May, Again

This is my second May post this year; with sweet weather, cherry blossoms, and courting pigeons all around, the subject compels me.

May is the traditional month of Fairy activity, beginning with their grand spring revels at Beltane (May Day / May Eve) (see my Beltane post here); these are equaled only by their darker revels at Samhain (Halloween). Children born in May are sometimes said to be changelings or fae-sighted, while children born nine months after the Beltane festivities may well be children of the Green Man himself. The horrible old folk saying “May kittens should be drowned” refers to tales of fairies taking cat form to insinuate themselves into a household. Another superstition is that May weddings are unlucky, June or harvesttime being better.

Above: Yellow flowers invoke the sun and sacred flame as protection against harm on May Day.

Above: Joy Necklace, both sunny and protective, partaking of fire and summer energies.

Here is the May Day essay from Lady Francesca Wilde’s Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland – some embellishments of her own sprinkle the folklore but it is generally consistent with tradition, which is embellished by generations of storytellers anyway: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/ali/ali053.htm

Above: White blossom is the symbol of May

Like the fairies themselves, the energy of May is portrayed as fickle, more ethereal than human, capable of good and evil but not logical or predictable. It is presided over by the Goddess as the May Queen or Fairy Queen – by the Goddess in forms embodying female sexuality. Is it any wonder that May came to be looked on with suspicion, while the later months, in which the sun’s masculine power clearly holds sway, were favored? To be fair, those were more abundant months in agrarian societies, but our present lives offer us the comparative luxury to approach the energy of each period of time purely, not distracted by fears for our survival. 

Yes, May is wild, lunar, and feminine, suited to magical undertakings and fantastic visions. Enjoy your mystic month!

My magic amulets are available to aid you as always!