Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard

190
be lit using spark from
flint and steel. In ancient
times, great fires
were lit upon hilltops
to signify the coming of
Spring and to pray for an
abundant Summer. Walpurgisnacht
is traditionally
regarded as a night of madness,
when the veil between
the worlds is particularly thin;
it is the opposite hinge of the
year from Samhain, and the beginning
of the Summer half of the
year. In classical times May Eve was
the Festival of Hades, Lord of the
Underworld.
At Annwfn
At Annwfn we hold an all-night ritual
and Bardic on Walpurgisnacht, generally
with a theme involving a journey into the
mythic realm, or Faerie. We hold bawdy May
games to select the Queen and King of the
May, who are crowned as Hornéd Man (Robin)
and Flower Maid (Marion), and who represent the men
and women of our community during their reign (until
Samhain for the King; a full year for the Queen).
Children’s May Games are also held to select a May
Princess and Prince, and the new Royal Court will convene
at festivals throughout the Summer season. During
the year, they visit the homes of the people, bringing
blessings into each.
The maypole dance is, of course, the centerpiece
of Beltaine, and the women prepare the Maypole
crown, the Circle, the Gate, and the hole, decorating
them with ribbons and flowers, while the men go off to
bring in the huge 20’ maypole. The pole is carried in
procession on the shoulders of the men, led by the
King. It is brought through the Gate with great merriment,
crowned, placed in the hole, and raised (it’s anchored
with rocks). Everyone grabs an end of the many
long ribbons hanging from the crown, and we dance
the weaving dance to wrap the pole and the King while
pipers and drummers play a lively beat. The Maypole
Rite is the Sacred Marriage of the new Queen and
King, and he is bound to the pole while she dances
around him.
At Your House
Beltaine is a time of courtship, and if there is someone
you especially like (including your mother), this is
a perfect occasion to give him or her a May basket full
of fresh-picked flowers. Decorate your altar with Spring
flowers and colorful ribbons; use a dark green altar
cloth and candles. Make and wear floral wreaths. This
is the festival of regeneration of the Earth. Express
Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard
love and care to those
close to you; feed each
other in a special ritual
meal. You might even
crown a May Queen and
King.
If you have room in your
backyard, you can put up
a maypole—at least 10’ tall!
Ribbons should be about 1 1/
2 times as long as the pole and
fastened to the top before the
pole goes up. There must be an
even number, and it’s best to have
them in just two colors: red and
green (or red and white). There has
to be one dancer for each ribbon, so
if you only have four people, just use
four ribbons. People alternate ribbon colors,
facing opposite ways: Red turns to
the left, moving deosil (clockwise), and
green to the right, moving widdershins
(counter-clockwise).
You dance the circle by alternately moving
outside and then inside of the people coming
towards you, weaving the ribbons over and then
under theirs in turn. Finally, when the woven ribbons
get too low on the pole to keep dancing, all the dancers
run deosil to wrap the remainder around and tie
them off as a spell for prosperity and growth in the
coming year. Afterwards, when you take down the
pole, you will find that the woven tube of ribbons can
be slipped off the pole like a stocking, and saved as a
special charm for lovers. It makes a great wedding gift!
Lesson 4. Litha
When day is at its longest,
Folk, fields and flocks all thrive;
The sunlight at its strongest
Feeds everything alive.
The stately Birch, most splendid,
Brings all good things within.
The Summer fire is tended
To be the bright sun’s twin.
—Leigh Ann Hussey
Litha (LITH-ah), also called Midsummer, is the Summer
Solstice, about June 21. Litha is the name of a
Saxon grain goddess, cognate with Demeter or Ceres,
and Her festival is one of joy, abundance, and play. It
was Christianized as St. John’s Day. On this longest
day of the year, picnicking, swimming, and water play
are customary, as are bonfires and fireworks in the
evening.
Throughout Europe, lovers clasp hands or toss
flowers to each other across the bonfire, or leap through