The month of May was come, when every lusty heart beginneth to blossom, and to bring forth fruit; for like as herbs and trees bring forth fruit and flourish in May, in likewise every lusty heart that is in any manner a lover, springeth and flourisheth in lusty deeds. For it giveth unto all lovers courage, that lusty month of May. ~Sir Thomas Malory
May Dates of Interest:
- May 1 - Beltane / May-Day / Walpurgisnacht
- May 2 - Teacher Appreciation Day
- May 4 - Intergalactic Star Wars Day - MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU!
- May 5 - Full Flower Moon @ 10:34 am
- May 5 - Cinco de Mayo
- May 13 - LV PPD Planning Meeting & Spell Bag Crafting w/ ICS
- May 14 - Mother's Day
- May 19 - Black Moon (third New Moon in a season with four New Moons)
- May 20 - UUCLV Food Pantry
- May 21 - Pagan & Occult Movie Night: The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
- May 23 - World Turtle Day
- May 27 - New Moon in Taurus @ 8:22 am
- May 30 - Memorial Day
- May 31- National Meditation Day
“As it fell upon a day In the merry month of May, Sitting in a pleasant shade Which a grove of myrtles made.” ― Richard Barnfield
The Sacred Tree Calendar
Part 10
Willow (Saille) Moon
5th Moon of the Celtic Year
(April 15 - May 12 )
Willows which by water stand; Ease us to the Summerland.
The Willow moon was known to the Celts as Saille, pronounced Sahl-yeh. The Willow grows best when there's lots of rain, and in northern Europe there's no shortage of that this time of year. This is a tree associated with healing and growth, for obvious reasons. A Willow planted near your home will help ward away danger, particularly the type that stems from natural disaster such as flooding or storms. They offer protection and are often found planted near cemeteries. This month, work on rituals involving healing, growth of knowledge, nurturing and women's mysteries.
"The Willow Man"
by Julianna Horatia Ewing
There once was a Willow, and he was very old,
And all his leaves fell off from him, and left him in the cold;
But ere the rude winter could buffet him with snow,
There grew upon his hoary head a crop of mistletoe.
All wrinkled and furrowed was this old Willow's skin,
His taper finger trembled, and his arms were very thin;
Two round eyes and hollow, that stared but did not see;
And sprawling feet that never walked, had this most ancient tree.
I release that which no longer serves me. I am at one with my environment. I honor the energy of willow for the lunar rhythms within me as a woman. I will recognize and heed my own body's cycles. So mote it be.
Excerpts from: The Goddess Tree
I embody the May Queen
A poem
I embody the May Queen on Beltane night
She flows through me, a vessel, with force and might
And who is She, The May Queen.
We see her in the flowers, her joy unfolds the buds
From the tips of the trees to the roots and the leaves
And under the moss in the mud
Her breath is light her spirit is bright
Dancing along the lough
But her wrath is real, and from her do not steal, or on your door her storm doth knock
She’s the earth we belong to
The triple Goddess in mother form within you
She’s the one we honour, she’s the one we know
She’s the heart that beats within
She’s the heart that beats below
She created the land; renews and protects it see
Ignite her flame, but know it won’t tame
When it spreads, it’s wild and free
And She. Is. Angry.
We’ve exploited her children and we’ve gone too far this time
She’s exhausted. She’s burnt out.
We’ve taken too much without giving back to the sacred shrine
We don’t need another sign
To see
That the destruction of production to create this consumerist culture,
It’s eating away our earth
A carcass left by a vulture
Rising rising temperature and sea
Falling falling water food & energy
The perfect storm is not just approaching
The perfect storm is here!
But wait
Reframe, and let’s play a knew game
In the alchemy of transformation, when we create a we, we can so clearly see, that we were made for this time
There’s so much we can do if we listen and be true, it all starts with a rhythm and rhyme
The power of positive projection is the only way to overcome this fear infection
That our world is falling apart; our societal systems too
There’s people in our country that want to kick out members of our family
Well we say how rude.
may we remain
may we remain on this land for a while
In true scots, and irish and celtic and indigenous style
Nothing can take our hearts; nothing can take our arts
Nothing can vulture on this culture, nothing can take our true wild inner nature
Because when we come together, we create something bigger than our parts
We come together bearing our hearts
As warriors of joy
Love and creativity will save the world
So let’s take our neoliberalists egos and build a pyre
And on Beltane night; we can set it on fire!
We have the power to write the story of what’s to come
We create magic from myth by beating a drum
We set the soil and sow the seeds
Of a new season, a new day, a new month, a new way
I invite you to dream with me and I ask you one thing
Close your eyes
And let your soul sing
Remember a time, when you felt free
When you felt joy; love; when you could just be
Perhaps you were sitting under a tree
Let the joy swell in your heart
Every animal and plant that comes from the earth can feel this
It’s why we can’t keep apart
It’s why we need each other
I repeat; as warriors of joy
Love and creativity will save the world
Now open your eyes, let them be unfurled
So that you may see
No matter where you are
Or where you will go
We can always connect through the ritual
it’s not just a show
It’s a community, it’s a family;
A complex system at that!
But the more complex a food web system is
The more resilient it is, and that’s a fact.
There’s forces acting in our world darker
Than we have ever known.
But a darker night, frees brighter light
May our collective flame
Be shown
Poem by: Katie - Twice May Queen with the Beltane Fire Society
Featured image by Duncan Reddish for Beltane Fire Society. All rights reserved.
May's Lunar Spotlight
May's Full Flower Moon (aka Willow Moon)
Adapted From: The Farmer's Almanac
May’s full Flower Moon reaches peak illumination on Friday, May 5. It will be below the horizon at this time, so plan to venture outdoors on the nights of the 4th and the 5th to get the best view of the bright full Flower Moon! Find a location with unobstructed views of the horizon, if possible. This May Full Moon will be a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse, unfortunately it will not be visible in the Las Vegas area. Our next full lunar eclipse will be in March 2025.
May’s Flower Moon name should be no surprise; flowers spring forth across North America in abundance this month!
- “Flower Moon” has been attributed to Algonquin peoples, as confirmed by Christina Ruddy of The Algonquin Way Cultural Centre in Pikwakanagan, Ontario.
- May’s Moon was also referred to as the “Month of Flowers” by Jonathan Carver in his 1798 publication, Travels Through the Interior Parts of North America: 1766, 1767, 1768 (pp. 250-252), as a likely Dakota name. Carver stayed with the Naudowessie (Dakota) over a period of time; his expedition covered the Great Lakes region, including Wisconsin and Minnesota areas.
- Henry David Thoreau sparked the Native American Moon names as well, referencing the Flower Moon and Carver when he wrote about Native Americans.
ALTERNATIVE MAY MOON NAMES:
- Budding Moon and Leaf Budding Moon - celebrate the awakening of local flora (Cree)
- Planting Moon - marks the time when seeds should be started for the farming season ahead. (Dakota, Lakota)
The activities of animals marked spring’s arrival, too. The three names below indicate that warmer weather is on the way!
- Egg Laying Moon (Cree)
- Frog Moon (Cree)
- Moon of the Shedding Ponies (Oglala)
MOON PHASES FOR May 2023 (dates and times are for Las Vegas, NV )
- Full Moon: May 5, @ 10:34 am
- Last Quarter: May 12, @ 7:28 am
- New Moon: May 19, @ 8:53 am
- First Quarter: May 27, @ 8:22 am
MOON FOLKLORE:
- Clothes washed for the first time in the Full Moon will not last long.
- The Full Moon is an ideal time to accept a proposal of marriage.
New! Create a calendar and print on a printer or send via email. You may also add your own events to the calendar. Courtesy of timeanddate.com!
“And a bird overhead sang Follow, And a bird to the right sang Here; And the arch of the leaves was hollow, And the meaning of May was clear.” ― Algernon Charles Swinburne
May Full Moon Magic:
This full moon is pregnant with energy and is very important in Wicca since it symbolizes the feminine divine. Witches like to perform their magickal workings at this time since the energy of the full moon lends itself well to more powerful spells and more effective spell casting.
This is the high time for magickal workings related to divining and protection, and also casting spells for healing, abundance, and prosperity. If you’re thinking of switching careers and jobs, this is the time to ask for guidance. To those with rune stones and crystals, this is the time to use them to draw power from the moon.
The Flower Moon also symbolizes us humans. Like the flowers, it is time for us to blossom, to grow day by day by soaking up the sun’s rays, and to gather our energy from it.
It symbolizes shining a light on our darkest days and illuminating the deepest and darkest corners of ourselves, allowing the light of awareness in the darkest places of ignorance, shame, guilt, and embarrassment. The Flower Moon is there to assist us in shedding our outer skin as a form of renewal.
This is the time for self-reflection and self-assessment. Look into yourself for the things that have been hidden. They will now make themselves known. You are given the chance to heal, and you now have the chance to look at yourself in a whole new light, the light that shines from the moon.
This is the chance for rebirth. So go out and experience being under the full and bright light of the Flower Moon! It brings with it a great potential for change. Embrace this change and welcome the magnificent shifts coming your way!
The time is nye, the veil grows thin; Hasten to circle - we’ll conjure Summer in! The Spell is wrought – the Ring is cast, Look to the future, shed the past! Chants and drumming call Them to play; Magick begins with the Frogs and the Fae! ~ Lady Laurelinn
New Moon in Taurus
Excerpts from: Dark Pixie Astrology
We have a new moon in Taurus coming out of Eclipse Season, and this may feel quite refreshing as a result. This Eclipse Season is so full of intense high energy that some calming, grounding Taurus can be welcome!
Taurus new moons are great for grounding, reconnecting with the moment, and taking our time with decisions and actions. Not too much time though, since there is a lot we're working on coming out of those eclipses!
Taurus is the sign of stability and security, and we can focus on pursuing opportunities to improve stability in chaotic areas and stability where we've been uncertain. This can improve our confidence levels, and we can finally feel like we have a grip on things.
Jupiter moves into Taurus just a few days before this new moon on May 16th, and Jupiter is the happy planet of opportunities, so there may be some big opportunities around this new moon. They may be opportunities for improved stability and security; somehow impacting money, resources, or property; or that somehow connect to values/worth.
This new moon is sextile (beneficial aspect, two signs away) transit Mars in Cancer and Neptune in Pisces. This is extra helpful energy along with Jupiter, so we're feeling pretty good with this new moon. We can have control over our energy and drive thanks to Mars, and make use of imagination, creativity, compassion, and intuition thanks to Neptune.
I sing of brooks, of blossoms, birds, and bowers: Of April, May, or June, and July flowers. I sing of Maypoles, Hock-carts, wassails, wakes, of bridegrooms, brides, and of the bridal cakes. ~Robert Herrick
Craft Corner...
~ Lemon Coconut Happiness Spell Cream ~
By: Moody Moons
Need a lift for your spirits? This happiness spell cream promotes positivity, light, and the joy of sunshine.
Happiness spell cream consists of ingredients that promote joy, dispel icky energies and bring brightness back into your life.
All the ingredients in this spell vibe with cheer and exuberance. In particular, they harness the power of sun magic to chase away a shadowy mood and shine light into our lives.
Magical Correspondences:
- Coconut Oil - Coconut trees thrive in full sun environments and absorb the light energy, concentrating it in their fruits. Although more traditionally associated with love spells and love magic, coconuts evoke the joy of sunlight, beachy afternoons by the ocean, and the giddy delight of summer.
- Beeswax - Bees live their lives in worship of the sunlight. In many ways, honey, the nectar of their daily labor, is the highly concentrated energy of the sun. Plus, bees are just so damn irresistibly cute & magical, who doesn’t get happy thinking of them?
- Lemon Essential Oil - Among its many uses in witchcraft, lemons provide a powerful symbol of the sun, natural light, and jubilation. The scent of lemon essential oil instantly lifts spirits and clears the mind of psychic “junk.”
- Vanilla - Vanilla promotes feelings of love and warmth. Here, we use it to energize our sense of self-love and renew hope.
Equipment Needed:
- clean glass jar
- wooden spoon
- double boiler
- tarot deck (optional)
Ingredients:
- 1 part beeswax
- 4 parts coconut oil
- 15-20 drops lemon essential oil
- 10-12 drops vanilla essential oil
Instructions:
- In a double boiler (or a Pyrex measuring cup in a small pot), melt beeswax.
- Add in coconut oil. (It should melt quickly, as the melting point for coconut oil is much lower).
- Once the mixture is blended well, pour it carefully into a clean, glass jar. Allow it to cool until it reaches the consistency of mashed potatoes.
- Add in drops of essential oil, adjusting the amount to your preferences.
- Optionally, to charge the cream, place it on the Sun Card from a standard deck of tarot cards for 24 hours.
A quick note: lemon essential oil can cause photosensitivity, so I always apply creams and oils with lemon essential oil (or any citrus oil) to areas of my body that won’t be exposed to direct sunlight.
It's May, the lusty month of May. That darling month when everyone throws self-control away. ~Alan Jay Lerner
The Kitchen Witch's Cauldron
~ Honey Roasted Beets ~
It's the Lusty month of May, so create this delightful dish for someone you love!
Beets incorporate higher passions into physical matter and stand for the love of beauty. Increase virility, passion, erotica and fertility. It is a root so it grounds a relationship and binds the lover to you. The red roots were sacred to the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite. Beets stimulate the Heart Chakra and beet juice is used to write the name of the desired person in love magic. Beet greens are very high in vitamin C and can be used in salads.
O The month of May, the merry month of May, so frolic, so gay, and so green, so green, so green! O, and then did I unto my true love say, Sweet Peg, thou shalt be my Summer's Queen! ~Thomas Dekker
Greenwood Marriages
& the Fiery Passions of Beltane
by Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway
It is also the holiday of soulful love, a time when we feel called to open our hearts and or connect more deeply with others. It celebrates love, attraction and courtship, and "spring fever" or "mating season."
It's May... It's May... the lusty month of May...
Beltane, also known as "May Day," is the ancient Celtic fertility holiday that celebrated the rites of spring with much frolicking and fun. It begins at sundown April 30th and lasts all day on May 1.
Beltane signals the beginning of the bright half of the year. It means "bright fires," or "brilliant fires."
It is also the holiday of soulful love, a time when we feel called to open our hearts and or connect more deeply with others. It celebrates love, attraction and courtship, and "spring fever" or "mating season."
Many modern couples decide to marry, or pledge their love in a sacred ceremony or hand-fasting on this holiday.
It is major Sabbat in Earth and Goddess-based spirituality, and participants continue to enact some aspects of these rituals around the world.
One of my favorite examples of Beltane is the scene in the movie, Camelot, where Queen Guinevere (Vanessa Redgrave) goes off with her court "a Maying." She sang the famous Lerner and Lowe, "It's May."
Meaning and History
Beltane originated among the Celtic peoples of Western Europe and the British Isles, particularly Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, home of my ancestors.
In ancient times, two great fires would be lit, made with healing herbs. The light would guide the townspeople through the night, and some would jump skyclad over the flames and or rides their animals between the two fires to be blessed by the sacred smoke.
Beltane heralds the beginning of the bright time of year, a time when we emerge from the darkness of winter into lighter, airy days. Makes us want to open our hearts and feel the warmth of the sun.
The ancients had been cooped up in doors for a long winter. Beltane came at the peak of spring, and brought life back to the people and the land.
In Beltane: The Lovers Entwine, it's explained this way: "Beltane, or May Day, as it also known, occurs at the peak of Spring. This is the time of year when the earth basks in the gentle embrace of the sun's warmth. The warmth of the sun helps plants blossom, crops fertilize and the rivers overflow with the melted snow of winter past. Animals frolic about searching for mates. People fall in love and consume each other in fiery passion."
The reason this holiday is so sexy yet sacred is that it is symbolic of the passion and love between the Goddess and God. Divine passion, it was believed, was evident in all of nature's bounty springing forth this time of year.
The ancient custom in villages was to have a fertile couple to represent the King and Queen of the May. Dancing around the maypole was a focal point of activity. The Maypole was made of oak, and had ribbons of many colors. Women would grab a ribbon and dance around it and the last woman left holding the ribbon would be crowned the May Queen.
It is said that a wedding feast, symbolically honoring God and Goddess, was prepared in advance of the dance around the may pole and that all would partake.
The May King and Queen would then consummate their "marriage" as a symbolic gesture of fertility. All the townspeople would emulate them and head off to partake in some sacred love. It was a bit of free love and wanton lust sometimes called "Greenwood Marriages."
As an ode to nature, and as an offering to God and Goddess -- maids and lads would frolic in the fields from sundown to the morning after. Part of this celebration included enacting the rites of fertility as an offering to ensure continued fertility of the lands as well as the continuation of the tribe.
It's been said that the annual Beltane Baby Boom, nine months later was legendary in ancient times.
Bringing in the May
One of the most beautiful customs associated with this festival was called "bringing in the May." The young people would go out into the fields on April 30th and gather flowers with which to bedeck themselves, their families and their homes.
They would process back into the villages, stopping at each home to leave flowers, and to receive the best of food and drink that the home had to offer.
They were symbolic messengers of renewal and this also represented the ritual sharing of food -- the substance of life -- and the ideal that this generosity must keep circulating.
We can all go "a Maying" by doing something nice for others or sharing a spring ritual with the one you love!
This article was originally posted to Huffington Post in 2014, by Rev. Brockway
Beltane Artwork from Hedingham Fair
Nor yet because fair flowers are springing, beneath thy genial ray; and thousand happy birds are singing all welcome to thee, May! ~Rosanna Eleanor Leprohon
May Book Review
Celtic Tree Magic:
Ogham Lore and Druid Mysteries
By Danu Forrest
Explore the powerful magic of the twenty-five trees in the ogham tradition. Enrich your spiritual practice with authentic Celtic wisdom and practical techniques. Written by a Druid witch and Celtic shaman, Celtic Tree Magic shows you how to:
- Practice ogham divination, charms, and spells
- Work with each tree's magical correspondences and healing attributes
- Make salves, tinctures, ointments, and green crafts
- Find tree spirit allies in nature and the otherworld
- Fashion wands and other magical tools
With exercises, hands-on tips, and an accessible exploration of folklore and myth, this lovely and lyrical handbook provides practical skills and deeper understandings for beginners and intermediate practitioners.
About the author:
Danu Forest is a traditional Celtic wisewoman, of half British and half Irish heritage. She is a writer, teacher and Celtic Scholar with an MA in Celtic studies, her thesis was on Celtic folk magic practitioners and the fairy faith. Danu lives in a cottage near Glastonbury Tor in the midst of the Avalon lakes, in the South West of England.
Exploring the Celtic mysteries for over 30 years, and noted for her quality research, practical experience, as well as her deep visionary love of the land, Danu writes for numerous national and international magazines and is the author of several books. She is a respected magical teacher, healer and seer offering readings and consultations, workshops and ceremonies, as well as online courses.
Reviews & Praise:
"A trusted and guiding hand through the Celtic forests of wisdom and magic."—Kristoffer Hughes, author of The Book of Celtic Magic and founder of the Anglesey Druid Order
"This lovely work offers a truly experiential journey...It offers the reader a richer understanding of nature and self."—Philip Carr-Gomm, Chosen Chief of the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids and author of Druid Mysteries
"Danu Forest has made masterful use of the original sources...I heartily commend this book."—Nicholas R. Mann, author of Druid Magic
May Laughs:
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