BEALTAINE FIRE FESTIVAL - the summer season
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Bealtaine at Tara - Inspired by symbol and poetry
Sat. 1st May 2010 @ 11:00am
Look outside and you will notice the bud burst, the vibrant spring colours, the nesting birds. This is Spring, this is Bealtaine. The underlying energy may be considered effervescent, expansive and life giving. The sleeping hibernating animals are waking up and significantly this year the weather is improving, making up for all the cold and ice we had over Christmas.
The beautiful "weeds" are what Bernie recently caught on a photographic expedition. Brilliant Bealtaine ....
oh do I see 1.618? the mysteries of the Golden Proportion - sun and moon and magic!!!
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The Sun in the Horns of Taurus
And for those with a keen eye somewhere “on the hilly lands” and “among long dappled grass” was inscribed the symbolic representation of this sacred mystery
at the centre is a lady's smock plant - also known as the cuckoo flower
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This year on The Hill of Tara a happy group celebrated Bealtaine as never before. Locals were joined by folk from the States and Netherlands... we also heard from Holland, North Carolina, England, Scotland and Australia saying they were tuning in.... We picked 4 places over the hill and processed to each part with people joined by candle bearers trailing garlands of coloured ribbon and flowers. One candle bearer had a representation of the Silver apple of the Moon, the other candle bearer a representation of the Golden apple of the Sun. This symbolism arose from W.B. Yeats famous poem
The Song of Wandering Aengus
the last stanza of which reads:
Though I am old with wandering
Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone
And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are done
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.
1st connection - entering at the Gate we acknowledged the energies of the East, passed between the twin fires of our torches and were blessed with rosemary.
We then proceeded up the Ceremonial Entrance, known as the Banqueting Hall.
2nd connection - we acknowledged the energies of the south at Mound of Dall (Blind), which pairs with the Mound of Dorcha (Darkness) ... someone driving to the ceremony said that there was a big dark cloud over Tara!! We knocked on the Mound with elder and rosemary to encourage the nature spirits to wake up and come again into the land of the living. We blessed and thanked the land using a form of flower petal divination as a means of communication with the fairy realm.
Following a time of Dall (Blindness) we prayed to wake up and see the world....strangely the inscriptions on the lia fail which are usually invisible became visible!
3rd connection - At the fairy tree we acknowledged the west, honoured and thanked the fairy realm with beautiful flowers and with chanting the sound of creation Om, including the tree as a participant of our circle. We stood listening to the music of the raindrops through the trees and the birdsong in the woodland.
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4th connection - at Cloenferta - the Sloping Trenches - we acknowledged the energies of the north. We had started out in light rain and it finally cleared with a touch of blue sky showing through. The gorse formed the Horns of Taurus as we stood in a circle around the mound. The glorious scent of coconut from the vibrant golden flowers filled our breath as nature, humans and all beings came together in the form of the symbol.
We held the space to birth the “Leanbh na Griann”, child of the sun or golden child. We linked to our inward golden child then shared that energy with the land by throwing white and yellow petals onto the mound, blessing all beings for the highest good. The Leanbh na Griann is a healthy product of the combining of the balanced forces of the female Brigit and Male Patrick at Imbolc and was regarded as a special child. Anyone who has combined their yin yang natures can also celebrate in this birth within themselves. To symbolise this we combined the Brigids well waters from Uisneach, Cullion and Kilcock, using this for ourselves and gifting some to the land. We also shared seeds gifting these to show our thanks and blessings to the land that nurtures and sustains us.
We did not formally close the ceremony leaving it open to pour its magic enliving energy continuously into the country which badly needs it at the moment.
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May Day dew, the application gives eternal youth! or so they say.
2009 ceremony on Tara - 'Money to Burn'
Bealtaine vibrancy in full effect in front of our goddess centered centre, sheltered by the chestnut.
Above: Our Bealtaine gathering under the beautiful chestnut on the Hill of Tara
Above: The coconut sweet smelling Gorse/Whinz caught in a beam of sunlight at our Bealtaine gathering
Above: The flower strewn woodland on Tara
Above: Yes! I have money to burn !
Above: And Yes thats real money burning!....releasing the fossalised sunlight!
Bealtaine is a celebration of the sun and Abundance. Yet today much of our abundance is determined by money. By pieces of worthless paper. Paper that people covet and lust after and kill for and beg for and steal and work for and value themselves by the amount they have.....
The first part of this ceremony took place near Carcassonne where we jumped the Bealtaine fires in honour of the marriage of our yin/yang, male/female, rational/intuitive sides. It is the natural progression from Imbolc where we honour the strong male and female deitys of Patrick and Brigid, accepting those powerful aspects of self marrying them together to produce the Bealtaine "Leanbh na Griann" (child of the sun)....hence our goddess figure.
The purpose of this gathering was to heal our relationship with money. So we lit a fire and blessed it with our beings.
We could have donated all the money burnt to charity and made a difference to someones life, instead we burnt it..... did we feel guilty.... I did.
But this is another powerful negative feeling associated with paper, how does it hold such power over me? I feel guilty for having it, unworthy to recieve it, inadequate to charge for my services.
The Irish economy is in severe need of healing or perhaps it is me that needs to change my relationship with this paper.
As a group we did a round of EFT to dissipate the negative feelings associated with a specific incident and brought in some healthy affirmative self talk to do with wealth and abundance. We then walked and jumped the bealtaine fire for ourselves, for our loved ones and for world issues including the state of money, the black madonnas with their hidden wisdom, for joy and vibrancy. And having money to burn is a symbol to the subconscious that we are abundantly wealthy. I am!
We are keeping the ash of this sacred fire as a talisman for the next year.
We had started by calling upon the animals, trees, plants, ancestors, family and friends, dreamers and all that we hold most holy to teach us and show us their ways and now we remembered the abundance the earth shares with us. We passed around a pot filled with herbs - lovage, fennel, mint, lavendar, lemon balm, chives, sage, bay leaves. Savouring their aroma we were sensually aware of our own perfumed gardens where they were gathered earlier. The powers of the earth were acknowledged as we poured milk and honey onto the land in gratitude and thanks for its fertility and blossoming potential.
The evening finished off with a reading of the Poem below composed by Fr. Vincent which hit every note and brought a natural close to the evening which was then ended with fresh herbal tea and chocolate eggs!
Bealtaine Blessings
___________The Fir Cone fire in Carcassonne, France ___________
A SALUTE TO THE SUN FROM THE HILL OF UISNEAGH
It’s Bealtaine as we wait, expectant
that our friendly star may gift us with a glorious summer.
There’s something of a sun-worshiper in each of us !
Sun, source of fire, of light and life
Source of wonder and joy too
Ever faithful one, returning each day even unnoticed
Kissing every face, lifting every heart
As you enter gently and silently each morn.
Much is artificial that surrounds us;
our mobiles, cars and TVs
[they need your power]
We’d almost forgotten you are the driving force.
Beauty ever ancient ever new;
whose rising and setting stirs the human heart!
And there’s the hearth in every family, for strength and warmth –
that’s yours too
Wise ones told us that
the child who plays in the sun-
through the winter will run.
Tonight we see your children leaping on the hills
For every fire we light is your offspring
Images all of you their parent
We become thoughtful as we look into the flames…
becoming mindful of the Eternal Flame within us
as the joyful fire within us makes our life vibrant.
May the fire in our hearts give us courage to speak the truth
and its warmth break out in hospitality & welcome.
Two ancient fires lit up our schooldays
of Slane and Tara -- where Patrick outshone the King.
Our new Ireland needs a symphony of flames North & South.
Our West too can embrace the crescent from the East,
for difference respected is the dawning of peace.
Banish the devastating fires of war consuming the earth and innocents
But nourish fire in our hearts and fire in our factories
so that we can be builders of peace:-
turning swords into ploughs and spears into reaping hooks.
Tonight we celebrate that we are [ all] keepers of fires, fanning them into life
And with the tiger’s eyes not burning bright
extra time we now have
to patiently tend those forgotten fires …
and disperse the cold cloud of recession with new torches.
May we and the people of Ireland be ablaze with hope, with neighbourliness
and with a hundred thousand welcomes…
Many thanks to Vincent
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Cattle were protected by passing them through the magical twin fires of Bealtaine
May Day memories from BJ in the States
As a child in elementary school we celebrated May Day on the 1st each year by making little baskets and giving them to neighbors, etc. As a 6th grader we got to be part of a May Day Fest (today someone would probably ban it as non-Christian and harmful--what nonsense), but for that all of us girls' mothers made us gathered skirts and hair pieces --the boys wore long trousers and a white shirt) and the flag pole in the school yard became the May Pole and it was decorated with all types of pastel ribbons that matched our outfits. We wove in and out and covered the May Pole with a beautiful set of colored ribbons.
When I was a senior in high school (1957) we were still having some form of a May Day celebration and about 16-20 of the senior girls were voted to be on the May Court by the faculty and we wore long gowns of pastel colors. The Queen of the May was chosen by a popular vote from the entire top 3 grades. I was not May Queen, but remember a beautiful coral colored chiffon full skirted, strapless gown that I wore and I felt like a queen.. Somewhere in my stuff is a photo of that day. Schools don't do those things now--not educational enough--not directed to State Education Standards and sadly a lot of our pupils don't even know about these days of ancient Celtic celebration. But, you can believe that my astronomy classes did with my passion for archeoastronomy.
From Liz in Derbyshire -
Connecting to the carpet of woodland bluebells in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, England
Bluer than a sailor's eyes,
Bluer than the bluest skies
Spread your carpet, ring your bells
Round the trees and down the dells.
Call a meeting place for friends
In the woods where anger ends.
Tell two hearts for truelove's sake
To keep the loving vows they make.
Though trains may whistle, traffic roar
And aircraft in the heavens soar
Though houses rise and cities fall
The bluebell grows in spite of all.
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2008 - our ritual meditation on the Hill included:
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a light bearer carrying the light from the direction of Uisneach where the sacred fire was first kindled
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each member of the group holding the light, placing their intent and passing the flame
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lighting of our Bealtaine fire
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planting seeds and imbuing them with life force
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Meditation on Mary as this is her month and on mothering the earth
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purification by fire
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creation of a magic elixir vitae
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contributions from those gathered
Below a detail of a Bealtaine Posie with herbs and flowers of the season.
Below: Our special elixer vitae healing potion/ healing vibration that we created and energised on the hill of Tara.
Below: Our Bealtaine threshold
Bealtaine is the time of year when nature suddenly seems to burst forth from the winter grip. Flowers, leaves and buds erupt and proclaim the vibrancy of life.
The name itself refers to the ritual bright summer fires.
At Bealtaine all fires were exinguished and a sacred fire was started on the Hill of Uisneach, which was then brought to Tara. All household fires were then kindled from this one flame.
The underlying energies sponsor expansion, growth, fun, play, joy, bounty, invigoration and cultivation.
The Patriarchal energy of Patrick and the Matriarchal energy of Brigid have combined to produce the blessed 'leanbh na grian' who is full of life, brightness and promise.
What are you putting your energy into?
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Cress seeds carried our intentions and sprouted quickly the following week
On Tara the crows are busy...
but the cows are taking it easy - or maybe it is about to rain?
Page last updated: 9th May 2010
