Kautantowit's Mecautea's
Spiritual Wisdom Discussions
Greetings everyone, and welcome! I'd like to begin first by Thanking you for coming together with us today as we round-table about the history of today's holiday and celebrate the welcoming and blessing of our new season of the year! I am Sachem 'Hawkeye' Graves, spiritual leader of Oklevueha Native American Church Kautantowit's Mecautea firmly rooted in the Pacific Northwest.
Midpoint between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice is also known as "Beltane," the Celtic celebration of May Day. It officially begins at moonrise on May Day Eve, and marks the return of vitality and passion of summer and as the beginning of the third quarter or second half of the ancient Celtic year. It is the time when the sun is fully released from his bondage of winter and able to rule over summer and life once again.
Today marks the passage into the growing season, the immediate rousing of the earth from her gently awakening slumber and we begin the celebration of life reawakening. It is the time of year when we honor and appreciate the crops beginning to sprout, the animals boring their young, and marks the time where the people begin to get out of their houses where they had been cooped up during the long dark cold winter months and appreciates all of natures creations.
On a Spiritual level, today symbolizes the unifying of the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine to bring forth the third, consciousness. On the physical, it is the union of the Earth and Sun to bring about the fruitfulness of the growing season. It is also noted as being one of the two times of our calendar year where the veils between the two worlds are at their thinnest. honoring Life. Many otherworldly occurrences could transpire during this time of "no time".It is said that the Queen of the Faeries rides out on her white horse on this day, and while roving about on Beltane eve, that she will try to entice people away to the Faeryland. It is the time when the Faeries return from their winter respite, carefree and full of faery mischief and faery delight.
Cosmically speaking, the Pleiades star cluster rises just before sunrise on the morning horizon, whereas in the winter during Samhain (halloween), the holiday officially begins when the Pleiades rises at sunset. The Pleiades is a cluster of seven closely placed stars, the seven sisters, in the constellation of Taurus, near his shoulder. When looking for the Pleiades with the naked eye, remember that it looks like a tiny dipper-shaped pattern of six moderately bright stars (the seventh can be seen on very dark nights)that presents itself in the constellation of Taurus. It stands very low in the east-northeast sky for just a few minutes before sunrise.
Lilac as well as Frankincense incense is traditionally burned during this holiday as burnt offering of sweet smelling fragrance.offered to Creator
One of the things that Kautantowit;s Mecautea highly suggest you consider doing, is to prepare a May basket by filling it with flowers and goodwill and then give it to someone in need of healing and caring, such as a shut-in or elderly friend. Sometimes even such simple gifts provide the biggest blessings so greatly needed. It's extremely Compassionate gesture and likely will be received as being Good Medicine by your recipients,
Another tradition of today is in the forming of a wreath of freshly picked flowers to wear it in your hair, and feel yourself radiating joy and beauty. Dress in bright colors. Dance the Maypole and feel yourself balancing the Divine Female and Male within. Gathering and exchange of Flowers and Greens on May Eve, pre-dawn May Day.
Blessing springs, ponds, other sacred waters with flowers, garlands, ribbons, other offerings. Collecting sacred waters and scrying in sacred springs, wells, ponds, other waters.
On May Eve, May Baskets were given or placed secretly on doorsteps to friends, shut-ins, lovers, others. Rolling in May Eve dew or washing face in pre-dawn May Day dew for health, luck, beauty.
The Lord and his Lady, having reached maturity, come together in Perfect Love and Perfect Trust to celebrate the joy of their union. This is a time to celebrate the coming together of the masculine and feminine creative energies. The Celts were a very close tribal people, and fertility of their women literally meant continuity of the tribe.
Beltane marks the emergence of the young God into manhood. Stirred by the energies at work in nature, he desired the Goddess. They fall in love, lie among the grasses and blossoms and unite.Traditionally couples would bless your garden in the old way by making love with there lover in it.
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The fires further celebrate the return of life, fruitfulness to the earth and the burning away of winter. The ashes of the Beltane fires were smudged on faces and scattered in the fields. Make a wish as you jump a bonfire or candle flame for good luck, and dance clockwise around the fire three times. . Welcome in the May at dawn with singing and dancing. it is a time of divination and communion with Fairy Folk/Nature Spirits.
Beltane honours Life. It represents the peak of Spring and the beginning of Summer. Earth energies are at their strongest and most active. All of life is bursting with potent fertility and at this point in the Wheel of the Year, the potential becomes conception. On May Eve the sexuality of life and the earth is at its peak. Abundant fertility, on all levels, is the central theme. The Maiden goddess has reached her fullness. She is the manifestation of growth and renewal, Flora, the Goddess of Spring, the May Queen, the May Bride.
The Young Oak King, as Jack-In-The-Green, as the Green Man, falls in love with her and wins her hand. The union is consummated and the May Queen becomes pregnant. Together the May Queen and the May King are symbols of the Sacred Marriage (or Heiros Gamos), the union of Earth and Sky, and this union has merrily been re-enacted by humans throughout the centuries. For this is the night of the Greenwood Marriage.
Beltane is a Fire Festival. The word 'Beltane' originates from the Celtic God 'Bel', meaning 'the bright one' and the Gaelic word 'teine' meaning fire. Together they make 'Bright Fire', or 'Goodly Fire' and traditionally bonfires were lit to honour the Sun and encourage the support of Bel and the Sun's light to nurture the emerging future harvest and protect the community. Bel had to be won over through human effort. Traditionally all fires in the community were put out and a special fire was kindled for Beltane.
Thank you all again for joining with us today to learn about the history of today's holiday, we hope you enjoy it and are blessed in abundance with ALL the blessings Creator has in store for you! Go in a Good Way and make good medicine for ALL the world as you do.