Happy Beltane! Over the past few years, this holiday has quickly become one of my favorites. The time of year that marks the midpoint between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice, Beltane has been celebrated for hundreds of years by people of the Celtic origin as one of fertility, bounty, beauty, life's inherent richness, and its full flowering. Great celebrations and festivals were held at this time of year (and they still are!) to commemorate the full-blown return of life's abundance. Perhaps it's because I'm living in Canada, and Spring doesn't seem real until about now, or perhaps it's because I've made peace with a part of myself that truly honors the flowering of Life and the divine feminine. Or maybe it's a bit of both!

As a 5-year-old girl, I remember celebrating my first Beltane, also known nowadays as May Day, with a Maypole ritual. This is a representation of the the coming together of the Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine energies with the strong and steady pole symbolizing the Masculine, and the beautifully colored ribbons wrapped around the pole representing the Feminine. Little did I know how much this would impact me decades later as I looked to rediscover the roots of my ancestors in Celtic tradition.

The connection of this time of year to Taurus, Venus, and Lakshmi, whose season Beltane always falls within, is quite a lovely one. Taurus is an energy that honors the peace and ease, the tranquility and serenity that can be found by slowing down and simply taking the time to revel in what is present. Taurus delights in experiencing life through the senses and knows how to savor every facet of this experience. It invites us to feel life through our fingertips and awaken all of our senses: the way a petal or leaf holds a droplet of water right after a fresh rain; the way that a bouquet of freshly picked flowers enlivens our senses when we put our noses close; the way that our lover's caress feels when we are fully embraced. Taurus seeks to experience life in these ways. Because it's the first of the Earth signs, it truly honors the Earth herself and all of the blessings that she provides: the food that we prepare and eat to nourish ourselves; the amazing trees that we commune with when we spend time in Nature; the feeling of planting and sinking our bare feet in the grass or sand. Taurus has a deep need to feel close with burgeoning Life, especially at this time of year.

As well, Taurus is healed when it recognizes that there IS an abundance in our lives as they are in the present moment. When in balance, it knows that life has a richness and a sweetness to it, and it wants us to delight in these qualities. By simply acknowledging and deeply appreciating the inherent beauty that lives in the people around us, the situations we create and encounter, the Earth's bounty, as aforementioned, Taurus is satiated and fulfilled. Whether it's the beauty of a child's smile or the power of a song that moves our hearts, the stuff of life always provides content in which we can find beauty. As I was spending time with a dear friend this afternoon, we stood in the rain while the sun simultaneously shone its brilliance and cast a radiant light over everything, even through the mini rainstorm! Our impulse was the same: we both drank in the moment, standing still to revel in the full experience that it provided. This is what Taurus wants! This is what Venus and Lakshmi as governing energies serve to remind us: that 'shri,' the inherent beauty that lives in all things, is always present. When we see and honor this inherent beauty, sweetness, and abundance, celebrating the gift of life and the embodied experience, we ARE rich. We are rich in Heart, rich in Being, rich in Spirit.

Beltane, too, happens at the opposite time of the year as Samhain (Halloween), and is a celebration of Persephone's return from the land of the Underworld. After spending Winter in the realm of Hades, or Pluto, Persephone emerges from the depths of this realm in order to bring Life with her. Pluto's name actually means 'the Lord of the Underworld & the Lord of the Riches,' reminding us that there is richness to uncover and reclaim when we go into the deep subconscious realm, moving internally to grapple with our own psyches and experiences. And there is a rebirth of consciousness and life when we return from these deepening experiences and are able to embody the gifts that we have integrated after choosing to move through this realm. The experience comes full circle, and we are made more full and whole unto ourselves because of it. The story of Demeter and Persephone reminds that there is always Life at the end of a dark winter, always richness for those who are willing to embark upon the Soul journey of transformation and alchemy. When we re-emerge, we can revel in Life completely, seeing its inherent beauty more clearly and with more of ourselves.

For this Beltane, may you cherish the innate beauty and richness that is in your own life. May you savor the sweetness in a way that delights your spirit and expands your heart, and may this fill you for days to come.

The Force is with you! Enjoy.