Beltane Celebrations and Maypole Dancing Glastonbury 2015

So I'm finally sitting down on Sunday afternoon to write a little about Beltane in Glastonbury this year, 2015. We had a lovely day and this year it stayed dry all day! The sun did try to shine on us a little to bring in the glorious start to summer but it was a very brief showing!

Beltane celebrates the start of the summer on the Pagan Wheel of the Year and it is celebrated in great style in Glastonbury with much joy and merriment. This follows ancient traditions, Beltane always was a festival of great joy, a time for honouring all of our Mother Earth's bounty and the love and fertility that is all around us at this time of year. Beltane is not for the shy it is for celebrating love and not being afraid to express that love.

We started the day with a beautiful ceremony in the Chalice Well Gardens. Having driven down just for the day I didn't think I could make it through the day getting up at 2am so we had to forgo the dawn ceremony on top of the Tor which was a shame. The Chalice Well was beautiful as usual and the fire jumping occurred with great gusto this year which was immense fun! I met Tessa and Sosha there, both looking beautiful in this pic. 

Celebrating the love at Beltane

The crowning of the May King and Queen and the entertainment in the Town Square was as usual hugely enjoyable with lots of folk joining in with a song to contribute. We the processed up to the White Spring for the blessing of the May Pole. I chatted to Julie Ann there who makes many of the handmade cloaks being worn today. www.avaloncloaks.co.uk. We then made our way unto Bushey Coombe for the ceremony and Maypole dance.

I hope you enjoy the photos and if you were there please do drop me a line. If any of you are in them and you would rather I take them down then please do say and I will take them down right away.

Beltane blessings to you all,

AstarteAlison

Photographs owned by myself. Please feel free to use them for personal use, any professional use please contact me for prices.

The origins of Maypole and Morris Dancing at Beltane

This week we are looking forward to Beltane on the Pagan Wheel of the Year calendar.

Greenmen and the Maypole Glastonbury Beltane 2014

Beltane really does herald the beginning of spring. I have just this morning noticed that my beautiful Ceanothus in the back garden is showing its first blue buds. The tadpoles are turning into little frogs, the birds are looking after their young and the grass once more needs mowing. Spring is indeed in full swing!

Maypole Dancing Glastonbury 2014

Our ancient ancestors worshipped the earth we walk upon and venerated her for what she gives her, giving thanks at every turn of the wheel and as Pagan's we like to do the same. At Beltane this is a wonderful time to give thanks to our Mother Earth for all she provides for us. There has been a lovely increase in popularity in recent times in local maypole dances and morris dances so I'm sure you could find one near you happening over this Beltane may bank holiday. The may pole was a traditional symbol of fertility and the red and white ribbons symbolised the entwining of male and female energies. Morris dancing has long been popular at Beltane, reference's made

Morris Dancers Glastonbury Tor Beltane 2014

by Shakespeare in 'All's Well that Ends Well' point to Morris Dancing being performed on May 1st. It is believed that the Morris dances have magic weaved into them and can bring about luck and ward off evil. More information about the customs and traditions of Beltane or Beltain can be found here Beltane Traditions

I am particularly looking forward to going down to Glastonbury where there will be much Maypole and Morris dancing to welcome in the Summer. We shall welcome in the dawn with Morris dancing on the top of the Tor followed by a ceremony and Maypole at the Chalice Well followed by another Maypole dance at Bushey Coombe. Do try and get to a celebration if you are able to. If not perhaps you can entwine some ribbons whilst you think of our wonderful Mother Earth and all she provides for us, if you are able to get up and see the sunrise, enjoy the splendour of a new dawn, the wonder of our amazing sun.

Morris Dancers welcome the sun Glastonbury Tor

Beltane blessings to you,

AstarteAlison

As always if you are featured in any of my pics and would like me to take it down then please message me, many thanks, Alison 

Maypole Dancing and Fire leaping. Glastonbury Beltane May 2014

So we had a wonderful time again for Beltane in Glastonbury 2014. The rain came down for a part of the day but that did not deter the determined folk in their mission to bring in the May!

We started our celebrations on May eve with a beautiful ceremony at the Glastonbury Goddess temple. Unfortunately we had forgotten how incredibly popular this ceremony has become so we didn't arrive early enough and the temple was already full! Such was the amazing energy though that even sitting on a step just outside you could feel the love emanating from the building. We then went on to the mapole dance and fire jumping outside the temple.

The beautiful Glastonbury Goddess Temple

The next morning the alarm went off at 4am and we made it up to the top of Glastonbury Tor. There we were treated to a wonderful ceremony by Rollo Maughfling, the Archdruid of Glastonbury and Stonehenge

Ceremony on Glastonbury Tor

No sunrise to be seen today as it was a misty start but very atmospheric. We then went down to the Chalice Well gardens for the ceremony and jumping of the fire accompanied by beautiful singing and drumming from Jana Runallis and her friends. 

Adding ribbons to the Maypole 

The day then went on to entertainment in the town square which was lovely but the rain came down at that point so we did seek shelter for a while! However up at Bushey Coombe for the ceremony the sun came out and blessed us with her brilliance, it was a beautiful start to the summer, winter really has gone away and summer is here to stay.

Greenman dancing the Maypole

During the ceremony, the Arch Druid of Glastonbury was re-named the Arch Druid of Avalon, such a fitting title for this beautiful land. If any of you has the chance to visit this beautiful place do go, it has such amazing energy. I now feel my spiritual battery has been re-charged a little, Beltane in Avalon is a wonderful experience and I feel very privileged to be able to be a part of it. 

Beltane Traditions upheld in Glastonbury celebrations

Dancing at the White Spring Glastonbury Beltane

I'm getting very excited to be going down to Glastonbury for Beltane again this year. I have just been reflecting on how we celebrate Beltane in Glastonbury and how this mirrors the traditional way Beltane would have been celebrated. Beltane marks the beginning of Spring and the union of the Goddess and the God. Beltane is a really joyous Sabbat and I thought I would dig out a few photographs that show the wonderful happiness that show the fun that this time on the Wheel of the Year represents. Our Mother Earth Gaia is coming alive at this time of year, and this is a fabulous time to celebrate. In Glastonbury at Beltane we watch the dawn from the top of Glastonbury Tor

Blessing the Fire Glastonbury Beltane

which is a wonderful sight to behold. Beltane is a fire festival, traditionally cattle were driven between two Beltane fires to cleanse them and protect them from disease for the coming year. At Glastonbury we leap the fire in traditional manor to bring luck and fertility to our lives. 

The maypole has long been a traditional part of Beltane celebrations. The tall maypole is

Maypole outside Goddess Temple

said to be a fertility symbol and often young girls touched the maypole in the hope of bringing fertility into their lives. We enjoy dancing around the maypole at the Goddess temple on Beltane eve, at the Chalice Well gardens and again at Bushey Coombe. There is always much singing and dancing as there would have been in times gone by. 

Maypole dancing Bushey Coombe Glastonbury Beltane

Ten Fun Facts About Beltane, the beginning of spring on the Pagan Wheel of the Year

Ten Fun Facts About Beltane

Beltane is derived from ‘Bel’ meaning good and ‘Tan’ meaning fire.

Sunrise On Beltane Glastonbury Tor

Beltane is celebrated on the eve of 31^st of April and during 1^st May, often called May Day. People would often stay up all night and watch the sunrise.

The Beltane Bel-fire was considered to be the fire of the Gaelic God of Light.

Cattle were driven between two bel-fires to purify them and bring good luck.

 

Blessing Maypole Glastonbury Beltane

The red and white stripes on the Beltane or Beltain maypole symbolize life (red) and new beginnings (white)

The maypole is a strong fertility symbol, it is said to bring fertiity to hose who touch the maypole.

Beltane or Beltain is traditionally a time for love and new romance.

Green Men Glastonbury May 2013

Jack in the Green or the Green Man represents the fertility of the land and new beginnings and is a strong presence at Beltane

The Goddess and The God are united at Beltane representing the fertility of the land.

At Beltane the Pleiades star cluster rises just before sunrise on the morning horizon. At Samhain, Beltane’s counterpart, Pleiades rises at sunset

  

The Pagan Wheel of the Year; starting out on your own journey.

The cycle of seasons a lot of Pagans follow is commonly called the wheel of the year. Special events are often described using the Wiccan terms Esbat and Sabbat. Esbats are ritual celebrations of the moon phases. These are often performed on the nights of the full and the new moon. Sabbats are celebrations of the changing of the seasons. They occur approximately every six weeks, with every celebration a noting of the change in the seasons and celebrating all that we can give thanks for.

One of the practices followed by Pagans is adhering to the Wheel of the Year. The year is divided into eight seasons called Sabbats and the beginning of each Sabbat is celebrated. I believe that following the seasons in this way brings us closer to nature, more in touch with our earth’s natural rythyms and thus more in touch with our inner selves. Every six weeks there is a reason for celebration and giving thanks. Doing this helps us keep in touch with the changing year and allows us to celebrate the good in every change. This wheel of the year is based upon ancient Celtic Druid practices; the continuous cycle lends itself to the image of a wheel. The ancient Celts saw time as a wheel or spiral divided by eight festivals.

The Wheel of the year is split into four major sabbats or Fire festivals and four minor sabbats or Solar festivals. The major sabbats represent the peak of the season whereas the minor sabbats represent the beginning of each turning point on the wheel. The minor sabbats are marked by the two equinoxes, spring and autumn, when day and night are of equal length, and the longest and shortest days, Litha and Yule. The major sabbats are smahin, imbolc, Beltane and Lammas.

Below are the dates of each point in the wheel of the year and a very brief description. More detail on each Sabbat is given in the appropriate blog posts for that season.

  

October 31, Samhain (Halloween, Witches new year)

Samhain (pronounced -sow-wen) is midway between the fall equinox and the winter solstice, this is a major Sabbat. Samhain is the third harvest festival. It is a time for honouring and remembering our deceased loved ones.

December 21/22, Yule

Yule is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year, and the birthday of the sun. This is a time for looking forward to the return of the light and a time to remember the importance of family and friends.

February 2, Imbolc (Brigid’s day Imbolc, Candlemas, Oimelc)

Imbolc is the midpoint between Yule and Spring Equinox. We celebrate the gentle signs of early spring, and of light returning after the darkness of winter. Imolc reminds us that spring is on its way and it is a festival of preparation, this is a time to prepare for any major projects in our lives.

March 22, Oestara (Spring Equinox, Ostara, Eostre)

At the spring equinox day and light are of equal length, this this is a festival of balance. Oestara is a time to look at any imbalances in our lives and correct them if needed. It is a time to celebrate the Spring and is a fabulous fertile time for new ideas to be sown.

May 1, Beltane (May Day)

Beltane is the midpoint between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. Beltane is a fire festival and is a time for fertility and creativity of all kinds.

June 21, Litha (Summer Solstice)

Litha is the time of the longest day and shortest night of the year. This is a time of strength and fertility when the sun is at it’s strongest.

August 2, Lammas (Lughnasad pronounced loo-noss'-sad)

Lammas is the midpoint between Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox. This is the first harvest, when we rejoice in the first fruits of the season. This is a celebration of all that we are grateful for.

September 21/22, Mabon (Autumn/Fall Equinox)

Mabon is the major harvest or thanksgiving festival, It is again a time when day and night are in balance, a time for creating balance in our lives and finishing any un completed projects.

You may like to meditate on which particular point on the wheel of the year calls to you? Which season is your favourite and which is your least favourite? By getting more in touch with each festival you may learn to love a time of the year that has traditionally been harder for you. If for example the shorter days are a struggle, concentrate upon the beauty that the turning leaves of autumn bring and allow yourself the time to look inward and nurture yourself.  

Below is a lovely pictorial representation of the Pagan Wheel of the Year from paganspoonie.blogspot. A wonderful way to start you on your own wheel of the year journey is to make your own. It doesn’t have to be a work of art by any means, you can draw simple images of what each festival represents to you. Another idea is to cut out pictures from magazines to represent each wheel of the year point, or write words that embody the season’s properties for you. I would love to see examples of your creations. 

Introducing the fabulous art and poetry of Ruth Calder Murphy

I'd like to introduce my friend and very talented writer and artist Ruth Calder Murphy. She writes amazing poetry and short stories that are available from Amazon and has produced some stunning artwork which is available via her website ruthcaldermurphy.com

This is one of her lovely poems and pieces of work:

Symphony of Life
- By Ruth Calder Murphy -

The lines are straight

and black,
clear as dictation
and every note,
precise
as mathematics.
The baton is raised,
a white line
against a black dress,
every black-clad musician
takes a breath...
And on the baton’s fall,
the spectrum splits
and all -
all the black-and-white world -
explodes
to infinite rainbows.
Beyond the binary,
Behind the spaces,
spinning off between the lines,
the music shines...
and nothing is black-and-white.

Picture: "Symphony" by Ruth Calder Murphy

www.ruthcaldermurphy.com

Some of her books are available from Amazon by clicking on the links below:



This is the description of Wings of a thousand Tigers: "An eclectic collection of short stories and poetry, Wings of a Thousand Tigers explores Time, Eternity, Mother Nature, Serendipity and the possibility of Divinity. Dark and light in equal measure, it's like reading a rainbow."

These are a couple of favourite poems of mine about my favourite Sabbat Beltane:
 

Beltane

 - By Ruth Calder Murphy -

Now is when the battle between Summer and Winter

             Finally turns out

                           Ok.

King and Queen –

             Flora and Jack in the Green,

Portal by Ruth Calder Murphy

                           Rainbow-wrapped -

                                         Stand tall together.

The world whirls around them,

             Dancing buds of Earth to bursting

Flowering life.

Fires burn bright,

             Blessing, light,

And the dance is over and through the flickering flames.

I will dance myself to a frenzy,

             I will turn myself out with the cattle

                           To graze in pastures new.

I will wash my whole head in May Day dew

             To bask in Summer’s

                           Temporary glory.

My apologies because Ruth has two lovely pics to go with the Beltane and Flora poems but I couldn't get those ones to load for some reason so I chose two other from all her wonderful work for you!

Beltane

 - By Ruth Calder Murphy -

Artworks by Ruth Calder Murphy

I will dance through fire,

I will drench in dew,

borne on Beltane’s breath

to the heights and depths and lengths of you.

I will leap where the heat is highest

and drown in morning’s tears,

I will pound the ground,

ribbons in hand,

woven to the pattern of years.

Ribbons of ambition,

Ribbons of release,

Ribbons of surrender,

Ribbons of peace,

braided like serpent scales,

they will be shed again,

but new life shimmers

in every step

and death disperses on the rising flame.

Flora

 - By Ruth Calder Murphy -

Jack Frost by Ruth Calder Murphy

Welcome Flora,

Bright and beautiful,

Life in your laughter

and joy in your dance,

Arms stretched wide

with blossoming bounty,

Ecstatic fire-flames

spark in your glance.

Welcome Flora,

Bright and beautiful,

heart filled with fire

and face bathed in dew,

Stretch out my arms,

my mind blossom beautiful,

Now let me dance,

to Beltane,

to You.

April Moon
- By Ruth Calder Murphy -

You peer bright

in the night-space
between snow-white-blossomed branches
and wash the world
milky.
You are butter-gold
and laced with ivory,
making sonatas
with the ebony sky.
You sigh peace
over the garden,
the cantabile harmony
to the blackbirds’ joy.
Here am I,
bathed in your kisses,
lune-loved and lunatic,
shivering slivers
of moonbeam whispers
onto the tide of a new day.


Picture: "Moonshine" By Ruth Calder Murphy

So here are the links again to contact Ruth: http://www.ruthmathews.net and her facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Ruthsart

Thanks very much to Ruth for bringing her wonderful art to the world. Sunbeams and rainbows to you all, Alison

Beltane in Glastonbury, Tor, Chalice Well, May Day Maypole dancing, fun for all!

I'm finally getting round on 6th May to writing a little about the beautiful Beltane day we had on 1st May in Glastonbury. I hope you enjoy these photographs, if you or anyone you know is in them and doesn't wish to be then please let me know and I will take them down from the site.

We started with a very early start for us; 4.20, I'm not accustomed to that time in morning! By the time we got to the top of Glastonbury Tor it was already full of people but we had plenty of time to enjoy the sunrise.  As we arrived  Rollo Maughfling, the Archdruid of Glastonbury and Stonehenge was conducting a beautiful  Beltane dawn ceremony  on the top of the Tor.

Morris Men on Glastonbury Tor at Dawn

We were also treated to a wonderful May Day performance by the Cam valley Morris Men who danced in front of St Michael's tower on the top of Glastonbury Tor. The sunrise was beautiful, we didn't go up the Tor last year as it had been raining so it was a real treat to have such wonderful clear blue skies and golden sun to

Heralding the Beltane dawn

welcome in the new Beltane dawn.

After we had our fill of the sun's rays on top of the Tor we made our way down to the Chalice Well Gardens and to the bonfire that had been built in the Cress Field. Chalice Well is a wonderful spot in Glastonbury, it is a World Peace Garden, a place of peace and tranquility for those of all faiths to gather. By 7.30am there was a lovely crowd of people all gathered to welcome the day in together in this wonderfully peaceful spot. We sang, listened to drumming, held hands and jumped the fire, a really fabulous start to this blessed day.

Encouraging the flames to life in the Chalice Well

Following the ceremony at the chalice well we decided we would reluctantly miss their maypole dancing at 9.30 to nip off to the travelodge and check out etc. We were then back in the town square to be entertained by some fine musicians and dancers before the Greenmen arrived with the maypole amidst much admiring from the crowd! The lovely May Queen and Summer King were crowned to round off the early afternoon 
entertainments.

Even the dogs in Glastonbury joined in the celebrations! Actually this little darling is Wendy my Mum's rescued dog all the way from Serbia!

The arrival of the Maypole!

Everyone then processed following the maypole and the red and white dragons up the high street! 

The May Queen and Summer King

The Dragons process up Glastonbury High Street

At 1.30pm, to round off the celebrations at Chalice Well, we arrived

Painting green men and women in the market square

with the maypole in Wellhouse Lane, between the White Spring and the opened Monk's Gate in to Chalice Well, here the maypole was blessed with water from the red, white and blue springs of Glastonbury. We waited here a while whilst people enjoyed the White Springs and the energy of the wonderful day.  The procession then walked up the hill to Bushey Coombe 

Blessing of the Maypole at the White Spring

On arrival at Bushey Coombe everyone processed through a beautiful arbor and were greeted which was really lovely, it is great to be made to feel so welcome. The crowd then formed a circle, the directions were called and the ceremony was opened. The  maypole was  then lifted, with some time taken to make sure it was secure! - it did get a little tilted half way through the dance and had to be corrected! 

Glastonbury Beltane Maypole dancing

Everyone had a lovely time dancing around the Maypole, young and old, everyone joined in the merriment. We ended with a closing of the circle and a beautiful gathering around the maypole.

Closing the circle at Bushey Coombe

I can't express enough my thank-yous to all those many people that helped make this a wonderful Beltane 2013, and indeed do so every year. Thank-you all of you, most of you I only know by sight but thank-you and brightest blessings to you. I can't wait now until Beltane 2014 in Glastonbury!

Hands raised in unity and celebration xx

Alison Beltane Glastonbury 2013