The Sidhe ride on May Eve, moving their cattle to high ground for the summer as mortals do.


It is said that at Hallowe'en the spirits come from the other world to visit, but at Beltane we may go to them, and safely return again if sensible precautions are taken. (Eat nothing that they give you, is the most important thing.)

May Eve, the Air Tide Flows

"The wind blows out of the gates of the day,
The wind blows over the lonely of heart,
And the lonely of heart is withered away.
While the faeries dance in a place apart,
Shaking their milk-white feet in a ring,
Tossing their milk-white arms in the air
For they hear the wind laugh and murmur and sing
Of a land where even the old are fair,
And even the wise are merry of tongue
But I heard a reed of Coolaney say,
When the wind has laughed and murmured and sung
The lonely of heart is withered away."

W.B. Yeats

Planting Time: The Fire Tide Ebbs

The ebbing Fire Tide, from the Spring Equinox to Beltane, brings the Time of Planting.

It is a busy time, requiring community effort, planning, and hope.

The Lady at this season is the the mature Maiden, guiding the work of the hands and the laying of strategies and plans.
The Young God, still unmated and untamed, rules the Green Wood. His energy rushes through the homestead now and again, without warning, bringing both joyful laughter and lapses of judgement.

It is a powerful time for magic, ever more so as May Eve draws nearer. Work to awaken creative powers, and to lay the groundwork for life changes.

Wiped-Out Sunday

The time changed, spring ahead, which I always wish wouldn't happen. Fall back is fine. Just keep the clock going back, and back and back, and more sleep and more.

The night before the time change was a friend's 70th birthday--lots of people in their 60's, 70's and 80's doing covers of old Rolling Stones songs and dancing, to prove that we can still party. We still can, but it does wear you out now.

Nobody drinks much any more. In our age group, the heavy drinkers are all either dead or on the wagon. Two glasses of wine is the max. Anybody you see stumbling, it's not the liquor. It's because a trick knee gave out, or they didn't see the step down to the living room. We only take prescription drugs now, and just get high on the music.

It's hard to believe that we are as old as our parents were at our age. Maybe we aren't. Maybe if you just keep that music coming, you don't have to die.

Maiden Moon

The Moon is Full in Pisces, and we are in the season from Imbolc to Beltane when the Goddess shows her lovely Maiden face.

Now is a time for works of beauty, for new beginnings, and for seeking truth and honor in all endeavors.

It is the most auspicious time of all for an initiation.

The Pagan Preacher: Imbolc Sermon

Once the Maiden Goddess has appeared at Imbolc the Season of

Outward Growth begins. Both God and Goddess are on the land. Now

we have an active part to play in the world around us.

The Maiden brings forth Her waters, and dresses Herself with

green leaves and flowers. She will flaunt the potential wealth and

abundunce that She has to offer.

Soon the heat of the God will begin to make itself felt. He

instinctively reaches out to the land and warms the body of the

Maiden for the time to come. Like any boy past the cradle but not

yet full grown, He is headstrong and makes Himself more evident

each day.

Not sure what He is to be, He reaches outward, learning more

and more about Himself and what His Magic truly is.

On the mundane level the time has come for all of us to act.

If we were in an agricultural environment the fields would have to

be prepared for the planting.

In whatever environment we are, figuratively if not

literally, we must do our part without hesitation, so that when the

"planting" time comes the "seeds" will be sown in time to grow to

their fullest.

In the herds and flocks, New Life is born. Calves and lambs

are appearing and We must assist in the birthing so that the herds

can give us all that we will need.

It is up to you to see the application of this metaphor to

your own life and universe.

Now there is work to be done while the Goddess adorns Herself

with finery and the God grows and warms the Lady with His presence.

The climax of this is His puberty celebrated on The Day of the Wild

God, otherwise known as;

OSTARA

from Dyffd ap Tower

Fire Tide

At Candlemas the Fire Tide flows, and this season until the Spring Equinox is called the Time of Change. In this time the God born at Yule grows to manhood, and that mystery of change informs all others. It is a time of great creative power, when all projects of art and making, will and change, are carried forth on their most auspicious tide.