Before I had children, I didn’t celebrate the Wheel of the Year.
I didn’t mark the solstices or equinoxes, or pay much attention to ancient seasonal festivals. I followed the calendar like most of the world does — by months, holidays, and weather — without ever tuning into the deeper energetic current flowing beneath it all.
But something shifted when I became a mother.
It started slowly — a desire to be outside more with my babies, to plant seeds in spring, to rest more deeply in winter. I noticed how my energy, mood, and rhythm changed with the seasons. I began celebrating first flowers and waxing moons, lighting candles on darker nights, pausing when the light returned.
Without knowing it, I was beginning to honor the Wheel of the Year — a sacred spiral of seasonal festivals rooted in ancient earth-based traditions. I wasn’t following a guidebook or strict tradition. I was following my body. My home. My children’s natural curiosity. And my heart.
Only recently did I realize — this wasn’t just something new I was creating.
It was something very old I was remembering.
As I began to learn more about the Celtic and Germanic origins of the Wheel of the Year, I saw reflections of my own ancestral roots — German, English, Scottish… a touch of Italian. These fire festivals and nature rituals were once lived by the women in my lineage. They gathered herbs in the morning dew, danced under the Beltane moon, and lit fires to honor the fertility of the land.
And now, here I am — barefoot in the garden with my children, picking flowers, lighting candles, speaking blessings over seeds.
Not perfectly.
But with presence.
With love.
And with remembrance.
What is Beltane?
Beltane is approaching and it is one of the eight sacred spokes on the Wheel of the Year — an ancient Celtic fire festival that celebrates the midpoint between the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. It’s a time of fertility, fire, passion, and creative life force.
Traditionally celebrated on May 1st, Beltane honors the returning light, blooming flowers, pollination, and the sacred spark that turns dreams into form. It’s a celebration of desire, vitality, sensuality, and the union of masculine and feminine energies in nature and within us.
Beltane reminds us: this is the season to bloom.
A Simple Beltane Ritual for Families
Beltane doesn’t have to be elaborate. In fact, the more simple and sacred, the better. Here’s a gentle ritual you can practice with your children, your partner, or on your own.
You’ll need:
– A small bowl or basket for flower petals or greenery
– A candle (white, yellow, or red)
– A quiet space outside or by a window
The Ritual:
Gather: Go for a walk and gather flowers, herbs, or greens. Let your children choose what calls to them. Create: Place the petals in a bowl or spread them on a cloth as an altar. Light: Light a candle and pause. Breathe together. Feel the warmth. Speak: Each person shares one thing they wish to grow this season — a dream, a feeling, a quality. Speak it aloud and blow kisses to the flame. Close: Say thank you to the earth, the sun, and the fire within. Optional: dance, sing, or sway together.
A Beltane Affirmation to Speak or Display:
I honour the fire of creation that lives within me.
I bloom in my own timing.
I trust the seeds I’ve planted to rise in their season.
This Beltane, I’m not following tradition perfectly.
But I am following the rhythm that calls me home —
to the land, to my children, and to the women who walked before me.
And I know I’m not alone in this remembering.
We are all being invited back into rhythm.
Back into the spiral.
Back into the sacred fire of life.
If you’re feeling the pull to live more seasonally, more cyclically, more in tune with the rhythm of your body and the earth…
I’d love to invite you into my free 7-Day Sacred Flow Challenge — a gentle journey back to your rhythm, with daily audio blessings, a printable tracker, and simple practices to help you feel more connected.
You can join the challenge right here — it’s completely free and woven with love.
And if you want to see how we celebrate the Wheel of the Year as a family, or follow along with our rhythm, I share more over on Instagram.
Come say hello: @hopechasity.wellnessco
Do you honour the Wheel of the Year or live seasonally with your family? I’d love to know — share below.
This is how we’ll be celebrating Beltane in our home this year…
You’re so welcome to join us, in whatever way feels sacred to you.