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This image was created for the Nature’s Whispers Oracle Deck, created by Josephine Wall and Angela Hartfield.

Whatever you celebrate on May 1st — May Day, Walpurgisnacht or Beltaine — blessings for this magickal day. And for those south of the equator, Samhain Blessings !!!

May 1st is now considered the traditional date for Beltaine for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere (and Samhain for those in the Southern Hemisphere), but it is also a Cross-Quarter date, defined as the precise midpoint between the Equinox and the Solstice… and that date shifts. So, for convenience, many choose to celebrate Beltaine on this well-established fixed date.

But for those who celebrate this cross-quarter day on the astronomical date, this year that falls on May 5th at 19:26 UTC. (Bookmark this link for the “official” dates of other points in the Wheel of the Year http://www.russellcottrell.com/celticdate/)

I love these feasts so much, I tend to celebrate twice!

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Collecting some woodruff

I may start the celebration with a little May Wine, by adding a sprig of fresh woodruff (which I’ll also use in a loose incense formulation for my Beltaine altar) to a glass of chilled wine, or make a May Wine punch with one of these recipes:

🌿🍾From the Northern Shamanism website 
Marinate a handful of freshly dried woodruff in the juice of one lemon and half a bottle of Rhine wine for four hours; then add 6 tablespoons of sugar and another bottle and a half of the wine. Just before serving, add a bottle of seltzer for sparkle, and/or a bit of brandy for a stronger drink.

🌿🍓🍾From the Food.com website 
pickeFr9GOn “true” Beltaine (May 5th), I may try this variation which uses white wine, brandy, champagne (or a sparkling white wine) and strawberries!

What a “spirited” way to begin the Merry Month of May!

Beltaine Blessings !

 

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