I know several people here are pagans so how do you celebrate Beltane. Hope I spelled right!! LOL I'm reading and studying on paganism and I'm learning slowly, trying to take it all in with an open mind!

Also does anyone have any knowledge of Christain witches or christain paganism??

Thanks! Sandy

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2003

Answers

I don't, but I'd be curious to read. Is Beltane in May? Or is it the summer solstice? My brother used to be involved in those celebrations, so I've heard so about them, but I don't recall much.

I do celebrate the equinoxes (equinoxi?) and the solstices! Important agricultural times. Plus, I'm always interested in the moon cycle names (I realize I'm getting off topic). There's so many of them!

-- Anonymous, April 26, 2003

I betcha Sherri will have lots to share about Beltane. I'm not much for ritual in my own life, but we always go to the May Day Celebration here; supposedly it's the biggest in the country. It's an absolutely wonderful day, and the weather for decades has virtually always been glorious! It's not just pagan, but incorporates all kinds of out of the mainstream events, beliefs, wild and wonderful hippie- fest stuff, and lots of lefty politics. There is a long, crazy parade where most anything and anyone can show up, and is very well attended, even by middle class regular boring folks; lots of children everywhere. :) All costumes and props are handmade, many done by children and some very professional looking (like the contingent of the good people who sponsor the festival, the world-renowned "In The Heart Of The Best Theatre". There is a play on the shores of a lake, where we all gather on the lakeside hill, always political in nature, with much loud booing of bad guys and cheering of power to the people, like a good May Day festival should be (Ya know, that old pinko stuff.) Some of it is sometimes a little over the top for even me,but that's a good thing. And then one of my favorite things to do is attempt to have a respectful 'debate' with the anemic looking folks in the Become-A-Vegan booth! Haven't suceeded yet; they always get pissed cuz they have no answers to my simple questions, but I keep trying. Drumming circles abound, people dress up in all sorts of costumes; it's like a trip back to the 60's. Wonderful!

Bren won't be here this year though; she's going to Toronto to spend a few days with her mom that weekend.

-- Anonymous, April 26, 2003

Who me? Whatever gave you that idea? hehehehe

Actually, EM's parade and stuff is very traditional. In Cornwall and Wales they would have Mummers parades where people would dress up in silly costumes and basically act wild and crazy. They still do it today, although I think it's more of a tourist thing now.

Beltaine is May 1st and I think of it as the "spring fever" holiday. In Scotland back in the day you and your family and your animals would have been cooped up all winter in a dark and smokey cottage, now the weather is finally nice and everyone goes a little nuts. You don't have the big change in the seasons down there in sunny Florida, but I'm sure the Minnesota and Maine folks will back me up that people still go nuts when the weather gets nice.

There are all sorts of fun things you can do to celebrate Beltaine. May dew is supposed to have all sorts of magical properties. If you walk barefoot in the dew at sunrise you'll never have sore feet, and if you wash your face in the dew you'll never get wrinkles. The dew also has healing properties. I have an embroidered hanky that belonged to my grandmother, each Beltaine I soak it in the dew and then keep it in my Crane Bag (a Celtic version of a Medicine Pouch).

Bonfires are a big part of the celebration. Everyone would bring out their livestock and walk them around the fires because the smoke would protect them from illness. Mothers would do the same thing with their children. Young people would jump over the fire for luck, and pregnant women would step over the ashes to insure an easy labor. Everyone would take a torch from the fire and use it to light the fire in their hearth back home, that way the luck of the village would go to each family. Since our celebration is held in a suburban back yard our bonfire is limited to a Hibachi grill, but we still had our pregnant member step over it, and now that the baby is here she gets passed through the smoke. Since not everyone in our group has a fireplace in their house,each of the families has a candle in their house to symbolize their hearth. We'll take a small candle and light in the bonfire, let it burn for a bit and then blow it out. Then we'll take those small candles home and use them to light our hearth candles.

I've got to go get dinner in the oven, so I'll continue this tomorrow. :)

-- Anonymous, April 27, 2003

So it's May Day, then?

-- Anonymous, April 28, 2003

Yep, it's May Day. Technically it's May Eve, since the Celts counted their days as starting at sunset.

Another tradition around this time is to "Go Maying", that is to go out into the woods and fields and bring back spring flowers to decorate your house. The song "The Mummers Dance" by Loreena McKinnett is about this tradition.

Back in the good old days when the whole village was dancing around the bonfire, some of the younger folks would slip away to make out in the fields. A lot of the ancient traditions are based on what's called sympathetic magic. That means that you act in the way that you want Nature to act. Like how some Native American tribes would dress up in buffalo skins and dance before the big hunt. Beltaine comes at a time when you want your fields to be fertile, so by having sex out in the fields you're helping them become more fertile. (I like to imagine high school prom night as some sort of pagan throw-back, hehehe)

A really cool book about the traditions associated with the different holidays is "Kindling the Celtic Spirit" by Mara Freeman.

As for your second question, since witchcraft is a skill and not a religion, there theoretically can be such a thing as Christian witches. There are a couple of ladies who read tarot cards at the psychic fairs here in town who pray to Jesus and the archangels before each reading. They believe that their magickal talents are a gift from God and don't see any conflict with their religion.

I'm not so sure about the Christian Pagan thing though. I do know one woman who claims to be a Christian Pagan, she says that she worships several gods and Jesus just happens to be one of them. I don't know how she reconciles that with the whole "thou shalt have no other gods" thing, but it's not my problem to worry about. But if what you're interested in is honoring Nature and the cycles of the year, there's no reason why you can't do that within the Christian religion. There are plenty of Christian writers who are Nature- focused. Praising the creation or praising the creator who made the creation are both viable paths IMO. :)

-- Anonymous, April 29, 2003