There seems to be an air of potent sexual symbolism during the late part of April and the early part of May. This energy was manifested in certain ways across a few European cultures, but the one which is celebrated in StrixCraft as I teach it is based on a unique observation of our climate here in Florida.

Beltainne
In the beginning of May, many Neopagans and Witches celebrate the holiday known as Beltainne. Beltainne is a Gaelic fire festival and considered one of the Greater Sabbats in Wicca. The festival is also known as Cetshamhain, or “Summer’s Beginning,” the opposite of Samhain which is “Summer’s End.” As a fire festival, bonfires were lit across the countryside, offerings were left for the Good Neighbors, people and cattle walked between the flames (and jumped over them), and house fires were doused, ready to be lit by the bonfires. Yellow flowers – the color of the Sun – would decorate homes.

Beltainne is enjoyable with activities such as the ones mentioned above. However, it is the erection of the Maypole (double entendre purposefully made) which is the highlight of the festivities. There is a lot of potent sexual symbolism during this time. The Maypole being the penis and the hole that was dug to insert it in being the vagina.

Floralia
Another festival celebrated during this time was the Roman Floralia, held in honor of the Goddess Flora. In her sacred grove sacrifices were made. Due to the sexual symbolism also held during this time, sex workers were part of the festivities, along with wine drinking. While usually seen as outcasts in ancient Rome, their participation during the Floralia marked them as special guests free of harassment.

Along with Flora, the nymph named Maia was also worshiped. Maia is a Greek spirit who is a daughter of Atlas and one of the seven Pleiades. When her worship transferred to Rome, she was acknowledged as an aspect of the Great Goddess. She was said to promote growth, and her nymph status connected her to the dead. In fact, a group of Lares (ancestral spirits) were also celebrated on the first of May (the month named after the nymph).

The Sacred Marriage
In Florida, we have a subtropical climate. In the Summer begins the Wet Season; I call it the Green Time. Due to StrixCraft’s Greek roots, I observed the seasonal cycles and, during my worship one day, the lightning flashed in the afternoon followed by heavy rains. I knew instinctively that the God Zeus as the storm bearer over the land was making sensual love to Demeter, the Yellow Earth Mother. In the teachings I pass, the Earth Mother has three separate manifestations: Green, Black, and Yellow. The Green Mother is Gaia, the Black Mother is Rhea, and the Yellow Mother is Demeter.

The question comes as to why the Yellow Mother rather than the Green Mother? Simple. Demeter’s place in our myths is that the colors yellow are sacred to her, along with the symbol of agriculture (maize and wheat), as well as the specific function of fertility. With the union of Zeus and Demeter in our lands, the potential for fertility is there, and takes place.  Gaia is the wild Green Mother who can grow out of season. Certain plants in our climate will grow no matter when. But the fertility for harvest time is Demeter’s role.

The Children of the Earth and Storm
Persephone is the child of Zeus and Demeter. As such, her Underworld associations are potent during the Summer here in Florida. How? Persephone is not viewed as Kore/Persephone of the seasons in the myths as we learn in our StrixCraft. She WAS a Kore, but now she reigns eternal as Persephone: in her own power and glory she rules alongside Hades. As the Queen, she provides the necessary telluric (earth) energies that help break the seeds and send forth the roots. Demeter from above, Persephone from below. This symbolism is also in Wicca:

By seed and by root, by bud and by stem, by leaf and flower and fruit…

Here we see the interactions of the energies produced by the Two Goddesses as I interpret it via a Strix lens. This gives our festival a completely different paradigm. Not just a polarity construct, the Sacred Marriage of Zeus and Demeter involves the Underworld along with the birth of nymphai who pervade the clouds, the storms, and the land. The Dead, led by Persephone, can arise and bathe in the ecstatic life of lightning and earth. Communing with them is easier during certain times of the year, and the Sacred Marriage is one of them. Other hallowed times are the Anthesteria, the Feast of the Dead, and the sacred festivals of Hekate in November.

Celebrations in the World
While this was an observation I have made for Florida, there is no reason why similar observations cannot be done in other climates. Just observe and see which Gods and spirits are active during this time. The Gods are flexible that way. Polytheism is flexible this way. For example, the wet season in the Mediterranean is in the Winter, so Zeus and Demeter would be active during this time rather than the dry Summer (I believe California also has a Mediterranean climate).

In other climates the addition of Helios (the Sun God) would be a perfect. Again, this is based on your observations of the natural world. One of the necessary reading materials I encourage some students to read are books which discuss their local weather patterns instead of Magic. Magic is an inherent part of the natural world I feel. Therefore, to know the tides of Magic means knowing your local area’s patterns and climate which will grant you the opportunity to know your local spirits.

The Spirits of the Season
All in all, the Sacred Marriage is more than just the union of Storm and Land. It is about awakening the spirits around you. It is about contact with the Other, and using the portals of Storm and Land to broaden your experiences. The Gods and the spirits exist simultaneously. They are all part of the Divine. Touch one and the other will also be contacted. Remember, it is more than just the Gods. The daimons (spirits) of our world also deserve our attention.

Eirene kai Hugieia!
(Peace and Health!)
Oracle