The Celtic year was divided into two halves (dark and light). Fire festivals marked the cross-quarters or the turning points of the seasons -- Awakening, Growth, Harvest, and Rest -- and lasted up to 3 days. Beltane, indicates a time of growth and creativity, the onset of summer.
Otherwise known as May Day, the maypole ritual represents the ''World Tree'' connecting heaven and earth. The first maypoles were trees that later developed into the more sophisticated pole painted and decked with flowers and ribbons that are twined into patterns as the dancers move round. A May Queen and May King or Jack in the Green (dressed in oak and hawthorn leaves) were selected and they danced together.
An old Roman superstition said May was unlucky for weddings. It was also said that Roman youths would go into the fields dancing and singing in honor of Flora, the Goddess of Fruits and Flowers. The early English consecrated May Day to Robin Hood and Maid Marian because the favorite outlaw was said to have died on this day.
These festivities are all remnants of Sun worship and may be traced back to ancient times. It's an occasion to celebrate the joys of being in our earthly body and with each other.
Below is an invocation I often recite under the Wesak (or Vesak) full moon in the season/time of Taurus. (Wesak, which celebrates the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha, is one of the most powerful times to invoke a great annual blessing for the Earth.) This invocation can also be said for Beltane.
The Glastonbury Invocation
(excerpt per W. Bloom)
There is a source of Love, which is the Heart of all Life
Let that Love flow
Source to Earth—Heart to Heart
There is a source of Light, which is the Mind of all Life
Let that Light flow
Source to Earth—Mind to Mind
There is a source of Power, which is the purpose of all Life
Let that Power flow
Source to Earth—Purpose to Purpose
We are that Love
We are that Light
We are that Power
Peace and Healing on Earth
Contributed by Wendolyn Sky Otter
Images courtesy of Dreamstime