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Beltane is an ancient holiday that is still celebrated in many parts of the world. Beginning on the eve of May Day, it marks the bright half of the year. The festival is named after the Celtic God, Belenos, who is a Sun diety. At this time of the year cattle were driven between bonfires for purification and fertility, in parts of Europe you can still see bonfires atop the hills at Beltane. The celebration of Beltane is one of fertility and ensuring that the eventual harvest will be abundant. A springtime "greening" ritual, dancing around the Maypole, honors the female and male principles of regeneration and creation. The May Queen and King represent the Goddess and God. This is a depiction of "The Great Rite", a beautiful symbolic ritual celebrating the joining of the God and Goddess. Priest and Priestess met in a quiet grove on a joyful Beltane evening. The chalice represents the life-waters of the Goddess, the blade represents the vitality of the God. When the two combine, the land is fertile and green. Some modern versions of this ritual have the roles reversed, with the Priestess presenting the chalice and the Priest the athame or blade. The version shown here is very old, going back to the roots of ritual nature worship in Europe, and points to the duality of man and woman, for each of us has both masculine and feminine aspects to ourselves. This piece was created for the good people at Children of Artemis (U.K.) for their third issue of Witchcraft & Wicca Magazine. It appeared on the cover of that issue. "Here where Lance and Grail unite, And feet, and knees, and breast, and lip" 11"x17" acrylic and Berol Prismacolor Pencils on Illustration board By Mickie Mueller
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