The Fire That Awakens: A Beltaine Story of Blossoms, Owls, and Sovereignty

Meet Blodeuwedd, the flower maiden and owl-witch.

Welcome to this edition of Walking the Liminal!

I love honoring the traditions of the eight Celtic/Pagan Sabbats. My prior posts can be found in the Wheel of the Year tab of my stack. Today, welcome to Beltaine! Blessings to you all!

The Wheel…

The wheel turns again… Ahhh the peak of springtime! Where I live nature is painting with an incredible palette of color. A spectrum of brush strokes, accented by the many sweet fragrances that fill the air. Roses, irises, petunias, lavender, sage, and other flowers in my garden are harmoniously singing as an amazing expression of beauty.

Bird are building nests, bees are buzzing, life is humming with magic. A time of fertility within this cycle of life.

Beltaine

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we arrive at Beltaine, the midpoint between the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. A Celtic fire festival of fertility, honoring the earth as it bursts into full bloom and life is humming with vitality. Where the sparks of creativity and flames of passionate sensuality manifest as the sacred marriage.

An entanglement that mirrors our deep interconnection. The sacred union of sun and soil, god and goddess, spirit and flesh. Beltaine invites us to awaken to our bodies, our longings, our joy. To celebrate life in all its fullness of expression with unbounded joy and holy YES.

Being that the veil between the worlds is thin, now is the time to light our fires, both within and without. To dance the spiral of becoming, answering the call of the wild, to enter the liminal, and enchanted realm, for it beckons.

ANCIENT TIMES

In ancient times, the Celtic people lived in deep harmony with the land and its rhythms. Beltaine marked the beginning of summer. Bonfires (Teineigens) were lit to offer protection and blessings through their smoke and heat. Cattle were led through the smoke for fertility and health, and couples handfasted, leapt over flames to seal their year-long vow. The night burned bright with firelight, feasting, and dancing. In gratitude, bannock (a traditional cake made from eggs, butter, oatmeal, and milk) was offered to the faeries and to the earth. At dawn, embers were carried home to rekindle their hearths.

SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE

In the southern hemisphere it’s Samhain, the Witches New Year. The wheel has made it full rotation, beginning anew. It’s a time when the veil is thin, and ancestors are welcomed to celebrate alongside the living. May your fires bring warmth to your hearts and bodies. And may your connection with the other side be one of healing and connection.

THE MOON & OBSERVANCES

Beltaine is the midpoint between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice.

• Traditional date is the eve of April 31st through May 1st

• Astronomical observance is May 4th at 10:49 pm PST.

The moon begins as a waxing crescent in Gemini, moves through Cancer, and reaches First Quarter in Leo by the morning of May 4th. At the astronomical moment, the moon is in Leo, as a waxing gibbous.

What this means: The waxing moon signals growth and opening. In Gemini it’s a good time to explore your dreams, connections with playfulness. In Cancer to deepen into the home, to nurture yourself. The Sun and Moon are in harmony.

At the First Quarter, the Sun in Taurus squares the Moon in Leo. A tension between stability and indulgence as well as practicality and desire. The invitation is to integrate: rooting your earthy needs with your creative passions. What’s typically a challenge becomes the perfect spark for Beltaine’s celebration.

Blodeuwedd: Flower Maiden and Owl-Witch

Art by Jenny Dolten

Blodeuwedd (pronounced BLOD-ay-weth) is a Goddess woven into being from the springtime blossoms of the land. Created by the magician Gwydion as a bride for his nephew, Lleu Llaw Gyffes. In some renditions it’s said she was formed from the blooms of oak, broom, and meadowsweet. Others add six more: chestnut, nettle, corn cockle, bean, primrose and hawthorn. Each flower bestowing sacred qualities, like strength, wisdom, resilience, beauty, love and vitality.

Her creation was an act of defiance. Lleu’s mother, Arianrhod, the Celtic sky Goddess, had cursed him so he could never have a name, armor, or a human wife, conditions that barred him from sovereignty. Through cunning and enchantment, Math and Gwydion lifted the first two curses. Blodeuwedd broke the third curse.

Though Lleu loved her and gained kingship and the respective lands through their union, Blodeuwedd did not return his love. She did, however play the role of dutiful wife. How could she not, when she had been shaped for that very purpose? (Echoes of Eve linger here.)

But her soul stirred when a band of hunters sought shelter at the castle. Blodeuwedd enamored by their leader, Gronw Pebr, feel in love with him. Awakening a wild, passionate love she didn’t even know was possible. Together they conspired to kill Lleu, but Lleu was protected by powerful magic. Instead of dying, he transformed into an eagle and fled to the skies. Gwydion followed him, healing his wounds and restoring his form.

When they returned, Gwydion punished Blodeuwedd by transforming her into an owl. Banished from the daylight, condemned to the shadows, to forever mournfully cry out for her lost love. A fitting fate, they say, for betrayal.

Art by Anita Inverarity

From a sacred feminine perspective, this is tale of awakening, a myth of true becoming.

Though shaped by men, Blodeuwedd was born of the wild earth. Carrying the essence of the land and the ancient roots within her. Her love for Gronw marks her return to herself, to her agency. Her “betrayal” was not a moral failing, but a refusal to remain in the mold she was given.

Becoming an owl was not a curse, it’s a symbol of the feminine: wise, intuitive, mystical, mysterious and aligned with the underworld. Blodeuwedd stands among Lilith, Inanna and Persephone, Goddesses of descent, rebellion, and rebirth.

Blodeuwedd shows us that awakening may come at a cost, but the price of silence is far greater.

• She represents the journey from object to sovereign.

• She reminds us that wildness is the root of feminine wisdom.

• She teaches us that awakening and change often begins with disobedience.

So, we don’t ask: “Was she right or wrong?” It’s neither. Instead let’s ask, “What within me is ready to awaken from the form I was shaped into?”

POEM…

I was not born of
blood and bone
but of petal, oak leaf
and herb of nettle.
Molded and shaped into
a women, a wife.

They called me beautiful,
obedient,
a gift.

Perfect as a manicured garden.
Always blooming.
Continually blossoming.

Yet, I never wilted,
never faded.
I was forever absent
from the cycles.

Flowers are fundamentally wild.
It’s their nature to come and go.
I may have kissed the sun,
but I fell in love with the shadow.

Let them say I betrayed them.
Let them banish me to the dark.
Let them think I’m sorrowful.

I know what it means
to take flight without permission,
to be my own sovereign,
to live from mystery and magic.

I bloom for myself.
I am free.

Celebrating Beltaine

Last year’s altar

There are many ways to celebrate Beltane:

• Create a Beltaine altar.

• Gather flowers and place them around your home.

• Take a bath in flower petals and herbs.

• Clean your house and purify it with herbal smoke.

• Bake bannock cakes.

• Make love.

• Do an oracle/tarot reading. (If you like you can use the questions listed below.)

• Take a walk in nature.

• Do a ritual honoring Blodeuwedd ↴

RITUAL: “The Bloom and the Flight”

You will need:

• A flower (real or symbolic)

• A feather (or a symbolic item representing the owl)

• A candle

• Paper and pen

Ritual Steps:

1. Prepare the Space: Light the candle and place the flower and feather before you. Standing or sitting comfortably, take a moment to simply breathe and be present.

2. Invoke Blodeuwedd: “Blodeuwedd, flower of dawn, owl of dusk. You who were shaped by others and broke free, be with me now as I claim my blooming and inner knowing.”

3. Reflect and Journal: Ask yourself these questions, letting whatever arises move through you. Pay attention and release any judgment that may arise:

   • What part of me has been shaped by others’ expectations?

   • What desire within me is stirring, wild and true?

4. Offer the Flower: Hold the flower to your heart. Whisper into it a truth about your blooming. Something you're ready to embrace or awaken in yourself. Then lay it on one side of the candle.

5. Call the Owl: Pick up the feather and say: “I do not fear the night. I become it. I take flight with my own wings.” Then whisper into the feather what your longings and desires. Then place the feather on the other side of the candle.

6. Closing: Within the silence and open heart, receive. When you feel complete blow out the candle. Place the rose and feather somewhere sacred as a reminder of your power to choose your path and bloom on your own.

JOURNAL & TAROT PROMPTS

• Divine Feminine, what is moving within?

• Divine Masculine, what is moving outward?

• How can I unite these energies?

• What are my inner fires of passion and creativity calling me to?

• What must I release to fully embody this vitality?

• What wildness wants to dance through me this season?

BLESSING

May this time of Beltaine bring a burst of new creativity,
showering you with blossoms of fresh inspiration and delight.
May you be rejuvenated by the warm fires of aliveness,
kindling joy and opening new portals of passionate discovery.
May you heart be open as you dance with life.
And may the darkness be a sweet homecoming to your intuition
and the ancient wisdom that lives within your bones.
Blessed Be.

I offer both tarot readings and personalized one-on-one sessions. Both designed to support and nurture your inner journey, helping you gain deeper insight into the movements of your life. If you're interested, feel free to reach out to me via direct message or email. Love and Blessings to you!

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For more information about the liminal and my offerings:

Please go to: https://www.liminalwalker.com/

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