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Saturday 1st May 2010 - May Day The Fires of Beltaine Ghost Hunt
Beltane kicks off the merry month
of May, and has a long history. This fire festival is celebrated on May 1 with bonfires, Maypoles, dancing, and lots of good
old fashioned sexual energy. The Celts honoured the fertility of the gods with gifts and offerings, sometimes including animal
or human sacrifice. Cattle were driven through the smoke of the balefires, and blessed with health and fertility for the coming
year.
In Ireland, the fires of Tara were the first ones lit every year at Beltane, and all other fires were lit
with a flame from Tara. The Romans, always known for celebrating holidays in a big way, spent the first day of May paying tribute
to their Lares, the gods of their household. They also celebrated the Floralia, or festival of flowers, which consisted of
three days of unbridled sexual activity. Participants wore flowers in their hair (much like May Day celebrants later on),
and there were plays, songs, and dances. At the end of the festivities, animals were set loose inside the Circus Maximus,
and beans were scattered around to ensure fertility.
The fire festival of Bona Dea was also celebrated on May
2nd. May 6 is the day of Eyvind Kelve in Norse celebrations. Eyvind Kelve was a pagan martyr who was tortured and drowned
on the orders of King Olaf Tryggvason for refusing to give up his pagan beliefs. A week later, Norwegians celebrate the Festival
of the Midnight Sun, which pays tribute to the Norse sun goddess. This festival marks the beginning of ten straight weeks
without darkness.
A number of pre-Christian figures are associated with the month of May, and subsequently
Beltane. The entity known as the Green Man, strongly related to Cernunnos, is often found in the legends and lore of the British
Isles, and is a masculine face covered in leaves and shrubbery. In some parts of England, a Green Man is carried through town
in a wicker cage as the townsfolk welcome the beginning of summer. Impressions of the Green Man’s face can be found
in the ornamentation of many of Europe’s older cathedrals, despite edicts from local bishops forbidding stonemasons
from including such pagan imagery.
A related character is Jack-in-the-Green, a spirit of the greenwood. References
to Jack appear in British literature back as far as the late sixteenth century. Sir James Frazer associates the figure with
mummers and the celebration of the life force of trees. Jack-in-the-Green was seen even in the Victorian era, when he was
associated with soot-faced chimney sweeps. At this time, Jack was framed in a structure of wicker and covered with leaves,
and surrounded by Morris dancers. Some scholars suggest that Jack may have been an ancestor to the legend of Robin Hood.
Today's
Pagans and Wiccans celebrate Beltane much like their ancestors did. A Beltane ritual usually involves lots of fertility symbols,
including the obviously-phallic Maypole dance. The Maypole is a tall pole decorated with flowers and hanging ribbons, which
are woven into intricate pattern by a group of dancers. Weaving in and out, the ribbons are eventually knotted together by
the time the dancers reach the end.
In some Wiccan traditions, Beltane is a day in which the May Queen and the Queen
of Winter battle one another for supremacy. In this rite, borrowed from practices on the Isle of Man, each queen has a band
of supporters. On the morning of May 1, the two companies battle it out, ultimately trying to win victory for their queen.
If the May Queen is captured by her enemies, she must be ransomed before her followers can get her back.
There
are some who believe Beltane is a time for the faeries -- the appearance of flowers around this time of year heralds the beginning
of summer and shows us that the fae are hard at work. In early folklore, to enter the realm of faeries is a dangerous step
-- and yet the more helpful deeds of the fae should always be acknowledged and appreciated. If you believe in faeries, Beltane
is a good time to leave out food and other treats for them in your garden or yard.
For many contemporary
Pagans, Beltane is a time for planting and sowing of seeds -- again, the fertility theme appears. The buds and flowers of
early May bring to mind the endless cycle of birth, growth, death and rebirth that we see in the earth. Certain trees are
associated with May Day, such as the Ash, Oak and Hawthorn. In Norse legend, the god Odin hung from an Ash tree for nine days,
and it later became known as the World Tree, Yggdrasil.
If you've been wanting to bring abundance and fertility
of any sort into your life -- whether you're looking to conceive a child, enjoy fruitfulness in your career or creative
endeavours, or just see your garden bloom -- Beltane is the perfect time for magical workings related to any type of prosperity.
So,
join us at Beltane for a fiery ghost hunt! Starting
at 9.30 and finishing at around 4.30 the following morning, our ghost hunts
and vigils are amongst the longest and best in the country. Remember, our events are not staged and have a maximum of
thirteen guests at any one time.
Every event includes the following:
Psychic Development Workshops
Watch and Wait Vigils
Dowsing and Psychometry
Mirror Scrying using the Antique Scrying Mirror
Seances and
the Spirit Board
The Ancient Art of Ouija
Table Turning and Tipping using the Antique Spirit Table
Spirit Cabinet
Work
and of course, a lavish buffet supper!
There really is nothing like this - it's an amazing introduction to the world of the paranormal.
This is a full on ghost hunt and no other company can offer you this experience! This is truly a memorable
night.
The evening commences at 9.30pm and finishing seven hours later
£45.00 per person
Includes a buffet and welcome glass or two of mead on
arrival.
Taking place in the most haunted part of the building we will endeavour to contact spirits that have haunted this
site since it was first occupied in the 1100's.
The building itself dates from the mid 1500's and according
to many visiting mediums and psychics, including Julie Angel and Christian Guest, Mike Smith and Sue Tranor, the area that
we will be using has been used by practitioners of the "Dark Arts" for hundreds of years. Dare you miss this
event?
Book by telephone on 01789 290969
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