Spirit Message of the Day -Celebrate Your Heart’s Treasures

BELTANE May 1st, 2010

“Attend this night of Crystal Fire
When Sweet Delight weds Wild Desire
Tis the Greening of the year…
Beltane, Beltane, Beltane’s here!
Feel the world’s Regeneration.
Dance the pole with Veneration.”
 –Raven’s Wing

A LITTLE HISTORY
Beltane, or May Day is the fertility festival marking the beginning of summer. People often decorate their neighbor’s doorsteps with fresh flowers (hence the tradition of May Day Baskets), enjoy picnics with their families, and dance around a maypole to insure fertility for the coming year. This represents the Goddess in ascendancy as the Mother, and the death of the God after the conception of the Divine Child.

The celebration of May festivals demonstrates how Paganism survived the Christianization of the British Isles. The May Queen is simply a disguise of the Goddess proxy. Even the Maypole, the very heart of our holy day, is a symbolic merger of soft feminine ribbons playfully winding around an erect and receptive phallus. Celebrated May Eve at sundown or May 1st. Also known as May Day, Valpurga. Named for the Celtic god of light, Beal. Witches calendar beginning of Summer, the first of four Celtic fire festivals.  –Excerpt from Seasons of the Witch weekly calendar 2010.

Beltane celebrates the fertility of spring and the greening of the earth. April’s showers have given way to rich and fertile earth, and as the land greens, there are few celebrations as representative of fertility as Beltane. Observed on May 1st, festivities typically begin the evening before, on the last night of April. It’s a time to welcome the abundance of the fertile earth, and a day that has a long (and sometimes scandalous) history. Depending on your tradition, there are a number of ways you can celebrate this Sabbat. 

The Fires of Tara
Beltane kicks off the merry month of May, and has a long history. This fire festival is celebrated on May 1 with bonfires, Maypoles, dancing, and lots of good old fashioned sexual energy. The Celts honored the fertility of the gods with gifts and offerings, sometimes including animal or human sacrifice. Cattle were driven through the smoke of the balefires, and blessed with health and fertility for the coming year. In Ireland, the fires of Tara were the first ones lit every year at Beltane, and all other fires were lit with a flame from Tara.

Roman Influences
The Romans, always known for celebrating holidays in a big way, spent the first day of May paying tribute to their Lares, the gods of their household. They also celebrated the Floralia, or festival of flowers, which consisted of three days of unbridled sexual activity. Participants wore flowers in their hair (much like May Day celebrants later on), and there were plays, songs, and dances. At the end of the festivities, animals were set loose inside the Circus Maximus, and beans were scattered around to ensure fertility. The fire festival of Bona Dea was also celebrated on May 2nd.

 

A Pagan Martyr
May 6 is the day of Eyvind Kelve in Norse celebrations. Eyvind Kelve was a pagan martyr who was tortured and drowned on the orders of King Olaf Tryggvason for refusing to give up his pagan beliefs. A week later, Norwegians celebrate the Festival of the Midnight Sun, which pays tribute to the Norse sun goddess. This festival marks the beginning of ten straight weeks without darkness.

 

The Greeks and Plynteria
Also in May, the Greeks celebrated the Plynteria in honor of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and battle, and the patroness of the city of Athens (which was named after her). The Plynteria includes the ritual cleansing of Athena’s statue, along with feasting and prayers in the Parthenon. On the 24th, homage is paid to the Greek moon-goddess Artemis (goddess of the hunt and of wild animals). Artemis is a lunar goddess, equivalent to the Roman moon-goddess Diana – she is also identified with Luna, and Hecate.

 

The Green Man Emerges
A number of pre-Christian figures are associated with the month of May, and subsequently Beltane. The entity known as the Green Man, strongly related to Cernunnos, is often found in the legends and lore of the British Isles, and is a masculine face covered in leaves and shrubbery. In some parts of England, a Green Man is carried through town in a wicker cage as the townsfolk welcome the beginning of summer. Impressions of the Green Man’s face can be found in the ornamentation of many of Europe’s older cathedrals, despite edicts from local bishops forbidding stonemasons from including such pagan imagery.

 

Jack-in-the-Green
A related character is Jack-in-the-Green, a spirit of the greenwood. References to Jack appear in British literature back as far as the late sixteenth century. Sir James Frazer associates the figure with mummers and the celebration of the life force of trees. Jack-in-the-Green was seen even in the Victorian era, when he was associated with soot-faced chimney sweeps. At this time, Jack was framed in a structure of wicker and covered with leaves, and surrounded by Morris dancers. Some scholars suggest that Jack may have been a ancestor to the legend of Robin Hood.

 

Ancient Symbols, Modern Rites
Today’s Pagans and Wiccans celebrate Beltane much like their ancestors did. A Beltane ritual usually involves lots of fertility symbols, including the obviously-phallic Maypole dance. The Maypole is a tall pole decorated with flowers and hanging ribbons, which are woven into intricate pattern by a group of dancers. Weaving in and out, the ribbons are eventually knotted together by the time the dancers reach the end.

In some Wiccan traditions, Beltane is a day in which the May Queen and the Queen of Winter battle one another for supremacy. In this rite, borrowed from practices on the Isle of Man, each queen has a band of supporters. On the morning of May 1, the two companies battle it out, ultimately trying to win victory for their queen. If the May Queen is captured by her enemies, she must be ransomed before her followers can get her back.

There are some who believe Beltane is a time for the faeries — the appearance of flowers around this time of year heralds the beginning of summer and shows us that the fae are hard at work. In early folklore, to enter the realm of faeries is a dangerous step — and yet the more helpful deeds of the fae should always be acknowledged and appreciated. If you believe in faeries, Beltane is a good time to leave out food and other treats for them in your garden or yard.

For many contemporary Pagans, Beltane is a time for planting and sowing of seeds — again, the fertility theme appears. The buds and flowers of early May bring to mind the endless cycle of birth, growth, death and rebirth that we see in the earth. Certain trees are associated with May Day, such as the Ash, Oak and Hawthorn. In Norse legend, the god Odin hung from an Ash tree for nine days, and it later became known as the World Tree, Yggdrasil.

If you’ve been wanting to bring abundance and fertility of any sort into your life — whether you’re looking to concieve a child, enjoy fruitfulness in your career or creative endeavors, or just see your garden bloom — Beltane is the perfect time for magical workings related to any type of prosperity.

Rituals and Ceremonies

Depending on your particular tradition, there are many different ways you can celebrate Beltane, but the focus is nearly always on fertility. It’s the time when the earth mother opens up to the fertility god, and their union brings about healthy livestock, strong crops, and new life all around.

Here are a few rituals you may want to think about trying — and remember, any of them can be adapted for either a solitary practitioner or a small group, with just a little planning ahead.

• Celebrate Beltane with a Maypole Dance
• Beltane Bonfire Ritual – a group ceremony
• Hold a Family Abundance Rite for Beltane
• Honor the Sacred Feminine with a Goddess Ritual
• Setting up your Beltane Altar
• Take the 7 Day Sabbat eCourse

BELTANE RECEIPES
No sabbat celebration is complete without food, so stop in and try some of these delicious spring recipes. Includes instructions for making a Beltane bannock, spring soup, ritual breads, a delicious greenman cake,  and candied flowers. Click here to see what’s on the Menu.

Today’s message is from About.com Paganism Wiccan.

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Spirit Message of the Day – Imagination as Reality

ONE STEP AT A TIME
“Lots of little steps make big dreams come true.”

“This card says that you have a big dream, but you may not know how to make it happen. Know that your dream can come true if you’ll focus on taking one small step at a time. If you will just do one or two things a day related to your dream, it will come true more quickly than you can imagine! you can take small steps to complete any project. For example, if you need to write a report or clean a room, you can focus on one page or a corner of the job at a time. Don’t think about the whole project –just focus on the little bit that you’re doing right now. Then, once that page or corner is done, you can think about the next page or corner. You can even plan how many pages or corners you’ll complete (on a calendar) to help you plan ahead.”

“Taking one step at a time is a secret way to success. You’ll be amazed at how much you can do if you’ll just make slow and steady progress. Take a moment and think about your project or dream. Imagine that it’s already completed, and notice how you feel in your body and your heart. Then ask your angels, guides, and spirit helpers, ‘What step should I take right now to make this happen?’ Notice any thoughts, feelings, words, or pictures that come to you. If you receive a strong message to take action in a positive way, then do so.  Remember that every big job or dream can happen, if you’ll just break it down into small steps and then take them.”

Today’s message is from Doreen Virtue, PH.D, author of Magical Unicorns Oracle Cards.

Spirit Message of the Day – Live in Truth, Create Honor

THE CYCLAMEN FLOWER
Today on Earth Day 2010, the Cyclamen flower brings us a message of truth.

“There are different levels of honesty in life and we can all be masters of disguise when it suits us best. The Cyclamen flower spirit is calling us to embrace the essence of truth in our lives and become clearer about who we are.”

“As Shakespeare once wrote: ‘Oh what a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive’. Life is far more complicated if we pretend to people and make things up as we go along, because we have to remember what we said and to whom we said it. If we can get beyond the need to cover up aspects of ourselves that we feel are inadequate, then we are released from a heavy weight of deception. The more we open our hearts to others, hiding nothing and showing our vulnerable real side, the simpler life will become.”

MESSAGE FOR YOU
“The time may be right to look at your past or some area of your life that you have tucked away and ignored. It may be that you have not been completely honest with yourself about how you felt or feel in a particular situation or relationship, for example. Be brave, dare to look and witness how honest you are. This tiny, shy flower awakens a new possibility for you to reveal yourself truly on many levels. It offers you a rewarding opportunity to step into a new way of behaving, that will influence your every moment from now on.”

When we choose to live in truth, we create honor for ourselves and give it to others around us. Repeat Aloud: “Today, I dare to be honest and speak my own truth.”

Today’s message is from The Flower Spirit Cards by Melanie Eclare.

Spirit Message of the Day – Cultivate the Beauty that is You

JEWEL OF THE SEA
“Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder. Some say otherwise, that beauty is the inner light shining out. Grace is moving through the world in beauty. Is beauty merely physical, or does it come from somewhere else? In fairy magic, there is a kind of magic called glamour. With that magic, fairies can make themselves appear more beautiful. That magic is available to those who seek it.”

“Who hasn’t wished they were more physically beautiful? We all have beauty within us, but how do we make that beauty shine through? If we feel beautiful, we usually are more confident and less self-conscious. By expressing our inner beauty, we can move with grace through our lives, enchanting them and touching the lives of others with magic. We can be more beautiful by expressing that which is good, compassionate, wise, and generous within ourselves. Ah, but  first, we must acknowledge that this beauty does indeed dwell in our souls.”

“In this card, we see a charming Jewel of the Sea. Although she is still at this moment, it doesn’t take much to imagine her moving with grace and beauty through her world. Her flowing white hair indicates purity of thought and intention. She is crowned with treasures from the sea floor, showing deep, ancient wisdom. A shining bubble surrounds her head. It is the certain knowledge and belief that she is truly beautiful. She radiates light, even in the darkest depths of the ocean. A point of light adorns her fingertip, and she knows she can spread beauty and light with the wave of her hand. She leaves bits of sparkly magic behind wherever she goes.”

MESSAGE FOR YOU
“Acknowledge your beauty. Recognize it, nurture it, honor it. Realize where your beauty comes from. Look at all that is good and wise within you. Commit to cultivating it. Be secure in your beauty and make good use of it. Let your every action, thought, and word be an extension and expression of your inner beauty. Leave beauty and magic behind you wherever you go. Recognize and honor the beauty in others.”

A LITTLE GLAMOUR SPELL
“Cultivating inner beauty is all very well and good. But sometimes a girl just wants to feel beautiful. Here’s a simple little spell that might provide you with just the pick-me-up you’re looking for. Mix a few drops of rose and sandalwood essential oils. Draw a warm, comfortable, bath and light a grey candle. Add some of the oils to the bath and relax in the lightly scented warm water. Lean back and close your eyes. Visualize yourself at your absolute best. Notice all of your beauty and admire your body and imagine how you will dress to accentuate it. Perhaps wear something lavender since that is a color of personal power, spirituality, and fairy magic. See yourself moving through the rest of your day (and evening too) with ample beauty and grace. See the smiles, feel the magic.

Today’s message is from The Enchanted Oracle by Barbara Moore with art by Jessica Galbreth.

Spirit Message of the Day – Preservation and Release

THE ICE QUEEN
“It is time for ideas preserved, nonaction, and entitlement.”

THE ALLY
“The Ice Queen has come to block your movement for your highest good. Let your ideas be preserved until later. You can thaw them out and use them at another time when they will best serve. The realm of the Ice Queen is the place of nonaction, and now is a perfect time to take a look at how far you’ve come and to ask yourself for a reclarification of your highest goals.”

“Not all of your plans can be accomplished at this moment.  In fact, putting them on ice allows for the perfect  timing later on. Don’t be too hasty in trying to reach your goal. An even better one will present itself if you surrender and spend the winter with the Ice Queen. Perhaps, too, you’re trying to do too many things at once. This is a good occasion to choose only one thing to focus on and let the Ice Queen put the others in the deep freeze until a more appropriate time. She’ll let you know when it’s time to let them thaw.”

THE CHALLENGER
“When the Ice Queen comes to challenge you, she asks you to look at the illusion of ownership. Do you believe you truly ‘own’ anything in this world? For example, do any of us really own land…do we own ideas? Or is it that we have simply laid claim to something we believe we’re entitled to? Even inspiration is borrowed from Spirit and shared by all in the field of divine consciousness that permeates everything. Others have thought of even your most ingenious ideas somewhere else in time…and so what?”

“Life incarnate is short. When you transition, you take nothing with you from the material world. The Ice Queen calls upon you to release your hold on your relationships, your belongings, your home, and all aspects of your life. Let life flow as it will. Everything is impermanent. Once you recognize that, everything is seen as the living miracle that it really is, and you won’t be frozen into self-induced limitations. It’s time to let go of ownership in general and be grateful for and enjoy what you’ve been gifted with.”

Today’s message is from Wisdom of the Hidden Realms by Colette Baron-Reid.

Spirit Message of the Day – Try Something New, Do Something Different

JUST DO SOMETHING

“The magic in life is far too great
to spend your time waiting on fate.
In just a blink, your dreams are born,
and when you act with faith,
they begin to take form”

“Now, when it comes to your dreams, do you believe in them? Most people don’t – not their big dreams – and so they don’t prepare for them. But do you? Are you preparing?”

“Well, to make sure you’re on track, and to tip the scales in favor of their realization, start behaving as if their manifestation was absolutely inevitable. Because by acting with faith, even just once a day, you begin broadcasting to the universe, as well as to yourself, that you do believe, and momentum is gathered.”

“Do things, little things, out of step with all the other things you do, that imply your dreams have and will come true. Now don’t just say, ‘Uh-huh. Yeah’. Do something out of the ordinary – Today! Something odd. Something you weren’t going to do. Something you hadn’t thought about doing until now. Something you wouldn’t typically or ordinarily do. Price shop a flight somewhere. Pick a date on a calendar to celebrate whatever it is you dream of celebrating. Practice signing your autograph and pick a standard salutation that you’ll always use with it. Just do something. You’ll see. It works.”

“Now, this will seem strange at first. Your mind will object. But that’s how you’ll know you’re doing some good -more good than you could ever now grasp.”

Today’s message is from Mike Dooley’s book entitled Choose Them Wisely: Thoughts Become Things!

Spirit Message of the Day – Reduce, Refresh, and Renew

THE DRUID PLANT AGRIMONY
“An Irish wildflower, also known as Mur-druidheann or Agrimonia cupatoria; this druid plant represents purification, liberation and preparation for new beginnings.”

“Agrimony is a perennial of grassy places, native throughout most of the British Isles and Europe, introduced in America, growing up to three feet tall. It has a starry yellow flowers, fragrant when crushed, have small toothed leaflets between pairs of larger ones. The card shows Agrimony in full bloom at the time of the Druid festival of Alban Hefin, the Summer Solstice in June. To one side grows the first of the Celtic Ogham trees Beith, and Birch –the tree of beginnings and purification – which offers the same qualities as Agrimony. In the distance stand the lonely stones of the Druid’s circle erected during the early Bronze Age of Penmaenmawr, Wales.”

“One of the Gaelic names for Agrimony is mur-druidheann, which has been interpreted as ‘sorrow of the Druids’. However, a more complete interpretation would explain that it is a dispeller of sorrow used by the Druids, since Agrimony has the special property of helping to liberate people from depression and lethargy by eliminating negative energy from their aura and their home.”

MESSAGE FOR YOU
“You are ready to let go of feelings, thoughts or attachments that are no longer serving you. Agrimony brings a sense of purification and liberation that makes you want to step boldly forward into a new phase of your life, or perhaps a new job or relationship. Any sorrow that you may have been feeling will be dispelled, and whatever negative energies may have been lingering in your home or workplace will soon vanish as swiftly as the night vanishes at dawn.”

“This card could also represent for you a feeling of sadness or lethargy which may be weighing you down at present. Life may seem to have lost its savour, and you wish that it felt like Spring. Often, such feelings come from attachments that once may have brought you joy or comfort, but which now seem to have ‘turned’ – just as milk that once was nourishing can later turn sour. This may mean that you need to spend some time ‘spring-cleaning’ your life, both inwardly and outwardly.”

“See if you can give or throw away unnecessary clutter in your home, and ask yourself ‘Do I really need this?’ of just about everything. Just as physical pain is a sign that your body needs attention, so feelings of sorrow and lack of energy may well be symptoms telling you that you must look after your own needs before those of others – at least until you feel better. By doing this, blockages will clear, negative energy will be dispersed, and you will start to move towards a new phase in your life.”

A HERB OF PRINCELY AUTHORITY
“Such was the name of the Roman writer Pliny gave to this herb, which is also known as Church Steeples, Cocklebur and Sticklewort. The herb is a powerful astringent, tonic and blood cleanser, and for centuries was used to treat debilitating conditions in which the patient seemed drained of energy. In France, Agrimony is still used as a major ingredient in a spring tonic tisane, and in Germany it was highly revered for its protective properties and is often mentioned as an ingredient of a sacred ‘nine-herb-bundle’, used as a panacea for all kinds of physical and spiritual or psychological afflictions.”

“In addition to its tonic and healing properties, Agrimony is also able to bring deep and peaceful sleep. Its dried leaves and flowers can be used to make a herb pillow, and such is its power that the sleeper will only awake with the pillow is removed, according to this old English rhyme.”

“If it be leyd under mann’s head,
He shal sleepyn as he were deed:
He shal never drede ne wakyn
Till fro under his heed it be takyn.”

“Agrimony is the perfect herb for a lustral bath taken before meditation or engaging in any kind of spiritual work, or before participating in a ritual. To make an infusion, pour one pint of boiling water over two teaspoonfuls of chopped leaves, and leave to steep for ten minutes. The infusion can then be drunk as tea, added to water for cleansing, or poured into your bath, which you can also strew with leaves and flowers if you wish. In Druid magic, Agrimony is used as an incense to cleanse the aura and the ritual circle, acting in the same way that sage is used in certain Native American traditions for ‘smudging’. The dried leaves sprinkled over glowing charcoal exert a powerful cleansing and purifying effect.”

Today’s message is from The Druid Plant Oracle: Working with the magical flora of the Druid tradition by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm.

Spirit Message of the Day – Prepare for An Adventure

THE RIVER QUEEN
“It is time to let go, let things flow, and experience a natural state of movement.”

“The River Queen flows into your life as an ally to remind you about the concept of allowing and the Law of Non-attachment. Remember that all rivers come from the mountains and run to the sea to be absorbed by the larger body of water. There the liquid evaporates into clouds that rain on the mountains to continue an endless cycle of fluidity.”

MESSAGE FOR YOU
“The River Queen requires you to be fluid and to let go of rigidity and perfectionism. You will travel far as long as you let go and let flow, even maneuvering around the greatest blockages like water streams around big boulders. No obstacle can hold you back now if you’re willing to surrender to the natural flow of events. Be easy on yourself and others, and watch how smoothly you move forward. You may be surprised where the river takes you.” It is said if we are in the river reaching for something, you cannot grasp it if you’re going against the flow. Instead, to reach your destiny, go with the flow, and allow the river to take you in its natural direction.

A CHALLENGE
“Turbulent waters and rapids to cross are directly ahead for you. You have no boat to navigate now; its just you in the water, going where it takes you. That said, although The River Queen is your challenger here, she has no intention of letting you go under. Even when there’s a waterfall ahead, there is no reason to fear. The River Queen will help you over it so you can splash down again in the gentle waters of the river below, flowing with renewed purpose to the sea. Be fearless now and go with the current of events. This can be an adventure.” 

Today’s message is from the book entitled Widsom of the Hidden Realms Guidebook by Colette Baron-Reid.

Spirit Message of the Day – You are Limitless

DON’T DO IT
“In this greatest of all adventures, you cannot ever be less than you really are: limitless, forever, and totally awesome. But you can think that you are less than you really are. Don’t!”

“There are very, very, very few don’ts in this kingdom of thoughts. But seeing yourself as less than you really are should be one of those don’ts.  Actually there are just a few should bes in this kingdom, too. Let’s keep it that way!”

“What if you were born a healthy, wealthy, and wise as you now dream of becoming? Or, what if you didn’t have any of the challenges you now face? If this were the case, you wouldn’t be a fraction of the person that you already are today. There’s a reason to the madness, a reason you sometimes feel trapped, stuck, fallen, and bruised. And it has everything to do with the enlightenment you sought and the triumphs that are only now possible. You wanted more –more than having everything handed to you on a silver platter — and you got it. And this makes all the difference. Angels sing your name.”

Today’s special message is from Mike Dooley’s book entitled Choose Them Wisely, Thoughts Become Things!

Spirit Message of the Day – An Inner Awakening

AN ANGEL FOR SPRING
“The Angel of Spring represents hope and renewal, a time of planting new ideas, embarking upon new journeys, and taking advantage of newfound creative and spiritual energy. This time may signal an unexpected turn of events, a new development, or a new way of thinking about a current issue at hand. It may also be a time of resurrection, a way to resurrect the higher spiritual aspects involved. Pay attention to any visions you may receive in the coming days, in dreams, songs, print, or elsewhere, regarding your query.”

“Spring is traditionally a time of joy, but we must remember that joy and lightness can be born only through pain or darkness. Birth is not possible without labor. If you have experienced pain regarding the issue at hand, now is the time to allow the angels to bring you joy, and allow yourself to feel the energy of hope and renewal, and to release that energy into the world. Spring is a time of opportunities that abound to fulfill the destiny of new growth. Drawing this card alerts us to the fact that opportunities are all around us. Spring forward with confidence and move gracefully with the aspiring life force to turn this energy into ambition.  Think about your aspirations. What does this issue have to do with them? Does it help you or hold you back? If this issue is in alignment with your highest aspirations, it is a time to move forward. If not, it may be appropriate to put your energy elsewhere.”

“Like the fall equinox, the spring equinox is the balance of day and night. But whereas the autumn equinox signals the waning of the light, the spring equinox burns with the approaching passion of the bursting day. The Spring thus embodies a singular power an enormous energy that can either help us to restore balance and wholeness to our lives or cause us to burn out with passion and enthusiasm too quickly spent. It is a tempting, seductive time of the awakening of all the senses. Allow The Angel of Spring to help you soar with joy and enthusiasm but with a proper tempered balance of energy.”

Today’s guidance is from Angel Journey Cards by Terry Lynn Taylor and Mary Beth Crain.