{"id":3547,"date":"2015-05-03T16:02:00","date_gmt":"2015-05-03T22:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/?p=3547"},"modified":"2015-05-03T16:02:00","modified_gmt":"2015-05-03T22:02:00","slug":"beltane-an-inclusive-ritual-that-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/2015\/05\/beltane-an-inclusive-ritual-that-works.html","title":{"rendered":"Beltane: An Inclusive Ritual That Works"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Beltane<\/a>Public Pagan ritual is a challenge.\u00a0 Our many arguments over who and what is and isn\u2019t Pagan<\/a> illustrate the wide variety of beliefs and practices of the people who might show up at an open circle.\u00a0 Individual traditions can say \u201cwe\u2019re Gardnerian Wiccans\u201d or \u201cwe\u2019re ADF Druids\u201d and stick strictly to their standard liturgies.\u00a0 As part of the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans, Denton CUUPS<\/a> has a wider challenge.\u00a0 Our rituals reflect the varied beliefs and practices of our members, express UU values, and appeal to a general audience that is often more Pagan-curious than Pagan.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, Beltane presents ample opportunities to do all that without resorting to least common denominator Paganism.<\/p>\n

May is the wettest month in North Texas and we have (thankfully!) had a very wet Spring.\u00a0 But after what seemed like endless\u00a0rain over past few weeks, it stopped last Wednesday.\u00a0 That gave the ground time to dry out and gave us an absolutely beautiful day for our Beltane celebration.\u00a0 Good weather always helps the turnout \u2013 I counted 50 people in the circle.<\/p>\n

As we have done for the past eleven years, we began with an excerpt from Rudyard Kipling\u2019s A Tree Song.<\/em><\/p>\n

Oh, do not tell the Priest our plight,
\nFor he would call it a sin;
\nBut we\u2019ve been out in the woods all night,
\nA-conjuring Summer in!
\nAnd we bring you news by word of mouth \u2013
\nGood news for cattle and corn \u2013
\nNow is the Sun come up from the South,
\nBy Oak, and Ash, and Thorn!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And that led into another local expression of an old tradition, the Maypole Dance.<\/p>\n

\"Beltane<\/a>After the Maypole Dance, we processed between the fires for purification and protection \u2013 another local expression of an old tradition.<\/p>\n

\"Beltane<\/a>We have more polytheists in our group than in most CUUPS chapters \u2013 we usually honor a \u201cdeity of the occasion.\u201d\u00a0 Because it\u2019s Beltane, and because of the Nature emphasis in\u00a0our main working, we honored Cernunnos.\u00a0 But as Cynthia and I were planning the ritual, we had a conversation that went something like this:<\/p>\n

\u201cSince this ritual deals with sovereignty, should we include Morrigan?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s been talking to several of us lately.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd loudly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll include Morrigan.\u201d<\/p>\n

If some of our guests look at this altar and see Goddess and God I\u2019m not going to tell them they\u2019re wrong, but this is pretty much how it happened.<\/p>\n

\"Beltane<\/a>Our main working had a very local connection.\u00a0 Last year a group of concerned citizens of Denton decided that the abuse of the land through fracking had to stop.\u00a0 Some feared for the health and safety of their families.\u00a0 Some were concerned with the pollution of water, soil, and air.\u00a0 Some \u2013 in their own way \u2013 heard the call of Cernunnos and of Morrigan.\u00a0 Through their tireless work a referendum was passed banning fracking within the city of Denton.\u00a0 But now some are trying to overturn that ban, through the courts or through the legislature. \u00a0Their only concern for Nature is how they can exploit it for their own financial gain, with no thought for the people who live here, much less for the land itself.<\/p>\n

As modern Pagans, we use all the resources at our disposal:\u00a0 personal, political, and magical.\u00a0 We asked everyone to come forward, pick up a handful of dirt, put their intentions into the dirt, then pour the dirt around the tree.\u00a0 We blessed and fed the tree so that it may bless and protect us.<\/p>\n

Morrigan and Cernunnos; mighty ancestors; spirits of this place: we ask you to add your magic to ours and bless this tree.\u00a0 May it grow strong and tall.\u00a0 May it be a guardian of the land, protecting the sacred Earth against those who would exploit her.\u00a0 And may it remind us of our connections with each other and with all of Nature.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Beltane<\/a>We followed that with a spiral dance that ended up being more of a snake dance \u2013 whatever you call it, it got people up and moving!<\/p>\n

Our simple feast featured homemade rose petal bread and mead that was a gift from the Louisiana Druids<\/a> (thanks, Richard!).<\/p>\n

As we closed, we reminded everyone that while Denton\u2019s fracking law may be overturned, we did not work magic to protect a law.\u00a0 We worked magic to protect the land.<\/p>\n

Our Beltane was traditional and current, inclusive and polytheist.\u00a0 That\u2019s not always easy, but it can be done.<\/p>\n

\"Beltane<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Denton CUUPS Beltane was traditional and current, inclusive and polytheist. That\u2019s not always easy, but it can be done.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1129,"featured_media":3554,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[75,31,946,669,29,4,5,8],"class_list":["post-3547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ritual","tag-beltane","tag-cernunnos","tag-cuups","tag-denton","tag-morrigan","tag-pagan","tag-paganism","tag-polytheism"],"yoast_head":"\nBeltane: An Inclusive Ritual That Works<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Denton CUUPS Beltane was traditional and current, inclusive and polytheist. 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