Beltane-Celebrating the Goddess Flora of Springtime and the May Queen

In the month of May, Spring is in full bloom and at its height. The flowers are a beautiful palette of vivid colors blossoming everywhere and the trees are abundant in their greenery. The Earth feels fully alive and vibrantly awake after the deep, long, grey slumber of Winter. Birds sing messages of joy and hope as the sun rises each morning and a new day begins to unfold. Life is flowering and lush.

The Roman Springtime Goddess Flora, the Goddess of Spring and Flowers, puts on her floral rainbow dress and her crown of flowers. She dances under the blue skies and greets the sun as the May Queen.

May 1 begins with the pagan sabbat Beltane. This day celebrates love, fertility, sensuality, sexuality, abundance, beauty, growth, awakening, and all the signs that summer is coming as the days grow lighter and warmer.

To honor and celebrate the Goddess of Springtime Flora, the Queen of May and her within your self there are many simple ways to do this during Beltane and the beautiful month of May.

Some ideas are:

*Create a crown of flowers from wild flowers outdoors or from your garden and crown yourself the May Queen. Celebrate yourself as the Queen of Spring.

*Spend time walking in nature connecting to the beauty of Spring’s full abundance. Go to your local park, garden, or take a hike.

*If you have a garden this is a great time to spend connecting with your plants and flowers as well as blessing you garden on Beltane.

*Pick some flowers and make a May Basket from paper in the shape of a cone to place them in. Give this as a gift to someone you love or decorate your home with it bringing Springtime indoors with the lovely scent of flowers.

*Decorate your home with flowers and greens inside and out.

*If you are an artist take your sketchbook or paint outdoors and draw and paint the flowers and trees blossoming around you. Capture the beauty of the Goddess on paper.

*If you like to write take your journal outdoors and write about your experience in the beautiful Spring weather or write a poem that honors the season and the Goddess Flora and May Queen.

*Dress up in many bright Spring colors as Flora the Spring Goddess and May Queen. Feel your own beauty within manifested in your dress. Celebrate the beauty and sensuality of yourself.

*Think of ways to connect to the sensuality of the Spring season through all your senses-smell, taste, sight, touch, and sound.

*Enjoy your own sensuality and sexuality with yourself or a lover. Honor your body as the Goddess and Queen.

*Have a Spring picnic outdoors. Bring a blanket, picnic basket, and sit on the grass. Make it a May Feast to celebrate the Goddess and Queen within yourself. Invite others and have a Beltane celebration. Buy local Spring foods to share such as berries and honey.

*Contemplate what ways you would like to blossom full this Spring from now until the Summer Solstice and the sabbat Litha. What would you like to grow and bloom more?

*Think of ways to nurture and be self loving everyday in the month of May. Allow new habits to grow and flourish as you treat yourself like the May Queen and Goddess Flora of Springtime.

*Create a ritual to honor the Goddess Flora and connect to beauty, love, sensuality, growth and the abundance of Spring.

Bright Beltane Blessings! Maeve MoonBird