Emma Kathryn Wild Witchcraft

May day is almost upon us! Yes, Beltane is almost here, and what a glorious time it is too! Beltane is one of my favourite celebrations (but to be fair, I say that about them all). The natural world is fully awake at this time of year, the glorious sprays of mayflower catch the sunlight, lilac blooms scent the air and my dog walks are accompanied by spectacular sunrises. Magic is afoot to be sure! If you’re looking for a little inspiration to imbue your own practice and craft at this time of the year, then cast your eyes over my fine offerings and let your May day be imbued with magic and delight!

Seed Spell

Beltane represents the peak of spring as it moves towards summer, and so it makes sense to tap into the abundance and promise of what is to come. Incorporating growing plants and spell work, this is one of my favourite workings to do at this time. You will need:

• A plant pot filled with soil
• Seeds of your choosing (I like to use fast sprouting seeds like nasturtiums though you can use any you wish, just make sure they are suitable to be sown at this time of year)
• A candle (if you use colour associations in your craft, then choose a colour for the season, else white is just fine)
• A piece of paper and a pen

Set up your working area however you normally do making sure you have everything you need. Light the candle and if you want to burn incense, then go for it. spend a few minutes thinking about what it is you want for yourself over the next few weeks and months. Maybe you want to bring the abundance of spring into your life, perhaps you have specific work or study goals, whatever it is, bring this to mind. Try and be as specific as possible and visualise yourself living that reality. When you are ready, write your goals onto the paper, fold it up and push it down into the soil. Next, sow your seeds as per the instructions on the packet, and as you do say:

Spirits of land and place,

Filled with love and with grace

With these seeds I do sow,

My hopes and dreams begin to grow,

Emerging from the soil, dark as night,

Made manifest in the growing light.

Spirits of land and of place

Filled with love and with grace,

As I will it , so it is!

Place the plant pot outside and water as needed. As your plant begins to grow and as you tend and care for it, know that you are doing the same with your intent, nurturing your goals into fruition.

Beltane Incense Blend

I always think that crafting incense is such an overlooked aspect of witchcraft and magic. There’s something innately magical about choosing and harvesting plant materials to use in incense blends, building connection with the land where you live and the spirits that reside there. Added to that, smoke has been used across cultures and throughout time for a variety of reasons including cleansing ritual places and in worship of deities, so making your own is more than just pounding random ingredients into dust just for ambience.

This is my Beltane blend, based on what is growing around where I live. It’s worth spending some time outdoors if you can, getting to know what flowers and plants are growing in your local area. You will need to dry your ingredients, which can be done by hanging in bundles. If I’m in a rush though, I’ll place them in a basic and put in a sunny windowsill or on a radiator on low (it’s still chilly in the morning) for a few days. For this particular blend though, you will need:

• 1 part lilac flower
• 1 part apple or cherry blossom
• 1 part lavendar
• 1 part primrose flower
• 1 part mugwort leaf

When dried, grind them up and mix together and sprinkle over a charcoal disk during your Beltane celebrations, rituals and spell work.

Bringing in the May

Sabbats are a celebration, and Beltane feels particularly joyful (allowing yourself to experience joy is an act of resistance too you know), so why not get into the spirit and join in the celebrations where you live. Look for Maypole dances or have a go at Morris dancing (Morris sides are very welcoming of newcomers). If you can’t find any celebrations to join in with, then have a go at bringing in the May, a practice that is centuries old, with records of it happening as early as the 14th century, though it probably existed well before it was eventually written down. Bringing in the May traditionally involved people, especially young men and women, going out into the woods or countryside on May eve and returning on May morning with flowering boughs and other greenery to decorate their homes. Of course, what else they got up to in the darkness of the night might also draw parallels with the abundance and fertility represented by the season. In 1583 Philip Stubbs, a puritan, railed against the practise, writing ““of forty, threescore, or a hundred maids, going to the wood overnight, there have scarcely the third part of them return home undefiled.” If you fancy bringing in the May, then why not collect Hawthorn branches bearing flowers and other greenery and flowering plants, decorating with ribbon and hanging on your own front door.

However you celebrate May Day and Beltane, have a blessed one!