What is Beltane? Rituals, meaning and how to celebrate this fire festival

It’s time to bloom

As I set out in my daily morning walk with my son, I can’t help but pause to marvel all that is in bloom right now. Daffodils, cherry blossoms, magnolias, forsythia, violets, dandelions… the list is never ending.

The blossoms burst, May arrives and the energy of Beltane calls us back to our sacred wild. The wheel of the year turns once more to this point of initiation, a rebirth right in between the spring equinox and the summer solstice that brings life to the land and a fire to our hearts.

The earth is awakening and... so are you. If you’ve been feeling that nudge to come alive again, Beltane is your invitation.

What is Beltane?

Beltane (pronounced BEL-tin-ah) is an ancient fire festival celebrated around May 1st. Historically, it honoured fertility, the union of masculine and feminine energies, the returning warmth of the sun and the natural rebirth in the land that comes with it. Bonfires, flower garlands, and Maypole dances were central rituals to this gorgeous festival that touches the hearts of many.  

The Spiritual Meaning of Beltane

Spiritually, it represents the igniting of life. The rebirth that happens organically in the land is also happening within you. If you’ve still been taking it slow and going at a gentle pace until now, then Beltane beckons you to come out of your shell. Witness the land coming alive and let it ignite the fire in your soul.

Today, Beltane offers us a powerful invitation energetically that applies to the body, mind and soul:

• Reclaim your joy and desire. It’s so easy now to fall into autopilot and forget about what we are working towards in our heart. Beltane is a great time to cultivate an environment that nourishes your joy and desires once more.
• Honour your inner fire. Your creative and intuitive energies naturally become stronger with the rebirth of the land, so I welcome you to explore if you want to create something new in your life (hobby or business or just for fun) or if you are suddenly feeling the call from your soul to something more.
• Tend the wildness within that’s been buried under burnout, people-pleasing, or spiritual fatigue. Beltane was the time of year for me that I finally decided to stop the people pleasing burnout train in my life and start living my life for me.
• Start moving intentionally. This is a great time of year to focus on what your physical body is craving. That might be yoga, walking every day, lifting weights, focusing on one specific area of your body like hip mobility and health or posture improvement.

In my course on the Wheel of the Year, I share that Beltane is an annual portal for your soul’s rebirth — a time to say yes to your natural rhythms and innate power in more actionable and intentional ways.

Rituals and Ways to Celebrate

There are countless ways to celebrate this beautiful festival, I always encourage my students to use their intuition to guide them. But here are some ways that might spark your interest or ignite ideas for you:

• Light a Beltane fire. Gather your friends or do it alone and set intentions for your own rebirth.
• Make flower crowns. This is one of my favourite things to do and I love wearing them! Adorn yourself with the earth’s magic.
• Barefoot grounding. The earth is finally warm enough to be barefoot and enjoy it. Let yourself ground and relax with this sacred ritual.
• Shamanic journey. Intention is everything in the shamanic journey, intend to understand what Beltane has to offer you this year.
• Plant seeds of intention. This could be true seeds in your garden or metaphorical ones that you put out into the web of life to begin taking action on your desires.

How I Experience Beltane

Every year is a little different, but most of the time I feel called to do something either alone or with my family. We often go for a walk, look at the local flowers and have a fire on whichever weekend is closest to this date.

Sometimes my husband will buy me some flowers too, as he knows I love fresh flowers in the home, and sometimes I’ll make herbal medicines—my favourite medicines to make this time of year are definitely flower essences. If you want to learn how to do this and dive into the realm of healing with flowers, check out my course The Medicine of Flowers.

Around this time my husband and I talk a lot about what we are working towards in the year and if we feel we are on track or not so that we can regroup or refocus our energy if it’s needed.

I also tend to get a lot of energy this time of year to work on my business and I try to just embrace that as much as possible without taking time away from my family.

Reignite your Wild with me

If you’re feeling a stirring in your soul this Beltane then I welcome you to give any of the above recommendations a try.

You are always welcome to join me in the Wild Rest Circle as well where we like to explore these things regularly throughout the year and with the turning of the wheel. I love sharing seasonal wisdom in there ripe from my own experiences.

Finally, if you really want to go deep into the wisdom of the wheel of the year then I welcome you to join me inside the wheel of the year course. Rituals, ceremonies, shamanic journeys and so much more in alignment with the seasonal shifts. Cyclical living at its finest.

May this wisdom stir something ancient within you. May you walk forward soft, wild, and whole.

With love and soul,
Emily

Did this speak to your heart? Here are some next steps you can take with me:

• Seeking clarity? Download my free Clarity Map
• Listen to a podcast I’ve been on
• Read more personal stories on my substack
• Begin your journey on The Intuitive Path