To Honor The May Queen

Make an offering of a floral crown, or a libation of honey and milk, to the Queen of the May during your Beltane prayers.

The leaves are budding across the land
on the ash and oak and hawthorn trees.
Magic rises around us in the forest...

... I am so sorry, but this post has been combined with another, and moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar. It can be found in its entirety here: Beltane Magick and Lore

It's A Hare's Moon

The May full moon is also known as the Flower Moon, Milk Moon, Corn Planting Moon, and Corn Moon. The energies around this moon are ones of health, romance, love and wisdom. We are encouraged to begin to take action on the things we’ve recently been planning....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: It's A Hare's Moon

The Beltane Blessing

Bless, O threefold true and bountiful,

Myself, my spouse, my children.

Bless everything within my dwelling and in my possession,

Bless the kine and crops, the flocks and corn...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Widdershins, and can be found in its entirety here: The Beltane Blessing

Freeing The Insects

There is a festival in Japan on May 28 during which vendors sell insects in tiny bamboo cages. Those who purchase the diminutive pets keep them in or near the house during the summer months so that they can hear their songs in the evening. Then, on a day in late August or early September, they gather in public parks and at temples or shrines to set the insects free. When the creatures realize they have been released, the former captors listen to them burst into their individual sounds.

The custom of freeing the insects, also known as the Insect-Hearing Festival, is more common in the countryside....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: Insect Hearing Festival

Feast of the Queen of Heaven

May 30 is celebrated as the Feast of the Queen of Heaven. Queen of Heaven, lovely goddess of May, fully grown and gloriously enthroned in pagan and Christian times. May honors the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is the modern-day Queen of Heaven, though somewhat demoted in status from her original divinity.

Have you noticed that it was always Mary who caused the miracles, who appeared to children - as at Lourdes and Fatima? the Queen of Heaven is a hard-working woman, and we light white candles to her....

.... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: Feast of the Queen of Heaven

Ritual For Mother Cotton

In India a ritual was held when the the cotton boles (pods) ripen and burst. When this change in the plant occurs, it was the custom to select the largest plant in the field and having sprinkled it with buttermilk and rice water, to bind it all over with pieces of cotton taken from other plants in the field.

The selected plant is called "Mother Cotton"  and after salutations are made to it, prayers are offered that the other plants....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: Ritual for Mother Cotton

The Ambarvalia

May 29 is the date given for the Roman festival of Ambarvalia, or the Corn Mother Festival. The Goddess Ceres, the food giver, now has her corn festival, which was the cause of a great deal of festivity. At these festivals they sacrificed a bull, a sow, and a sheep, which, before the sacrifice, were led in procession thrice around the fields. It is from this practice that the name Ambarvalia comes Ambio meaning I go round and Arvum meaning field....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: The Ambarvalia

Memorial Day in Ancient Rome

On 10 May, and again on 31 May, the Roman legions at Duro Europa celebrated the Rosalia. This again connects the flowers of Spring with rituals for the dead, only this time the rituals were performed by military units for their fallen comrades rather than for family members. We learn of this celebration first with a military calendar from Syria.

We do not know if the Rosalia was celebrated on the same dates by other legions throughout the Roman Empire, but we hear descriptions of the Rosalia in other texts suggesting that the Rosalia was common in the Roman army....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: Memorial Day in Ancient Rome

Celebrating the Mother of the World

May 25 is the Chinese and Japanese Celebration of the Tao - The Mother of the World. In Taoism, a great spiritual tradition of the East, the Goddess is perceived as the mother of the world, the Way to the heart. On this day, burn incense to the Goddess and...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: Celebrating the Mother of the World

Honoring the Three Mothers

The Three Mothers, or Triple Goddess, were known around the world. The Triple Goddess represented the three stages of human life: youth and puberty, parenthood and maturity, old age and wisdom; or body, mind, and spirit. This triad symbolizes the three phases of the Moon: Crescent, Full, and Dark. The goddesses were most often known by the titles of Maid, Mother, and Crone. The ancient Mystery schools, which were originally centers of Goddess knowledge, had three main steps or  degrees....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Powers That Be, and can be found in its entirety here: The Three Mothers

The Mothers of Arles

The Mothers of Arles is a French festival that runs from May 24 through May 28. This unique festival celebrating the triple goddess is still alive and well in France, celebrated mostly by gypsies. The "Three Maries of the Sea" recall the ancient goddess of life, death, and beauty. The gypsies gather from all over Europe and carry on their...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: The Mothers of Arles

Gemini Begins

Themes: Communication; Creativity; Art; Humor; Playfulness

Symbols: Paired Items

Presiding Goddess: Iambe

To Do Today:

Astrologically, the twins personify individuals who have dual natures: they are filled with charm and creativity but also seem elusive, like Iambe and her poetic method....

... I am so sorry to do this, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: Gemini Begins

Spiritual Spring Cleaning

From May 19-28 is the time of the Greek festival of Kallyntaria and Plynteria, a time that is also known as a time for "spring cleaning". Most of us have already started our spring cleaning in various forms, but this particular time of the Sacred Year is dedicated to spiritual cleaning - the cleaning and nurturance of the sacred places.

The Greeks were good at that, and they called this festival Kallyntaria and Plynteria, by which they meant making a special effort to clean the sacred statues of the goddess and god. With all that incense burning and dust gathering, the sacred images get pretty dirty...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: Spiritual Spring Cleaning

Happy Birthday Apollo!

According to some pagan calendars, May 14 is listed as the Birthday of Apollo. However, according to the mythology, Apollo was born on the seventh day of the month Thargelion. Wikipedia goes on to say that this was according to Delian tradition, and that according to Delphian tradition, it was the seventh day of the month of Bysios. The seventh and twentieth, the days of the new and full moon, were also held sacred to him.

If the exact date is important you you, I'd suggest you take a look at the Wikipedia article on the Attic Calendar which gives the names of the months and their approximate times in the year....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: Happy Birthday Apollo

Cold Sophie

May 15 is the feast day of Saint Sophia of Rome. On this date, Saint Sophia was regularly invoked against frosts that occurred late in the year; thus she was called kalte Sophie 'cold Sophia' in Germany by those who requested her aid in planting arable crops. Considered to be one of the "Ice Saints". Sophia is also an "ice saint" in Slovenia and Central Europe, where St. Sophia's day ("Cold Sophie") is considered the last day of cold weather. There, Sophia is associated with rain and is nicknamed poscana Zofka 'pissing Sophie' or mokra Zofija 'wet Sophia' in folk tradition. In Czech, the Sophia is known as "Žofie, ledová žena" (Sophia, the ice-woman).

Many of the old weather rules are now forgotten. Nowadays, we rely on the weather forecasts of radio and television. According to lore...

I'm so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, hosted at shirleytwofeathers.com, and can be found in its entirety here: Cold Sophie

Day of Remembrance

The ancient Romans celebrated the Lemuria on May 9, 11, and 13. During these times they honored the wandering ancestral and family spirits. Many modern people still make the trip to the cemetery during the Memorial Day weekend for the purpose of putting flowers on graves, a way of acknowledging and remembering deceased family members.

However, it is not necessary to go to cemeteries to honor your ancestors. In your long lineage, most of your ancestors will not have been buried near you, and some will have...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: Day of Remembrance

The Festival of Mens

According to many pagan calendars, May 8th is listed as "the festival of Mens , the Roman goddess of mind and consciousness." I did not, however, find any information on Mens or on a festival of Mens - what I did find was this small excerpt at Wikipedia:

By a process of folk etymology, the Romans could have confused the phones of her foreign name with those of the root men- in Latin words such as mens meaning "mind", perhaps because one of her aspects as goddess pertained to the intellectual....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: The Festival of Mens

May Spells and Rituals

The month May was named for the Greek goddess Maia, who was identified with the Roman goddess of fertility, Bona Dea, whose festival was held in May. In Slovenian, the best-established traditional name for May is veliki traven, the month "of big grass".

This page serves as a jumping off point for May holy days, spells, magicks, lore, rituals, superstitions and  more.

General information on the month of May:

• May - A Magickal History
• May Magick
• May Moon Names
• It's a Hare's Moon
• Correspondences for May

Astrology and birth signs for May:

(note: some of the dates will overlap with April and June)

• Sun in Taurus (April 20 - May 19)
• Sign of the Poppy (April 20 -  May 19)
• Sun in Gemini  (May 20 - June 20)
• Sign of the Lavender Flower (May 20 - June 20)

Celtic and Nordic Tree astrology and signs for May:

(note: some of the dates will overlap with April and June)

• Willow   (April 15 - May 12)
• Poplar (May 1 - May 14)
• Hawthorn  (May 13 - June 9)
• Chestnut (May 15 - May 24)
• Ash (May 25 - Jun 3)

Holidays, Feast Days and Holy Days in May:

• 1: Beltane - Mayday
• 1: Festival of Belenus, the Celtic god of fire and the sun.
• 1: Samhain (Southern Hemisphere)
• 1: Bona Dea
• 5: Humane Day - United States - 1st Sunday in May
• 5: Cinco de Mayo
• 6: Durdevan - Feast of St. George
• 8: The festival of Mens, the Roman goddess of mind and consciousness.
• 8: Helston Furry Dance 
• 9: New Moon
• 9, 11, 13: Roman festival - Feast of the Lemures  - in honor of the Lemures, the spirits of dead family members who wander the earth on these three spring nights.
• 10: Solar Eclipse
• 12: Mother's Day
• 13: Hawthorn Moon begins - 6th month of the Celtic Calendar
• 13: Festival of Cats
• 15: Festival of Mercury, the Roman god of merchants and travellers.
• 20: Sun enters Gemini
• 23: The Tubilustrium
• 24: The Thargalia
• 25: Full moon -- Hare's Moon - Lunar Eclipse
• 25: Festival of the Holy Marys - Gypsy festival and pilgrimage
• 27: Frigga Blot
• 30: Memorial Day - Einherjar Day
• 31: Flores de Mayo

Additional Spells, Magicks, and Lore for the May:

• Celebrating the Tubilustrium
• Day of Bona Dea
• Day of Mercury
• Day of the Hawthorn Tree Ritual
• Feast of the Fallen Warriors
• About Frigga
• Have Your Own Furry Dance
• Lily of the Valley Magick
• Ritual for Lemuria
• Romany Spell to Avoid Bad Luck
• Thargalia - A Modern Approach
• The Lemuria

Spells, Magicks, Rituals, and Lore for Beltane and Mayday:

(note: All the Beltane links are here even though in some traditions Beltane is celebrated on May Eve - April 31)

• About Beltane
• A Fairy Spell for Beltane
• Beltane
• Beltane Cake Ritual
• Beltane Fire Festival
• Faery Herbs and Their Charms
• Faery Summoning Spell
• For A Year of Harmony
• Hawthorn Tree Lore
• Huron Beltane Fire Dance
• It's May Eve
• Magic is Afoot
• Make a Maypole for Beltane
• Mayday Beauty Spell
• The Beltane Blessing
• To Honor the May Queen
• Walpurgis Night
• Witch's Night Traditions and Celebrations
• Your Fairy Name

Recipes for food, incense, potpourri, and more:

• Be Sweet Honey Cakes
• Elderflower Fritters for Beltane
• Farls
• May Day Maple Hearth Bread
• May Serpent Cake
• May Wine
• Sweet Wine Lavender Cookies
• Taurus Oil
• Vareneky

For anything newly posted on this subject and not on this list see: May Spells and Rituals

Correspondences for May

• Nature Spirits: Faeries, Elves
• Herbs: Dittany of Crete, Elder, Mint, Rose, Mugwort, Thyme, Yarrow
• Colors: Green, Brown, Pink
• Flowers: Lily of the Valley, Foxglove, Rose, Broom
• Scents: Rose, Sandalwood...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Magickal Ingredients, and can be found in its entirety here: Correspondences for May

May - Magickal History

The Greek goddess Maia, the most important of the Seven Sisters (the Pleiades) and said to be the mother of Hermes, gave the name to this month. Some form of this goddess's name was known to people from Ireland to as far away as India. The Romans called her Maius, goddess of Summer and honored her at the Ambarvalia, a family festival for purification and protection of farm land....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: May Magick and Lore