Once upon a time I had a fantasy that one day I would live in a forest. I would have a long, dark, almost scary driveway that led to my home. As you entered the sacred space you would enter into something very similar to a scene from a Disney movie, all animals and flowers and pure joy. Recently I have realized that I have achieved that fantasy. The driveway is dominated by huge oak and pine trees, making it a bit shadowy, and recent heavy rains have washed out portions of the drive. It’s a little scary, but as you enter the living space the forest opens up and it is filled with sunshine and flowers. Rabbits hop through my sacred Circle, a whole flock of bluebirds has taken up residence, the deer and their babies call to each other in the woods, owls and whippoorwills sing all night long. Frogs, lizards, honey bees, and even the reappearance of those beautiful little green garter snakes makes this an incredible statement of the passion for life.
So, what’s all that got to do with Beltaine? Just what I stated above, the passion for life. All around us the Earth is bursting with life now. Everything is reaching for the great moment of fertilization. Beltaine is all about the moment when life actually renews itself. Magickally, this is the moment when you must throw caution to the winds and reach for you passions. Those seeds that you sorted and planted are now showing themselves as the rising plants in your life. Embrace this moment to add your passion for those things that you want to grow in your life. If you have no passion for the crop you are growing, then why are you growing it?
And if the occasional rattlesnake enters 4Winds, then that is part of the landscape, too. Just like life, nothing is totally without risk. Your passions can lead you down some dangerous paths, but let your passion give you the courage to take a risk. The crop you are waiting for is worth that risk.
Have a glass of May Wine and celebrate the Passion of Life that Beltaine is all about.
