Beltane Invitation
On Sunday May 1st the Wood Sisters will be holding our Beltane gathering and celebration from 9.30am to 5.30pm in Dartington, and there is an invitation to stay beyond 5.30pm (and for friends & family to join), bringing food to cook on the fire and drink to share.
The day will be our usual rich mix of seasonal reflection, meditation, storytelling, time in nature, crafts and simple ritual. At the centre of all these activities will sit the Wisdom Pot into which we can all offer our reflections, creativity and collaboration.
The story this time will be the Arthurian myth ‘The Loathly Lady’, which has older and more wide-spread roots than simply the age of chivalry and poses some tricky questions and inspiring images for us all to consider. As part of our craft work we will weave a cauldron and prepare a fire pit to hang it over, so that the day can end with a fire ritual and food cooked outdoors (plenty of chairs and comfort available!).
There will be a guided meditation and sacred time alone in nature and you are of course invited to bring and share any poetry, songs, music, anecdotes, excerpts, jokes and short stories on a Beltane theme.
We know this Sunday falls in a long weekend with the Royal Wedding at one end and the May Day Bank Holiday at the other, so many of you may have plans to be away. If you can come we would ask you to bring a contribution to the lunch feast – something juicy for Beltane! – and a suggested donation of £15 or more for the day, plus any food or drink for the evening if you plan to stay. You may also like to bring a ribbon or coloured string or anything else you would like to weave into the cauldron, although you can also gather something on the day.
If you are considering coming along for the first time, we very much look forward to meeting you and although this is a collaborative group with a rich, friendly, culture of sharing amongst a wide age group, please be assured that you will never have to speak or perform or do anything unless you want to!
Happy Easter/Oestre!
