Sharing Beltane with our children

Beltane is a pagan fire festival of fertility, celebrated midway between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. In the Northern Hemisphere this is traditionally on the 1st of May, here in the Southern Hemisphere it is the 1st of November.

Known to be a passionate festival of handfasting and honouring with rites of sexuality it can feel daunting knowing how to share these stories with the kids.

You can read this article for more on The story of Beltane.

With my own children I begin the conversation always with what we are noticing in the natural world around us.

We notice that since the flowers have been blooming there are more bees.
We notice that the birds are building nests and we are finding egg shells burst open on the ground.
We notice that life has burst forth from the seeds planted at Imbolc and the Spring Equinox… we now are seeing signs of fruit in our tomatoes…

Why is it important to slow down and ask these questions?

When we notice that the seeds that we planted have been fertilised and are fruiting it brings us hope for the ideas that we are nurturing.

It is proof that fruits will come and bring pleasures, that nature provides, source provides.

By combining the forces of Mother Earth and Father Skye and our presence and nurturing has provided a fruitful outcome.

I believe that by introducing these aspects of the masculine and feminine weaving together to burst forth with creation I am preparing my children to honour all aspects of themselves and to eventually take a sacred approach to sharing in these sexual endeavours in the (far off) future.

In my belief system there is nothing shameful or explicit about sex, it is natural and an extention of how we connect and exchange energy. Whilst I’m not going to go into all the gritty details with my children at this stage I believe in open honesty at a level they are ready for.

For now we share in stories of pollination, life cycles, myths of creation and the balance of masculine and feminine forces that brings new life to the earth.

We share how our own acts of creativity be that art, story, or inventions require the feminine force of flow, trust and surrender to allow creation to flow whilst also requiring the masculine presence of marterials, template and edges and moment in time planned to be able to hold the form into being.

There is God and Goddess present in everything that comes into being - including us.

What can you do?

Dancing
Dancing has always been a ritual elementof celebrations and a good old dance party isa great way to

Weaving
The Maypole is a traditional way to honour the weaving of the masculine (pole) with the feminine (ribbons). The dance around the Maypole symbolises the intertwining of forces that bring forth life. You can put up a Maypole at home or craft a small representation with a broomstick and ribbons… or weave ribbons or wool into braclets that remind you of this sacred time.

Colours:

White for the God (semen)

Red for the Goddess (blood)

Green for the Earth

Blue for the water

Purple for the Air

Orange for the Fire

You can then write wishes on the ribbons and hang them from tree branches as your very own wishing tree.

Dress ups
A fun activity that can also tie into the commercialised halloween celebrations here in southern hemispehere is to make masks with the kids, like the green man or maeve the faery queen, antlers, bees, and get inspired by the Fae.

Flower crowns are very fitting for this celebration as well… using real flowers in bloom tied to florists wire, a daisy chain or simple tissue paper flowers stuck on a paper headband will light up those little faces and give you a fun activity to do together.

Honouring the Fae
During the time of Beltane, the veil is thin between our physical realm and the realm of the Fae. Just as Samhain opens the portal to the realm of the unliving, at Beltane we have an opening towards the Faery realm where there is more chance of crossing paths out in your travels.

I believe it is wise to leave out an offering to the fair folk, the faeries, as they are the protectors of our natural world. The nature Devas. Although some warn against being tricked into offering them food or drinks as it will give them power over you, I believe that we can show our ally ship with the Fae by an offering of peace. Just make sure to leave it outside your home to be safe. They are tricksters afterall.

A dish of berries, cream and honey or sweet bread and butter in a fairy tree has always gone down a treat here. You could also make a fairy garden or sacred space at the bottom of your garden for the fae folk to rest.

Feast and Fires
Feasting by the fire on seasonal, locally sourced produce is another great way to honour this time. Especially since the Beltane fires were traditionally a cleansing ritual for livestock as well as to bless a relationship if you are to jump over the flames (maybe try a candle for the kids if you’re game haha).

And of course have some fun with your own great rite once the children have fallen asleep ;)

One of my favourtite things about paganism is that there are no rules, you can celebrate anyway you feel and choose whatever representations call to you to honour this energy of creation and new life!

Have fun and know you are blessed,

Love and appreciate you,

Dania xx