Beltaine and Samhain, for some of us, are what Christmas and Easter are for lax Christians. Even if you don’t go to every spiritual gathering throughout the year, there are certain holidays you really like to celebrate with your community.

Celebrating Beltaine in cyberspace was bittersweet for a lot of us. Of course, we missed our festivals, jumping the belfire and dancing the maypole.

I did an impromptu ritual on Facebook Live, which involved a four-card tarot spread. We set the intention that each card I pulled would tell us what energy we would need to bring to the world. Beyond that, each card would actually create that energy for the world.

The idea was to use the fertility and spring newness of Beltaine and the power of tarot to bring healing to the planet and her people in the time of pandemic.

The four-card spread was a Beltaine spread I had designed a few years ago. The cards that came up were so poignant that I wanted to share them with you. This is an example of intentional divination and magick with tarot. It is also as an invitation to add your magickal strength, energy and intention to this healing work.

This spread has a card for each part of a maypole. The first card represents the hole. In divination, the card that falls here is an indicator of receptivity. It speaks to our readiness to receive something new.

The magickal intention for this card was to show us the energy that we need to cultivate to prepare for healing and change. The card that I drew, after asking all participants to focus their energy on the deck, was Strength.

In order to receive healing and change, we must be able to control our fierce nature, and lead with our gentleness and compassion. We must all remember that love is the greatest strength. It is with the balance of wildness and gentleness that we will manifest our readiness to heal.

The second position represents the pole. This position shows the active forces that will help create something new. The magickal intention for this position was that we generate an immediate and active energy toward our healing. The card drawn was the Empress.

Could you think of a card more perfect for this position? The Empress is the Earth Mother herself, and, in many ways, a card that speaks of the fertile energy of Beltaine.

In this ritual the Empress provides the energy of nurturance, and the creation of something new to bring healing.

The third card represents the black ribbon of the maypole. It reveals what must be relinquished. The magickal intention here was to banish unhelpful energies that might prevent or delay our healing. The card pulled was the Page of Wands. Clearly, our magick here is about releasing our immaturity, and banishing the angry banter that has surrounded this crisis.

The fourth and find card was the Page of Cups. This position is, of course, the white ribbon. In divination, this card directs us to action and tells us what we must do. The magickal intention is to manifest the healing we need. The Page of Cups is all about love; learning about love and communicating love. Clearly, our tarot spell is about replacing anger with love, and angry words with words of compassion.

These four cards, two Major Arcana and two Pages, drawn at random with magickal intent, offer a clear spell for Beltaine magick in the time of pandemic.

May we be strong, may we be compassionate, may we learn, may we use this time to create healing solutions, and a new reality to follow. May we release anger and embrace love. May that love bring us to what comes next, better than before.