BELTANE BEGIN ANEW

MAPS & TOOLS

CONTENTS

BOX CONTENTS | BELTANE

BELTANE | CHRONICLE, CELEBRATION & ALTAR

BUILDING A FAIRY HOME

RECIPE | FRESH FLOWER SALAD

CAST YOUR CIRCLE

BELTANE QUESTION & AFFIRMATION

FIRESTARTING RITUAL BOX CONTENTS | BELTANE

BELTANE BATH SOAK with CARNELIAN STONE Soak and emerge with a fresh readiness for the days ahead. This cotton satchel contains dried fower petals of rose, chrysanthemum, calendula, and cornfower. Combined with Himalayan salt, and a gorgeous carnelian stone charged under the full moon, it is your luxury blend for the perfect Beltane bath soak. Relax and prepare the body by adding the contents to warm bathwater. Remove the stone from the bath before draining and place it upon your altar.

CATALYST GOAT’S MILK SOAP We can provoke change and continue to support our vital energies. The key is to be anchored and focused. This is accomplished not through force, but instead through a type of surrender. We become like the center of a wheel, very still and aware, as all else spins around us. With this in mind, key notes in Catalyst goat’s milk soap are geranium, cedar, and grapefruit. Utilize their properties to spark delight and a focused energy as you wash and prepare your body for Beltane’s blissful celebrations.

FIRESTARTER BUNDLE —SAP WOOD, YELLOW ROSES, BARK & BRANCHES Locally sourced, Colorado bark and branches from pine and aspen trees, are gathered together with a sap wood which ignites quickly with ease. Yellow roses, a long-lived symbol of jubilation and the hue of an undying fame, adorn your bundle to represent the tradition of gathering yellow fowers for Beltane, while contributing to your bundle’s protective nature. Every item may be lit together to quickly set a Beltane fre ablaze, no need to unbundle. Likewise, it can also be used for the frestarting ritual outlined in the following pages.

BRASS BELL Morris Dancing likely began in the 1400’s in the courts of kings where thousands of bells strung on ribbons were spiraled around legs, strung across shoulders, and looped over the hands of dancers dressed in lace, ribbons, fowers, and colorful jewels as they ushered in warmer days to come. Ring your brass bell with abandon at the height of your celebration and feel a connection to revelers from centuries before. BEGIN ANEW | BELTANE SOY CANDLE Illuminate the night, honor the sacred, amplify rituals, enhance self care, or light your candle just because you want to! You might like to recite affrmations, write intentions, or meditate after lighting. Or maybe you just want to sit, watch the fame, and enjoy its warmth and scent. When lit, your candle creates a soy wax pool just three degrees above body temperature which can be massaged into the skin to soothe and moisturize. Made with GMM-free soy wax, it is a pure source of Omega-6 fatty acids and antioxidants which essentially become skin food when used in this manner, so go ahead and dip into that goodness and smooth it onto your skin! The bright blaze of a coming summer season is enhanced by this candle’s key note of lemongrass.

FAIRY ART CARD The fairy is an important symbol to Magic Fairy Candles. Founder and proprietress, Kim Sorden, placed a tiny pewter fairy charm strung on loops of ribbon atop the frst candles she created for sale decades ago. According to ancient lore, fairies are both helpers and tricksters. They are the wee folk who dance among small fower buds and moss, befriending honeybees and snails. They provide assistance to those with a reverence for the natural world, and trip up those who dare try to destroy any aspect of fora or fauna. There’s no doubt that we need more fairies today! Place your fairy art card where you can contemplate and foster each day a new playfulness, sense of wonder, and awe for the magical dazzling things of our natural world.

INCENSE Warding off insects, honoring the sacred with pleasing aromas, cleansing or blessing one another or a space—these and numerous other reasons for burning incense have been practiced fo centuries. Herein you have been given a selection of incense tested by time and the human heart. Utilize their aromas and purifying natures to enhance rituals, or make the hours of any given day more sacred.

RITUAL Simple and straightforward ritual affrmations are provided for casting your circle and performing rituals. Some contain questions which you can ask yourself as a means of opening the heart to explore fresh awareness. Others introduce activities for ritual celebration or meditation. Over time, you may develop or add your own words and rites to personalize this practice. In fact, the more you can add from your own experience, the more powerful the ritual becomes. BELTANE

To remember to love what we love and why we love is at the very center of a life’s exuberant spirit.

We are meant to be animated, passionate, and deeply kind. With each fulflling new joy we get to say yes once more.

A CHRONICLE Beltane’s celebration begins at moonrise on May Day Eve, or April 30th, with main events occurring all day on May 1st. It is a cross-quarter holiday in the Wheel of the Year, marking the halfway point between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice.

Historically, Beltane marked the time of year when cattle were released from winter quarters and herded out to pasture for the summer. The medieval Ireland text, Cormac’s Glossary, records one of the frst written references to the practice of building two large Beltane fres, between which cattle were herded. Some forced herds to leap over the fames. This was a protection ritual which served a practical purpose, as the heat and smoke helped rid the animals of feas and other pests.

Likewise, villagers carried torches from the bonfres throughout and around their homes in protective ritual, smoking out pests and stagnant air. They placed yellow fowers in the home and draped garlands of yellow fowers over livestock. A May Bush, or May Bough was of Hawthorn or Rowan, decorated with spring fowers and ribbons and paraded through the village. Later this evolved into the practice of dancing around a Maypole weaving ribbons under a high bouquet while wearing crowns of braided fowers.

Illustration from La Bretagne, by Penguilly L’Haridon, Paris, 1859 A CELEBRATION After your fre the last evening of April, Beltane’s daytime celebrations on May 1st (May Day) are all about the Earth’s burgeoning life. It’s no coincidence that many unions occur at this time of year. In the past, those with little means for having a huge wedding simply jumped over a broomstick while holding hands. Handfasting, the symbolic tying of a couple’s hands together with ribbon and fower garlands, is a beautifully simple ritual of commitment often held at Beltane too.

Now’s the time for renewal of unifying commitments in love, life, and work. The gathering together of community around a Maypole to dance and ring bells while weaving colorful ribbons, symbolizes the continuity of supporting one another through the year with the elation of summer on its way.

Flowers have been the exuberant heart of Beltane celebrations for centuries. Crowns made of linked blossoms, salads with fresh blooms, fower chains to wear or use in decoration, fairy homes constructed in the garden and decorated with buds and blooms, sugared fowers to top sweet baked goods— these are all beautiful places to start!

THE BELTANE ALTAR An altar is an intimate expression of your experience with this celebration. There are no rules, only suggestions based on those who have come before us:

• A cloth of lush green contrasted with fery yellow and gold. • Items to represent all the elements—earth, air, fre, water. Some soil, a feather, your candle, & a small bowl of water are simple selections. • Flower bouquets or garlands. Hawthorn or Rowan branches. • Beltane symbols—bees & honey, fairies, seeds, dandelions, antlers. • Symbols of union or unity—circles, rings, goblets and wands. • Fresh primrose, honeysuckle, lilacs, marigolds, ferns, & budding branches. • Stones of carnelian, citrine, emerald, clamshell jasper, olivine (peridot). • Personal spiritual items such as deities, amulets, talismans, or images. • Something to represent both the feminine & masculine.

Above all, make it a delight to gather items and create your altar. Simple is lovely. As is over-the-top elaborate. Let it be who you are. BUILDING A FAIRY HOME

There is nothing quite so magical as a tiny home for tiny beings. Making a fairy home is a delightful journey, connecting us to the natural world in ways which create exceptional awareness. We soon see each small thing with fresh eyes. If there is a small child in your life, this is an enchanting activity to do together.

GATHER Twigs, dried vines, fallen bark or leaves, fower pods, pussy willows, dried gourds, acorns and caps, sweet gum balls, thorns, dried grasses, moss and fowers, shells, stones, pine cones, abandoned snail shells, fallen bird feathers, or corn husks, just to start.

Please only gather natural items which have completed their life cycle. You may of course include new plantings in your creation.

CONSTRUCT As you choose a place to begin, shrink yourself down to fairy size by getting your face close to the ground to view the world. If you don’t have a garden, you can build in a park, along a trail, or in the woods. Construct a little home with twigs, stones, a hollow log, an old clay pot, a broken basket, or old metal bucket. Imagine a door and windows, little window sills, a mossy roof, tiny benches, tables, a wee little garden, adding details using what you’ve gathered. Soon you’ll fnd your imagination going off on its own.

DECORATE Gardening twine is useful for making fences, gates, or furniture, by joining small twigs and vines. Shells and tiny tin cans make wishing wells or little fairy ponds. Try binding stacked stones with a mixture of soil and water. Tuck in some dried moss. Use items for construction which will break down outdoors naturally.

LET TIME UNFOLD Magic happens as you create and engage your imagination. Your eye will spot more and more tiny things in the world. Add little plantings or seeds in different seasons. Sprinkle some bird seed and see if you attract visitors. If your little fairy home falls down, let it be an invitation to observe change. Then perhaps later, begin anew. RECIPE | FRESH FLOWER SALAD

Salads become a welcoming delight in warming weather. But think with the luscious in mind… fowers! So many blooms and petals are completely edible and make any salad a gourmet experience. Most have a slightly peppery favor. If you lack a garden, check with friends or shop the herb section at the grocery. Some carry fresh edible blooms.

EDIBLE BLOOMS & PETALS Calendula, carnations, chrysanthemums, clover, cornfower, dandelions, hibiscus, honeysuckle, impatiens, lilac, marigolds, nasturtiums, pansies, phlox, primrose, roses, violets. Remember to use plants free of chemicals.

SALAD INGREDIENTS • Fresh baby greens or butter leaf lettuce • Thinly sliced sweet onion • Grape tomatoes sliced in half • Handful of nuts of your choice • Fresh edible fowers & petals • Fresh raspberries, blueberries or thinly sliced strawberries

DRESSING 1/2 cup olive oil 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar Juice of 1/2 a lemon 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp honey or sugar

INSTRUCTIONS Prepare the dressing frst by whisking all the ingredients together well and set aside. Remove a handful of fowers to a separate bowl. Prepare the rest of salad ingredients and toss gently together. Distribute onto serving plates and then arrange the rest of the fowers across the top of each salad to show off the colors and blooms. Serve the salad with the dressing on the side to preserve blooms until the last moment. Enjoy the delicious fresh beauty of blooms! CAST YOUR CIRCLE

SEVEN DIRECTIONS INVOCATION

A circle is sacred. The wombs of women encircle life as it grows, then open to form an O as our children enter this world. Our mouths form an O as we open to speak our truths. Earth is a globe, the orb which is our home. The moon in turn circles our Earth and it too is a sphere. To cast a circle is to make a sacred vessel to hold your ritual. Guidance is provided here.

PREPARE Clean your space and cleanse your body with a soothing shower or soak. Consider turning off all devices. Be still and remember your intention. Choose a location either indoors or out. Protect our Earth by following local guidelines regarding outdoor fames. You may wish to use a compass to locate and mark the directions of north, south, east, and west with a stone or crystal. Walk your circle clockwise and smudge its entirety with sage or incense. Light your candle at the center. BEGIN Invoke the seven directions by reading aloud:

EAST — AIR — KNOWLEDGE I face East, the direction of the rising sun & all beginnings. I call upon the element of Air & the creatures of fight. I welcome the beauty of new life & understanding to this circle.

SOUTH — FIRE — ACTION I face South, the direction of sustained activity & service. I call upon the element of Fire’s forms of fames, lightning, & electricity. I think of the quick coyote & welcome powerful action to this circle.

WEST — WATER — INTUITION I face West, the direction of the setting sun & visions. I call upon the element of Water in all her forms & depths. I trust my emotional strength & welcome its true instinct to this circle.

NORTH — EARTH — WISDOM I face North, the direction of guidance & all paths home. I call upon the element of Earth in her nurturing solidity. I feel my body grounded by soil & stone. I stand & welcome its deep wisdom to this circle.

ABOVE — SKY MOON STARS — FATHER I look up, raise my arms, & contemplate infnite galaxies, deep space, all consciousness. I honor the masculine energies of grandfathers, fathers, uncles, brothers, & sons. I honor how such energy also exists within the feminine & welcome it to this circle.

BELOW— SACRED EARTH — MOTHER I look down, bend & touch Earth to deeply know the home of our humanity, all creatures, all of the natural world. I feel how we are all one. I honor the feminine energies of grandmothers, mothers, aunts, sisters, & daughters. I honor how such energy also exists within the masculine & welcome it to this circle.

WITHIN — SPIRIT — CONNECTION & LIGHT I close my eyes & look within. I place my hands upon my heart & know I am love. I trust my connection to the true light of the spirit in all forms—gods, goddesses, ancestors, animal & human guides, dreams, visions, feelings. I honor the one in all and welcome spirit to this circle. PERFORM YOUR RITUAL With your circle cast and a sacredness held within your heart, read or recite the words for a ritual of your choosing. This is your moment, take your time. Repeat words of intention, release, or affrmation as many times as necessary in order for you to feel the gravity of those words within your body.

In order to bring about change, one must feel it fully.

We build energy and make solid change as we continually return to the practice. You may suddenly voice your own words for casting the circle, invoking the seven directions, or performing a ritual. Use them to connect more profoundly to your own awareness and heart.

Special rituals are offered in this booklet as a place to begin.

CLOSE To close your circle, release the elements and seven directions by speaking a simple phrase of dispersal and gratitude of your own choosing, or something like this—

“The elements, seven directions, and energies of all, I thank you for your presence here and release you.”

Extinguish your candle, collect your markers for the directions as you walk your circle once more. With reverence and gratitude, walk out and go forth.

Blessed Be. BELTANE

QUESTION & AFFIRMATION

How to experience a year? Have you watched a sun rise over a sleeping landscape? Have you tilted your face up to a night sky and had your breath taken away by the clarity of the stars? We sense it—a year as it moves within us in our daily gestures of love and longing. To truly encounter the moments of a passing year, we here at Magic Fairy Candles, have dedicated myriad days to the task of honoring the cadence of its unfolding.

Our symbols for the Light Eight are intentionally defned to represent each eight celebrations marking our journey through the Wheel of the Year. With each, we pose a thoughtful question and affrmation as entryway for connecting more deeply to its placeholder in our passing year.

You may wish to read one or both aloud as part of your ritual or celebration.

QUESTION When pleasure arises, how shall you claim your exuberance?

AFFIRMATION

Change is its own paradox persistent yet unfxed. The newly discovered wish is born of both change and its persistence.

Permit me a thrilling ease as change fows through my open hands, my open heart to transform and unfurl my soul. FIRESTARTING RITUAL

SOLEMN RITES

View the lineage of ritual in every culture and you will fnd fre. The fame transforms all to ash. From such transformations, new life occurs. Greek mythology so poetically captures this cycle in the Phoenix. A majestic bird of red and gold and associated with the sun, it senses its own end, builds a nest of twigs and so bursts into fames. From its own ashes the bird is reborn. In this vein, we can carry fre as ritual from the past into the present.

WHAT IS FIRE? Rub two sticks together quickly and the wood heats up. Heat is the mother of fre. Given enough time and swift motion, friction causes the atoms within the wood to vibrate at such a high rate they begin to break free of the bonds which normally keep them contained. Gases erupt from this transformation to mix with oxygen in the atmosphere. Voilà! Fire.

PREPARE Have your frestarter bundle and matches ready, with a freproof container in which you can carry the lit bundle. If you, or those in your home are sensitive to smoke, use a smaller portion of your bundle. You may wish to prepare a space for a larger fre outdoors on the eve of Beltane and use your bundle to frst perform this ritual, closing by using it to light the larger fre. Have water or a hose nearby for safety. Clear space through and around the perimeter of your home to walk without obstacles. IGNITE Set your bundle burning as you set your intentions for this ritual. Bring to mind that which you wish to transform or purify. Hold in your heart the power of fre. Know in your bones how the light of its fame illuminates darkness, transmuting sorrows to hope, negativities to compassion. Think of how fre’s heat and fames naturally loft upwards, raising energy, lifting the heart and mind to a higher plane of awareness and understanding.

You may wish to state your intentions aloud as you proceed.

PURIFY THE HOME With care and reverence, carry your smoldering bundle frst through the center of your home and work your way slowly through all rooms. Pause to open a few windows and doors, allowing a passage for the smoke to carry stagnant energy up and away.

Continue outdoors to circumambulate your home. Begin close to your home and work your way out with each circling so you fnish at the farthest points of your property. If you are an apartment dweller, be considerate of your neighbors by limiting your ritual to your apartment, or perhaps ask others to join in walking the perimeter of the entire apartment building.

BLESS YOUR HUMANS & PETS With all the love you have for those in your life, both humans and creatures alike, circle each with your bundle. Keep a beautiful smile on your face as you bless them by your devoted actions, perhaps stating your care and love for each of them aloud.

By the light and power of your fre’s fame you are cleansing past actions, holding a space for transformative rebirth, casting a protective blessing over all you hold dear. ©2021 Magic Fairy Candles www.magicfairycandles.com