Season of Beltane

Ideas for honouring the Season of Beltane

• It is said that Beltane really starts when the Hawthorn trees blossom. When do fruit-bearing trees in your area grow blossoms?
• Where are you at with the plans you made at Samhain? You have reached the half-way mark of the year.
• Attend a Mummer’s Dance or Maypole dance
• Gather morning dew in a jar at sunrise. It is said to have healing powers.
• Begin planting your garden
• Plant or befriend a tree in your area
• Participate in a community clean up campaign

 The Wooing of Emer

Cu Chulain was a warrior type
The best in all the land
His greatest challenge lay ahead…
To request fair Emer’s hand!

Enemies both strong and skilled
Young Cu Chulain defeated
The territory he sought to take
Was where Emer was seated!

Emer’s Dad, a wily man,
This courtship would not bless…
Despite the fact that it was
Sanctioned by King Conchobhar Mac Ness!

He devised a plan that would surely
Bring the Hound of Chulain down
“To gain some skill in war” said he
And sent the hero out of town!

Off to Schathach’s Isle went Cu’
And faced many fearsome foes
Many dangerous wastelands
Added to his woes!

Upon his arrival, he did come
Across the bridge of great peril
Which flipped him off, but he
Overtook with a leap of Salmon’s skill!

Cu Chulain then learned from her
The arts of love and war
She bade him lead her army
Against her sister Aoife Mor!

The battle won, his task then done
Cu Chulain passed the test
A warrior of exceptional skill
He went home to show his best

Emer’s dad had heard the news
And he began to fret
The Hound of Chulain should have died
Not come back to claim his get!

What to do? He thought in haste
And called forth his fighting men.
Around the fort he set them up
‘Til secure he felt again.

A year it took for Cu Chulain
To fight up to the door
He then performed his Salmon Leap
And met Scibar, Cat and Ibhor!

The brothers three fell to his sword
Why did they even bother?
The Hound of Chulain ran to meet
Their cunning, wily father.

Across the battlements Old Forgall ran
Away from Emer’s Mate
But in his haste he toppled off
And fell to meet his fate.

Cu Chulain found his lady fair
With her sister in a keep
Under each arm did he take them
And over the walls did leap

With gold and silver did he run
With Emer and Sis in tow
He met up with a few armed men
And forced them all to go

At last he reached Emain Macha
Where he and his bride were wed
And such a feast was held for them
With mead and barley bread

To what extent will a man go…
How low or high above?
What perils would he will to face
For the sake of a woman’s love?

A man in love would walk the earth
And face a thousand guys
Just to see the light of love
Shine through his lover’s eyes.

Written by: Athelia Nihtscada /|\
April 19, 2004 

Trees!!!!!

Magnificent Trees from Myth and Legend

Trees have always held a special place in many world mythologies:

• The Garden of Eden from the Old Testamant (Genesis) contained the Tree of Knowledge, which God had forbidden Adam and Eve to eat from.
• Buddha gained his enlightenment while spending a lot of time meditating under the Bodhi tree in India. This could be why Bodhi is the root word of Bodhisattva which means “Enlightenment being” or someone who has done the work and is able to attain Nirvana, but chooses to postpone it in order to help others attain enlightenment. A compassionate act indeed! Bodhichitta is the mental state of someone who has chosen to undertake becoming enlightened in the Buddhist tradition.
• The Axis Mundi or the axle that the world spins upon was known as the “World Tree” by many cultures. They saw the tree as being the support and center of the world.
• Before the person (or persons) who wrote Genesis, wrote of the Tree of Knowledge, the ancient Sumerians offered to the Lord of the Tree of Truth. A cup was found from this period and it was dedicated to the Lord of the Tree of Truth.
• J.R.R. Tolkien wrote of the “Ents” or tree people in his Lord of the Rings series of books. They were characterized as being wise, powerful and notoriously slow to take action on anything unless it affected the trees and forests directly.

The Scottish folks had a little poem of advice for householders about which woods were the best to burn in the hearth (ash being the favoured one):

Beech-wood fires are bright and clear
If the logs are kept a year.
Oaken logs burn steadily
If the wood is old and dry.
Chestnut’s only good, they say
If for long it’s laid away.
But Ash new or Ash old
Is fit for a Queen with a crown of gold.

Birch and Fir-logs burn too fast –
Blaze up bright, but do not last.
Make a fire of Elder tree,
Death within your house you’ll see,
It is by the Irish said,
Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread.
But Ash green or Ash brown
Is fit for a Queen with a golden crown.

Elm wood burns like churchyard mold –
E’ere the flames are cold.
Poplar gives a bitter smoke:
Fills your eyes and makes you choke.
Apple wood will scent your room,
With an incense-like perfume.
But Ash wet or Ash dry,
For a Queen to warm her slippers by.

(Taken from “Kindling the Celtic Spirit by Mara Freeman)

The Scots have also provided us with a list of 9 sacred trees that they used to start the Beltane fires:

Choose the Willow of the Streams
Choose the Hazel of the Rocks
Choose the Alder of the Marshes
Choose the Birch of the Waterfalls
Choose the Ash of the Shade
Choose the Yew of Resilience
Choose the Elm of the Brae
Choose the Oak of the Sun.

(Also taken from “Kindling the Celtic Spirit by Mara Freeman)


You’re probably noticing that there only eight trees listed above. No, I have not forgotten how to count. The ninth tree was left out on purpose by the Scots to remain a mystery. Or perhaps it was left out to be the choice of the person lighting the fire?

In the story of the Sickbed of Cu Chulain,, Cu Chulain’s charioteer, Laeg, went to the Mag Mell in the Otherworld to check out the lay of the land for the battle against Senach Siaborthe and Eochaid Iuil, and Eogan Inber for one day that Cu Chulain was to aid Labraid in.

When he arrived, Laeg discovered many wonders, including the trees. When Cu Chulain asked him what the lay of the land was, Laeg responded as follows:

At the doorway to the West,
Where the sun sets,
A herd of grey horses, bright their manes,
And a herd of Chestnut horses.

At the doorway to the East,
Three trees of brilliant crystal,
Whence a gentle flock of birds calls
To the children of the royal fort.

A tree at the doorway to the court,
Fair its harmony;
A tree of silver before the setting sun,
Its brightness like that of gold.

Three scores of trees there,
Whose crowns are meetings that do not meet.
Each tree bears ripe fruit,
For three hundred men.
…
A pity that the son [of Deichtine] did not go himself,
With everyone asking for him;
He could have seen for himself
The great house I visited.

If I possessed all of Eriu
And the kingship of yellow Brega,
I would give it all, no bad bargain,
To live in the place I visited.

(Excerpts from “The Wasting Sickness of Cu Chulaind” from “Early Irish Myths and Sagas” by Jeffrey Gantz – Penguin Classics Series, 1981)

The punishment laid upon the sons of Tuireann by Lugh upon the murder of his father, Cian, involved gathering items that would be life threatening to pursue. One such item on the list was “three apples from the Garden of Hespirides”. These apples could cure any ailment, and when thrown, they would always hit their mark. They were also guarded night and day so that no man could get one!

 How to Plant a Tree

One can attain a tree from a garden store or a nursery online or in person. (I would recommend making this purchase in person so you can get a feel for the tree and to see if it is healthy)

Trees are sold in one of three ways: with the rootball wrapped in burlap, bare root or container grown.

Below are tips for all three types from Tree Help (http://www.treehelp.com/howto/howto-plant-a-tree.asp [2]):

Things to remember:

• Plant in late Winter/early Spring or Fall when it is not too cold.
• Never plant in a hole that is too deep or too wide.
• Loosen the soil at the bottom and sides of the hole with a garden fork to avoid “glazing” and allow the roots to grow out.
• For all trees, dig a hole that is the exact height of the root ball/structure and 2 – 3 times the width of the root ball/structure.
• When filling the hole with soil, enrich it with compost or manure enriched soil.
• Use your hands to tap down the soil in the hole. This allows for you to really get a hands-on feel to the planting process to see if everything is going well for your tree…and it prevents you from over compressing the soil which would be hard on new root growth.
• Water your tree thoroughly. Let the water settle and water again to give the tree a good start.
• Use a good root-starting fertilizer in the hole and around the hole to promote healthy growth.

Bare Root:

1. Ensure the roots look healthy and have lots of little hairs on them.
2. Trim any damaged or dead roots, but retain as much of the root structure as possible.
3. Plant as soon as possible since there is no water or soil around the roots to sustain them. Keep the roots moist in between purchase and planting.
4. Make a little mound of the soil in the center of the hole. This will act as a little “seat” for the roots to rest upon.
5. Set the tree upon the cone and splay the roots about it. Ensure that the flare of the trunk is visible and the top of the roots (where they flare down) is just above the soil line to allow for settling.
6. Refill the general hole with soil and put a little extra soil around the edges to form a catch-basin. Water thoroughly.
7. Mulch can be placed around the tree but avoid getting it too close to the trunk.
8. Gently tap the soil down with your hands so you do not over-compress.

Container Grown:

1. Remove the container and check the roots
2. If the roots are pot-bound or compressed, gently spread the roots out with your fingers or a blunt instrument. Be sure not to tear the roots if possible.
3. Seat the tree in the hole you dug originally and fill it up with enriched soil to the same level that the soil was in the container.
4. Gently tap the soil down with your hands so you do not over-compress.

“Ball and Burlap” or “B & B”:

1. Measure the root-ball width and depth. The hole will need to be the exact height and 2 – 3 times the width of the root-ball.
2. Do not lift a B & B tree by its trunk. Always lift it from the root-ball.
3. Remove the burlap and bindings
4. Using enriched soil either with compost or manure, back-fill the hole taking care not to over-compress (tap soil down with your hands as opposed to a shovel). Fill only up to the top of the root-ball.

Questions to ponder:
1. Have you ever planted a tree before? What sort of “connection” did you feel with that tree?

I have planted several trees in my life, in fact I planted a seedling in a cup day before yesterday. I have never been able to keep one alive and growing yet though...I always feel so connected and so excited with everything i have planted. I am excited to see it grow and mature and would love to see a tree i plant grow to maturity. I plan, over the next two years, to build a house of my own (hobbit houses) and then i will be planting several trees along with a rather extensive garden area including herbs, vegetables, and flowers for food and my work. 


While i have never been able to grow a tree, i feel connected to all trees. I do not necessarily know what kind of trees, more so to branchy leafy trees then to pine type trees. I  do not know the different kinds of trees but am learning.

2. Do you feel your city has enough trees?

The City I lived in previously had so many more trees then the small town where i live now. And coming from northern Idaho, no, we do not have enough trees. Much of the time I feel like I can not breath with the last of trees, feel like I can't get the energy that I need so much to get through my days. I have to search them out here. There is a beautiful park here in town with magnificent trees but unfortunately, I cannot be there all of the time. One of the prime stipulations of the land I will be buying will include trees that I feel connected to. The previous owner will think me strange as I walk around the property touching trees looking for that connection. 

3. How can you promote awareness of the benefits of trees and take action in your community?

Planting trees right now is a big deal. There are many individuals and organizations that do this annually around this time of year as Arbor Day, Beltaine, and Ostara are upon us, either just past or on the horizon. You see whole groups along road sides planting trees up and down the freeway which is amazing. 

Does your city or town have a tree planting program in place?

I do not know if the city has a tree planting program but do know that many private groups and individuals take it upon themselves to make sure this is done.