Coyote - A trickster whose appearance is not always what it first appears. Its appearance may be encouraging you to adopt the coyote's sense of humor and to be clever and resourceful in solving your problem.
Dog - Loyal to its pack and any creature it considers family. Its appearance may be encouraging you to be unfailingly loyal.
Eagle - Sees everything from its high vanage point. Its appearance may be encouraging you to examine everything and gather more facts before acting in a situation.
Fox - Tricky like the coyote, but also very sly. Its appearance may be encouraging you to retreat, hide and fight another day.
Gopher - Hard to catch or kill because of its many well-planned escape routes. Its appearance may be encouraging you to consider a maze of possibilities.
Horse - Powerful and able to endure. Its appearance may be encouraging you to tap into your stamina to move forward.
Lizard - Amazing regenerative powers. Its appearance may be encouraging you to regroup in order to continue on.
Owl - Symbol of wisdom and mystery. Its appearance may be encouraging you to trust your own wisdom or quietly seek the wisdom of one you trust before making a decision.
Rabbit - Aware of everything. Its appearance may be encouraging you to be alert for signs of trouble.
Raccoon - Agile and very intelligent. Its appearance may be encouraging you to utilize the raccoon's tenacity to move out of a difficult situation.
Snake - Symbolizes reincarnation and changeability. Its appearance may be encouraging you to emerge from your problem as a new person with a fresh perspective.
Squirrel - Industrious hoarder. Its appearance may be encouraging you to save your resources for when they are truly needed.
Wolf - Social animals that mate for life and look out for all pack members. Its appearance may be encouraging you to take care of your own and be fidelitous.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Spell for success
by Rowan Salamandra
This one is tried and true. It has been written for a job search, but will work for other situations.
You will need :
1 orange ribbon long enough for everyone to touch it and complete a circle.
1 orange candle with the holder of your choice.
Bell
The best working time is on the waxing cycle. You do not need a full blown circle to perform this in, but you should be in a space that is safe and comfortable for you. This can be done with other people or alone. I have written this for multiple people focusing on one recipient. Do realize that you will still have to do the leg work. You cannot get work if you don't send out the resume or fill out the application.
Take a moment to ground and center.
Next, think about what it is that really needs to happen. We have a tendency to ask for what we want and not what is needed.
I.E.: New Job- Ask for the "ideal job for me, with good pay and benefits".
Now that you have the focus, take the ribbon and unfold it around the circle until everyone is holding a piece of it. Whomever the working is for should be holding the beginning of the ribbon and the end as it starts and ends with them.
While passing the ribbon, everyone should see the recipient happy and in the situation they are looking for. The orange candle should be placed in the center to collect energy for later use.
When everyone is ready, someone should begin ringing the bell slowly. Begin to visualize the orange ribbon becoming an orange beam of light traveling from the group to the universe. As it travels it touches points that will connect you to your ultimate goal. As you speed forward the bell should get faster until everyone reaches the end point.
As the last tone fades return to your body. The candle and ribbon will have been charged at this point. Carry the ribbon somewhere on you as you go for interviews. Burn the candle as you send out resumes or burn it the same night as the working. If you burn it after the working, let it burn all the way down or until it goes out on its own.
A Maypole Centerpiece
You will need...
A cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels
Heavy cardboard
Paint
Crepe paper in two or three colors (red and white are traditional)
Some small stones
Flowers for decorating
A ruler
Scissors
Tacky glue
Step One - Cut a circle from heavy cardboard about 1 1/4 inches larger than the diameter of the cardboard tube.
Step Two - Glue the cardboard tube to the center of the cardboard circle. Let dry.
Step Three - Paint the cardboard tube and the cardboard circle. Let the paint dry.
Step Four - Cut 2 pieces of each color of crepe paper, the length of the tube. Cut the crepe paper in half length-wise. Glue the crepe paper strips to the top inside of the tube alternating colors.
Step Four - Put some small stones inside the tube to add some weight so that it will not tip over.
Step Six - Decorate the top of your Maypole with flowers and more crepe paper if desired. Enjoy!
---------------------------------------------------
Make Some Pressed Flowers
1. Selecting The Flowers
Garden flowers, leaves and ferns can be collected and pressed for use in making pictures or cards. A botanical collection can also be made with wild flowers but it is important for ecological reasons that you only take one or two common flowers from a spot where they are plentiful and never harvest rare or endangered flowers.
Flowers should be picked after mid-day when they are dry. They should be pressed as soon as possible after picking to avoid wilting. You will find through trial and error which flowers dry best… and which colors are lasting. Do not try to press a very thick flower... it would be best to disassemble and press just the petals. Remember... fresh flowers, press quickly and carefully, dry well, and use small flowers (or thin pieces of thicker flowers).
2. Pressing The Flowers
Flowers can be pressed between sheets of blotting paper and placed in a telephone book with weights.
A flower press can be used, consisting of layers of newsprint interleaved with corrugated cardboard. A press uses plywood board top and bottom, and pressure is applied by tightening the wing nuts on the four corner screws.
Flowers are then carefully laid in the press, with plenty of newspaper between layers, and cardboard after every few layers. Leave them undisturbed for two or three weeks for best results.
Now you can place the flowers in a scrapbook or use them to decorate handmade papers, candles or other crafts.
Traditional Beltane foods include Beltane Cakes, doughnuts, cookies, fresh fruits (particularly red fruits), herb salads, honey, custard, mead, and wine punch.
Beltane Cream Pie
from Sabbats by Edain McCoy
1 Cup Whole Milk
1 Cup Whipping Cream
1/2 Cup real Butter
3 Tbl Cornstarch
1 1/2 Cup Sugar
1 1/4 tsp Vanilla
Freshly ground nutmeg
Prepared pie crust - baked.
Directions
1. Melt butter in a wide pan.
2. Add milk to cornstarch, making sure it is fully dissolved.
3. Add this mixture and all other ingredients (except vanilla) to cooking pan.
4. Stir constantly until mixture becomes thick.
5. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
6. Pour mixture into pie shell and sprinkle with nutmeg.
7. Pie may be eaten warm after it sets or chilled and eaten later.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
May Bowl
from Wheel of the Year by Pauline Campanelli
The May Bowl, with white blossoms, green leaves, and red strawberries floating in the clear white wine is a visual treat. Its distinctive flavor used for Beltane rites can induce the subtle shift in consciousness that is so vital to Pagan ritual.
Several springs of Sweet woodruff (which blooms on May Day and is sacred to the Goddess)
2 bottle sweet white wine
2 Cups strawberry wine OR 1 Cup strawberry liquor
Sugar to taste
1 - 2 Cups fresh strawberries
Directions
1. Place Sweet Woodruff in clear glass Punch bowl.
2. Pour white wine over woodruff.
3. Pour Strawberry liquid over woodruff.
4. Add sugar to taste.
5. Add Fresh strawberries.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Good Fairy Pudding
24 Eggs
1 1/4 Cups Confectioner's Sugar
2 1/2 Sweet White Wine
1/2 stick Cinnamon
3 Whole Cloves
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Beat eggs well and set aside..
3. Boil sugar, wine, cinnamon & cloves together for 5 minutes.
4. Remove spices, then press the egg mixture through a strainer.
5. Blend sugar mixture with egg mixture.
6. Pour into custard cups and place cups in a baking dish.
7. Pour boiling water into baking dish until water is 1" up the sides of cups.
8. Bake 55 minutes. The custard is done when a skewer stuck into the custard comes out clean.
Back to the Grove
In Britain, the Royal family still burns a balefire each May Eve to keep the family line going.
In Norway, old brooms are thrown into the balefire and new ones are
dedicated to their purpose on this day.
In Scotland the balefire was lit for the 'need fire', the only non-ritual fire allowed to burn on this day.
The Norse believed you had to sleep at home on Beltane Eve and keep the hearth fire burning strongly until dawn
In Wales the balefires were kept burning for Three days, because 3 was a sacred number to the Celts.
In the Alps of Italy, the festival is Floralia. Flowers and plants are picked on May 1st and a very potent wine is made from them. Each year, all the old wine has to be
consumed before midnight and more flowers and plants gathered for the next year's batch.
In China, it is considered good luck to eat noodles in the Springtime.
A hot coal was placed inside the butter churns to keep fairies out ot them.
Livestock was fed fresh dill for protection.
Bells were hung on altars and worn on the ankles of dancers and ritual goers. The
ringing of the bells was believed to hurt the fairies' ears and keep them away.
Brooms were ridden hobbyhorse-style over fields and through pastures in symbolic fertility rites.
Ashes from the Beltane fire were scattered over the fields to bless and protect them. The ashes were also placed in a small bag and worn as fertility amulets by infertile women.
Special summer pastures for the livestock were used only after May 1st since fields were the realm of the Pooka from Samhain to Beltane.
Although May is the month of the sacred marriage of the God & Goddess, it is considered unlucky for humans to marry in May, which is why June is the traditional month for marriages.
The term 'Maying' refers to celebrating all of the traditions of May Day. It was traditional to go on outings and picnics in the woods or meadows to enjoy the beauty of Nature, pick flowers and/or make love. Couples who
consummated their relationship in this way were considered to have had a "greenwood marriage". And children conceived while 'A-Maying' are born in February and are referred to as "Merry Begots".