(^148) A Wiccan Bible
Bealtaine Incense
4 parts Frankincense
2 parts Gum Arabic
2 parts Sandalwood
1 part Jasmine
1 part Rosemary
Bealtaine Oil
8 drops Frankincense
6 drops Rosemary
4 drops Rose
1/2 cup base oil
Solitary/General—Bealtaine is a fertility celebration of the third order of life and
the first Holiday of Summer in the same way Samhain is the first Holiday of Winter. As
a result, Bealtaine is sometimes cited as the point where the Light and Dark Halves of
the year are split. The line is drawn on the Wheel of the Year between Bealtaine and
Samhain. However, keeping with the theme that the Holidays are marked at the end of
their season and observing the fact that we see rather clear lore that Bealtaine was
celebrated at different points on the Wheel, most notably at Spring Equinox, I choose
to recognize Bealtaine as the season that begins at Spring Equinox and is celebrated on
this day. Thus, rather than drawing a line from the day of Bealtaine to the day of Samhain
to separate Summer and Winter, I draw the line 45 degrees earlier, separating the two
seasons at the beginning of the Bealtaine season.
More than any other association, this is a celebration of human fertility, but do not
confuse that fertility with sex. Certainly, sex is an aspect of this Holiday that is rarely
ignored, but when we say Wicca is a fertility religion we mean only that we use sex or
symbolic sex (ritual) to illustrate what is really going on. No more is the actual Great
Rite a reference to sex than it is a reference to the union of athame and chalice. The
real Great Rite in Wicca is the mingling of souls, and the real fertility of Wicca is that
which comes from the mingling of those souls. It is in that order of fertility that we
receive the hidden knowledge of the magickal child, that which is conceived in union—
not a physical manifestation of fertility (a baby), but that which is fertility itself, Love.
That, my friend, is what Bealtaine is all about. Love in the order of romance.
Couples—Far be it for me to dictate love sport or the way that couples express
their mind and soul with their body, but I will make suggestions in the hopes that you
understand the nature of this Holiday. Yes, it is associated with sex but it is more so
associated with the chase and game of courtship. It is a playful Holiday and with that in
mind, I suggest the following sport. However, feeling very much that the first time a
couple makes love should be unrehearsed, I suggest these activities only to lovers al-
ready initiated to each other.
Sometimes called Lover’s Bealtaine (Beltane), this is a day of love sport. Yes, I did
say sport. It is a time to make a game of the art and act of physical love. If you want to
p WB Chap 08.p65 148 7/11/2003, 5:52 PM
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