Beltane,
Also known as May Day,
Is an ancient Celtic cross-quarter festival,
Celebrating the midpoint between the spring equinox and the summer solstice.
This is the peak of spring season,
High spring,
A time to celebrate the flowering of the earth.
Traditionally,
This was also the time to dance around the maypole,
Meet and court,
Fall in love,
And get married the next month in June.
This is a time when our creative and passionate energies are at their peak,
And we have a lot of energy to move forward and create things in our lives,
Including love.
Let's take some time to soak up the energy of Beltane and prepare to celebrate this spring festival together.
Take a moment to find a comfortable position.
This could be seated or laying down,
Or my suggestion is that you rest in a passive heart opening pose,
Such as with a pillow or bolster resting behind your upper back,
Making space for your heart to gently open.
Take a few deep breaths,
Perhaps placing your hands on your heart if that feels comfortable and right for you today.
Begin to acknowledge the earth beneath your body,
Supporting you,
Brimming with the fresh new life of spring.
Take a moment to consider the land that you are on and your relationship with it,
With this particular place in the world,
How the weather on this May Day feels to you right now.
Now,
Allow your awareness to rest in the space of your heart.
Breathe into it and notice what it feels like.
Is your heart a little heavy?
Contracted?
Open?
Soft?
Is there a texture?
A color?
Some movement here?
There's no right or wrong,
Nothing to judge or fix.
Simply notice what your heart is holding for you.
Now,
Invite the image of a flower at your heart center,
Right in the center of your chest.
See a freshly bloomed flower,
Open to the sunlight,
Receiving the nourishment it needs.
See its color,
The shape of its petals,
The pollen at its center.
This could be any kind of flower,
Any color,
Real or imagined.
This is your heart flower today.
Beltane is a time to open the heart,
To enjoy the experience of blooming.
Imagine that you could receive the warmth of the sun,
That these petals could stretch open to feel that warmth.
What do you need to receive right now,
In order to allow your heart to open further?
Go ahead and ask your heart that question.
And simply listen for any answers that come up.
Could be an image,
Words,
A sound,
Anything.
Simply notice how your heart responds.
What do you need right now to allow a further opening?
You may or may not get an answer.
Either is fine.
Simply breathe into your heart and receive anything it wants to tell you.
Now,
Take a moment to consider what you are building in your life.
What are you working on?
Hoping for?
What do you desire?
Take a moment to allow yourself to feel and wish and hope for something that you want.
And you may already be working towards those things.
What kind of nourishment could you give yourself to move towards those goals?
Is there anything within yourself that is holding you back,
That you could determine to let go of right now?
Take a few more deep breaths into your heart,
Trusting whatever it told you today,
Even if you didn't get much information.
Thank your heart,
Your body,
The eternal possibilities of blooming within you.
Gently turn your attention back to the land,
To the world that is expressing spring,
Whatever that looks like where you are.
Gently begin to move your body and take your time to make your way out of this meditation.
When you do,
You may like to get outside,
Soak up some sunshine,
And celebrate Beltane with some animal,
Plant,
And or human friends.
Thank you for listening.
