Reflections of Beltane

Beltane, May Day, Cinco de Mayo, whatever you call it is a wonderful time of year.

This year I was pleased to be part of a gathering of about 75 people in Minnesota. This was a small gathering of individuals from a variety of paths who got together to celebrate the day together.

We arrived Friday afternoon after a 10 hr drive from Kansas in two vehicles, a little sore, but expectant. We were greeted by one of the organizers who pointed out our cabin and we unloaded.

As the group I was with, (6 of us) didn't know anyone there yet, we busied ourselves setting up our own cabin.

The camp site was Camp Saille in Stacy MN. It really is a little colder up there than here in Kansas. I didn't realize that it was about the same latitude as Maine, which was great for me, but not so great for the Kansans who were with me. Something about my thick Maine blood or was that head?? Anyway, we alked around in the pine tree woods, and crunched through fallen Oak leaves from last fall and just went Ahhhh, with a little visible breath.

After about an hr other groups began to arrive, everyone went right to there cabin spaces and set up camp. The one other long distant group came last, from Chicago, so we weren't the only long distance group. They shared our cabin as each cabin slept 12 and they brought 6 too.

We seemed to fit in together well from the start. Even though both my group, (Wite rayvn) and there group have different viewpoints on many aspects of Beltane, we really hit it off as people coming together for the festival of Beltane.

Once everyone arrived, we sat down to a great meal prepared by Silver Oak, our hosts and just talked and ate, like a family.

Groups did NOT sit together, we all mingled, talked, laughed, and had a good time. Wite Rayvn, was responsible for creating the Beltane fire, so we went outside before dark, gathered wood, designed the fire, and built it. It was really pretty, even if I say so myself.

As darkness approached, I was instructed by our hostess to "light the fire". It went up perfectly, now it was time for the first ritual.

The first ritual was put on by a group of individuals who follow a very ceremonial path. It was complete with black robes, scepter crowned with stag horns, a trumpet made from a ram horn, bells, and drums. They spoke of the primal MALE, and we skipped, danced, hooted, and were joined by the our local furred brothers and sisters as we howled, yelled, and hooted. Even a few neighbors through the trees joined in. After a time when we had raised and joined our energies to the Universal Energy we sat around the fire, talked, danced, drummed, and drank long into the night.

All during the night, there was no tension, and everybody was talking with everybody else. Groups intermingled, getting to know one another, sharing stories, and even for those who couldn't dance, sing, drum, sitting quietly contemplating the fire. After a long time, the fire went out, and we all retired to our cabins.

All of the meals were communal, I gave the first workshop Saturday morning on the Spiritual Warrior within each of us and its relationship to our other selves, and magick. The questions from these very knowledgable people were great, and we all learned a little more about our relationship to our spirit warrior and the universe.

After lunch it was preparation time for the main event --- MAYPOLE

This ritual was a lot different. Three groups were together to make it happen. There were Two Female and Two Male leads from similar traditions and a third couple (Willo and I) who follow a slightly different path but similar. Here is the meat of it all, even though we don't follow their exact path, we could work together for a great celebration.

The difference between our groups are a little like Assembly of God and Church of God, this means that the spirit is the same, but the actual working out of it is different, with slightly different conclusions. No problem, we worked together fine. The balance of the gathering participated well and all went off almost perfectly. We really got the spirit of the fertility aspect of Beltane.

Afterwords, we had a great workshop on moon magick done by our hosts, dinner, more fire, more dancing, singing, talking, and drinking, NOT just alcohol, we aren't lushes after all!!

Sunday, was communal clean up, breakfast and another workshop on Tarot done by yet another groups leader.

Each workshop was well attended, and well received. We all learned something. While discussing these workshops with a leader of one of the groups they said that it was "great to be in workshops by different traditions because even if you have heard, practiced it before, a different perspective helps you to deepen your understanding of what you are doing too".

This is the essence of DIVERSITY as STRENGTH. It is NOT important how you celebrate, or worship, or acknowledge the Universal Consciousness. Only that you respect and honor yourself, others, and the energy.

In our world of specialization, we seem to have forgotten that to be different is not wrong. It just is different and even that difference is so much that we can not walk, talk, and celebrate each other.

So, Beltane for me was a time of joy, and confirmation that, Diversity is our Strength, and that all paths are one path, if we just let it be.

Bright Blessing,

Alfred