A Chairde, Friends,
I am sharing this Imbas Dispatch a little earlier than planned as we have arrived at Oíche Bhealtaine, May Eve, a thin time in the Gaelic tradition where the separation between our world and the Otherworld gets a little misty. We are moving from the dark half of the year into the light half of the year, in ways from feminine to masculine energies, although both are always in a cosmic dance within us and mirrored outside of us.
A lot happens mythologically at this time. Ireland is named ‘Éire’ after the Goddess Ériu, and our ancestors arrived on these shores at Bealtaine. Lebor Gabála Érenn, ‘The Book of the Taking of Ireland’, describes how six peoples including our supernatural ancestors inhabited this land in a series of waves from time immemorial. Much of the action of these myths takes place at Bealtaine. Symbolically, the tales represent a need for renewal and a change in the consciousness of the island and its inhabitants.
We can see there is a shift in consciousness bubbling globally this Bealtaine, we can feel the painful wings of its promise. And so, here’s to the fire of this year’s festival burning bright in our hearts, a fire that collectively ignites peace in Gaza (and across all lands). No more taking, no more invasion, no more extraction. Now is a time for renewal.
Girl in a Bookshop
Bealtaine is also a time of great creativity, especially mischief-making! Our folklore blooms with tales of the sídhe (fairies) and na cailleacha (witches) up to all sorts like robbing your butter, and of people casting piseógs, superstitious beliefs, charms and spells. To inspire your creative soul this Bealtaine, I share a conversation (video above) with Irish writer, Regina de Búrca, author of Journey through the Tarot via Irish Herstory. Here’s a little about what we explore:
Regina invites a ‘Creative Ancestor’ into our space, someone who has inspired her massively in her creativity
What it was like to be raised in a bookshop in the West of Ireland and how this fostered Regina’s love of the Irish language
What Regina’s creative process looks like
The benevolent forces that can help shape and guide our creative journey during painful times in our lives
How Irish mythology and folklore has influenced Regina’s creativity and felt sense of magic
A myth that Regina would willingly walk into
The importance of keeping our stories alive through a diversity of voices. Allowing our mythology and folklore to evolve for these times
How might we become good Creative Ancestors for the generations to follow
About Regina
Regina de Búrca was raised in a bookshop in the West of Ireland, where her fascination with the Irish language and mythology began. In 2010, she graduated with an MA in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University in England and has had various short stories published since then. She has been an editor of the online speculative fiction magazine 'The Future Fire' since 2009. She was commissioned to write a children's version of 'Dracula' by an educational publisher in 2014. In 2021, she produced the first Irish language version of the Rider Waite Tarot deck. In May 2022, she was shortlisted for the Minds Shine Bright short story competition for a story about a Sheela-na-Gig. In Spring 2024, she launched Journey through the Tarot via Irish Herstory on Substack, a series of posts that connect historic Irish women to each of the 78 Rider-Waite Tarot cards.
Substack: Journey through the Tarot via Irish Herstory
Website: Irish Rider Waite Tarot (where you can learn more about Regina, book a tarot reading, or order the tarot as Gaeilge)
Instagram: rdeburca
May Dew Ritual
Finally, in the spirit of renewal, I share a custom to wash your face with May dew. Before dawn tomorrow or over the coming week, gather morning dew and wash your face with this natural elixir or go full throttle and roll around naked in it lol. You can collect it in a jar or soak a facecloth on the grass and smooth over your skin. The dew’s fusion of fire from sunbeams and the healing properties of water and the land are thought to bestow radiance as well as protecting the skin for the summer ahead. Leave it on without washing to conserve the potency of the dew.
Croí isteach,
Jen x
Girl in a Bookshop: In conversation with Regina de Búrca