Beltane Morning

It’s a simple thing, really. Not hard to do or remember. And yet the effects run deep and contribute to the magick of the day. Wash your face in May Day’s morning dew.

Each year on Beltane morning, I go outside in my back yard and find a patch of lawn that the sun has not yet dried.  Crouching down, the dew is cool. I swipe my hands across a swath of grass and moisten my face with it.  If any part of me is still sleeping, this encounter is a sweet and crisp wake-me-up.  The breeze further chills my damp skin and feels astringent. I imagine it does what Pagan lore tells me: I am made beautiful by following this ritual tradition.

Later in the day I get ready to leave for the Beltane ritual. I observe my face in the mirror. The usual critique about how I look begins in my mind's ears, but then I remember this morning and it stops before taking hold. Today I am beautiful because I am cleansed by the magick of morning dew. I still wear lipstick and eye shadow to the event. Color is one of my sensuous delights, after all. But this night I forego the foundation make-up I usually wear to give the illusion that my skin tone is even. The glamour is working and I throw caution to the wind, pin a flower in my hair and give myself a dazzling smile. I have a date with the Goddess!

I gather with others around the Maypole. We are here to celebrate our sensuous natures, to honor the union of our Goddess with Her God, and to weave magick into our lives. Diana's Bow smiles down at us during the after-ritual feast.