By Madame Dana Zia
May 1st, aka May Day and Beltane is deeply intertwined with Astrology. It is one of the “cross quarter days” which is a day of celebration in the ancient religions that marks the half way point between the equinoxes and solstices. Beltane is traditionally celebrated when the Sun reaches the middle degrees of the luscious sign of Taurus, the first earth sign in early May.
It falls half-way between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. It is the celebration of the renewed life after the long winter. It is also well known for being a lusty holiday to revel in sexuality, abundance, green alive foods and community. This is the traditional time to “plow and fertilize the fields”.
Each spring, the Earth’s life is renewed, and we are given a fresh chance to live. This is the simplest meaning of Beltane. While we may view this metaphorically today, in earlier times there were no guarantees of surviving winter, so when you did, it was a true celebration of life renewed! The beautiful and pleasurable Maypole dance is literally “woven” into this holiday with the community dancing around the Maypole weaving together the brightly colored ribbons. The phallic symbol of this dance does not go unnoticed!
Whether you have a May Day celebration to go to this fine May 1st or not, the best way to celebrate this day is by getting out in nature and rejoicing in the magic of our beautiful earth. Plus a bit of “plowing the fields” never hurts. Enjoy!