Beltane 2021

The word Beltane corresponds to the modern Irish Gaelic word Bealtaine, the name of the month of May, and to the Scottish Gaelic word Bealtuinn meaning May Day. Other names For the Day and the celebrations are: May 1: Rudemas/Roodmas, Rood Day (the Christian term for Rood Day), St. Walburga's Day; Beltane, May Day, Cetsamhain … Continue reading Beltane 2021

Beltane Gardening Rituals: Garden Blessings, Standing Stones, and Energy Workings

Beltane/Beltaine/May Day

Brief History of Beltane Beltane has been translated in many ways. One translation is "Bel-fire" or "Bel's fire." Bel, Beli, Belenos, Balar, or Belinus is the ancient Celtic god of light and fire. This god's actual name may not have been Bel, as Bel could well have been a title, a term of respect, as … Continue reading Beltane/Beltaine/May Day

Embracing Ancestral Fires and Fire-starting at Beltane

Dana's avatarThe Druid's Garden

An awen-shaped sacred fire, created from my flint and steel An awen-shaped sacred fire, created from my flint and steel

The tiny sparks from my flint and steel shower down on my char cloth.  This flint and steel set was a gift from a fellow druid from almost a decade ago, a gift that has long offered me a connection with my ancestors.  It takes me a few moments to remember the technique he taught me, striking the steel against the flint in a particular way with a particulary angle to my body.  Starting a fire in an ancestral way isn’t just a mental act; its an emboded one.  I breathe deeply and remember, and the tiny sparks fly from my tools to the char cloth. After a few more attempts, a single spark lands on the cloth and starts to glow orange. I carefully pick up the char cloth and blow on it to increase the ember size, then…

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Beltane: History

Beltane is mentioned in some of the earliest Irish literature, and it is associated with important events in Irish mythology. It marked the beginning of summer and was when cattle were driven out to the summer pastures. Rituals were performed to protect the cattle, crops, and people, and to encourage growth. The word Beltane corresponds to the … Continue reading Beltane: History