, Camelot, where Queen Guinevere (Vanessa Redgrave) goes off with her court "a Maying." She sang the famous Lerner and Lowe, "It's May."
Meaning and History
Beltane originated among the Celtic peoples of Western Europe and the British Isles, particularly Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, home of my ancestors.
In ancient times, two great fires would be lit, made with healing herbs. The light would guide the townspeople through the night, and some would jump skyclad over the flames and or rides their animals between the two fires to be blessed by the sacred smoke.
Beltane heralds the beginning of the bright time of year, a time when we emerge from the darkness of winter into lighter, airy days. Makes us want to open our hearts and feel the warmth of the sun.
The ancients had been cooped up in doors for a long winter. Beltane came at the peak of spring, and brought life back to the people and the land.
In Beltane: The Lovers Entwine, it's explained this way: "Beltane, or May Day, as it also known, occurs at the peak of Spring. This is the time of year when the earth basks in the gentle embrace of the sun's warmth. The warmth of the sun helps plants blossom, crops fertilize and the rivers overflow with the melted snow of winter past. Animals frolic about searching for mates. People fall in love and consume each other in fiery passion."
The reason this holiday is so sexy yet sacred is that it is symbolic of the passion and love between the Goddess and God. Divine passion, it was believed, was evident in all of nature's bounty springing forth this time of year.
The ancient custom in villages was to have a fertile couple to represent the King and Queen of the May. Dancing around the maypole was a focal point of activity. The Maypole was made of oak, and had ribbons of many colors. Women would grab a ribbon and dance around it and the last woman left holding the ribbon would be crowned the May Queen.
It is said that a wedding feast, symbolically honoring God and Goddess, was prepared in advance of the dance around the may pole and that all would partake.
The May King and Queen would then consummate their "marriage" as a symbolic gesture of fertility. All the townspeople would emulate them and head off to partake in some sacred love. It was a bit of free love and wanton lust sometimes called "Greenwood Marriages."
As an ode to nature, and as an offering to God and Goddess -- maids and lads would frolic in the fields from sundown to the morning after. Part of this celebration included enacting the rites of fertility as an offering to ensure continued fertility of the lands as well as the continuation of the tribe.
It's been said that the annual Beltane Baby Boom, nine months later was legendary in ancient times.
Bringing in the May
One of the most beautiful customs associated with this festival was called "bringing in the May." The young people would go out into the fields on April 30th and gather flowers with which to bedeck themselves, their families and their homes.
They would process back into the villages, stopping at each home to leave flowers, and to receive the best of food and drink that the home had to offer.
They were symbolic messengers of renewal and this also represented the ritual sharing of food -- the substance of life -- and the ideal that this generosity must keep circulating.
We can all go "a Maying" by doing something nice for others or sharing a spring ritual with the one you love!
This article was originally posted to Huffington Post in 2014, by Rev. Brockway
Beltane Artwork from Hedingham Fair
Nor yet because fair flowers are springing, beneath thy genial ray; and thousand happy birds are singing all welcome to thee, May! ~Rosanna Eleanor Leprohon
May Book Review
Blodeuwedd:
By Jhenah Telyndru
Like a gathering of flowers from hedge and field, or a cloak made of owl feathers, Blodeuwedd is a figure of great complexity. She is both Flower Maiden and Owl of Wisdom… unfaithful wife and representative of Sovereignty… fallen woman and feminist heroine… medieval cautionary tale and reclaimed divinity. Yet, for all of these seeming inconstancies, the key to understanding Blodeuwedd is being able to see her as a whole. Bringing together strands of Celtic lore, Welsh literature, British folk practice, and modern devotion, Celticist Jhenah Telyndru weaves a solid foundation from which scholars and seekers alike can come into deeper relationship with this oft-misunderstood figure. Ultimately, this journey to reclaim Blodeuwedd’s identity - a Sovereignty Goddess who ensured the cycle of the seasons by choosing, in turn, to partner with the Solar Hero of Summer and the Otherworldly Champion of Winter - reveals a transformational mythic pathway that can also guide us in the reclamation of our own sovereignty.
Reviews & Praise:
- I've read many books on the Welsh Goddesses and truly find Jhenah Telyndru to be a premier researcher, writer, and authority on the topic. Her work is useful both academically and for those seeking spiritual connection with the Divine. I highly recommend all of her books for those curious beginners and already knowledgeable in Celtic wisdom and mythology.
- I’m the owner of many books published by this author–for many reasons. I came to her work for a look into the mythic isle of Avalon. I have stayed for her reputation for sound academic research and respect for Welsh culture and history. Blodeuwedd is a Goddess close to my heart, and I feel comfortable recommending all of her material to new and seasoned polytheists looking to dive into the rich lore of Avalon and Sovereignty Figures. Pagan Portals books are by nature short works, but this book captures the spirit of the Flower Bride–the wise owl, and demystifies this wonderful story held within the Mabinogi. ~Cece B.
About the author:
Jhenah Telyndru is an author, educator, and Priestess. She holds an MA in Celtic Studies from the University of Wales. Founder of the Sisterhood of Avalon, she presents Avalonian Training Intensives around North America and the UK, and facilitates pilgrimages to sacred sites in the British Isles. Born and raised in NYC, she lives in Central New York with her two children, two cats, and too many books.
May Laughs:
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