When the gates of Beltane swing open on May 1, sunlight and blossom welcome the procession of the year into the green halls of summer. At Imbolc we rejoiced at the return of light; now we celebrate life, growth, love and sexuality: "the force that drives the green fuse through the flower," in the words of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas.While the second part of Irish Beltane and Scottish Bealtuinn clearly means "fire," from the old Celtic word tene, linguists are uncertain as to whether Bel refers to Belenos, the Gaulish Apollo, or is simply derived from bel, meaning "brilliant."It might even derive from bil tene, or "lucky fire," because to jump between two Beltainefires was sure to bring good fortune, health to your livestock, and prosperity.
Gods of the Celts: Belenos
Belenos (Beh-ley-noss) was
a sun god who may have been connected with the festival of Beltaine.
His name means "bright" or "brilliant." The Romans called him Apollo
Belenos, after their god of the sun, but he seems to have existed as a
Celtic god in his own right before this period.
His cult extended from
northern Italy and up through Austria and Gaul, where there were
sanctuaries dedicated to him at healing springs, for the sun was
believed to have marvelous curative properties when associated with
water. A shrine to Belenos may still stand at Paimpont in the old
forest of Broceliande in Brittany, Gaul. In the clearing, the sacred
well known as the Fountain of Barentonbubbles up near an ancient
dolmen stone. The old name of the sacred well was Belenton, probably a
contraction of Bel-Nementon, the sacred grove of Belenos.
The Blessing of Fire
I'll tell you of a special festival,
The glorious dues of May-day;
Ale, roots, sweet whey,
And fresh curds to the fire.
-- Early Irish Calendar Poem
On Beltane Eve the druids
and their successors assembled on high hills with a view of the rising
sun. They came to raise the great fires that would bring the power of
the sun to Earth and to sanctify and purify the whole community and
their livestock in readiness for the new cycle. Fire was an interface
between the human race......
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The Wiccan pentacle has been added to the list of emblems allowed in national cemeteries and on goverment-issued headstones of fallen soldiers, according to a settlement announced Monday. A settlement between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Wiccans adds the five-pointed star to the list of "emblems of belief" allowed on VA grave markers.Eleven families nationwide are waiting for grave markers with the pentacle, said Selena Fox, a Wiccan high priestess with Circle Sanctuary ...Pagan prisoners win right to have 'magic wands'
Prison bosses have been instructed to let pagan inmates keep twigs in their cells...to use as wands. Officers have been told to allow prisoners to collect and decorate the twigs which they need for their rituals. It is the latest in a series of rulings to protect convicts" rights and ensure equality among different faiths. Followers of other faiths are allowed items such as a prayer mat to allow them to worship.The policy regarding pagans was announced by Justice Reform Minister Maria Eagle in a...Vatican Opens Pagan Tombs Under St. Peter's
A massive altar dedicated to an eastern cult deity has emerged during excavations of a Roman fort in northern England.
Weighing 1.5 tons, the four-foot high ornately carved stone relic, was unearthed at the Roman fort of Vindolanda, which was built by order of the Emperor Hadrian between 122-30 A.D.
The Romans built the defensive wall across the north of Britain from Carlisle to Newcastle-on-Tyne, to keep out invading armies from what is now Scotland.
What should have been...Pagan Religion Grows In Popularity
For many Halloween is a time for fun and dressing up, but for others it has a greater significance - some believe it to be a time for tradition and celebration while others perceive it assomething altogether more sinister."Witches, beware. Mummies, be gone.Halloween may be a celebration of all things creepy and macabre, but a growing number of US communities are shunning traditional ghoulish festivities, seen by some as tainted...Pagan festival held in Pittsburg
What better way to show God you appreciate him than to squander his most
precious gift, life, in a miasma of ruthlessness and gore? In addition to justifying Crusades, Witch Trials and Wars, this theological
breakthrough is also the main justification for the time-honored practice of
human sacrifice.
Sacrifices are perhaps the most ancient method to honor deities, going right
back to the earliest ancestor-worship religions of Egypt and Mesopotamia. The original theory was "everyone ...
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VA allows Wiccan symbols on headstones
Pagan prisoners win right to have 'magic wands'
Vatican Opens Pagan Tombs Under St. Peter's
Altar to Mysterious Deity Found at Roman Fort
Pagan Religion Grows In Popularity
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Pagan festival held in Pittsburg
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