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Cat’s Morning Bits for May 1, 2020, *Beltane edition
Good Morning Beautiful Souls, grab a cup of your favorite morning brew and start things off with “Today’s Inspirations”. I hope you find something here that will make you feel good or help you on your path today.
Blessings, Cat
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May Events
May 1 Beltane / May Day
May 5 Cinco de Mayo
May 7 Full Flower Moon at 3:45 am PST/ 4:45 am MST/ 6:45 am EST
May 10 Mother’s Day
May 13 Celtic Tree Month of Hawthorn begins
May 14 Moon in 3rd Qtr. at 7:02 am PST /8:02 am MST/10:02 am EST
May 18 Victoria Day (Canada)
May 22 New Moon at 10:38 am PST/ 11:38 am MST/ 1:38 pm EST
May 25 Memorial Day (USA)
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Greenwood Marriage
Come my lover, take ribbon in hand and dance the Maypole round,
Over and under the colors are woven brilliant and breathless in Spring’s warm light.
Come my lover and dance with me, circle the Beltane fires,
A wink and smile as you pass by to make sure that I catch your eye.
Come my lover and walk with me into the magic night
Into the dark and silent trees where our greenwood marriage bed awaits
© Cat/LBolotin 2017
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The Tetraktys: A Beltane Tale to Celebrate With the Fae
Hello witchy friends! Since Beltane is near, I wanted to write a post about it. To be honest, I wasn’t vey inspired by the idea. But then, I had a sudden burst of inspiration. The images came into my head, and the words started flowing.
Now, this isn’t your typical Wiccan post about Beltane. Here, you won’t find any correspondences chart about Beltane. You wont even find a list of things to do for May Day (if you pass way to much time on witchy blogs like myself, you surely know what I’m talking about)
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A CELEBRATION OF MAY DAY : BELTANE by Mike Nichols
“Perhaps it’s just as well that you won’t be here …
to be offended by the sight of our May Day celebrations.”
—Lord Summerisle to Sgt. Howie from The Wicker Man
There are four great festivals of the Pagan Celtic year and the modern Witches’ calendar, as well. The two greatest of these are Halloween (the beginning of winter) and May Day (the beginning of summer). Being opposite each other on the wheel of the year, they separate the year into halves. Halloween (also called Samhain) is the Celtic New Year and is generally considered the more important of the two, though May Day runs a close second. Indeed, in some areas—notably Wales—it is considered “the great holiday
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ThoughtCo: Sacred Plants of the Beltane Sabbat
In most modern Pagan traditions, plants and their folklore are an integral part of belief and practice. In particular, many of the Sabbats are associated with the magical properties of different plants.
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MNN: What to see in the night sky in May
Meteor showers, an ancient comet, the Flower Moon, and more.
That giant sigh you just heard? The collective relief of the Northern Hemisphere that spring with all its beauty, sounds and smells is finally here. It’s also the perfect time for stargazers to throw on little more than a sweatshirt and enjoy warmer evenings of looking up into the heavens.
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Daily Dream Meaning: Rain
1. If the rain is a gentle one, and especially if rainbows are present, this is a positive symbol, foreshadowing the coming of a peaceful interlude and much happiness.
2. If the rain is heavy, this indicates a change in the dreamer’s financial fortunes. Depending on his circumstances, it could be a windfall or a major setback.
3. A major thunderstorm with thunder and lightning indicates a sudden and unexpected increase in wealth, possibly through a legacy.
Astrological parallel: Venus.
Tarot parallel: The Wheel of Fortune
astrology.com
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Patheos Pagan: 8 Things To Do For Beltane As a Solitary Pagan
Many Pagans are solitary practitioners, either by choice or by necessity. But most traditional activities for Beltane are designed for either large groups or for couples (and straight couples at that).
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Today’s DIY: How to Make Beltane Faery Tea
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“The new earth quickens as you rise.
The May Queen is waiting.
Feel the pulsing ground call you to journey,
To know the depths of your desire.
The May Queen is waiting.
Moving through the night, the bright moon’s flight.
In green and silver on the plain.
She waits for you to return again.
Do not keep Her waiting.
Her temper stings if you refuse to taste Her honey.
Surrender as enchantment brings
The first light of dawning.
Move with Her in sacred dance, through fear to feeling.
Bringing ecstasy to those who dare.
Living earth is breathing.
Loving through the night in the bright moonlight,
As seedlings open with the rain.
She’ll long for you to return again.
Do not keep Her waiting.”
– Ruth Barren, The May Queen is Waiting
gardendigest.com
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“What Frolicks are here
So droll and so queer
How joyful appeareth the day
E’en Bunter and Bawd
Unite to applaud
And celebrate first of the May.”
– Song-Chant, circa 1770
gardendigest.com
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EarthSky News: Star-hop to the Hunting Dogs
Tonight, find the Hunting Dogs. The chart above looks directly overhead at nightfall or early evening in May, as seen from a mid-latitude in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s as if we’re viewing the sky from the comfort of a reclining lawn chair,
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Patheos-Pagan: A Solitary Beltane Rite: The Magick of Joining
I realize that the idea of “joining” is pretty far down the list of things that sound like a good idea right now. When I walk past someone on the way to store or when I’m simply out to get a breath of fresh air I give them a wide berth, much wider than the six feet recommended by the CDC.
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Pagan Playlist: Lisa Thiel – Beltane (Lord & Lady Song)
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Inner Journey:
DANCE THROUGH YOUR DAY
“Mix a little foolishness with your serious plans: it’s lovely to be silly at the right moment.”
— Horace
Today, we invite you to do the Take-Your-Time Tango. In his book ‘Games for the Soul,’ Drew Leder challenges us to dance through our days with the graceful, slow elegance of a tango dancer.
“Slow down a notch,” Leder counsels. “Do whatever you do in a calm and leisurely fashion. … As much as possible, don’t be driven by inner fear, external deadlines, or rushed companions to stumble through a speeded-up dance. Act as if you have all the time in the world. Come to think of it, you do: No one else has any more hours.”
So stand (or sit) tall. Raise your chin as you gather your full concentration, dignity and self confidence to glide smoothly and beautifully through the day.
“We look at the dance to impart the sensation of living in an affirmation of life, to energize the spectator into keener awareness of the vigor, the mystery, the humor, the variety, and the wonder of life.”
— Martha Graham
higherawareness.com
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Exemplore: Seven Crystals for Beltane
As we reach the celebration of Beltane, spring has peaked and we are heading into summer. The Earth is warming up and has an energy bursting with strength and fertility.
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Today’s Recipe: Beltane Marigold Custard
Anon
2 cups milk
1 cup unsprayed marigold petals
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. sugar
1 to 2-inch piece vanilla bean
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. rose water
whipped cream
Using a clean mortar and pestle reserved for cooking purposes, pound marigold petals. Or, crush with a spoon. Mix the salt, sugar and spices together. Scald milk with the marigolds and the vanilla bean. Remove the vanilla bean and add the slightly beaten yolks and dry ingredients. Cook on low heat. When the mixture coats a spoon, add rose water and cool.
Top with whipped cream, garnish with fresh marigold petals.
paganlibrary.com
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“The name for the month of ‘May’ has been believed to derive from ‘Maia’, who was revered as the Roman ‘Goddess of Springtime, of Growth and Increase’, and the mother of ‘Mercury’, the winged messenger of the Gods. Yet this is disputed as before these deities featured in mythology the name ‘Maius’ or ‘Magius’, taken from the root ‘Mag’, meaning the ‘Growing month’ or ‘Shooting month’ was used.”
– May Mystical World Wide Web
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Magical Correspondences for Beltane
*Activities and Rituals: fertilize, nurture and boost existing goals, games, activities of pleasure, leaping bonfires, making garlands, May Pole dance, planting seeds, walking one’s property, feasting
*Colors: Red, White, Brown, Pink, Green
*Tools: Broom, May Pole, Cauldron
*Sacred Stones: Emerald, Malachite, Amber, Carnelian, Sapphire, Rose Quartz
*Symbols & Decorations: May Pole, fires, fertility, flowers, growing things, plows, cauldrons of flowers
*Food: Dairy, bread, cereals
*Flowers, Herbs: Lily of the valley, foxglove, rose, broom, Hawthorne, Dittany of Crete, elder, mint, mugwort, thyme, yarrow, almond tree/shrub, clover, ivy, marigold, meadowsweet, rowan, sorrel, woodruff
*Deities: Aphrodite, Artemis, Bast, Diana, Faunus, Flora, Maia, Pan, the Horned God, Venus, and all Gods and Goddesses who preside over fertility.
*Animals: Swallow, dove, swan, cats, lynx, leopard
*Other Names: Cetsamhain (opposite Samhain), May Day, Fairy Day, Sacred Thorn Day, Rood Day, Roodmas (the Christian term for Rood Day, Old Beltane, Beltaine, Beltain, Floriala (Roman feast of flowers from April 29 to May 1), Walpurgisnacht (Germanic-feast of St. Walpurga), Thrimilce (Anglo-Saxon), Bloumaand (Old Dutch)
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Pagan Play List: Huron ‘Beltane’ Fire Dance (Live) – Loreena McKennitt.
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Daily Tarot: The World
Take your place in the World and be in your element all day long. Your practical mind and easy nature let you cruise through the regular maze that is daily life. If anything out of the ordinary arises, you’ll know instinctively how to approach it and resolve things to your satisfaction. Today may not be easy or effortless but it will be rich in success and approval – from yourself and probably others as well.
astrology.com
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About Cat’s Morning Bits: These daily posts are reblogged from various email newsletters that I receive each day.
I invite you to check out my websites!
The Desert Path: The dusty ramblings of a desert pagan. https://thedesertpath.com/
Cat’s Treasure Trove …. an eclectic collection of jewelry & gifts! https://thedesertpath.com
Sacred Spirals (the place where all paths meet)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SacredSpirals/
The Desert Path 
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