Beltain 2013

Beltain this year will be a little different from previous years, given the strange weather we have all been having, and people's inability to do much because of the economic climate (although most of us we're equally without money last year).

Beltain is about love, about sensuality, as the God and Goddess get together for the sacred marriage. It is about loving your partner and enjoying each other, if you are with someone, and loving yourself if you are not.

Too many of us, when single, do not think about ourselves in that way. We don't take a good hard look at ourselves and say 'You know what, I'm pretty amazing!'. And we should, because we are all amazing. Life is amazing, no matter how cruddy it can look just now. Mortality is so very finite and we are so lucky to be able to draw breath. Many out there would disagree, thinking that they wished they were dead. That is truly sad, given how hard it can be just to be alive. The very fact that we survived to birth is a blessing. That we survived childhood and reached adulthood without war/illness/accidents taking our lives is equally amazing. So many people die every day and being able to draw breath is a gift.

So celebrate that gift. treat yourself and (if you are lucky enough to be in a relationship) your partner to something special. This doesn't have to be expensive. A picnic is practically free and if the weather is good, its a delight. Getting out into nature is a wonderful thing to do at this time of year. Clearing your spirit of all the cling-ons of winter and a sluggish early spring.

If you are lucky enough to live near a botanic gardens and the weather isn't so great, get indoors and be part of nature - if not a museum, or wrap up in waterproofs and get to a local beach. These things don't cost/don't cost much and can be a wonderful change to your normal pace of life.

Make something nice and different for dinner and thank the gods for your wonderful bounty. Plant things in your garden or get a little pot of a herb you like and sow those seeds, enjoy everything you can about nature because it is risig to the peak of its glory.

If you can, give your place a quick once over, in respect for the day and also as a metaphorical clearing the clutter/cobwebs away. If you have beeswax use it on your furniture, or burn beeswax candles in honour of the day.

Fill your home with pleasant scents/textures and sounds. Let the sensuality of the sabbat awaken you!

BB

On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scoltand about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback:

The Island of the Mist is book 2

The Stone in the Sword is book 1

The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats:

The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

Give thanks and get tactile!

Giving thanks is not the first thing many pagans think of, except at the end of a ritual, thanking any beings that have been asked to attend.

At this time of year especially, when food is so abundant and the weather is (hopefully) half decent, it is a good time to give thanks. Thanks for the bounty, for the sunshine, for the fresh air and the people you love around you.

This is also a psychological benefit, especially for people who are suffering depression or are in a rut. thinking about what you have, rather than what you don't have can be uplifting and have a positive effect on the way you view yourself and life around you.

Whenever I am down because life has thrown me a whammy, I like to think that ok, this sucks, but at least I have...

The gods honour us in so many ways, it's nice to think about them and offer a small prayer or offering.

Something else that I love about this time of year is the abundance of food. Most pagans I know love their food. I am no exception and finger food is one of the most sensual, enjoyable ways to eat at this time of year. Summer is an especially good time, as we are less likely to be having soups/stews/casseroles, and more likely to be having salads/burgers/fajitas/hummus/strawberries etc. getting your hands on your food, especailly at a barbeque is a wonderful way of feeling closer to your food, to nature and adds a new dimension to the food itself.

My book is now available in paperback as well as Kindle. It is aimed at early teens as well as adults, so if you know anyone who might be interested, please pass the links on. Thank you and have a wonderful summer!

Here is the link and the description:

Kindle:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Stone-Sword-N-Roy/dp/1477466347/ref=tmm_pap_title_0/279-1528994-5900510?ie=UTF8&qid=1327179005&sr=1-3

Paperback:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Stone-Sword-N-Roy/dp/1477466347/ref=tmm_pap_title_0/279-1528994-5900510?ie=UTF8&qid=1327179005&sr=1-3

Description:
"The Old Ones wove the light of the world into that small stone, a part of the primordial fire from whence everything formed. That small stone has the power to end everything as we know it"

16 year old Charlie Larson leaves California for 6 weeks in the Scottish Highlands. Before long he is thrust into a new world of magic, myth and mystical beings where he is the only person who can rescue his kidnapped brother and save the human world!

Taken from Celtic/Scottish lore, this story weaves the modern world into the fabric of the Sidhe (fairy) world in rural Scotland.

Blessed Summer Solstice

Today, and not tomorrow, as some people assume, is the Summer Solstice. This is when the sun is at its peak with regard to the earth. It is also a strong god energy and is a wonderful time for healing and any kind of action/active energy workings. Get outside, enjoy the sun, the breeze and hopefully not the midges! Blessings on this Solstice xxx

The Summer Solstice rapidly approaches and the days grow longer! This is a wonderful festival, not only to the celts, this solstice was celebrated the world over! I hope everyone has the chance to get out and about, enjoying the summer while it is here. I hope that everyone affected by the storms are well and hope that nothing was too badly damaged. This year has been a strange one and will continue to be strange but I do not for one minute think this is anything more than an influenial year, a time of growth and change. I hope that we can all grow and cope with an y hanges facing us! My book, which has a lot of paganism, is now available in paperback as well as kindle! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stone-Sword-N-Roy/dp/1477466347/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339378508&sr=1-1 May the gods of the summer bring you light, warmth, creativity and prosperity!