Beltane: The New Form Of Paganism

Before the time of Christianity, Paganism was the world’s primary religion. Paganism holds many branches of Polytheistic religions that were practiced all around the world. Polytheism is the belief in multiple gods and goddesses, each one having a specific element to rule over. In the time of the Celts, religion was a very important thing; they turned to it for whatever they needed and prayed to the god or goddess that could grant them what they wanted. The Celtic form of paganism was a nature based religion that was extremely spiritual. Celtic pagans worshiped the world around them and gave thanks to the earth for what it gave them. One major aspect of the Celtic religion was that they believed that everything had an energy or

On this day, the God has finally matured into manhood, fallen in love with the Goddess and they have once again united, creating the next new God. Beltane is a holiday of Fertility, so the pagans celebrate her fertility in ritual. Rituals and festivals that are held on this day tend to include Maypoles, the performing of the Great Right, a ritual where two mates bond as the god and goddess do (Cunningham 46).

August 1st is the day of the first harvest, in which time the plants let their fruits or seeds drop for humans to use. The God has begun to lose his strength and is growing old and weak, the Goddess is very upset about the Gods coming death, but yet very happy that he lives on inside her. Celtic pagans remember that every meal is a connection to nature and that nothing in this world is truly constant. This is a holiday of feasting and a passage of time for many; a time to reconnect with the earth and our world (Cunningham

Druids were separated into three different classes, the Bards, whom were responsible for the arts and for philosophy and “were the keeper of tradition”(Carnegie 7) and the ones who kept memories going. The Ovates where healers, ones who were “responsible for the processes of death and regeneration or renewal”(Carnegie 7). Ovates were also known to be the prophets due to their ability to speak with ancestral spirits. Lastly, the Druids and the Druidesses, roll itself was named after these people. They were the teachers, priests, musicians and more, they were the professional class. The druids and druidesses were allowed to perform public rituals, in fact they were the specialists in such activity. High Priestesses and High Priests are leaders of practicing groups called Covens. These people are the leaders in all the magickal activities that take place in the group, such as rituals , spells, gatherings, and ceremonies. They tend to be the guidance for many people in the group, and their knowledge is ever expanding. In a way, they are like modern day teachers but within a religious setting (Cunningham 52).

Before Christianity, there was Paganism, a religion that is in tune with oneself and the world around. To this day Celtic Paganism is still a vastly spreading religion that has become