Come join our indoor Beltane Service this Sunday, May 1st, 11am by Zoom or kn95-masked/vaxxed in person. Our service will include traditional elements of a Beltane Service, including singing, and give us plenty of time for sharing thoughts of our new beginnings, fertile gifts, and blessings. (Due to thunderstorms & lightning in the forecast, we are delaying our outdoor May Pole Dance Party until next Sunday.)
“Beltane, or May Day, is the Great Wedding of the God and Goddess. It is a time for making connections and crossing over thresholds into something new. Join us in an Earth-centered, pagan style ritual to celebrate new life, new beginnings, and creating our own new doorways to enter.” – http://www.uuutica.org/services/beltane-crossing-the-threshold-2/
“Sisters in Spirt will present a celebration of the origin of May Day – the Wiccan Holiday of Beltane. Beltane is a Celtic word that means ‘fires of Bel’ – Bel was a Celtic deity. It is a fire festival that celebrates the coming of summer and the fertility of the coming year. This holiday is associated very strongly with fertility for pagans.” https://uucnh.org/event/beltane/
“May is the month of Nurturing Beauty. Come and be in community, see friendly faces, feel welcomed, remember you are loved. Your loved ones are welcome to join our service.” From: https://uuloudoun.org/services/beltane-blooming/
“The ancient Celts honored the turning of the seasons at this time of year with blessings of the crops and animals. Fires were lit to utilize the energy of the Sun for protection and purification, blessing the land, the people and their herds with the fire’s fertile gifts. Observances such as the Bel-fire and Maypole dance were (and still are) considered sympathetic magic assuring fecundity in the community.” From: http://www.emersonuuc.org/services/beltane/
“Beltane honors Life. It represents the peak of Spring and the beginning of Summer. Earth energies are at their strongest manifesting growth and renewal. The word ‘Beltane’ originates from the Celtic God ‘Bel’, meaning ‘the bright one’ and the Gaelic word ‘teine’ meaning fire. Join us as we celebrate the Sun’s light to nurture the emerging future harvest.” From: https://starrking.org/services/beltane/
Yes, we had hoped to have our MayPole Dance Party outdoors this Sunday rain or shine, but what we didn’t anticipate was thunder and lightning and high winds. So, we’re splitting our Beltane/MayPole service into the Beltane part on May 1st indoors, and the May Pole Dance Party on May 8th, rain or shine, so long as the forecast for May 8th doesn’t include scary stuff like thunder and lightning.
NOTE: Our board is still requiring vaccination cards and kn95 or equivalent masks (NO FABRIC MASKS) of folks entering the building for Sunday services. We have many folks who truly appreciate us flipping the “usual narrative.” Usually Zoom is for those who are at risk where in-person places are not safe for them. At the fellowship, we’re doing Zoom for anyone who doesn’t want to wear a nk95 or n95 mask or get vaccinated, thus keeping the fellowship safe for the most vulnerable. We do, however, allow our presenters to unmask when speaking in the front of the fellowship. Some choose to stay masked.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82365397153
Meeting ID: 823 6539 7153
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Meeting ID: 823 6539 7153
DELAYED MAYPOLE DANCE PARTY
We are excited to announce that on Sunday May 8th, we’ll have our “delayed by thunderstorms” May Pole Dance Party. Please bring musical instruments, rain gear (for non-thunderstorm rain) if needed, and lots of energy for dancing around the May Pole outside as we enjoy ourselves in a party atmosphere. More details will follow in next week’s Greensheet newsletter and on Facebook.