We now enter what the ancient Celts called the light half of the year.
Time to honor and celebrate the light.
☀️☘️☀️
#wheeloftheyear
#beltane
#mayday
Photo by Nancy Lankston
Beltane Blessings
Vernal Equinox – Happy Spring!
Here’s a short guided practice to help you connect with Mama Earth and celebrate spring. This was originally recorded by Nancy Lankston in 2020.
#spring
#grounded
#grateful
#joy
May Day
Beltane Blessings to you on this beautiful spring day.
My Celtic ancestors celebrated Beltane in early May with bonfires, dancing, maypoles and plentiful food and drink. Ritual sex was also part of the celebrations.
The Celts were honoring the sacred union of the masculine and feminine which creates new life. The merging of masculine and feminine energies allows something new to magically be born.
This Beltane, make time to celebrate life.
#mayday
#beltane
#sacredunion
#sacredmasculine
#sacredfeminine
#creation
#life
🌱
Image: Spring Green
by Nancy Lankston
Spring Has Sprung
It’s spring equinox!
The lands of the northern hemisphere are now warming and coming back to life after the long dark winter. Light and darkness are coming back into balance now.
The Germanic Goddess Ostara (aka Eostre) is associated with spring and the return of the light. She is said to withdraw to the Underworld throughout the cold, dark winter. The land slumbers quietly awaiting her return. Then at Spring Equinox, Ostara returns to the surface of the Earth and life begins to stir anew.
Take a few moments to pause and celebrate sunlight, new life, rebirth, and growth.
#springequinox
#goddess
#ostara #eostre
#awakening
#mamearth
#rebirth
#returnofthelight
#wheeloftheyear
#happyspring
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Halfway to Spring
shhh, listen
seeds are stirring
in the belly
of the mother.
the sacred wheel
turns toward spring
life is awakening
in the body of her.
~Nancy Lankston
🌱
Can you hear it?? Magic is afoot, running just beneath the surface. The seeds are stirring!
For months, Mama Earth has held the seeds of spring safe within her soil body. Then, as the wheel of the year slowly turns towards spring in early February, the seeds begin to stir and reawaken. Imbolc* has quietly arrived.
Celtic tales speak of the Cailleach — the divine hag Goddess who rules over winter and death. The Cailleach is the anncient Earth Mother Goddess in her bare winter crone form. She is is also known as the Bone Mother who is said to collect the bones of the animals that die in the winter. Bone Mother sings and prays over the bones of the animals all winter long. She does this out of love, so that the animals will cross over and return as new life in the spring.
On Imbolc, the Cailleach gathers firewood for the rest of the winter. If the Cailleach wishes to make winter last a lot longer, she will make sure that the weather on Imbolc is bright and sunny, so she can gather plenty of firewood. But, if Imbolc is a day of foul weather, it means that the Cailleach is asleep and winter is almost over.
Spring is on its way.
Offer up a prayer of gratitude
in honor of
the dance of Earth and Sun.
🌱🌱🌱
*Imbolc is an old Irish word that means “in the belly”. It honors the pregnant ewes carrying new life in their wombs at this time of year. Imbolc is traditionally celebrated at the halfway point between winter solstice and spring equinox.
Image by Nancy Lankston
Spring Has Sprung
The equinox today signals the start of spring in the northern hemisphere.
An equinox is a point of balance in the seasonal cycle. Day and night are roughly equal in length at this turning point. And this year, an almost full moon in Libra is amplifying the shift.
In the chaos of these uncertain times, it is easy to become ungrounded, anxious and afraid. A connection to Mama Earth helps restore balance and calm.
So, take a few moments today to honor this seasonal shift toward life and new growth. Go outside. Breathe in and out. And express your gratitude to Mama Earth for the many gifts of spring.
🌱
#spring
#equinox
#findbalance
#cyclesandseasons
#wheeloftheyear
#newgrowth
Last Night As I Was Sleeping
Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that a spring was breaking
out in my heart.
I said: Along which secret aqueduct,
Oh water, are you coming to me,
water of a new life
that I have never drunk?
Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures.
Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that a fiery sun was giving
light inside my heart.
It was fiery because I felt
warmth as from a hearth,
and sun because it gave light
and brought tears to my eyes.
Last night as I slept,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that it was God I had
here inside my heart.
-Antonio Machado
Translated by Robert Bly
In the Belly
in the belly
of the mother
seeds are stirring
shhh, listen.
life is awakening
in the body of her
the sacred wheel
turns toward spring.
~Nancy Lankston
There is natural magic afoot right now. It is there, running just beneath the surface. Can you feel it? All winter long, Mama Earth holds the seeds of spring safe for us. As the cold wind blows and the snow piles up, the Mother holds them safe in her soil body.
Then, in early February, as the wheel of the year slowly turns towards spring, the seeds begin to stir. Life is reawakening in the ground of the Mother. Imbolc has quietly arrived.
Imbolc was a ritual feast time for the ancient Celtic tribes. Their legends tell us of the Cailleach — the divine hag Goddess who rules over winter and death. The Cailleach is said to gather firewood for the rest of the winter on Imbolc. If the Cailleach wishes to make winter last a lot longer, she will make sure that the weather on Imbolc is bright and sunny, so she can gather plenty of firewood. But, if Imbolc is a day of foul weather, it means the Cailleach is asleep and winter is almost over. This is the origin of modern Groundhog Day.
The Cailleach is the sacred Earth Mother Goddess in her bare winter form. She is is also the Bone Mother who collects the bones of the animals that die in the winter. The Bone Mother sings and prays over the bones of the animals all winter long. She does this out of love, so that the animals will cross over and be able to return as new life in the spring.
Celebrate!
Spring is on its way.
Note: Imbolc means “in the belly”. It is an old Irish word that honors the pregnant ewes carrying new life in their wombs at this time of year. Imbolc is traditionally celebrated at the halfway point between winter solstice and spring equinox.
Gratitude and Grounding Practice for Spring Equinox
Spring has arrived in the northern hemisphere! Today is the vernal equinox, the official start of spring. The equinox is a point of balance in the seasonal cycle. Day and night are roughly equal in length at this time of year.
In these times of chaos and uncertainty, it is easy to lose your balance and become ungrounded, anxious and afraid. A connection to Mother Nature will help restore balance and calm. This audio guides you through a simple practice to ground to Mama Earth, anchor in, de-stress and notice the many joys of spring.
Offered with many blessings for you and all you love.
We are SAFE.
We are HELD.
We are LOVED by Mama Earth.
🌍❤️