It feels a little hard to believe that Beltane, the next festival in the Wheel of the Year is just around the corner. Celebrated at the beginning of May, Beltane is the mid point between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. It marks Spring’s peak and the birth of Summer and is a celebration of the Earth’s fertile energy and life force. In today’s post I will share some ideas for connecting with the energy of Beltane and the plants associated with this time of year.
Samhain can be thought of as the birth of Winter. Falling at the end of October/beginning of November in the Northern Hemisphere it marks the final harvest period and is the origin of the modern day festival of Halloween. If you are new to the Wheel of the Year (an ancient way of marking the passing seasons) you can read more about it here.
At this time of year the natural world prepares for a period of deep rest. Like a big exhale, tree sap descends back down the tree trunks to rest in the roots. The seeds of Summer blooms now lay dormant deep within the earth and animals prepare for their hibernation.
This time of year can bring with it a whole host of feelings for us too. For some it may feel like a cosy and nourishing time, an invitation to slow down and turn inwards. For others it may kindle feelings of sadness, grief, low energy or a mixture of both….
The next festival in our Wheel of the Year journey is Beltane, celebrated around the beginning of May in the Northern hemisphere. Beltane is the mid point between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. It marks Spring’s peak and the birth of Summer and is a celebration of the Earth’s fertile energy and life force at this time.
This is a time of abundance, union and life force. Flowers are blooming, new life is being born and the Sun’s strength is increasing. This is a fertile time in the natural world, and can help us to ignite projects, cultivate new actions and reflect on what we need in order to bloom. This increase in active energy, can leave us feeling a little worn out at times, so it is good time to ensure rest, self care and nourishment is established to balance this busy time.
The wheel of the year is an ancient way of marking the changing energy of the Earth throughout the yearly cycle. The wheel consists of 8 seasonal celebrations or marker points, that fall every 6 – 8 weeks.
In-between each solar festival is a seasonal festival (or cross quarter point) connected with seasonal and agricultural changes. Imbolc marks the height of Winter where the first signs of Spring begin to appear, Beltane the height of Spring and birth of Summer, Lammas the height of Summer and birth of Autumn and Samhain the height of Autumn and birth of Winter.
The celebrations can be thought of as natural points throughout the year where we can stop and observe what is going on in the outer world as well as our inner worlds. A moment to reflect on how things currently are, how they have been over the last season and how we would like to move ahead into the new one.
My most precious insight from observing the wheel of the year is the element of change within it. Light and dark, growth and decay, beginnings and endings. In the modern world we are often expected to be as productive and efficient no matter the season. A striving towards a fixed state of happiness, vibrancy and certainty that isn’t present in the natural world, certainly not all year round.
Connecting with the energy and changes in the natural world, can help us to reflect on our own energy throughout the seasons which may naturally rise and fall. It can help us appreciate the change and flow of nature and learn to welcome and embrace these qualities in our own lives.
We have created 2 prints to celebrate the Wheel of the Year and a Seasonal Reflection card set aimed to support you in connecting with the energy of each festival, available now in our Etsy store.
Wild Fen 