Bealtaine Retreat
Our First Áes Dána Retreat for Founding Members
A Chairde, Friends,
I feel that luminous bright yellow of gorse that shines across the land at this time, burst into bloom in my heart sensing into our first Áes Dána Retreat for Bealtaine next week.
As a side note, an epithet you see in Irish mythology especially linked to the many Eithne’s in our tales, is aitenchaetrach, meaning “with gorse-coloured pubic hair”. Eithne is a name associated with the old Sovereignty Goddesses of Ireland, the embodiment of the land itself. In this way, gorse is part of the landscape of the goddess’s body that spills across Éire, Ireland, in this season of Bealtaine.
I just shared this video as a little note on Substack today, but I’ll add it here too, the invitation to a gorse bright bloom within ourselves at this time.
Our Gathering
The moon itself will be ripening as we gather next week just before the full moon in Sagittarius (my own fiery sign).
Bealtaine in the mythology represents a time of arrival, of portals opening, of new consciousness emerging, so I will be drawing on these themes in our gathering. (There will be resonance here for whatever hemisphere you are in even if you’re heading for Samhain in the south).
What to Expect:
We will begin with a guided visualisation to arrive in our bodies and enliven our souls, so tend to your space beforehand if you can e.g. find a comfy space, bring a cosy blanket or whatever you need to drop into the timelessness and spaciousness of the Otherworld together
I will share teachings (some slides) on Bealtaine from an Irish mythological perspective and we can reflect together on what inspiration we can draw from our Creative Ancestors within these myths for our creative lives at this time
We will also engage in a creative ritual on the theme so please bring along your journal or some paper to draw on along with any mark-making tools you desire like colouring pencils, crayons, markers, chalks, or whatever you have handy
There’ll be space for sharing throughout and we’ll then close our container together energetically
Please know that you are so welcome to come in whatever season you feel like you are in… you don’t have to feel Bealtaine in your body to participate. Come as you are
What to Bring:
A candle with matches or a lighter at the ready
Anything that feels nourishing for you and your body e.g. a blanket, a warm cuppa etc.
Journal and a pen if you’d like to capture some insights that emerge for you
Your journal or separate paper and some colours if you have them for our creative ritual
Recording:
The retreat will be recorded for those who can’t make it live. I will share this within 24 hours through a private link on Substack. It will not be shared beyond our group. This is a sacred creative space.