Meditations and Celebrations

                                

Local Pear Blossom

Happy Beltane!

I hope everyone has had a fantastic week and had a chance to celebrate Beltane in whichever way your personal path has taken you.

I am very happy to report that my meditation journeys are much more fruitful. I awoke early Monday morning last week with a start at 3.33 am with the half moon shining brightly into our bedroom and decided to try a meditation journey by moonlight. This time I was no longer alone with just the Maiden, but there were other people whose faces I couldn't see, but finally I could see and not just hear a softly babbling brook and with relief and growing excitement I saw stepping stones across the water covered in soft green moss.
I heard more distinct voices in the fields in front of me, deep throaty laughter and distinctly flirtatious giggles emanated from warm sunny fields and I was

aware of the contented drone of bees. I teetered as I reached the other side of the water and a hand took mine, it was the hand of a beautiful woman with long tumbling curls of burnt copper and a red flowing gown, She smiled and simply said "Come, dance with me".  Thank you KeRhiannon.
Heart thumping, I broke from my journey, Dancing - Me? For those of you that know me personally, you'll know that this brought me out in an immediate cold sweat, not only do I have the proverbial two left feet, I can't think of anything worse to do in public! 

Toasting May Day with Lu

The next day, still feeling daunted I did what 
we all do when up the creek without a paddle,  
I phoned one of my best friends...

I have known this lovely lady since I came 
home from hospital at a week old, and it's 
fair to say that we've had more than your
average share of candle lighting, mooching 
around old stones, ghost hunting, observing 
old and strange customs - just the person!      

A misty Kits
Coty House

May Day/Beltane sunrise dawned albeit mistily at 5.32 to see myself and my friend Lu at Kits Coty stones whilst Kits Coty Morris Dances danced in May Day with traditional dances, many of which re enacted or sang about planting crops and asking for fruitful harvests. A cake and locally sourced Sloe wine was shared out  among everyone and an offering was given to the stones and to the hedgerow to bless the land and the harvest. 

Dibbing the Earth

Whilst shuffling from one foot to another in some kind of rhythm to might not count as dancing, it's a start!
                            

Musicians

After recovering with a 3 hour nap, I cleaned and then cleansed our house with my favourite incense, asking Goddess to remove any negativity and to clear any old energies, before having a huge bubble bath - cherry aroma of course, and using very lotion and potion that I possessed for some very welcome 'me time'. I buffed, lotioned, potioned  and massaged until I was positively shiny and sparkling and then reset my altar with new red candles,flowers and a heady sensual incense. I then called Goddess in as the Lover Rhiannon/KeRhiannon.

Something I made earlier..

On Saturday, myself and Naomi, one of my circle sisters had arranged to go to a Beltane ceremony organised by The Folkestone Pagan Circle. So, I decided that we needed to look the part and needed garlands for our hair, so I made us one each. Neither of us knew what to expect and were a bit anxious as we didn't know anyone at all or even where we were going. 
We really needn't have worried, we found the group just off the coastal park and were warmly greeted by a group of lovely people following every sort of path you could think of! 

Stone circle at dusk

Still a bit self conscious we donned our garlands  and took our places at the stone circle, a new art feature, put in by the local water company about 10 years ago, now used in a much more suitable fashion!  We thoroughly enjoyed a ceremony on the beach itself, calling in Goddess, all the elements, the elementals, sending love and healing to those who requested it or needed it, (so much love sent to the people of Nepal) toasting Beltane and offering thanks before jumping the Beltane fire with our new friends.

Myself and Naomi feeling like flipping
blooming invincible Pagans!

How excited were we to run round the circle to join in this age old custom, curious onlookers forgotten! Thank you to all the lovely people we met. We walked back to the car along the sea front, head garlands in situ,nodding and smiling at passers by - feeling pretty blooming invincible!

Cer - Ker

All in all a pretty amazing week, I made a lovely Beltane feast for my family, red wine, red onions, red cabbage, red fruit - you get the picture and we toasted a fruitful  and prosperous year, I even got an unexpected 'Blessed be'! 

My day however was topped off earlier, when I was at my friend Lu's House (the lady who came to Kits Coty with me), her 5 year old granddaughter was writing name labels for us all. 

This was her spelling of Claire  - originally I thought it said Cen, when I asked her what it said she said she spelt it out

C-E-R and said it was Care. I am going to say weird now!!

Oh and her name? It's Brooke......

                    Have a Blessed week )0(

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