Celebrating Beltane During Ramadan

There have been so many posts about Beltane these days everywhere in the blogosphere that it seemed madness not to write something about this date. It is one I like a lot because of its symbolism as a festivity about abundance, freedom, and pleasure, topics I like to explore in different things as a way to know myself better. However, this year felt different because now I know Beltane will occur during Ramadan. How do you celebrate excess and pleasure during a month of fasting and effort?

The answer came right away, almost as soon as I asked myself that question. I don’t need to enjoy something in excess to know that I like it. To simply enjoy it in a moderate manner is enough, it is also an opportunity to discover what other things I could like, what preferences have been dormant while the others I know more about take control of me.

There are a few questions and prompts I would like to work with during the coming days, and if you want to walk with me in this path of discovery until Beltane comes (May 1, in case you’re wondering), here they are for you to work on them as well. See them as a week-long self-discovery exercise until that day. Obviously, you can work with a different set of questions, or use more than five if you want to. The idea is to keep asking Why as much as possible, so we can go to the root of the issue:

1. What gives you pleasure?
2. How worthy of pleasure do you feel?
3. When do you feel free during the day?
4. Where do you feel more abundant during the day?
5. Are you a creator in some way?

You can either meditate, journal, talk to yourself or work with these questions in any way you feel comfortable. Also, it is up to each one of us whether to share their results or not. I myself am not sure if I will be so public about these reflections, but the idea is to feel connected to the energy of Beltane even during Ramadan, and I don’t think both dates exclude each other, but explore the idea of pleasure through different lenses.

While Beltane invites you to experience it, almost without limits but in a legal, responsible manner, Ramadan invites you to limit it as much as possible and find other ways to experience it. One could say the first is more earthly while the latter is more spiritual, but most of us Witches and Pagans know both ideas are not opposites either and that how much or how little pleasure you get doesn’t determinate which type of it you experience.

Beltane has been called the sexy holiday, and for good reasons, but we should work to change that and make it more inclusive, different, and varied. This festivity is not only about those three words, it is not only about reproduction and desire. It is about freedom, happiness, positivity, joy, and more. However, as above so below, as within so without. The biggest of changes begins inside.