The Green Man is stirring, and his Lady, the Queen of the May, invites us to
join with her in her Mystic Spiral Dance....

At the end of this week is the ancient festival of Beltane (or
Beltaine), celebrated for thousands of years as the commencement of Summer, by
our northern hemisphere Celtic pagan ancestors.

The term "pagan" means "country dweller" and was a term devised by
the autocratic Roman empire to demonise and thereby diminish and
control the free-spirit-lifestyle rural populations of northern
Europe. This was at the time when the Roman empire adopted
Christianity and monotheism as way of quelling dissent amongst
disparate religious groups in the Roman empire. Then, as now,
religious differences were often emphasised and exploited in power
struggles and wars.

The Significance of Beltane
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Beltane is a time of "mystical union" fire energy (fire energy =
inspiration, passion). The word Beltane (or Beltaine) refers
to "Bel's Fire".

The "mystical union" occurs holistically on several levels...

At the physical level, it is the time when plants are in full harmony
(union) with their natural environment - it is the time when plants
are growing at their fastest (warmth, light, moisture) and there is
still room for them all to grow.

At the emotional/social level the Beltane festival was an important
human social event. In ancient times, girls would bathe in the
morning dew to beautify themselves and attract a lover. There was
also flirting and courting around the may poles, and tying "wish
ribbons" to trees. A time for falling in love and frolicking in the
woods!

At the metaphysical or spiritual level, Beltane is a time when "the
veil between worlds is thin" - i.e. divine guidance and wisdom can be
accessed more easily from the earthly plane. This veil or barrier
between the conscious and unconscious mind (worlds) is always fairly
thin when we are close to nature (genetically speaking our
real "home", since human genes have barely changed in the last 30,000
years). Mystics assert that this "thinning" is more pronounced at
this time of the year. This why we will be running shamanic workshops
(harmonising nature, spirit and community at both the inner and outer
levels) on May 3rd and 18th 2008 - see below (details of some other
related events in Cambridge and Cambridgeshire are included).

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Beltane Celebration - "Light Your Fire!"
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Dry Drayton Village Hall: www.sunflower-
health.com/admin/drydrayton.htm
Date & Time: Sat 3 May 10am - 10pm. Arrive and leave at a time that
suits. Cost £20 if booked and paid beforehand otherwise £25 on the day. Bring
pot-luck food items to share for lunch/dinner, also a mat or similar to lie on,
and a notebook and pencil, outdoor shoes and warm clothing for
sitting/singing/dancing/shamanic-journeying around a fire in the evening
(weather permitting).
There will be singing and dancing and fun exercises including the "Beltane
brand" circle dance and the enigmatic "Mystic Spiral" dance. Also a chance to
try your hand at "trance dancing" - to liberate your free spirit, find
unexpected reserves of energy and shake off any tension or stress.
We will have a table for any leaflets/business cards you wish to
bring along.
More info soon at: www.sunflower-health.com/workshops.htm or email me.
Cheques payable to "Sunflower Health" to:76 Watermead, Bar Hill,
Cambridgeshire CB23 8TL
Please include the names of the people you are booking for, plus your
contact address.
[If anyone wants a follow-up session for specific process/activities or 1-to-1
healing.clearing, Sun 4 May, morning or evening is possible]
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Beltane drumming event: afternoon of Sun 4 May
So, drumming will be on Sunday 4th May at 2pm, gathering in the car
park. Please bring usual stuff; drums, instruments, Poi's, food , drink - what
ever you would like to find
Queries to Sheryl :-) moonteasel7@...
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May Day Morris Dancing at Wandlebury
01 May 2008 05:30
This event will be held at: Wandlebury Country Park, Gog Magog
Hills, Babraham, Cambridge, CB22 3AE
Ticket/entry price for this event is FREE
Meet on the picnic field. Join the Devils Dyke Morris Men as they
dance to greet the summer sun as it rises above the woodlands of
Wandlebury. No booking required.
Event organised by Jon Gibbs ranger@...
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NEXT SHAMANIC WORKSHOP: Sun 18 May 3pm-10 pm (indoor & outdoor
activities) also at Dry Drayton Village Hall): Cost £20 if booked and paid
beforehand or £25 on the day
Cheques payable to "Sunflower Health" to: 76 Watermead, Bar Hill,
Cambridgeshire CB23 8TL
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