Celebrating the Fullness of Life

May 1st was May Day and the ancient Celtic festival of Beltane. This festival initiated the summer season and was a day of great hope and optimism. We certainly could use a bit of that hopeful outlook during these days of containment at home as we wait for the pandemic to run its course.

Beltane was the day the cattle were moved into their pastures where they could feast on the young grass and shoots of Spring. For the Celts, these pastured animals were a source of life and thus they set aside a day of ritual and hope to join together in reverence of this cycle of the Earth and in hopes that the bounties of Creation would return again. This was a time of gratitude, humility before Nature, and camaraderie with Earth.

Many of the Beltane rituals involved bonfires. The rituals were used as ways of expressing prayer, hope, life, and bits of the "magic" that all ancient cultures employed to join with the Mystery in hopes of sustenance and protection. One lovely Beltane ritual called for each family to extinguish the home fire that had sustained the family through winter and spring and then re-light it from the Beltane bonfire. This was a way of bringing the hope for life, light, and the cycle of redemption into each home (this is somewhat similar to the Christian ritual of taking communion to those who are at home). It was a way of saying that we are all one and we look toward God to sustain us again and again and again. Perhaps you might like to illustrate this ritual this year by lighting a candle outside and allow it to capture the hope and fulfillment of summer and then bring it inside your home and allow it to burn for some time to illustrate the thriving of God's Life within your house.

Across the centuries, the Christian Celts understood the Earth to be a glorious expression of God's goodness, provision, and expression of Life. They began to utilize Christian prayer and blessing as part of the Beltane celebration. I would like to share one of those blessings with you and may it speak to the particularity of what you need in this time that calls for hope, optimism, and the coming of the fullness of the Life of Summer. This prayer is from the west coast of Scotland and was collected by Alexander Carmichael in the Carmina Gadelica.

The Beltane Blessing

Bless, O Threefold true and bountiful,
Myself, my spouse, and my children,
My tender children and their beloved mother at their head.
On the fragrant plain, on the gay mountain pasture,
On the fragrant plain, on the gay mountain pasture.

Everything within my dwelling or in my possession,
All cattle and crops, all flocks and corn,
From Hallow Eve to Beltane Eve,
With goodly progress and gentle blessing,
From sea to sea, and every river mouth,
From wave to wave, arid base of waterfall.

Be the Three Persons taking possession of all to me belonging,
Be the sure Trinity protecting me in truth;
Oh! satisfy my soul in the words of Paul,
And shield my loved ones beneath the wing of Thy glory,
Shield my loved ones beneath the wing of Thy glory.

Bless everything and every one,
Of this little household by my side;
Place the cross of Christ on us with the power of love,
Till we see the land of joy,
Till we see the land of joy.

What time the cattle shall forsake the stalls,
What time the sheep shall forsake the folds,
What time the goats shall ascend to the mount of mist,
May the tending of the Triune follow them,
May the tending of the Triune follow them.

Thou being who didst create me at the beginning,
Listen and attend me as I bend the knee to Thee,
Morning and evening as is becoming in me,
In Thine own presence, O God of life,
In Thine own presence, O God of life.

-Kirk Webb
(Director of the Celtic Center)

THE CELTIC CENTER PILGRIMAGE

At this time, we are still planning for the Ireland Pilgrimage in August. We will make an informed decision about that offering as that event approaches, but I'm still hopeful that it will be a safe and enjoyable experience. There are a couple of spaces remaining if you would like to join us. If we have to postpone that trip then whatever fees that you have paid will be moved to the rescheduled pilgrimage or refunded.

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blessings, Celtic Cristianity, SpiritualityBrittany TorresMay 3, 2020BeltaneComment

Celebrating the Fullness of Life

The Beltane Blessing

Bless, O Threefold true and bountiful,Myself, my spouse, and my children,My tender children and their beloved mother at their head.On the fragrant plain, on the gay mountain pasture,On the fragrant plain, on the gay mountain pasture.

Everything within my dwelling or in my possession,All cattle and crops, all flocks and corn,From Hallow Eve to Beltane Eve,With goodly progress and gentle blessing,From sea to sea, and every river mouth,From wave to wave, arid base of waterfall.

Be the Three Persons taking possession of all to me belonging,Be the sure Trinity protecting me in truth;Oh! satisfy my soul in the words of Paul,And shield my loved ones beneath the wing of Thy glory,Shield my loved ones beneath the wing of Thy glory.

Bless everything and every one,Of this little household by my side;Place the cross of Christ on us with the power of love,Till we see the land of joy,Till we see the land of joy.

What time the cattle shall forsake the stalls,What time the sheep shall forsake the folds,What time the goats shall ascend to the mount of mist,May the tending of the Triune follow them,May the tending of the Triune follow them.

Thou being who didst create me at the beginning,Listen and attend me as I bend the knee to Thee,Morning and evening as is becoming in me,In Thine own presence, O God of life,In Thine own presence, O God of life.