Welcome, May, welcome warmer days, welcome green growing things and little flowers budding. May is an exciting month where I live. It’s when we can really count on there not being a snowfall, and can count on temperatures being comfortably above freezing. In paganism, or neo-paganism of a Celtic influence, Beltane is a popular holiday. It is celebrated at the beginning of the month. Mother’s Day and Memorial Day are important holidays for many of us, at least in the US. This May too, of course, we have seen the election of a new pope. Having grown up Catholic and still identifying somewhat as such, it’s a big deal. May seems full of such days of celebration – both spiritual and secular. Oh, and I can’t forget, my wedding anniversary also falls within the month of May! (if you are interested in tarot for anniversaries, see my article, Divination for Anniversaries)
Spiritual practice is personal
My spiritual practice these days consists mostly of silent prayer, sporadic (but inspired!) personal ritual, contemplation, enjoyment of nature, mindfulness practice, and warmth and love shared with others. It also involves recognition and celebration of holidays, and participation in ceremony. I have a deep love and appreciation for religion and spirituality, for paths of all backgrounds. I greatly value humankind’s search for meaning and quest for understanding, and for the need to feel closer to the sacred. Spirituality is indeed very personal to me – my practice is personal.
This May, I have shared greetings for Beltane with friends who practice the pagan or Wiccan way, and I sat glued to the TV as a new pope was chosen. I have been spending as much time as I can outside, enjoying the returning green, and the abundance in the fields and woods where I live.
Beltane
Over the years, I have shared many Beltane wishes on my blogs or in my columns. This year though, I thought I’d share a bit beyond Beltane, because Beltane for me is a day that mostly comes and goes. If I’m in the mood or of the mind, I might mark the day. I might light some candles and say a few words, or have a special dinner with loved ones, honoring the day and the welcoming of this warmer period.
I’m just as likely on May 1st to simply go walking, and along the way, to stoop down to say hello to salamanders in my path, to look up into the high branches of the trees and admire the appearance (seemingly overnight) of leaves, or of birds who are now coming out to sing.
New pope
I grew up in a big Catholic family, on both sides, my mom’s and dad’s. My mother’s side is Polish and other Eastern European, and devoutly Catholic, but perhaps not as demonstrably so as my father’s side, which is Italian, and very expressive. On my Italian side, all of my older relatives had a framed picture of the pope hanging prominently in their house. My parents didn’t do this, but the older generation did. I grew up with a sense of real importance about him and his role, not just in Catholicism, but in the world.
So, as it was when Pope John Paul II died, when Pope Francis died this April, it was a big deal. I also had a rather predictable anticipation of who would become the next pope. This is despite being quite a seriously lapsed Catholic, and someone who has been involved in alternative religions and spiritual paths over the years. Still, some things are simply ingrained, including a natural feeling of warmth for the Catholic leader. This new pope is of course, Pope Leo XIV.
New hope
With the welcoming of May, I have felt a sense of new hope. It is bright and sunny, and green, outside. There is a sense of exuberance, and a looking forward. There are plans and dreams, and things feel to be underway. With each of these days, spiritual or secular celebrations and welcoming in the new, I am personally welcoming in the new, and a new hope. I don’t know what the summer will bring, but I am open to the possibilities.
I hope May brings some brightness and hope to your life as well. Thanks for visiting and for reading. As always, feel free to reach out and say hello.
~ Nellie
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