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| Detail of Flora from Botticelli's Primavera |
The Sun continues its journey
in Taurus, treading soon into the luminous May sky and shining upon abundant
celebrations throughout the planet.
The month of May abounds with
festivals, starting with Beltane,
the spring festival taking place on the first day of May.
May festivals derived from
ancient rites that honoured spring deities (such as Flora, the Roman goddess of
flowers) and celebrated the reappearance of flowers.
The Greco-Roman goddess of
spring Maia gave the name to the month of May. She is one of the Pleiades, the
seven daughters of Atlas. The Pleiades are pursued by the giant hunter Orion.
The gods transformed them into stars and placed them in the sky (constellation
Taurus), where they are still pursued by the constellation Orion. Maia is also the name of the fourth brightest star of the Pleiades.
A typical custom in May is to
dance around a garlanded pole (maypole), from which hang streamers held by the
dancers. May Day (Beltane) also marked the Celtic beginning of the
summer season and is regarded as a gateway time to other dimensions. Beltane
means 'the day of Bel's fire' or 'Baal's fire.
In ancient Beltane rituals a
man was chosen to represent the King, and a woman to play the part of the Earth
Goddess. The two would then mate so as to guarantee the fertility of the land. In
this way the power of the two polarities is united so as to bestow blessings
upon the web of life.
The Full Moon during the cycle of Taurus is known in the Theravada Buddhist countries of South East Asia as the Vesak: the birthday, enlightenment and entry into Nirvana of Buddha. In this respect it is considered as the most powerful Full Moon of the year, which this year is on 6 May 2012 (click here for our article on the Full Moon in Scorpio).
© Franco Santoro , Findhorn Foundation Cluny Hill, Forres IV36 2RD , UK info@astroshamanism.org
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