Today is Beltane, or May Day. It’s one of my favourite Wheel of the Year festivals. It’s a time to celebrate the warmer weather, the greening of the landscape, blossoming trees and plants, the longer days, joy and love.

The hedgerows are bursting with frothy white hawthorn blossom and lush green leaves unfurl. The air is full of birdsong, warm sunshine and the sound of leaves blowing in the trees. Window boxes, containers and gardens are greening and filling with pops of colour from bulbs planted late last autumn. Tulips are in various stages of growth, some of them just emerging, and some fully open and blooming. Peonies and alliums are on the verge of flowering, fronds of ferns begin to unfurl, and the bluebells are filling woodlands and grass verges creating carpets of purple.

Seeing nature waking up around me fills me with joy and I love these moments as a gentle reminder that change is constant. We are part of nature, and just like the plants around us, change will happen, and it can be at our own pace.

As with all Wheel of the Year festivals it’s a wonderful time to take a pause, notice what’s going on around you in nature and in your life. These marker points in the year help build a gentle ritual of reflection and planning. I like to spend a few moments during the day reflecting on what has happened since the previous festival (Spring Equinox) and make a gentle plan for the time between now and the next festival (Summer Solstice). Thoughts focus around reminding myself about what brings me joy, how I can look after myself and what I want to bring to life in the coming season.

I like to find a space to settle for a few minutes, make a delicious herbal tea, cut a few flowers from the garden and arrange them in a small vase, light a candle and put on an uplifting playlist. I’ll look through my calendar, photos and daily planner to see what has filled my life and make a few notes, jot down a few words, and give myself a few moments to feel gratitude for what I’ve been doing. As part of the process I like to reflect on how my word of the year is showing up and what I’m doing to bring it to life. I make a few intentions and a gentle plan for the weeks ahead and let them sit there, revisiting them in a few days time to see how it feels after I’ve given them some space.

Seasonal rhythms and intention setting is something I’ve been doing for many years to help me shape a life I love. Beltane this year is focused on setting intentions for the coming weeks of rest, and how I’d like to bring to life my passions and interests as my work life shifts to running my intentional and seasonal living business.

Have a restful day. I hope you take a few moments today or during the coming week to pause and notice what’s going on in your life at the moment.

Until next time.

Live gently, live joyfully.