(Belated) Beltane Abundance

Beltane is traditionally a festival of fertility, productivity and the creative union of opposites. Nature is bustling, blooming, burgeoning and bursting with new growth, fecundity and is busy building towards the energetic apex of year. It's the realisation of potential in active, joyful progress. Birds sing, bees buzz and much of the plant world is coming into fullness. It's possibly my favourite time of year, and a joy to celebrate on one or all of a few dates; those of Pagan flavoured faiths may well mark it according to the calendar, Beltane Eve on the 31st of April for bonfires and staying up for revellry ahead of the first of May is favourite. In the UK, the early May bank holiday is always in the first week of the month and then there's the astronomical point of this Celtic cross quarter festival, which actually coincided with the bank holiday in 2025. This year, I didn't manage any kind of celebrating on any of those dates.

From the last week of March, right the way through April and into the first week of May we were indeed riding the rising wave of these natural energies, very busily bustling between work for Feature Greens and re-launching Earth Heart for the new Season. There were a lot of dates in the diary for both businesses and happily, they all dove tailed very neatly together so that if we weren't preparing for, building or striking a set in South Wales we were preparing for and stocking the honesty box or stalls at markets and fairs in North Wales. There was a sense of determined industry and we relished the satisfaction of realising our goals for these weeks to the highest standard possible. We dressed some great sets, we produced some quality goods from the garden, kitchen and crafts studio... and we had a lot of fun.

I wouldn't hesitate in describing April as abundant. I wouldn't exactly call it spacious though, either. And really, by now, I should know better. Some time in my late thirties, I reluctantly conceded that I am not, in fact, Super Woman. Much as I might like to think I have an infinite capacity for doing everything that interests, inspires and excites me, experience paints a different picture. Whilst I can for a time delight in burning the proverbial candle at ends it didn't even know it had whilst bathing in the torrent of dopamine that is the temporary reward of achieved goals, I do know that is not sustainable. In fact, I can even prove that by quoting the meditation I recorded for my last post in saying "rest is ultimately non negotiable if we're going to sustain all the activity in our often busy lives". But the illusion of my own endless capacity is irresistibly captivating to me and time and again I fall under its spell, only to eventually run out of steam and fall over. My habit is all or nothing, my pattern is crash and burn, so when I dish out sage advice on balance and moderation, you can be assured that I'm mostly trying to drive that point home to myself more than anyone.

So you may by now have guessed, I romped through April, skipped through the first week of May 'just a little tired round the edges', staggered over the finishing line that was a (surprisingly successful) Welshpool car boot sale and patted myself on the back for remembering to take a single rest day on the May bank hol. I then managed half a day of attempted normality before the extent of my exhaustion became increasingly unavoidable and I ended up practically bed bound for the rest of the week.

Thankfully, although I do still have a tendency to over stretch myself, I do get to reap the rewards as well as the consequences and I've created a lifestyle rich in choice. I've also got a lot better at catching myself and knowing tiredness for what it is, which makes it much easier to bounce back from; "no Annabeth, the world isn't ending, you're basically just an over-tired toddler, stop crying and go to bed, it'll all be fine..." So, we closed the honesty box for a weekend, the Beltane abundance of my imagination quickly became Beltane bed days as I did indeed lie in the bed I'd made, softly nibbling on humble pie.

Happily, my days of (slightly enforced) rest rejuvenated me just in time to (quietly) mark a different May festival equally close to my heart. Wesak, on the May full moon, is the Buddhist festival at which we celebrate the Buddha's Enlightenment, as he sat under the Bodhi Tree at Bodhgaya two and a half thousand or so years ago and gently let go of his attachment to Samsara. I know that one of the reasons I find being busy so beguiling is my erroneous belief in the illusion of completion. I honestly seem to believe that I will, on one glorious day, actually get to the end of my To Do List. But of course we all know that the last item on any To Do List is always and without exception 'write next To Do List'. I've already demonstrated my imperfect ability to take my own advice, so perhaps it would be more appropriate to instead close with some advice from the second century Tibetan Buddhist teacher Atisha:

"Since there is never a time when worldly activities come to an end, limit your activities."

Well, that's a bit of a work in progress... But happily he also counsels that 'since you cannot become a Buddha merely by understanding Dharma' you should 'practice earnestly'. And I'm certainly getting plenty of practice, even realising that understanding is a bit slow in the development some times!

I shall be attempting a somewhat more measured May (although we're already half way through!) and June, enjoying the next dates in the season for many of the events we attended in recent weeks. At the top of this page you can find the locations of our upcoming stalls and dates when the honesty box will be open. Do check those before making a special trip, sometimes we have to make changes... To avoid double booking and exhaustion!

Thanks for reading... Until next time! Xx