Sabbats Almanac: Samhain to Mabon - Kristoffer Hughes 2018
Beltane Ritual: The May Queen by Suzanne Ress
Beltane
THIS RITUAL IS TO be performed after sunset on the evening of April 30. All participants should read through and become familiar with the ritual a day or more beforehand.
In a safe and private outdoor location, build two bonfires, leaving a space of at least eight feet between them. Build these up well ahead of time so that when the sun goes down and participants begin to arrive the fires are blazing steadily. Make sure to check local fire ordinances and obtain a fire permit if necessary.
You will need to assemble the following items:
Four beeswax candles and a lighter
Honey, and a tiny spoon. Raw, local honey is most suitable.
A chalice
A bottle of mead
Some wood from a branch where a swarm has landed. If this is not obtainable, a stick from a hawthorn tree can be substituted.
A small triangle of paper for each participant.
A hand full or more of dried bay and hawthorn leaves.
After-ritual refreshments to make a light meal. Suggestions: things to cook on skewers over a fire, such as hot dogs, veggie dogs, sausages. Salads, and cold dishes. Honey cakes.
Participants shall be instructed to arrive just after sunset, dressed in brightly colored festive clothing and adorned with tassels, bells, ribbons and flowers.
One participant shall be elected Queen, and she shall lead the ritual. The others will follow her in dance and song.
Set up an altar at least eight feet away from the two bonfires but balanced evenly between them. On the altar place the four beeswax candles, one to the east, the south, the west, and the north. At the center place the lighter.
Participants shall stand before the altar, with the two bonfires burning behind them. One participant will hold the bottle of mead and the chalice, and another will hold the jar of honey and the spoon. The Queen stands at the altar, facing the others and the bonfires. She lights the four candles, starting with the one representing the east, and says,
I light and call upon thee, element of air!
Then, moving clockwise to the south, she will say, or sing out,
Come amongst us, oh, element of fire!
Light the candle. Next, she will light the western facing candle, and exclaim,
Element of water, I invoke thee with this flame!
And finally, she will light the northern candle, and say,
I light and call upon thee, element of earth!
The participants will all say in unison,
Queen of all blossoming nature and all of the elements, great Mother Earth, to thee we pay homage, bringing nectar and ambrosia.
The participant who carries the bottle of mead and the chalice will step forward and offer these items to the Queen, who will take them and place them at the center of the altar.
Then the participant who holds the honey and the spoon will step forward and offer these things to the Queen’s outstretched hands.
All participants will form a circle around the Queen and the altar, and they will hold the palms of their hands facing upward to her. Using the small spoon, the Queen will move deasil around the circle, anointing each participant’s palms with three drops of honey, saying,
The gift you give to me will come back to you threefold.
When she has finished, the Queen steps back behind the altar, and places the honey and spoon in its center, then fills the chalice with mead. She now carries the chalice to the participants, saying,
Let us drink together of nature’s wisdom.
Each participant shall take a small sip of mead, and, after she has served the last one, the Queen herself will drink what is left in the chalice. Participants now say in unison,
We work together, toward a sweet and useful result, and always while working we sing and dance and enjoy the scents of flowers and the warmth and the sunshine. We support you, our Queen, great Mother Earth, knowing that what is good for you is good for us as well.
The Queen now begins to dance, and, as she dances, she sings out,
Full of honey may the flowers be!
Rich in honey may our earth be!
Rich in honey may our lives be!
Everyone will follow her in dancing, and singing, and whosoever wishes may invent some new song or chant or dance, or otherwise praise the earth in whatever way she desires.
The magic branch, whether it be a branch from a swarm, or a small hazel branch, may now be consecrated by the Queen moving it briefly above each of the candle flames and anointing it with three drops of wax, three drops of honey, and three drops of mead. It shall be left on the altar for the remainder of the ritual.
The Queen will now distribute a small triangle of paper with a few crumbles of dried leaves in its center onto the outstretched left palm of each participant. Everyone shall close their eyes and spend some moments of silence visualizing whatever it is they need most at that time in their lives flowing toward them like a river of honey. These needs can have anything to do with fertility, happiness, or purification. The Queen can lead participants in this visualization if desired, describing in detail the beautiful golden flow.
When enough time has elapsed, participants crumble the triangle around the dried leaves, wiping the drops of honey onto the paper, and, one at a time, step out of the circle and approach one of the bonfires and toss their packet in.
Now, whoever feels so inclined may take off all or most of their clothes and finery, and dance between and around the two bonfires, chanting, singing, laughing, whistling, or whatever she sees fit to do.
When this merry making begins to wind down, the Queen (who certainly may participate with the others if she chooses), shall call down and close the quarters, and blow out the candles, starting at the north, then the west, the south, and the east.
Refreshments should be served at this time. The party after the ritual may go on for as long as desired, into the next morning, but make certain to put out the fires safely after leaving the place.