Although
we were scheduled to return to London on April 30, when
we learned that there was to be a Beltane celebration
at Chalice Wells, including a chance to jump the Beltane
fires, we arranged to stay an extra day to join with
others in the festivities at 5AM on May 1. Doreen and
I picked out some appropriate ceremonial dress as a
means of preparing for this ancient and time-honored
ceremony, one that not only connects us with the cycle
of seasons, but also with our ancestral heritage.
On
Beltane Eve we joined with several others at the local
Goddess Temple to participate in a ceremony to honor
the goddess Rhiannon, who in Celtic lore was the one
who could transverse the three worlds: the underworld,
middle world, and the upper world. It was a festive
and lively event, with the room being decorated with
various symbols of the goddess, and in the middle a
maypole. We were invited to share a strawberry with
whoever was there that we loved, whether lover or friend.
The only rule was that we had to publicly declare our
love as we passed a single strawberry to the loved one,
and the loved one could not touch it except with their
mouth. In some instances, it was mouth to mouth, a very
sensuous gesture that was reflective and symbolic of
this very sensual holy-day. I was eager to participate,
so after the first couple of people declared out loud
their love for another, I took a strawberry from one
of the bowls, pulled out the stem, turned to Doreen
and proclaimed, "I declare my love for you, Doreen!"
With the strawberry between my teeth, I gave her a "strawberry
kiss," and we shared in a delightful morsel of
these fruits of nature.
Following
this we sang and danced around the maypole, which further
enhanced the celebratory nature of the ceremony. Then
we gathered in the courtyard, and here was the first
opportunity to leap the Beltane fire, as the sponsors
had established a fire in a small metal cistern. Couples
were invited to jump the fire together as a way of consecrating
their relationship for another year, which Doreen and
I did with gusto.
A
short nights sleep and up at 3:30AM (!!) to first walk
up the Tor, then join the ceremony at Chalice Well at
5AM. We'd heard that there was to be ceremony at the
top of the Tor around 4AM, and although we couldn't
confirm it, we took our chances and thought that at
least we'd get some exercise! Two people told us that
the local Druids ran ceremony from sunset to sunrise,
so we wanted to get there before the sun came up and
check it out.
Even
though this day, May 1, was the actual first day of
summer, the weather certainly didn't act like it. We'd
heard it described as typical English weather-gray and
misty-although as we began our trek, I was grateful
that it wasn't raining as it had been the past three
days. The first part of the ascent was under a canopy
of trees, and as the sun hadn't risen, it was very dark
there. A figure loomed ahead. Was it a druid? A mugger?
My instinct told me there was no real threat, and turned
out to be accurate, as we passed a fellow who had paused
for a rest while climbing the Tor.
Once
we neared the top, we could hear others at the base
of the tower, but could only make out elusive shapes.
There they were! As we approached, we could see that
it was a circle of about six people doing their own
variation of ritual by passing some sort of lit cigarette
around the group. We greeted them, then made our way
to the leeward side of the church, out of the biting
cold wind. Another figure was lying there, apparently
in a sleeping bag. Doreen commented that she heard a
didgeridoo, and for a moment perhaps we were listening
in on some other ceremony that someone was doing nearby.
On second listen, we realized it was the fellow in the
sleeping bag snoring! A few more minutes passed and
no druids and no other ceremonies, so we made our way
down to Chalice Well and joined about 200 others in
celebration there.
It
was a precious ceremony, starting with each of us placing
a lit candle in the pools of the Vessica Piscis (two
intersecting circles of stone) to symbolize the merging
of fire and water, then moving to an area called simply
the Meadow. Here we welcomed the sun with our arms out
as one of the facilitators offered a blessing prayer,
then moved our bodies to a drumbeat that grounded the
light in our bodies and in the earth.
From
here we moved to Cress Field, where the wood for the
bonfire and a smaller fire were ready to be lit. All
of us were told that the smaller fire was for jumping
rather than the larger one. Another blessing was offered,
the fires were lit, and once the smaller one had settled
somewhat, people began jumping. Some leapt the fires
individually, and others with their partners or family.
Doreen and I once again took part, sealing our vows
still further.
As
the fires were being ignited, I looked around, not knowing
what year it was, feeling absorbed in a timeless dimension.
Everyone around me felt like my friend, as if we had
all gathered here before. Many of the men wore colorful
capes, and the women flowing linen gowns and headdresses.
Perhaps we all had done this together, lifetimes ago.
Not
only did I feel a profound connection to the earth,
but also an intense bond and deep respect for my ancestors,
who I knew had done this same type of ceremony over
hundreds of years. It's the type of seasonal and communal
celebration that our souls yearn for, and here I was
with my lifemate, welcoming the increasing warmth of
the sun, the fullness of the light, and the flourishing
of Mother Nature.
In
this timeless space, all is well and right with the
world.
And Summer has arrived.
