Beltane breathwork or ritual playlist and journal prompts

20 Apr

A Beltane Playlist, with journal-prompts: celebrating the peak of Spring and coming of Summer.

Hello friends. I have been curating and sharing playlists around the Celtic Pagan Wheel of the Year for some time now. Each time the wheel turns I update my post and playlist from the previous year. This is always a really interesting exercise in observing my own repeating themes and cycles. For an overview of The Wheel of the Year you can check out this post.

Today’s post is celebrating Beltane. I was reflecting recently that I’m not really any more sophisticated than a plant. As soon as I’m getting enough sunshine and light I start to bloom. I’m really not made for winter so the move towards warmer weather and longer days is always very, very welcome. Sun, spending more time outside and seeing life springing forth makes the hard things a little less hard and I am grateful to be able to connect with the promise of Summer.

That’s exactly what Beltane is about; fertility, fire, celebration, creativity, and growth. Animals are out to pasture, flowers are in bloom, and the days are longer and brighter. Beltane is a Gaelic May Day festival that moves us closer to summer. Beltane was traditionally celebrated in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man with bonfires, rituals and celebrations. Today there’s been a revival and Beltane is celebrated by pagans, and others. Many Morris Dancers get dance to celebrate the arrival of the sun on Beltane.

So how can we connect with the energy of Beltane? I’ve shared a Beltane playlist for you to reflect and journal to. You can also incorporate it into a meditation practice or use it as a background for a movement-based practice. You can find some guidance about how to practice breathwork here.

Here are some prompts that you might wish to reflect on as part of your practice: