***
Narrator: "There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call..." The Higherside Chats,yo!
What a strange & bizarro last few days this has been! Hope you all are well.
For all the non-pagans in the room, have you ever heard of BELTANE ?? Some spell it Beltaine with an "i". Both are acceptable spellings.
I'll save you the trouble & link the word to the wiki page. It's not that complicated,though.
In a nutshell, it is our celebration of the Summer Season & all that entails, as oppose to Samhain (Halloween), which is a FAR more solemn occasion for honoring our dead.
In the olden days,as well as today, the night before is for piling the logs onto the Walpurgisnacht fires & sending our cares/concerns/saddness into the flames to be rendered void & into ash. This can be an INTENSELY moving ceremony, not unlike the HEART CIRCLES of my direct roots, the Radical Fae.
I can recall many,many hours on Walpurgisnacht night when the Tribe had gathered on the Land in Southern Oregon (also sanctuaries in New Mexico & Tennessee) to let go of, as a GROUP, all those heavy mental/emotional/spiritual/physical baggages into the massssssive, blazing BONFIRE!
May 1st, the following day,you
are probably more familiar with. Have you seen people dancing around a big pole holding strings of ribbon tied to the pole on cartoons or in movies & wondered what it was?
THAT is the May Pole.
It's a real thing
with real meaning.
I'll skip the obvious dick joke here & just tell you how very important this is to any Beltane Ritual.
Every year, we take down the old Pole & every year, we strike into our portion of Oregon forest to select & chop down a new, gigantically tall May Pole for the current year's ceremony. This is vitally allegorical!
Other ceremonies accompany the main ritual, such as selecting the May Queen & Stag King & perhaps the BEST ONE OF THEM ALL - THE TEA CEREMONY!
But, i'm not exactly sure how much of that I can go into without getting into too much trouble in places.
Just think: 17 gallons of magick Lipton made from 17 lbs of magick..errr, Lipton tealeaves, yeah-that's it..tea leaves. 😉
& Then all the HUNDREDS upon HUNDREDS of us gathering around the May Pole to dance our ecstatic dance-ribbons in hand,any way we see fit, under the gorgeous,Yellow rays of the incoming Summer Sun.
Burning Man has NOTHING on a Faerie Beltane. Not ONE damn thing!
Having experienced both, I can certainly testify. Biases excluded.
(Sorry,my dear old Scrotumento friend & BRC GateMaster- Mr. Ira Wing. *mwah)
It is a true-ly beautiful sight to behold. Everyone flowing around smiling,as we enjoy the private 88 acres dedicated specifically for these types of gatherings.
Beltane is just a few days away & my brothers,sisters & EVERYTHING-in-between are RIGHT THIS MINUTE,outside, gathering on the Land to get some work done before everybody descends into WOLF CREEK for our annual communal practice,transmuting the typical shit-stain-Off-the-Freeway into a Multi-Colored,Multi-Gendered, Multi-Dimensional Event to Behold. This event is OPEN to the public.
In full disclosure,
I am an active member of Nomenus.Org.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMore_Dxuis
This is the legal 501c of West Coast Radical Faerie Movement & the responsible party for the above-described events.
My family name there is HELIX.
**So, if you do end up going - Just tell'em HELIX sent you. I promise, they will take good care of you during your stay. Especially, if it is your first time to anything like this. One of our guides or a friendly Zombie Nurse can prove quite helpful=)
Now,folks, I'm not here to plug them or any other group specifically, just letting you know in the interest of full disclosure & to ENCOURAGE you to seek these places out if you feel the Call to do so.
It is put out into the Aether every year by VERY INTENTIONAL Earthy magick to be heard by those with ears to hear & eyes to see.
Allow your curiosity to be the guide & have the courage to take a step into the current yet ancient celebration known as Beltane.
Cheers & Happy Summertime!
Photo Source: www.kwailam.com (photography may contain nudity)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmmzxq_IBxY
Our Very Own -The Always Hilarious, Piwacket
Extraordinaire as KimmieJo UstaCould
I dare ya to ask him what "Chubby Bunny" is? =D =D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmFmkmngTqo
#real
