A Sweep of Majick

Bright Blessings to you all,

I am Broom and let me start by introducing myself to you. I live in the USA in the State of Minnesota.I was born and raised in the state of Texas so some times I just feel out of whack do to seasons change here a lot later than down in the southern states of the USA. I have been a Kitchen Witch now for 16 years and just recently discovered I tend to pull to the Hedge Witch by defination.

I seem to have a very weird (laughs out loud) sense of humor as I see the world around me. I use the Wiccan Sabbats in my home, but I am not Wiccan. There is a very strong Irish and Romani (Gypsy) influence of culture in my Craft and I am in hopes to share this with you, as you travel with me in my articles.

Beltane or Beltaine is an ancient Gaelic holiday celebrated around May 1.
It’s impossible to think of Beltane without thinking of the Maypole. This is perhaps one of the most popular symbols of the season, representing the Divine Marriage between the Lord and Lady of the Greenwood. The pole represents the male principle, and the ribbons that wrap around it (and the wreath placed atop the pole) are symbolic of the female principle.

The Maypole represents the phallus of the God. The wreath atop represents the vagina of the Goddess. As the Maypole is danced, the ribbons wind around the pole and the wreath lowers, symbolizing the Divine Marriage, the sexual union of God and Goddess. — Yasmine Galenorn, Dancing with the Sun

Steps:
1.Choose a pole that has plenty of room around its base. The taller, the better.

2.Fasten an even number of streamers to the top of the pole. They should be about 1 1/2 times the height of the pole.

3.Use different-colored streamers. Alternate two different colors or use many.

4.Give each person decorating the maypole the end of a streamer. They may also want to hold a bouquet of flowers.

5.Have every other participant face clockwise, the rest face counterclockwise.( person faces > the next person faces <) 6.Play the selected music and let the dance begin. ( we find traditional irish jigs to be fun in use for the pole dance) 7.Alternate between passing the person coming toward you on the left and on the right. we use a caller: a person says under ,over, under, over (> first person goes over the first person they meet and under the next person…< first goes under the first person and over the next person 8.When the pole is wrapped, lay the bouquets on the ends of the streamers to hold them in place. Tips:
Make sure everyone understands the instructions well in advance.

Nylon streamers are great – crepe paper tends to tear too easily for a very tall maypole.

Food:

oatmeal/ barley,
dairy products, including icecream, yum!
red fruits
spring green veg
herbal salads
pork and beef dishes
rich fruit cake
honey
red wine
mead

Meade

1/2 gallon water
1 1/2 cups raw honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice

Heat all ingredients together over medium heat in a large pot. As the honey melts, an oily crust forms at the top. DO NOT REMOVE. When in is well blended, remove from the heat, stirring occasionally as it cools. This is the non-alcoholic version.

Beltane Cream Pie

1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
Ground nutmeg
Prepared piecrust, already cooked

Melt butter in pan over medium heat. In separate bowl add milk to cornstarch, making sure it is fully dissolved. Add this and all other ingredients to pan, except vanilla and nutmeg. Stir till mixture becomes thick. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour mixture into piecrust and sprinkle with nutmeg. Serve chilled.

Oatmeal and dairy products. Begin the day with a hearty bowl of Irish oatmeal topped with cream and brown sugar or country butter. Oatmeal brings good fortune and encourages the power and magick . We always have warm oatmeal cookies and vanilla ice cream as a Beltane treat. So I am in hopes you like this article and I shared with you some fun things so my kitchen to yours Keep Sweeping Majik into your life from Broom

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author bio:

Broom