![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rowanfI actually did go pretty much straight to bed Saturday night after posting in my journal. I was really tired despite not having done much. Early Sunday morning I got up and got my stuff together for Beltaine. I rode up with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mr_kurt, saffronrose and Arthur. We stopped at Saul's for provender and I got a slice of cheesecake and a tuna sandwich. The latter was underwhelming and I threw half of it away uneaten at the end of the day. But the cheesecake, oh my, I do love Saul's cheesecake.
We hung out in the park with the other Dark Forest folks waiting for the morning AA group to be finished with the tree.spidernette said it had been the same at equinox. I think that is a great place to have a self-help group, under a beautiful tree in a park. Once they were gone the altar was set up and we did a quick run through of the blocking. This was a first public ritual for some of the folks from Shadow Grove (Dark Forest's outer court) and they were looking great. I really loved some of the ways they did the three priestess working; doing the charging bowl they looked like they had stepped out of the three of cups.
The ritual was a bit different than Beltaines in recent years because Deborah had done a winter banishing at Equinox andspidernette said it seemed silly to have the Winter Queen show up again now. So the whole bit with the winter court was gone. My great Hag of Winter finally killed off perhaps. I'd like to revive it sometime with the real Hag instead of the Winter Queen but then I'm just not politically correct. Or maybe it is just California. But it drives me nuts that succeeding generations had to smooth the Hag and negotiate with her instead of driving her away. Nature isn't always nice! *grumbles and gets off soapbox*
The Priestesses cast the circle and then called the May Queen. I had been sitting behind the wonderful tree and I arrived and danced around the circle and then asked them to call my consort. They called Jack-in-the-Green and we accepted offers of fruits and flower and gave people bells and bubble wands. The prescence of bubbles through the rest of the ritual was totally cool and magical. That was a great idea. Then Jack brought me "a wonder" and carried in the Maypole which we set up and held whilst it was danced. We raised a great deal of juicy energy to send into the earth! Yum. I really liked that part.
Then it was time to call the Black Steed, the 'Obby 'Oss himself to come and bless us. He came and joined us and I do believe everyone in the circle wanted to get under his skirts. May much fertile creativity flow through our community! Somewhere along the line the words to the Padstow May song didn't make it to the Park and so the song was lost this year. This was a shame. I couldn't think of any way that the May Queen could come and lead the song and stay in character, so I told myself it wasn't my job. Eventually everyone was blessed by the 'Oss and we blessed the cakes and ale.spidernette and saffronrose had made some yummy "Beltaine buns" to share. I think it was just whole wheat rolls with a bit of citrus and gold foil on them for luck.
We hung out in the park afterward for an hour or more but finally left to let the frisbee players have the lower field. Oh! The whole sharing the park thing was funny this year. Different dogs kept coming by and peeing on the flowers that were stuck in the hole where the maypole would stand. We always put a wreath around it to keep people from tripping on it but this year it had flowers sticking out. This was evidently irresistable to the canine set. *laugh*
Russell and I dropped by Don & Anna's and left off a Green Book and then went to the Shattuck to see the film, Kinky Boots. We thought it was coming to the Cameras in San Jose but it isn't' showing and it was in Berkeley. I'm really glad we made a point of going. It was a fun movie. I would *love* a pair of those red boots!!!! Red with red snakeskin trim, rhinestones in the instep and a holster on the side for a riding crop... what's not to like? Pomba would love them.
Russell and I got home and drank some champagne and celebrated the season. May everyone have such a wonderful Beltaine!
I'll post a great picture Russell took of Kurt & me tomorrow... I can't get ftp to work right now. In the meantime, check out Greg's flickrstream
mr_kurt, saffronrose and Arthur. We stopped at Saul's for provender and I got a slice of cheesecake and a tuna sandwich. The latter was underwhelming and I threw half of it away uneaten at the end of the day. But the cheesecake, oh my, I do love Saul's cheesecake. We hung out in the park with the other Dark Forest folks waiting for the morning AA group to be finished with the tree.
spidernette said it had been the same at equinox. I think that is a great place to have a self-help group, under a beautiful tree in a park. Once they were gone the altar was set up and we did a quick run through of the blocking. This was a first public ritual for some of the folks from Shadow Grove (Dark Forest's outer court) and they were looking great. I really loved some of the ways they did the three priestess working; doing the charging bowl they looked like they had stepped out of the three of cups. The ritual was a bit different than Beltaines in recent years because Deborah had done a winter banishing at Equinox and
spidernette said it seemed silly to have the Winter Queen show up again now. So the whole bit with the winter court was gone. My great Hag of Winter finally killed off perhaps. I'd like to revive it sometime with the real Hag instead of the Winter Queen but then I'm just not politically correct. Or maybe it is just California. But it drives me nuts that succeeding generations had to smooth the Hag and negotiate with her instead of driving her away. Nature isn't always nice! *grumbles and gets off soapbox*The Priestesses cast the circle and then called the May Queen. I had been sitting behind the wonderful tree and I arrived and danced around the circle and then asked them to call my consort. They called Jack-in-the-Green and we accepted offers of fruits and flower and gave people bells and bubble wands. The prescence of bubbles through the rest of the ritual was totally cool and magical. That was a great idea. Then Jack brought me "a wonder" and carried in the Maypole which we set up and held whilst it was danced. We raised a great deal of juicy energy to send into the earth! Yum. I really liked that part.
Then it was time to call the Black Steed, the 'Obby 'Oss himself to come and bless us. He came and joined us and I do believe everyone in the circle wanted to get under his skirts. May much fertile creativity flow through our community! Somewhere along the line the words to the Padstow May song didn't make it to the Park and so the song was lost this year. This was a shame. I couldn't think of any way that the May Queen could come and lead the song and stay in character, so I told myself it wasn't my job. Eventually everyone was blessed by the 'Oss and we blessed the cakes and ale.
spidernette and saffronrose had made some yummy "Beltaine buns" to share. I think it was just whole wheat rolls with a bit of citrus and gold foil on them for luck. We hung out in the park afterward for an hour or more but finally left to let the frisbee players have the lower field. Oh! The whole sharing the park thing was funny this year. Different dogs kept coming by and peeing on the flowers that were stuck in the hole where the maypole would stand. We always put a wreath around it to keep people from tripping on it but this year it had flowers sticking out. This was evidently irresistable to the canine set. *laugh*
Russell and I dropped by Don & Anna's and left off a Green Book and then went to the Shattuck to see the film, Kinky Boots. We thought it was coming to the Cameras in San Jose but it isn't' showing and it was in Berkeley. I'm really glad we made a point of going. It was a fun movie. I would *love* a pair of those red boots!!!! Red with red snakeskin trim, rhinestones in the instep and a holster on the side for a riding crop... what's not to like? Pomba would love them.
Russell and I got home and drank some champagne and celebrated the season. May everyone have such a wonderful Beltaine!
I'll post a great picture Russell took of Kurt & me tomorrow... I can't get ftp to work right now. In the meantime, check out Greg's flickrstream
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Photo of May Queen
Date: 2006-05-02 12:22 pm (UTC)I'm really envious of your Beltane fun. I went to swim in Oshun, but she tried to take me into her, and I had to be content with bodysurfing. My ritual was very subdued...
no subject
Date: 2006-05-02 12:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-02 10:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-04 06:31 pm (UTC)