Away with the Faeries

Been in Ireland over the summer and had a great time with family. I carefully visited a fairy fort near my parents house. I came bearing roses & other garden flowers. Fairy forts are seen as entrances to the world of Tuatha De Danann, peoples of the Goddess Danu, also known as the "Good People".

A neighbor told me a story about a mean landowner, Mrs. Burns, who purposefully disrespected the ring fort to show the superstitious people in the village how foolish they were. She danced in the middle of the ring, stomping and shouting. She was struck down and was in a wheelchair the rest of her life.

May Day

I had the pleasure of attending a public May Day celebration with the coven. It's great to see how Beltane, the beginning of Summer, is celebrated in different places.

In Ireland, bonfires are lit to mark the coming of summer and to banish the long nights of winter.

In Edinburgh Scotland, there is a modern revival the Beltane Fire Festival, which marks and celebrates the blossoming of spring.



In Cornwall, there is 'Obby 'Oss day (dialect for Hobby Horse), where the festivities start May Eve, by singing the Night Song:

Night song

Unite and unite and let us all unite,

For summer is acome unto day,

And whither we are going we will all unite,

In the merry morning of May.

I warn you young men everyone,

For summer is acome unto day,

To go to the green-wood and fetch your May home,

In the merry morning of May.

Arise up Mr. ..... and joy you betide,

For summer is acome unto day,

And bright is your bride that lies by your side,

In the merry morning of May.

Arise up Mrs. ..... and gold be your ring,

For summer is acome unto day,

And give to us a cup of ale the merrier we shall sing,

In the merry morning of May.

Arise up Miss ..... all in your gown of green,

For summer is acome unto day,

You are as fine a lady as wait upon the Queen,

In the merry morning of May.

Now fare you well, and we bid you all good cheer,

For summer is acome unto day,

We call once more unto your house before another year,

In the merry morning of May.

In addition to the pagan holy day of Beltane, May 1st is also International Workers Day. If you are anywhere near Minneapolis next Beltane, check out the MayDay Parade and Festival. In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre puts on the Festival that has been using water, flour, newspaper, paint, and unlimited imagination to tell stories that explore the struggles and celebrations of human existence since 1973. The annual MayDay Parade has always been rooted in two important traditional celebrations—the celebration of the Green Root of Earth’s green energy rising in Spring, and the Red Root of human work energy rising from mind, heart and hand. They marry pagan and political in an eye popping fashion.

The Truth About The Maypole

In ancient Ireland the Bile was a Sacred Tree, the center of the Tuatha, or clan. Seen as a Tree of Life, the Bile Pole, represents the connection between the people and their three worlds.

The three worlds are the heavens or Skyworld, the human or Middleworld, and the Otherworld.

The forgotten Bile pole has survived as the Maypole, a tall pole decorated with long colored ribbons and flowers, around which young lads and lasses dance, interweaving the ribbons.

The dance represents the TRINITY. It can be seen as the intertwining of life, death and rebirth. Reflect on the many levels of the Trinity and you will see a great many secrets revealed to you in the dance.

The day marks the return of nature to a fertile state. The pole is a phallic symbol penetrating the earth, the feminine aspect that receives the seeds which grow into the food that feeds us all.

Dancing with the Sidhe

On Samhain Eve, it is said that Manannan mac Lir lifts his cloak of invisibility from the Sidhe (pronounced shee). The Shining Ones (Sidhe) can then be seen or heard dancing near the faery mounds in their revelry. If you want to join in, adventurous souls can enter a Sidhe Mound by walking nine times around it, at which point a door will appear in the hill.