www.tarotbykate.bigstep.com
kate_braun2000@yahoo.com
“Monday, Monday so good to me…”
Monday, April 30, 2007, is Beltane/May Day/Roodmas/Walpurgistnacht. The waxing moon is in the 2nd quarter of Libra, only two days away from full. Monday starts our work-week and at Beltane there is much work that can be done, on the Cosmic Plane. Beltane is second only to Samhain as a time when the veil between worlds is very thin. On this night it is possible to receive impressions of and messages from ancestors and friends who have crossed over.
This is a fire festival, so build a bonfire or a fire in a barbecue pit or grill; light many candles; provide small flashlights for your guests, especially if you are able to celebrate outdoors. All light pleases Lord Sun. A pleasant ritual to observe if you have a standing stone in your yard is to lead your guests around it three times sunwise (clockwise, North to East to South to West) then all, in a circle, bow to the stone. This is said to ensure an abundant harvest. The next Full Moon is May 2 and one of its names is Full Corn Planting Moon. All this year’s Beltane rituals will work with the Full Moon energy to promote or delay a good harvest, so be sure to let Mother Earth know you love her and respect her and be sure to recognize Lord Sun’s role in warming her in preparation for planting. Using a candle as a scrying tool is another ritual appropriate for this festival; relax as you gaze into the flickering flame and you may receive an image from the other side.
Beltane is a festival celebrating fertility as well as fire, an occasion to recognize the youthful vigor of Lord Sun and the loving receptiveness of Lady Moon. By decorating your altar and table using the colors deep green (for fertility), red (for vibrant Sun energy), and white (for the receptive Moon); by wearing these colors and encouraging your guests to do likewise; by incorporating braiding/weaving in your attire and decoration; you provide visual symbols of the interaction of male and female, active and passive, Sun and Moon. This year, we have some Cosmic Symbolism as well, with waxing Lady Moon’s energy twining around Lord Sun’s fiery thrusts. Woven wicker or bamboo baskets filled with small bags of fairy dust and fresh greenery, plants in macramé hangings, braided hair/beard: these create a festive mood while invoking much Beltane symbolism. Weaving red and white ribbons around a May pole is also frequently done. Men hold the red ribbons, women the white. The over-and-under pattern represents the joining of male and female energies and promotes an abundant harvest.
Before sitting down to a meal including salads, breads, cereals, red foods (but No Apples on the menu as Beltane celebrates Life and apples are food for the dead), and sweets, blow horns and whistles, play kazoos, tootle flutes. The wind-energy these instruments require calls in Lord Sun’s power. Before the meal is finished, place on a braided mat an offering for the fairies. Some crusts of bread, a bit of cookie, a small cup of hibiscus tea will do nicely. Leave this offering in a protected place outdoors, inviting the fairies to your celebration as you do so. This is an act of inclusion and it is important to designate it as such, for on Beltane neither food nor fire may be given to guests to take home. With that in mind, it would be best to not include candles with the party favors you give your guests.
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Reminder: April 21 & 22 there is a Mind Body Spirit Expo in Palmer Events Center, Austin, TX. I will be in booth 217 doing Tarot readings. Entry fee for Expo is $10, good for both days. Parking at Palmer Events Center is $7, but free parking is possible in the First American lot on the corner of 1st and Barton Springs Rd. Not too far a walk, in my opinion.
May 19 & 20, 2007 is the next Metaphysical Fair in Austin. Come to the Radisson Hotel on Middle Fiskville Road between Highland Mall and Lincoln Village from 10 AM to 6 PM on Saturday, May 19, and from 11 AM to 6 PM on Sunday, May 20.
If you print out this page, bring it with you, and give it to me when you have your Tarot reading, you will receive 5 additional minutes. Print a copy for each event if you are attending both.
