BELTANE | Earth School

FROM BELTANE TO

SUMMER SOLSTICE

THE EARTH SCHOOL JOURNAL

A journey through the medicine wheel

SPRING II

The celebration of Beltane marks the start of the second part of Spring. Days become longer and longer until we reach Summer Solstice at the end of June. It is the time when things actually want to grow, the time of the symphony of colours, with every plant, flower, and tree perfectly in time. Seeds sown and forgotten suddenly surface, the colours return, and we remember the abundance and beauty of nature. We are in the middle of the planting season which is accompanied by a desire for beauty, joy, and pleasure in the process.

Lena Brandt · The Portal of Beltane · Celebrations & Rituals

At the end of April, we are reaching the seasonal cross-quarter between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice to celebrate Beltane here in the northern hemisphere.

Beltane is one of the most important festivals of the Celtic wheel of the year and marks the beginning of the ‚‘summer half of the year’, the unfolding of life (while Samhain, which lies opposite Beltane, marks the winter half and thus the beginning of darkness and retreat).

This celebration is primarily dedicated to fertility, the boundless growth and free unfolding of nature, sensuality, passion, and the pure joy for life.

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The word Beltane means ‘bright fire’ or ‘lucky fire’ and traditionally bonfires were lit to honour the Sun. Earth energies are at their strongest and most active. All of life is bursting with potent richness and potential turns into conception. We gather to celebrate the union of the divine masculine and feminine that creates fertility and abundance. · Read more

~ a Beltane myth ~

source unknown

In the merry month of May, the God of the Sun sheds his bear skin and shines in radiant youth as the Celtic God Belenos. The Plant Goddess Dana, the daughter of the old earth mother, puts on her most beautiful, colorful flower robe. On the night of the May full moon, the young couple of gods is married. All of nature celebrates with them. The cuckoo is their herald and invites everyone to the joyful celebration with its call.

source: Wolf Dieter Storl

~ a Beltane poem ~

Now, Love, at last I come

In fullness rising over you.

Let there be new trembling under the cold-hardened earth

at the light play of my fingers

And sighing in the valleys.

Let there be the song of unfolding within your hidden petals

At the caress of my warm breath

And undulations in the warming estuaries.

Let the winged ones return to sing

among your greening branches.

Let there be heard swirling

Up to the joyous stars

and over the newborn land

Your aching, fiery song of

Yes!

source: Jaime Meyer

~ a Beltane ritual ~

source: Petra Haas/ORF

On the night of Beltane, the maypole is set up on the town square.

It consists of a peeled spruce or birch trunk, whose crown, left green, pierces a large wreath of flowers entwined with colorful ribbons. A sign of the intimate union of the beautiful god with his bride. The whole community now dances around the maypole and drinks beer and wine spiked with henbane or woodruff.

source: Wolf Dieter Storl

Simone Meentzen · Fairy Rings · Plant Diary

The appearance of first flowers and fresh greens makes us long to take strolls in green meadows, take hikes in lush forests. We now know that summer is truly on its way. On Beltane, beginning of May we celebrate the start of the fertile season, a magical time when the sap is rising in the trees and everything is blooming!

Fairy rings are magical entries to the Otherworld where fairies and witches meet.

We enter the forest surrounded by fresh green and bird songs… and sometimes we find magical fairy rings in the woods, also called witches rings. The names go back to a popular belief, as one saw meeting places of witches or fairies in those round shapes, whose entry was magical or forbidden, and fairies or witches dance in the circles...

Fairy rings are mushrooms growing in a circular or semicircular pattern. The mushrooms are the visible fruiting bodies at the end of mycelia threads, connected together in the soil. Such rings can literally form overnight and are considered a single organism. No wonder they appear magical!

You might find fairy rings of the beautiful Cantharellus cibarus, also called Chanterelle (in German Pfifferling). It is one of the most popular edible wild mushrooms, with a delicate aroma and wonderful golden yellow color.

Chanterelle is not only delicious but also a medicinal food, with a high source of iron and vitamin D, as well as antiviral, antioxidant, and antibiotic properties. Often Chanterelles are found among moss and near wild blueberries, indicators of an acidic soil environment. Mushrooms love moisture, it is a good time to collect Chanterelles some time after it has been raining. The first mushrooms are sighted end of May, by mid-June they can grow abundantly in mixed woods.

Remember to leave the first found mushroom for the fairies, as a sign of respect and not to disturb them too much… in return the fairies perhaps guide you with your mushroom hunting! Look out for the yellow cap and light yellow gills, with a faint smell of apricots. A poisonous lookalike in southern and central Europe is Omphalotus Olearius - this mushroom generally grows on olive trees or old tree stumps and should be left alone.

Remember to leave the first mushroom for the fairies. They might guide you in return.

Recipe ~ Vegan Chanterelle Toast

adapted from the classic Italian dish of wild mushroom crostini:

(serves 2)

200g Chanterelles

1 garlic glove

4 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp chopped parsley

1/2 tbsp marjoram leaves

2 large pieces of white bread

salt, pepper, chili oil

The best way to clean them is to add flour into a bowl and shake briefly, then rinse very shortly with cold water. Cut in thin stripes and place on kitchen paper to dry. Chop the cleaned mushrooms into small cubes. Chop 1/2 garlic glove and fry with 3tbsp olive oil, add mushrooms before the garlic turns brown. Stir-fry for a few minutes, add parsley, marjoram, salt, and pepper.

Toast the bread so it is crispy on both sides, rub with 1/2 garlic glove, brush with remaining olive oil, and top with mushrooms. Optional you can add a little chili oil and fresh chopped parsley on top for extra flavor.

Simone Meentzen aka Simi Ninati is an artist and herbalist from Germany. She founded Fiber&Heart in 2015 with nature studies, creating and teaching independent workshops and setting up her online shop. Follow her on Instagram to explore her handmade craft and herbal magick. www.fiberandheart.com

Alexandra Neubauer · Schamanische Schildarbeit im Regenbogenmedizinrad · Regenbogenmedizin

Wir Menschen sind mit Kräften ausgestattet, mit deren Hilfe wir unser Leben gestalten und uns orientieren können. Wenn wir um sie wissen und sie ausgewogen einsetzen, lässt uns das heil und lebendig sein.

Die schamanische Schildarbeit im Regenbogenmedizinrad lädt dazu ein, uns selbst zu erforschen, um unser wahres Selbst von Illusionen zu befreien und unseren heiligen Traum zu leben.

Nebenbei ist unsere Heilung auf diesem Weg ein wesentlicher Beitrag zur Heilung der Welt.

Die schamanische Schildarbeit findet sich in verschiedenen Kulturen, sie ist ein traditioneller Heilungsweg, in dem sich aus meiner Sicht die Wurzeln vieler moderner therapeutischer Ansätze sowie Wege zur Persönlichkeitsentwicklung finden lassen wie Aufstellungsarbeit, Heilkräuterwissen, Kunsttherapie, Gruppentherapie, Gesang- oder Gesprächstherapie; eine Schatzkiste, die noch viele andere Kostbarkeiten beinhaltet wie Visualisierungsreisen, Rituale oder natürlich die tief rückverbindenden Naturerfahrungen.

Ich habe die Schildarbeit kennengelernt, die dem Regenbogenschamanismus entstammt, einer uralten Lehre aus Mexiko.

Ausgangsbasis der Schildarbeit bildet das Medizinrad, konkreter noch dessen vier Haupthimmelsrichtungen, die jeweils Sitz einer der vier Kräfte des Menschen sind, mit denen er durchs Leben geht: Verstand, Gefühle, Intuition und Seelenplan. · Weiterlesen