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Here's my male-male version of Thomas Morley's 1595 classic madrigal Now is the Month of Maying. (A female-female version won't be far to find for those so desirous.)

“Barley-break” is a typical May Game, a kind of tag played by three couples. Remind me to show you how to play it some time.

Fa la las: not just for Yule any more.

Now is the Month of Maying, Revisited

Now is the month of Maying,

when merry lads are playing

fa la la la la la la la fa la la la la la

each with his bonny lad

all in the greenwood shade

fa la la la la la la la fa la la la la la.

The Spring, clad all in gladness,

doth laugh at Winter's sadness

fa la la la la la la la fa la la la la la

and to the bagpipe's sound

fa la la la la la la la fa la la la la la

the youths tread out their ground

fa la la la la la la la fa la la la la la.

Fie then! Why sit we musing,

all sweet delight refusing?

Honeyed mead is revered as the drink of choice for the sexy pagan holy day of Beltane. It is an aphrodisiac, and with its sticky sweetness, it is perfect for dribbling on your lover’s body and then licking it off. This is my special recipe for honeyed mead, handed down through generations of Celtic witches. You will need:

1 quart of honey

There are special times when it is said that the veil between the worlds is thinner than usual. These three “spirit nights” are Beltane, Midsummer and Samhain. Beltane and Samhain are Celtic festivals that celebrate the start of the summer and winter seasons, as the ancient Celts only had two seasons instead of four. The whole shift occurring in nature at these times was reflected in the lives of those who lived by the seasons. At Beltane, the cattle would be taken to their summer pastures, and driven between two large bonfires, we assume for purification, blessings, and possibly to make any nasty ticks and other bugs drop off either by the smoke or the heat. At Samhain, the cattle returned to their winter fold, and those that couldn’t be kept over winter were slaughtered. Huge feasts celebrated the ancestors and the mighty dead, and care was taken to avert the restless dead or the Sluagh na marbh. At any rate, the lives of those who lived with their cattle were very much changed and shifted during these times of the year.

The summer solstice marks the time of the greatest light, when all nature seems to be reaching its peak. As such, this too was seen as a liminal time, and very much connected to the Fair Folk, or faeries. Not just in Celtic lands, but especially in Germanic and Scandinavian countries Midsummer was a huge festival and celebration. As summer arrives later in these countries, it has a similar feel to the Celtic Beltane. Like at Beltane, here a large pole similar to the Maypole was erected and danced around. Plants were at their highest powers, and so collecting the herbs that you needed was especially important at this time. Midsummer is still one of the biggest celebrations in countries like Sweden, where there is lots of food, singing and games. Though it has been overlaid with Christian mythology the nativity of St John the Baptist, it is still more a giant party than anything else. And why not?

By why are these especially liminal times? Well, when one season switches over to the next, we can often feel like we are in an in-between time.

A Spell for Beltane:

Gather up some soft petals
and hold them to your lips.
Let them whisper to you of pleasure.
Do not let it fade away.
May you connect to those things
that bring you pleasure,
those things that bring you joy,
let them speak to you of
the wellspring of joy that rests within.
Let them sing to you of wonder and delight,
of your own magic,
of things once lost
that can be found.
Breathe deep
and make a vow of commitment to your life
as it breathes now,
to your body
as it stands now.
Make a promise,
deep and silent,
secret and strong
to your own magic nestled within.
Take one petal for pleasure,
one petal for joy,
one petal for delight,
one petal for magic.
Press them against your skin,
let them soak in.
One by one,
the spell is done. 

Hi, Hain's the name: Sam Hain.

You don't remember me, do you? We've met before; oh yes, we have.

That's it: Dread Lord, Dark Lord, Master of the Underworld. Didn't recognize me without my antlers, did you?

That's OK, lots of people don't. You gotta remember what time of year it is. Oh, April: sweet, sweet April. Yeah, I dropped the first one back in late February, the other one...March 5^th, I think it was.

Not to worry, though...there's a new pair on the way. Here, if you feel the pedicels, right here, and here, you can feel the new ones coming already.

Yes, of course I miss them. Does make doorways easier to negotiate, though.

Nice party, eh? Oh, hey, Belle, come here a second, would you? I want you to meet my friend.

You know my wife-consort, don't you? My sweet Lady of Summer.

Here, this is my Belle: Belle Tain. Yeah, I know, Hain and Tain. Can't beat it, hunh? I tell you, a match made in the Summerland. Here, Belle, I want you to meet...

I rose early seeking Beltane dewdrops
with which to anoint my brow.
the cupped violet stems and clover
were dry
and I found no dewdrops
in the chickweed stars.
Instead, I put out oranges
for the orioles,
ran my fingers through the dandelions,
and pressed my nose into the lilacs.
I spotted green flowers
on the mulberry trees,
found the first wild pink geraniums
and tender bells of columbine
and came face to face
with the quiet black eyes
of solemn deer in the raspberry bushes.
These things
their own kind of anointing,
their own small and significant
rites of May Magic.

Beltane is always an exciting time of year and I cherish it every time it rolls around. The possibilities of new endeavors, fun and frolic, and better things ahead always seem to crystalize between Earth Day and May 1^st for me. There are many ways that you can choose to celebrate, whether it’s dancing around a local May Pole, just dancing with abandon with some good friends, having a sensual picnic with your loved one, or treating yourself with love to a flower-filled bubble bath and a good home-cooked meal. To me, this major Sabbat is about flooding all yours senses with all the good things you can handle. In short, do what truly makes you happy. Life is way too short to fritter away precious time doing things we think we’re supposed to do or ought to do. For once, set the obligations aside for just this one day and treat yourself. Think of it as a bonus birthday to yourself.