The Roman Goddess-Diana
As the Earth’s spring unfolds, we witness its essence maturing. Early spring blossoms are now giving way to vibrant foliage of green, shading the now fertilized seeds of our early bloomers.
Coming from celebrating the brief balance of light and dark at Ostara, we now venture forward with our God and his solar warmth, to witness through natures pastoral and gardening season and nesting animals, his intention of commitment to growth through unity, as the mature consort to the Mother Goddess.
Her transformation from Maiden to Mother, as Gaia, Isis, Hera and the Green Tara, to name a few, teaches us the sanctity of adulthood. Utilizing our free will to express the maturement of our values and the power they hold in our action of becoming more compassionate, loving, nurturing, confident and refined aggressors in the wake of adversity. To bless and protect the growth we have fostered within and around us.
For him, the horned god is an often celebrated effigy of the divine masculine during this season. As the Celtic stag-horned, Cernannos, he greets us as father, king of the forest, protector of the wild, keeper of the gifts and secrets that are to be found within the sacred element of Earth; strong foundations, prosperity, fertility, wisdom, health and protection. He weaves both abundance and destruction as the hunter. Reminding us that both are necessary in the balance of life. For it is at Beltane that both halves unify to create the star seed within the womb of potential. Foreshadowing the God’s death at Samhain to allow for his rebirth at Yule.
Cernanno’s symbolism can also be tied to the mysticism of the Green Man. A nature spirit given many names varied by region. Here you find his passion for the Earth Goddess so strong, his visage intertwines with her leafy growth. His face of leaves and vines can be found all over Great Britain, carved by the Pagan mason workers into the stones tapestries built into the cathedrals of old. Inviting those who would question his presence to dig further into his mystery steeped in legend and magick.
The historic observance of Beltane on May 1st was celebrated with bonfire and sexual fervor by various European cultures. Many folks, unattached would seek out the evenings excitement through taking part in what was known as a Greenwood Marriage- enjoying a partner amongst the wood, enacting the symbolic union of the God and Goddess of which together brings the bliss of their unity into fruition with the beginnings of the agricultural season.
Today, Wiccan couples may observe this union with tantric magick or plan their commitment to one another by holding a Handfasting or marriage ceremony during this time of year.
Along with the divine’s life-giving union comes the thinning of the veil between the worlds of the fae and ours. For centuries, celebrants of the Sabbat of Beltane would exercised protection magic for their homes and cattle against the mischievous fae and invited the good nature spirits by decorating thorny May bushes, hoping to draw the blessings into their home and communities of its resident faery.
In celebration today, Beltane is observed by many through the secular Mayday festivals. Although most are detached from the Pagan origins of their festivities, such as dressing the Maypole and choosing a ‘Mayday’ Queen. Others celebrate with a fondness removed from such festivals. Bonfires are lit to divine and cleanse, gardens are planted to celebrate Her bounty of color and fragrance and perhaps in hopes of connecting with the spirit of the fae. Meditation upon the green earth also serves as an expression of our willingness to connect. The Sun’s light cast upon her pastures and wood, smiles upon us and dares us to connect the dots by weaving our destiny in harmony with theirs. As a unifying force, it carries us to explore our nature and our relationship with our own concept of oneness and personal fertility.
H.P. Chrystal Raven Rowanwood