What about Beltane??

What about Beltane??

Hmm …..

I shall stifle a desire to say: “Well yeah so what the fuck about it!?” as an answer – even though as far as succinct answers go this would be fairly accurate at least in one way.

Depending on who you talk to, where their ideas originated from you can hear that this is the time of purification by fire, return of fertility, divine marriage and so on and back again. This largely depends on where in Europe your idea parents lived – or where in England. What this means is that the meaning of this particular “festival” is based in a SORT OF seasonal progression that was TEMPERED by GEOGRAPHY.

Don’t even BOTHER attempting to point out that the “Wheel of the Year” is handed down seasonal calendar dates from the mists of time blah blah blah – cause that is BOLLOCKS. The whole “Wheel of the Year” deal is a mish mash of poorly resurrected harvest and astrological dates from all over the place cobbled together by those with little understanding of either them or their significance.

Well here is the trick – I don’t live in Europe! Odds are, neither do you! So why on the Great Horned God’s Green Earth would you ponce about pretending like you do!? The fact is that Witches have always taken whatever they can find and then “tweaked” it here and there until it fits the purpose they have in mind. In case you didn’t spot it from the last couple of paragraphs that is exactly what was done with various bits and pieces of “local colour” to produce the “Wheel of the Year” – I hope ol’ “Doctor G” got sixpence on each of ‘em!

So what do we have? We have these ideas about “Beltane” that you can see up the top there and we need to fit them to where we are living – so they are relevant. Without this it is all “just panto” and we are the proverbial “horses ass”. Let’s start with “when to do it”.

Some people undoubtedly look at that sweet lil calendar supplied by so many books and magazines these days and say: “Well we are in the Southern Hemisphere so let’s arse about all the names!” If you simply do this then you will be tempted to place it squarely on Hartz Night (see previous post). Well and good enough sometimes I expect BUT NOT ALWAYS.

Consider this year, (2005) the night of October 31 is the very last sliver of the Moon. The Moon will not be full again until the 26th of November and will not even reappear until the 3rd! Now I ask you, how much in line with the symbology of “the fire, fertility and divine marriage” do you reckon the Dark Moon is? About as slim as the chances of me composing a text that doesn’t offend someone!

It makes a hell of a lot more bloody sense to celebrate Beltane with the return of the Moon don’t you think! It would make even MORE sense therefore if you celebrated Beltane with the rising of the SUN … AFTER the Dark Moon!!!

Now let’s look a little bit closer again. Earlier on I said: “Depending on who you talk to, where their ideas originated from you can hear that this is the time of purification by fire, return of fertility, divine marriage and so on and back again. This largely depends on where in Europe your idea parents lived – or where in England.”

Where I live, I am exceedingly lucky to have some other fairly clear-cut signposts to obviate this turning point and the wit to spot them. Here about this time we all start to get (for the first time) well and truly sick and bloody tired of the weather. Lately it has been getting increasingly unseasonably hot. You see we get this first wee blast sneaky-peek of the Summer to come. To be blunt, even though it is not the height of Summer yet - it gets as hot as a bastard. There is the first hint. You sweat like there is no tomorrow and find yourself thinking, “It’s not even December yet!” The Sun’s time is all but here and this is the herald thereof.

The next dead give away is the fact that it is now that we get the first real summer storms. It gets damn hot, the air becomes thick and soupy, and then there comes an almost electric tension in the air. There is a blast of deceptively soothing cool wet air. The air tingles and then the thunder roars as lightning flashes across the sky and the winds howl. The rain sheets down (last Thursday we got 50 mm in a half hour – think about it!) This tends to happen at the very least once a week. The grass and every green thing that has been all but scorched brown suddenly flashes green and shoots upward almost over night while others are battered and smashed to death. All of which would be the second hard to bloody miss hint.

Then of course there is the obvious statement I made earlier. Here you get two pretty bloody obvious mnemonic hints to start your atrophied brain a-working and then you are required to actually USE THE DAMN THING. So we find ourselves thronged about by Halloween merchandising – hello Hartz Night! The steps to follow are fairly simple:

It is Hartz Night – What is the Phase of the Moon?
When is the next Dark Moon?
Plan toward the Dawn after it.
Note the sign it is in and any proximate planets etc to know what will occur and what work to do (oops! That is for the advanced classes – we’ll get on to that at a later date!)

But what to actually DO for Beltane!? Ok, for those of you who really need something a bit more structurally complex than the answer: “Come so hard with your lover that when you scream it hurts your throat!” I have actually lashed together a little something.

Beltane

I tire my children and fear my time runs low for even though the days grow long; still there is much left to be done. Each day I awake and see - there is much yet to be done. Thankful am I that the Father is bright with strength.

The Gates return whence they were and those gone before have returned their ways. Now is the time of men and the sweat of work hangs heavy on my brow. Grateful am I that she brings to me with comfort warm and wet – cool and balm. Strength I spend and strength I gain – and reason for both in the sharing.

I see the signs, I read the omens and already our wishes have taken root in the present. Togetherness brings joy and this is a strength to wash all the earth. The day comes long but at the end is relief and the anticipation of the is to be.

Our time of darkness, has taught us well within the cold times of our reflection. It was a good time of wondrous memory and learning. Now the time has come to test all that we have learnt. We have enjoyed our time of rewarded plenty and now comes the time of striving. Now we will continue. Remembering always that the mighty dead are with us - we strive forward in all courage into the realm of light - here to meet with all that we have learned the tests that the path has in store for us.

We see the works of the Wheel, bringing our paths before us.
We see to whom it leads but not the trials you hide before us.
We feel your fire in our breast and loins.
Our eyes shine with your glory.
As our designs come to fruit so will we plant the seed of joy by root and stock.
Such was our beginning and so will it burn until it consumes us at the end of our days.
Such is as it should be for it is your will that it is and I am your own.

Now our Lord ascends among us.
He comes to give us the advice we need to triumph in this time not our own.
Speak Lord for we are your Children and we recognise your wish for us to prosper.
We ask that you visit us in our dreams and bestow your wisdom upon us.

You might ask that the wisdom of the Master and the dream of the King be with all.

After this you might light a fire within a hole in the ground.
Perhaps you might cook your food over it and bury a portion in with the coals with the rising of the sun.

Perhaps then you may go about your day in strength.

Hartz Night

Walpurga – Hartz Night

I first heard of the Great Sabbat Night as “Walpurgis Nacht” which to me, (hey I was still a kid afterall!!) sounded perfectly awesome in a spooky kind of way. Sounded just like the sort of thing I would have expected it to be.

Later on I discovered the fabulous story of Faust being taken to the Hartz Mountain for the Sabbat. There was a beautiful painting of the sabbat, which really stuck in my mind. It was an excellent visual for me. I used it often for my beginning visualizations that eventually led me to the Sabbat.

Later again I discovered that “Walpurgis Nacht” should perhaps be “Walpurga’s Night” and that it was named after a nun. Bummer. The good news of course was that it had been around longer than the church and was actually one of those “the darkest hour is just before dawn” witch meets wherein the veil is used for specific purpose before getting on with other work of (perhaps) a more constructive nature.

(I don’t particularly feel like going into how “I feel the attribution in the Northern Hemisphere of this to Samhain is only half a misunderstood story acceptable really only to people who haven’t really thought it through – much less experienced the points in time” – maybe later on at the appropriate time!)

So why do I call it “Hartz Night”? Well ok, for a start I think it is probably a joke to call it “Walpurga’s Night” … hey I didn’t know her personally so I couldn’t say. So I figure let’s strip away the roots that seem sunk in the wrong soil …. Not Walpurga’s sorry … but the Hartz Mountains have ever been a center of Witch activity and a place of power (perhaps) even longer!

Curious that it should sound like “Heart’s Night” and that is perhaps a mystery for some to investigate … for myself I know that I agree with something a dear friend of mine said on a list (and before that here, there and everywhere!) where she made the point that her line has always considered it a night to remember their “cousins” and send their love to all. What she did not say explicitly but I well know is implicit IN this statement is the way I have always viewed the date.

You see as far as I am concerned, she is definitely right in saying that this night is on the same date no matter where you are on the planet. (After all let us not forget that some of the dates touted these days were harvest based but some ARE NOT!) While I certainly have no argument with the interpretation she uses I tend to be more blunt.

“Hartz Night” is the night for the party. It is the night when the witches get together “out and about” to use the old phrase (not actually exactly the same as “Astral” actually though I am hard pressed to tell you exactly HOW it is different!!) On this night we think kindly of all those who have gone before us – the famous witches of our lines and others who helped make the way for us. We think kindly of those who have shaped our lives in whatever way, (not an easy task to think kindly of those who generally you may despise!) and those who are of us in the now. Basically, it is a time to have a bit of a party with those who are to hand and take a moment to remember all those who could not make it to the party – for whatever reason. It is generally the case that you wind up seeing them all at the party “out and about” later on.

At this party many things happen and you can bet that the Sabbat is as lively these days as ever. The drink is strong and the food is good. The company is like any extended family “get together” and carousing, learning and work all happen as they should.

That it happens on the same night is an interesting thing because you will undoubtedly find much hiding possible due to the insistence of some for the whole “Halloween” biz which is a wonderful updating of the power of the night with all the work details taken out. Oh yes the veil is thin and oh yes so many spooky things are possible and oh yes the spooky walk the earth – but the actual use and reason is hidden from those who should not know – just as it OUGHT TO BE.

Another interesting point is that while it generally begins as something you will celebrate on the date in question (October 31) you will eventually discover that if you are attuned just right – it may not actually happen on the day you expect! This is due to the fact that you are actually being called when it is happening – as opposed to doing it at the agreed time. More than this is something of a mystery that when you discover for yourself and understand you will find just one more thing that tells you – it was not just a dream but rather a very real thing.

But what do I actually DO on Hartz Night? you may ask ....

My advice to you is to make a scrapbook of pictures and brief summaries in your own hand of all those witches that have gone before and those far away as I said earlier. You should spend some time sitting and talking with each one - maybe you will have a drink together, maybe you will just sit together. When you have done all of this and gained what insights each might have for you - you might burn the pages and stand in it's smoke.

After this you should either go to the Sabbat or go out and party like there is no tomorrow.

Either way you will see those you miss. Either way your heart will be the lighter with the dawn.

They say that home is where the heart is and maybe home is where the Hartz are – just for one night.