I performed my Beltane rite on the day itself, May 1, with my husband. He recited various parts, like the Two Powers attunement, honoring the Earth Mother, and honoring the Ancestors. The Nature Spirits were the Beings of the Occasion for this ritual, which was done using ADF’s Core Order of Ritual using my Vanic outline.
The Outdwellers received an offering of plain black tea, Nerthus (our Earth Mother) received flour, Kvasir received plain filtered water (for Inspiration), Freyja (our Gatekeeper) received honey, the Ancestors received rosemary, the Vanir received oats, and the Nature Spirits received a Love Spell tea blend (with black tea, peach pieces, peach flavor, and calendula petals) in addition to lavender. The reason the Nature Spirits received two offerings will be explained in more detail later.
The ritual started out well. As my husband read the lines for the Two Powers attunement, I felt the Two Powers flowing into me. We lit each of the Three Kindred candles as we honored them. We didn’t use Freyja’s candle for this ritual since she wasn’t the main being honored. Since the Nature Spirits were the Beings of the Occasion, we honored the Ancestors, then the Vanir, then the Nature Spirits. We didn’t use a set prayer to honor them. I spoke from the heart words that seemed to be appropriate to connect them with the Beltane season.
My reasoning for honoring the Nature Spirits for Beltane is simple. We can see and feel them waking up all around us at this time of year in this area (Indiana). Birds are chirping, blooming flowers fill stores, and lots of wildlife abounds. I wanted to honor their awakening and abundance.
The first offering we made to the Nature Spirits was the Love Spell tea blend. Unfortunately we had forgotten to bring it into the room before the ritual so my husband ran to the kitchen to grab it. We also used this blend for the Prayer of Sacrifice. The first card we drew for the Omen question, “Are the offerings accepted?” was the Door reversed, which means closed doors, endings, inaction. I took that as a no. My husband suggested they might like something different, so we offered a large quantity of lavender buds. I reshuffled the Wychwood Oracle deck and drew the Omen below.
This time, the Dagger (upright) was drawn when we asked if the offerings were accepted. The Dagger is a sign of protection, justice, and assertion, so I interpreted this card as a yes. The Lady answers the next question, “What blessings are offered?” The Lady represents strength, dignity, and patience. Finally, we asked, “What further guidance do the Kindreds offer?” Our answer was the Wand, which means focus, intention, and spirituality. All in all a very good omen!
For the Waters of Life, we both just had filtered water since we didn’t have any alcohol on hand. This is the same reason Kvasir got water as well instead of beer.
This was a very good ritual! I am pleased with the Omen and how it went, despite forgetting the Love Spell tea blend before the ritual started and having to go get it in the middle of ritual (and having to make a different offering). I don’t recall if I felt much of anything besides the Two Powers during the ritual other than just a feeling of peace and joy.
Blessed Beltane! May we revel in the fertility of the Earth Mother and the abundance of the Nature Spirits!
The Druid's Cosmos 