Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard

be lit using spark from

flint and steel. In an-

cient times, great fires

were lit upon hilltops

to signify the coming of

Spring and to pray for an

abundant Summer. Wal-

purgisnacht is traditionally

regarded as a night of mad-

ness, when the veil between

the worlds is particularly thin;

it is the opposite hinge of the

year from Samhain, and the be-

ginning 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 con-

vene at festivals throughout the Summer season. Dur-

ing the year, they visit the homes of the people, bring-

ing 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 merri-

ment, crowned, placed in the hole, and raised (it’s an-

chored 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 some-

one 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

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 col-

ors, 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 danc-

ers 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 Sum-

mer 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

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