Beltane 2021

I made a concerted effort to have a decent Beltane celebration this year. I wanted to make absolutely sure it was more than just décor and food.

Food-wise, this Beltane coincided with one of Brandon’s and my longstanding traditions: the Annual Unseasonable Picnic. Back when this tradition started – and I really don’t know when that was, but at least six years ago – the picnic wasn’t meant to be unseasonable. We were just unreasonably optimistic about what time of year worked for a picnic. Since then, it’s become more of a deliberately unseasonable, can’t-wait-to-get-outdoors-after-a-long-winter, playing-chicken-with-the-weather, how-long-can-we-sit-at-the-picnic-table-before-we-need-to-get-back-in-the-car-to-finish-our-lunch event. The menu is always the same: egg-salad sandwiches, pesto pasta salad, potato chips and French onion dip, fresh strawberries, lemonade, and brownies for dessert. In normal years we take the picnic to Caledonia on the Grand River. Since we were in lockdown this Beltane, the Unseasonable Picnic took place on the patio. While there have been some warm days here and there, Beltane wasn’t one of them. So true to form, we ate our first helping on the patio and then moved inside to warm numb fingers and eat the rest of our dinner.

  It’s always amazing to me how much easier the Unseasonable Picnic gets every year. A big part of that is moving to a place with a dishwasher – the picnic involves a lot of messy food prep! – and the other big part is just developing better time-management skills. It’s weird to think that my adult brain wasn’t fully formed when this tradition began, but it’s true.

  Décor-wise I’m falling down on the job: I cut out the pieces for a Beltane bunting a long time ago but I still haven’t sewn the bunting. The ribbon part of the bunting is orange but I don’t have any orange thread on a bobbin, and nor do I have any more bobbins. I should just get more bobbins, but in the meantime the Ostara bunting still looks nice.

  Most importantly, I made time for ritual this Beltane. I attended both the UTAO online ritual (hosted by John Beckett) and the Denton CUUPS online ritual (hosted by John Beckett and his UU Pagan cohort). I also spend some time in meditation before the rituals, reflecting on Cernunnos and listening for His voice. It had been a while since I’d engaged in any kind of deep spiritual practice and I was reminded of how important it is. I was also reminded of how important it is to make that practice consistent and frequent. I didn’t gain any stand-out spiritual insight, but I wasn’t expecting to after so long away from regular meditation and prayer. I’m still struggling to maintain a regular schedule that includes prayer, meditation and journaling. I was doing great until we got a puppy. Now my practice has been derailed for the last two months. It’s important to me, though, and I’m trying to get back to it.

  I have been spending a decent amount of time outside in nature, but not enough. Surprisingly (to me, anyway), it’s harder to get regular outdoor exercise when one has a puppy. I’m sure adult dogs are great for motivating people to go on walks, but puppies who aren’t leash-trained – and may or may not even be able to keep up with an avid human walker – require so much extra work that an after-work or after-dinner walk necessarily becomes a big logistical deal. Add in the logistics of avoiding other people during a pandemic and getting out for a walk becomes pretty stressful. It’s always worth it, though, of course. Spring is my favourite season and spring is at its peak around Beltane. I absolutely love walking regularly so I can see the near-daily changes in nature and in people’s gardens. Flowers bloomed several weeks earlier than usual this year. Beltane would probably normally occur during the height of daffodil season but instead it’s the height of tulip season right now and most of the daffodils have already wilted. I planted bulbs in my garden last fall and it’s been absolutely delightful seeing the abundance of early plants come to life. As they begin to fade, the native perennials will take their place. Having a garden has been a really rewarding way to mark seasonal change.

  I’m glad I allowed myself to take some time away from this blog, and even gladder that I reflected on what was keeping me from blogging and from spiritual engagement. While I remain realistic – there will always be ebbs and flows – I’m confident that I can keep up this writing and reflection practice as long as I don’t put way too much pressure on myself to create something perfect every time.