Wheel of the Year 101: Beltane
Dancing the May Pole is one of my favorite things to do around this time of year. Though it's a little complicated, it's worth it. Building a May Pole isn't too difficult. You'll need a sturdy pole about 10-12 feet high, one length of wide, strong ribbon for each person participating, an 18-20 foot circle of cleared flat ground, and a group of friends. Attach each length of ribbon to the top of the pole. Before sinking the pole into the ground, you may want to place a wreath over the top. Sink the pole into the ground so it's straight and doesn't wobble.
Now comes the fun part. Have each participant stand in front of a ribbon. When the pick up the ribbons, the wreath will rise to the top of the pole. Now they dance around in a circle, weaving the ribbons around and around the pole, and the wreath will slowly slide down (as an obvious phallic symbolic penetration). The easiest way to dance is to have your group form an inner and outer circle around the pole. Have one circle go clockwise, the other go counter clockwise, and then the people will weave in and out of each other. It sounds a little complicated to explain, but it isn't hard to do. The year my coven did it we had a ton of fun even though we kept mixing up who was supposed to weave in which direction. I'm sure the neighbors enjoyed the show!
In my other Wheel of the Year essays, I've talked about how we can apply the symbolism of the Sabbats to our own personal goals. Imbolc was a time of gathering ideas, and I decided to try to declutter my apartment and work on my health. Ostara was a time of sowing the plans, and I talked a little about my strategies for meeting these goals. Beltane is a time of helping these plans to germinate. We're beginning to put plan into action, laying the foundations for our harvest later in the year. To that end, I've been working out three times a week at the gym and I've been spring cleaning at my home. Take some time to pause and reflect on your own plans and goals for the year. Are you at a point now where you can start putting those plans into action? What sort of sympathetic magic could you use to
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