BS: Beal Tain Greetings

Subject: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: Bryn Pugh
Date: 30 Apr 09 - 08:50 AM

To all our friends on the 'Cat :

Love, Blessings and Greetings of Beal Tain. So mote it be.

Erica and Bryn

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: Rapparee
Date: 30 Apr 09 - 09:32 AM

Yes, indeed.

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: Emma B
Date: 30 Apr 09 - 09:46 AM

Blessings for Nos Galon Mai - the growing time

'Oh, do not tell the priest our plight, or he would call it a sin,
But we've been out in the woods all night, a-conjuring summer in,
And we bring you good news by word of mouth, good news for cattle
    and corn
Now is the sun come up from the south, by Oak, and Ash, and
    Thorn.'

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 30 Apr 09 - 10:34 AM

Ah! The pagan-sainted Kipling! Which, in the spirit of Mudcat pedantry, is actually about Midsummer...

Anyway, ye goodly Pagan's all, let's not get ahead of ourselves here - the Beltane full moon isn't until Saturday the 9th of May, by which point there may well be blossoms to gather. Lot's jolly well hope so!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWDX-ASQTZk

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 30 Apr 09 - 10:37 AM

PS - That link is to me doing some genuine Feral Folk...

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: Micca
Date: 30 Apr 09 - 11:33 AM

Greetings Bryn, and friends may the Goddess smile on you and hold you in Her hand
blessed be
micca

I wish I could be at Hastings in the morning for "dancing up the Sun" unfortunately I am not free until later in the day!!

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: katlaughing
Date: 30 Apr 09 - 12:38 PM

Two of my favourites:

The month of May was come, when every lusty heart beginneth
to blossom, and to bring forth fruit; for like as herbs and trees
bring forth fruit and flourish in May, in likewise every lusty heart
that is in any manner a lover, springeth and flourisheth in lusty
deeds. For it giveth unto all lovers courage, that lusty month of May.
-   Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d'Arthur, 1485

What potent blood hath modest May.
- Ralph W. Emerson

Merry Beal Tain, my friends!

kat

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies)
Date: 30 Apr 09 - 02:37 PM

I don't know about waiting till the Full Moon, my apple blossom is already near blown! We have both a crab apple - bird sown, and the bonniest little sweet apple tree in the front garden - which was gifted from one of the local orchards. And she's as pretty a little tree to come home to on a Spring day as one could wish to see. I might however just take a Full Moon ramble down the bluebell woods on the 9th.
Love & Lust, Crow Sister

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 01 May 09 - 04:21 AM

The four cross-quarter festivals are lunar moveables, Samhaine included; in the case of Beltaine we're looking for May (Hawthorn) blossom too. I no longer live in the sticks so what the state of play is in the hedgerows presently I couldn't possible say - being a sea-side boy has its drawbacks, though not many. It used to be that the May wouldn't be blossoming until Old May Day anyway, but these days anything's possible...

A beautiful morning though; a bright shiny sun and a clear blue sky; once I get this order sorted I'm off for a Merry May Trudge, full moon or no...

Oh the May the bonny May;
the branch we bear so green -
Rise up, rise up ye maidens all,
Out of your rosy dream!

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 01 May 09 - 07:06 AM

Beltane Blessings to you and yours.

Blessed Be

Khatt and Paul

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 01 May 09 - 08:10 AM

Of course now the order's ready to post it's pissing down! Ne'er cast a clout!

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies)
Date: 01 May 09 - 09:08 AM

Well it's still loverly as can be here... Bluebells have been out for some time, and so too the apple blossom. Both of which in my way, I tend to use as general markers for this cross quarter (likewise snowdrops for Candlemass, primroses for Spring Equinox and Poppies for midsummer.) The Whitethorn is always too late for May Day (no doubt as you say, due to calendrical changes), so despite traditional associations I tend not to figure it in my own yearly timetable, though that's a purely personal omission. By the full moon it will indeed be fully out, right now the white blossoms are just peeping through the green leafage.

So anyone going to be doing seasonal things over the May bank holiday?

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: katlaughing
Date: 01 May 09 - 10:22 AM

Here in "Sunny Colorado" where we have high altitude sun at least 300 days (scroll down) out of the year, this morning is overcast with hardly a sunbeam in sight.:-) Still, it's there in my little baskets of gold blooming in the garden and here, in the hearts of my friends.

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: Mrrzy
Date: 01 May 09 - 10:29 AM

Hooray hooray the first of may, outdoor (bang bang) starts today!

Wish the US hadn't moved Labor Day to September...

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 01 May 09 - 10:50 AM

Spotted some white blossoms in a hedgerow yesterday, in west London (round Hillingdon way) but the blackthorn was blooming before we left for forn parts so I suspect it was hawthorne.

Blessings to all, I was up to see the dawn this morning and although it wasn't quite a dance, did a little jig down the bus to work as it started a bit unexptectedly... I was whistling 'sumer is a cumen in' at the time so hopefully that will count.

See people at Hastings!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: Cats
Date: 01 May 09 - 01:04 PM

Blessings to all.

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: Micca
Date: 01 May 09 - 01:30 PM

Liz, No doubt thinking of the Sgt.Howie Memorial Bar-B-Que?
Micca(from a very Sunny (SHHHH) and Warm Hastings!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: Wesley S
Date: 01 May 09 - 05:06 PM

So is this one of those "religious" threads we see from time to time on the Mudcat?

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: Phot
Date: 02 May 09 - 07:14 AM

We lit a Beltane fire last night, sitting down with a glass of fine wine, a few good friends, all was peaceful, life is good!

Wassail!! Chris and Fiona

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: GUEST,biff
Date: 02 May 09 - 08:04 PM

this is very pretty. did you write this?

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: GUEST,biff
Date: 02 May 09 - 08:05 PM

I mean ...do not tell the priest our plight..

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: katlaughing
Date: 02 May 09 - 08:45 PM

biff, it was written by Kipling - you can read the lyrics in the DigiTrad database under the title "Oak, Ash, & Thorn."

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 03 May 09 - 05:03 AM

Spotting blossom buds on the hawthorns yesterday in rural Lancashire, a few even out, but not many as yet. I reckon by the 9th it'll be well blooming!

For the Kipling poem see A Tree Song. It was set to music by Peter Bellamy on his Oak, Ash & Thorn album and has since entered the pagan canon as traditional inspiring the best & worst:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZyEy718ew4

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: keberoxu
Date: 30 Apr 17 - 05:07 PM

bang bang indeed, Mrrzy snicker snicker hee hee hee

Subject: RE: BS: Beal Tain Greetings
From: keberoxu
Date: 01 May 17 - 12:20 PM

so if the groundhog sees his shadow....