we all dance in a circle and suppose

[reverancepavane]

(having finally recovered sufficiently to continue from before) Before the ritual, which was to occur at sunset (and thus the start of the new day by the Celtic calendar), there were a number of minor rituals to perform beforehand. After all, it was a new property, so it was important to beat the bounds, to make sure that the neighbours knew where the property ended. [10] And then came the traditional maypole dance, which was performed (almost) flawlessly (people having lost track of which way they were supposed to go only at the very end). A very tight weave, and a good omen of things to come. Then we had some time to relax, or, in my case, meditate in the rose garden. The host (and a horde of volunteers) had done a very impressive job setting up the ritual site: a large (too large really for the number of people that attended) circle of bright white sand ringed by large rocks and featuring a large central rock (with the danger of open flames given the extreme fire danger, it was judged inadvisable, even with permission, to have the traditional open Beltane fire). [11] A labyrinth had been set up to enter the circle and get people in the right mindset, albeit with all the portals having been constructed by dwarves ("I tell you it was an overlooked conspiracy of short-people!"). Given my fundamentally chaotic nature I was unsure of how I wanted to approach the ritual – a problem of too much knowledge of too many traditions rattling around in my brain. Eventually I decided to partially adopt my original tradition (where our custom was to be masked and robed as anonymously as possible [12]), so I wore my English Ale mask and a more detached and formal mindset. Although I do wonder what the other participants made of it. [13] The "Priestess" led the ritual team in a wonder-filled ritual with the enthusiasm and bravado of youth, very appropriate for a Spring Rite. Joy and laughter. Triumph. The group then retired to the Stone Room for feasting and frivolity at the very impressive Stone Room. A small fire (we did manage to get a permit after all) in a brazier was the focal point of the gathering. Discussion lasted well into the night, until there were but two survivors (one of whom was myself) watching the fire burn down successfully. Some pagan groups in America had gifted Spiral with some ashes from their Beltane fires, portions of which were added to ours to maintain a connectivity with our northern cousins. In return we are sending them back some of the ashes of our own fire, and I wanted the fire to burn down properly rather than be extinguished. [14] Unfortunately a very large log had been added far too late in the night and it took the rest of the night to burn down completely before morning. So we greeted the dawn (no endurance, these youngsters), had breakfast, cleaned up the site, and returned to our homes. Many kudos to the organiser (who, on the way back, definitely showed signs of insufficient reluctance), for her hard work putting it all together and creating the ritual. Kudos to the host for inviting a bedraggled mob of then-strangers and now-friends to his home and the energy and enthusiasm he put into ensuring that it would be a success. And kudos to the participants that made it such an enjoyable and uncontroversial meeting. Next year, Gadget, next year. [10] Although given the insufficient respect given to the corner stones (posts) I'd be hard set using this ritual as a justification in a court case. Then again, I doubt most of the participants knew (or cared for that matter) about the historical significance (rather than customary nature) of the act. Then again, since none of the neighbours were there to contest our setting of the bounds... [11] Although given the desert nature of the Australian landscape, I find the use of Earth in such a situation to be far more evocative than that of Fire. Then again, we are not as exceedingly glad to have survived a harsh winter as the Northern Europeans (I'm not falling for that story that water can actually fall from the sky as flakes of ice ... again). [12] Although we had long ago created philosophical reasons for this assumed anonymity, there is more than a hint of historical necessity in the surviving records for original adoption of the custom). [13] I think I prefer the more informal rituals amongst known and trusted friends where the energies are wild and fey and are unrestrained. Again, my essentially chaotic nature coming to the fore. [14] Although I do wonder what will happen when customs examine the package. <grin>