Welcoming Beltane with sparkling wine and garden picnics

Hello dear readers,

I write to you from my office today, where the floor is strewn with fabric that was once a bedsheet and will now become both a dress and a wrap skirt. I have with me a mason jar of iced peach tea, and a bowl of raspberries bought just this morning. Outdoors, the garden has flourished in the past couple of weeks, which means it’s nearly time to celebrate Beltane.

As I say every year, I can’t believe how quickly the year has gone. Beltane marks the midpoint between the spring equinox and summer solstice, but I still feel as though spring has just begun. The first weeks of it were cold and miserable, and showed no difference from the weather we saw throughout winter. Now, everything is in bloom, Siberian wallflower and bluebells dotting our yard.

By chance, my sister sent me a reel a few weeks back that talked about Walpurgis Night. Technically, it’s a feast evening/day commemorating Saint Walpurga, an 8th century abbess, but many believe it to be linked to old pagan festivals (ie. Beltane). Many who celebrate now consider it “The Night of the Witches,” and some think of it as another sort of Samhain.

I have never personally celebrated Walpurgis Night, but I always say there’s no time like the present. Samhain has always been one of my favourite holidays, and so, to kick off the season of Beltane, I’ll be treating the night before as a spring Samhain—drinking sparkling wine, having a picnic in the park, and spending time in our back garden, lying among the flowers that have already appeared.

As for Beltane proper: it falls on a Friday, and so after work, I plan to go down to the river and watch the water, and I’m hoping to bake some sort of cake. I’m thinking something of a lemon/strawberry situation, but I’ll see which fruits I find at the grocery store and go from there. Beyond this, I’m realizing I haven’t done a larger tarot spread in a long time, and since we’re nearing the lightest part of the year, there are things I need to check in with myself on (which tarot will hopefully help clarify).

I think that’s all from me today. I’d love to hear how you’re celebrating Beltane this year!

Until next time.

—Catherine

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