Rituals

Rituals

Ritual Schedule
Annual Rituals
Handfasting Ceremonies
Crowning of the May Queen and Green Man
Main Saturday Maypole Ritual
Sweat Lodge Ceremonies
Rites of Passage: Moonrite and Amazon Rite Ceremonies
Ritual Descriptions

Ritual Schedule

Ongoing Throughout Festival
Sweat Lodge Ceremonies See Info Booth for daily schedule - off of Amphitheater Road
Thursday
Sweat Lodge Building Ceremony At the Ravencircle camp near the Amphitheater, beginning with creation of sacred space at 10AM. Feel free to join in throughout the day.
Opening Ritual 7 to 8PM - Main Stage
Friday
Sweat Lodge Ceremonies Ongoing throughout festival, at the Ravencircle camp near the Amphitheater
Men's Mysteries Ritual 9 to 11AM - Hidden Glade
Women's Mysteries Ritual 9 to 11AM - Amphitheater
Queer Mysteries Ritual 11AM- 1 PM - Hidden Glade
Crowning of the Green Man and May Queen 1 to 2PM - Hidden Glade
Midnight Drawing-Down Ritual 11:30PM until participants stop arriving - the Hidden Glade
Saturday
Crone's Crowning Wise Blood Ceremony 11AM to 1PM - Hidden Glade
Maypole Processional and Ritual 1PM - 2PM - Main Stage
Sunday
Personal and Planetary Healing Ceremony with Japanese Ceremonial Sword Dance 9 to 11AM - Amphitheater
Mother's Day and Closing Ritual 11AM to 12PM - The Center of the Universe

Annual Rituals

Ceremony is an important part of this spiritual gathering. Any person or group is encouraged to perform their own rites and ceremonies, either private or public. Just visit the info booth to determine the best location and time to meet your needs and have it reserved for you.

Some of our annual rituals include:

  • Opening Beltania Ritual and Balefire Lighting
  • Crowning of this year’s May Queen and Green Man
  • Maypole Processional, Beltane Rite and Maypole Dance (Saturday early afternoon)
  • Men's Mysteries Ritual, Women's Mysteries Ritual, Rainbow Mysteries Ritual (GLBT)
  • Mothers' Day Rite and Beltania Closing Ritual
  • RavenCircle Sweat Lodge Ceremonies – ongoing. Sign up at the sweat lodge, see below for details
  • Rites of Passage, including Girl’s Moonrite, Amazon Rite, and Crone ritual

Handfasting ceremonies

If you would like to be handfasted or married at Beltania, please contact Beltania@beltania.org or visit the information booth at the festival to schedule it. You may perform your own ceremony or bring in your own officiant, or Living Earth priests/priestesses/ministers can perform the ceremony as well.

Crowning of the May Queen and Green Man

We’d like to start a new tradition at Beltania – the previous year’s Green Man and May Queen will be honored for their service and for keeping the spirit of Beltania alive all year. They will also ceremonially pass their crowns to a new Green Man and May Queen who will reign over Beltania 2010.

If you are interested in being selected for next year’s Green Man or May Queen, visit the Info booth for details and sign up to receive information on the selection process in early 2011.

Main Saturday Maypole Ritual

All men are invited to help carry the maypole in the Processional, which is a parade around the festival grounds just prior to the ceremony. Please gather at the Information Booth if you would like to be part of this honored tradition. The May Queen will ride astride the maypole, with the Green Man leading the crew carrying the pole. All ages are welcome to be a part of this celebrational processional, please be aware that people do take pictures of this amazing spectacle. Dress in costume, ceremonial garb, or whatever you’d like! We’ll proceed from the Information Booth, north on Festival Road, right on Main Rd/ Co Rd 15, right on Connection Road, and end at the Center of the Universe main ritual area in front of the stage.

We are blessed to celebrate the actual handfasting (wedding) of our May Queen and Green Man during our ceremony! So, when our Green Man and May Queen take their vows they not only represent the blessed cycle of nature and the fertility of Springtime through symbolic ritual drama – they are also taking vows themselves to be legally and spiritually wedded!

All are welcome to join in the maypole dance. We will most likely unofficially be breaking the Guinness World Record for the largest Maypole Dance if 148 dancers last for 5 minutes! Next year, we intend to officially break the world record at a Pre-Beltania celebration closer to Denver.

How to Dance the Maypole: Every other person will step in slightly and turn to the left. Everyone else will face right. Dancers will weave in and out in a circle, first passing those going in the opposite direction staying to the right, then passing on the left, then passing on the right, and so forth. If you’ve never seen or done a maypole dance, check out this video.

After about 5 minutes, it may be a little tight to continue with 148 dancers, so hand off your ribbons to others gathered, 2 ribbons to a person so that there a re fewer dancers with more room. When you’re tired, hand off your ribbon s to another. It’s a big maypole!

Sweat Lodge Ceremonies

RavenCircle is honored to be hosting sweat lodge ceremonies again this year. On Thursday, May 6th, Don and Lorraine invite you to join them in a sweat lodge building ceremony as they prepare the sacred ground and construct the lodge.

We are looking for others to help us create this sacred space, there is much to do and many hands makes light work. Building the lodge is a community experience where participants have the opportunity to call in the directions and spirit guides as they create the sweat lodge which is an amazing energy vortex that honors Mother Earth, Father Sky and all sentient beings. The sweat lodge provides the opportunity to cleanse and become purified of toxins and outmoded energy through the steam as well as the opportunity for rebirth to connect on deeper levels to your true purpose and interconnectedness to this amazing web of life. A sweat lodge ceremony will be conducted upon completion of construction. All are welcome.

The sweat lodge ceremony, older than recorded history, is practiced in some form by every culture in the world. Our ancient ancestors participated in sweat lodges in order to facilitate healing, purification and transformation in their lives. They knew that the sweat lodge utilized all powers of the universe, earth, water, fire and air and sought to expand their consciousness through these ceremonies.

Please contact Lorraine or Don at ravencircle@gmail.com see the RavenCircle website to participate in this beautiful creation ceremony or with any questions you may have.

Rites of Passage: Moonrite and Amazon Rite Ceremonies

The Sisterhood has selected Beltania to be the location for several Rites they offer, each one to celebrate and honor the changes a woman encounters during her lifetime. To begin the registration process for any of their events send an e-mail to candidates@girlsmoonrite.org before the festival. Information available on their website, www.girlsmoonrite.org.

Any other Rites of Passage will be described on our website and will be in our Festival Program, given to you at the festival. Would you like to add another Rite of Passage ritual for future Beltanias? Contact Rituals@beltania.org to discuss.

Ritual Descriptions

Sweat Lodge Building Ceremony

DON and LORRAINE VOSS and RAVENCIRCLE invite you to join them in a sweat lodge building ceremony as they prepare the sacred ground, the fire and the lodge. Building the lodge is a community experience where participants have the opportunity to call in the directions and spirit guides as they create an amazing energy vortex that honors Mother Earth, Father Sky and all sentient beings. Please go to www.ravencircle.org/Beltania2010.html for more information or contact Lorraine at ravencircle@gmail.com to participate. Please note: Participants who pre-register to be part of the Sweat Lodge Building Ceremony will be allowed in the gate at 9am on Thursday morning, to have enough time to set up camp and participate in creating the lodge. The day ends with the first Sweat Lodge Ceremony of the festival.

Opening Ritual

Join in a ritual where we will light the Balefire. We'll officially begin Beltania and celebrate the beginning of the warmer half of the year. The ceremony is led by SARA RAIN is a minister, Spiritual Mentor, dance leader, chant facilitator, and a dirt-worshiping Pagan priestess. KAEWYN, who brings ceremony and sacredness to all aspects of life, is the Keeper of the Flame. She will not only light the balefire but continue its flame throughout every night, moving it back to the Balefire each morning at the 8:30 announcements.

Sweat Lodge Ceremonies

Presented by DON AND LORRAINE VOSS with RAVENCIRCLE, who have been leading these ceremonies for almost 20 years. The Sweat Lodge ceremony has been used throughout the world for thousands of years to create an empty space in which people may retreat from distractions of the world and get back in touch with stillness and the Great Mystery. The steam from the water and hot rocks helps to detox and purify the physical body; the drumming, chanting and darkness helps to catapult one into altered states of awareness. The sweat lodge is a multi-cultural celebration and earth-based ritual that allows for the deepening of the connection we have with the Great Mystery. Absolutely no drugs or alcohol may be used in combination with this ceremony due to health issues that could potentially arise. Ongoing ceremonies begin Thursday evening. Daily schedule at Info Booth, but please sign up at the Sweat Lodge in advance for the ceremony time of your choice.

Men's Mysteries Ritual

This is a ritual by and for the men of our Pagan community. Led by participants from last year who were selected to carry on the tradition of this meaningful rite. For men ages 13+. A Note to Last year's Men's Ritual Participants: Those who committed to taking on a role in this year's ritual, if still able to do so please contact Robin as soon as possible by sending an email to seanstew2000@yahoo.com

Women's Mysteries Ritual

This is a ritual by and for the women of our Pagan community. Led by Rozaylia. Pagan since childhood, Rozaylia has worked with communities across the country teaching, organizing, networking, and experiencing the wonders that the Pagan world has to offer. She works most closely in the Reclaiming Tradition with a Gardnerian background.

Queer Mysteries Ritual

This is a ritual by and for GLBT Pagans of all ages. Led by Robin and Beast, two amazingly diverse, multi-talented, and prominent Pagan leaders in our community. They are hosting the Sanctuary and are Keepers of the Beltania Ribbons.

Crowning of the Green Man and May Queen

Say farewell to the 2009 Green Man and May Queen as they pass the crown to a new couple in this delightful ceremony!

Midnight Drawing-Down Ritual

Covenant of the Witches will be hosting a ""bembe-styled"" ritual Drawing Down, with 3 Priests and/or Priestesses, Drawing Down, Veiled and available to Celebrants at any/all times during this ritual for consultation (any God or Goddess may be invoked so that the Right God/Goddess is there for you and for your needs at the moment). There will be at least one Priest/Priestess cracking coconuts above Celebrants' Heads as performed in Southern India. (We will NOT be breaking the coconuts using your head; we will break them with rocks, just above your head. The coconut milk then will fall on you, pouring out blessings. Dress accordingly if you want to participate in this.) And there will be at least one Fire Breather to seal in the magick! We have drummers who will be playing the entire time, non-stop, but if you desire to make your contribution by drumming with us, please bring your drum and your beautiful SELF! We will start around 11:30PM on Friday night and we will go until we don't go anymore! Show up anytime!

Crone's Crowning Wise Blood Ceremony

The Crone's Crowning Ceremony is offered to any woman who is thirteen moons past her last moon time menses. This is a right of passage ceremony that encourages acknowledgement from loved ones, friends and community. It is also an opportunity to reflect on current life goals and gain momentum for manifestation. The wise blood women will be anointed, pass through the arbor and receive a sage crown. They are welcomed and celebrated on the other side. Men, womyn and children are invited to be part of the community welcoming its elders. SUZANNE ROUGE is a ceremonialist, teacher, author, sculptor, artist, reflexologist and aromatherapist. She is dedicated to serve as a hollow bone.

Maypole Processional and Ritual

In Beltania tradition, help carry and escort the Maypole with the May Queen and Green Man in a lively parade around the festival grounds! Please gather at the Info Booth before 12:45 if you would like to carry the pole and lead the parade. When we arrive back at the Center of the Universe, our celebratory ceremony will include the handfasting of this year's May Queen and Green Man, Melissa and Randy, followed by a maypole dance that will unofficially break the world record for Largest Maypole Dance! This ritual is the highlight of Beltania and we hope everyone will attend.

Personal and Planetary Healing Ceremony with Japanese Ceremonial Sword Dance

GUSHIKAWA begins this ritual with a ceremonial Japanese Sword Dance for Peace. TERRA RAYE opens the healing ceremony in the Cherokee Tradition, which may include a traditional Pipe Ceremony. She guides the participants in a loving, powerful, singing, chanting, prayerful ceremony for Our Mother Earth, all of life, and ourselves, to create a world in harmony with All That Is. Gushikawa and Terra Raye are two thirds of Terra Raye and the Blooming Bush Women, who will playing as part of Beltania's new talent showcase on Friday afternoon.

Mother's Day and Closing Ritual

This Mother's Day we will gather in circle one last time to share in Spirit, come together as a community, and honor those of us who are mothers as well as our Mother Earth. Led by LIVING EARTH and friends.