5 Things To Do For Beltane As a Pagan in Lockdown

This year, almost all of us are solitary. Pagans, Witches, Magicians… how can we celebrate this day? Here are a few easy ideas:

1. Buy a plant

As part of the May Day celebrations, young women would rise at dawn to bathe in the dew gathered from flowers and ensure their beauty in the coming year. If you don’t have a flower-covered garden and the meadows are far away, remember that most flowers grow well in plant-pots, especially in sunny places like kitchen windows.

2. Introduce yourself to the local spirits

How well do you know your local land spirits? Perhaps more importantly, how well do they know you? During your prescribed daily walk, go to a local park and introduce yourself. Don’t go empty handed – take an offering. Clean water is almost always acceptable, especially for land spirits. Once you have introduced yourself, listen carefully.

3. Perform Divination

On the Wheel of the Year, Beltane is exactly 180 degrees opposite Samhain. Both occur at times when the ‘Veil Between the Worlds’ is at its narrowest, thus it is easier to hear from the Otherworld. This makes divination easier than normal. So get hold of your Tarot cards, runes or any other divination tool. Ask a question on behalf of yourself, your family or your wider community. Then see what you can see.

4. Walk between two fires

Beltane is a Fire Festival. One of the traditional activities was to build two bonfires and pass livestock and people between them for cleansing and blessing. Building two bonfires might be a bit much for a solitary practice. However, you can probably light two candles and simply walk between them. You may want to pause for a moment or two as you do, meditating on that you wish to leave behind and that you want to call into your life.

5. Read a book

Relax with a book filled with facts, history and cultural heritage of the May Eve holiday. We can recommend:
‘The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain’ by Ronald Hutton.
Alternatively, if you want something lighter, ‘Beltane: Springtime Rituals, Lore & Celebration’ by Raven Grimassi.