Our Beltane!

Last night was my first time celebrating Beltane. It was also my first group ritual.
We arrived with apprehension. I was nervous, I didn't know what to expect.
Would there be weird chanting? 
Would it be lame? 
Would the people there be fake? 
What if they don't like me?

On top of it all, yesterday was miserable out, rainy, cloudy, and cold.
Luckily the rain cleared up, and stayed away for most of the night. With the exception of a light occasional drizzle.

We pulled up I saw some women dressed... interestingly. I didn't know why. I had looked up pictures of previous rituals, and NO ONE had looked like this! Add ten pounds to my nerves! We walked over and met the group.

Soon we found out that they were dressed like Fae. How appropriate.
The ritual was done as sort of a show, we went through the path, being greeted and tempted by Fae and answering their riddles. We called the elements to our sides, and the walk ended by walking through a "veil" at the top of the hill, where the circle was set up, with a fire in the center.

The night was much less cheesy after that. people danced around the fire. We toasted to the God and Goddess, and there was a maypole!

The May Pole was amazing, it was my first one ever. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

After the may pole we raised our arms and shouted our energy back into the universe. Followed by kneeling down and draining the last of it back into the earth.

My soul was so full by the time we left, I don't recall ever being that fulfilled after any type of religious ceremony ever.


Last night I knew for sure that I had finally come home.

10 days 'till beltane!

Beltane is just around the corner now. I am so excited.
This year we are going to go to a gathering a few towns over. The group is an earth centered spirituality group, which I think will blend together really well with my beliefs. Its based out of a Universalists Church, which I love. I used to attend one when I was younger, the amount of open love and acceptance you see there is amazing. Something I have rarely found attending Baptist Churches growing up.

So for those of you who aren't familiar Beltane is almost always a festival focused on fertility. Its the time when our mother goddess opens up and grants us with stong crops, healthy livestock, and maybe even a couple of beautiful babies being concieved ;) The festival goes back centuries, and lots off different goddesses and gods are given tribute on this night. Including Artemis, Bes, Baccus, Flora, Pan, Hera, and the list goes on.

The gather we are going to is going to have two large maypoles! I am stoked because I have never participated in a maypole dance before, though I have always wanted too.

I am also freaking out, because this will be my first pagan-centered event ever. I'm very private in my beliefs, and so this is a big deal to me.