Hello and welcome.
Today's practice marks the turn of the year to belting.
A time of abundance of life,
Of energy,
Of fire.
Before we begin,
Settle your body,
Find a comfortable position and start to release any tension as you come to relax.
Let your breath deepen naturally,
Slow and steady.
Let's inhale together and exhale.
Let the air fill your lungs like sunlight filling the morning sky.
Feel the ground supporting you wherever you are.
Know that outside the land has awakened.
This is belting,
The festival of living fire.
Long ago across Scotland,
Great fires were lit on the hillsides.
People gathered together in the warmth of flame and song,
Celebrating the earth's return to abundance.
So now,
Imagine yourself standing in a wide meadow and it's the golden hour.
The air is soft and warm.
The scent of hawthorn and damp soil drifts on the breeze.
The hills glow with fresh green.
Wildflowers scatter colour across the fields and birdsong rises in bright,
Joyful threads through the air.
The land feels alive beneath your feet.
Every root,
Every stream,
Every leaf is moving with quiet energy.
Take a breath and feel that same vitality within you.
Your body is part of this living landscape.
Your breath moves like the wind across the glen.
Your heartbeat echoes the deep pulse of the earth.
Nearby,
You see the glow of a belting fire.
Its flames dance high against the sky.
Around it,
The land hums with energy.
That joyful pulse of spring at its height.
The flames rise gently.
They're golden and bright.
Not fierce,
But welcoming.
This fire is ancient.
It has burned in many forms through countless seasons.
As you approach the fire,
You notice movement.
A figure steps around from behind.
He is tall,
Cloaked in green leaves and ivy.
Branches and blossoms crown his hair.
This is the oak king,
Or greenwood spirit,
A god of spring and new life.
He carries no weapon,
No crown of gold.
His power is simpler than that.
Where he walks,
Things grow.
Grass rises beneath his steps,
Flowers open towards the sun.
He nods to you as though greeting an old friend.
The firelight flickers across his face.
The earth remembers how to grow,
He says gently.
So do you.
He gestures towards the fire.
You step a little closer,
Feeling its warmth now on your skin.
This is the Beltane flame,
A symbol of life moving freely through the world.
The oak king places a hand lightly over his heart,
And you do the same to yours.
You feel something awake in there.
Not a blaze,
But a vibrant spark of creative energy.
The same force that lifts the sap in the trees.
The same force that turns seeds into forests.
You breathe in deeply.
The land breathes with you.
For a moment,
You are part of the same great rhythm.
Earth,
Fire,
Wind and growing light.
When you open your eyes again,
The oak king has stepped away.
The fire burns softly now,
Steady and bright.
You carry its warmth within you.
As you stand beside it,
Imagine its warmth spreading through you,
Clearing away heaviness.
It kindles courage wherever it goes.
It reminds you of the light of the sun.
It reminds you of life moving through every part of your being.
In this season,
The earth does not hold back its growth.
Flowers open,
Streams run strong.
The days stretch longer into the golden evening.
You are invited to do the same.
Allow your spirit to expand a little more freely.
Allow joy to move where it wishes.
You do not need to force it.
Simply stand within the warmth of the living world.
Breathing,
Belonging,
Alive.
Take that warmth and slowly and gently return to your now.
When you are ready,
Bring your awareness gently back to the room around you.
Let's take a deep inhale through your nose.
And exhale to release.
Carry the warmth of the Beltane fire within your heart and the energy of spring into all you do.
You may wish to light a candle on the eve of Beltane.
Watch the flame flicker.
And reflect on that creative fire stirring within you.
Thank you for sharing this practice.
