Earth Day Erin stood next to her husband in church, singing about the tree of life. She reflected that most people had never heard of Unitarian Universalism, and if they had, UUs were generally considered to be left-wing, heretical, half-godless, shoulder-shrugging, question-asking wacko nut-flakes, and this could be true. You pretty much had to figure out the divine (if any) for yourself. So it was that she stood in a room full of atheists, Buddhists, witches, dancers, reformed Catholics, physicists and grocery shoppers.
She quit smiling at the next hymn. The song about the wheel of life recognized the birth and celebration of a new infant. From three rows back, her ears picked up the quiet tears of the woman who'd lost her son. This year Jamie would have been ten. Erin's throat constricted and her own eyes filled. A hot drop of saline fell to the page. Mike put his arm around her and kept the song going: "And I believe in life, and in the strength of love. And I believe, that to question, is an answer."
Everybody sat down and the minister got up to speak. Alanna was in her late fifties with kind eyes and lines in her face. Today was Earth Day, a very special day for all these tree-huggers. She gave the factual kind of talk that often prompted accusations about Unitarianism being from the neck up, about how Earth Day was rooted in the ancient Beltane celebrations. This was the time of year when people everywhere celebrated spring. It was a time to be thankful for the return of life after the long seemingly-dead winter.
Spring meant fertility. Though the church did not practice a traditional Beltane ritual, they did plant trees and dance the Maypole. The people adopted a highway to clean up, and feasted through the afternoon. Women wore wreaths of flowers in their hair. Cubs fans turned their ever-hopeful eyes toward Arizona. And people came from miles around to walk the labyrinth.
The sermon finished and Erin and Mike went down to the crowded potluck. They spent a pleasant afternoon in the company of friends before heading home, where Erin announced her intention to take a nap before the evening ritual.
As she slept, she dreamed.
Beltane Sorren and her sisters witnessed the signs of spring thaw, and their hearts were glad. They picked wildflowers to make dye. The men of the village sheared the fat winter coats from the sheep. Children were given the job of picking out the burrs before the wool was carded and spun. The new fibers were washed in spring water and dyed in the wildflower dyes. These would make the colorful festival ribbons that would grace every family's door.
Along the hillside, the bonfires were prepared. The men cut a tall straight tree from the forest and carefully removed its limbs. This would make the Maypole, that phallic symbol of fertility. Among them was Dafydd, Sorren's intended. The ritual gave him a sense of grounding. He and the other men dug the depression where the tree would go. They went about their work with a sacred lust, for the placing of the tree in the opening would symbolize the coupling of the god and the goddess. Later, as the sun was setting, the women and men would dance the traditional dance, weaving colorful ribbons in a pattern around the staff. They would each drink the ritual three glasses of wine. And then, the women would choose their partners, and complete the heart of the celebration.
Sorren could see Dafydd working in the distance. His eyes were green and his hair was dark blond. She gave a shiver of anticipation. His height and strength made her go weak in the knees. Moreover she approved of the way he respected the earth and its creatures. He never slew a deer unless he had a clean shot, so the animal did not suffer. He took different paths through the forest, so as not to wear a trail. The way he walked respectfully on the earth made her think he would be a good father. And a child gotten by the Beltane fires was loved and celebrated by the entire village. She hoped, fervently she hoped, his seed would find fertile ground in her womb tonight.
Earth Day Erin woke to find herself aroused, dreaming of the ancient fertility rites. While the reaction brought her physical pleasure, she was a little sad at the same time. She and Mike had been trying without success to have a child. Every time the negative symbol came up, her heart broke a little more. The doctor said there was nothing wrong, there was no physical reason for either of them to be infertile. Maybe, she thought, tonight's ritual would call the divine power. Maybe Hecate would have mercy and make her a mother.
Despite her feelings of heat and wet, she did not call her husband to her side. She wanted to wait until the moon was full. Then the magic would be strongest. This was one of two nights each year when the veil was thin between this world and the next, the other being Samhain. Unlike Samhain, which connected with the dead and the past, this night connected with life and possibilities. If ever a night were full of magic, this was it. After the labyrinth walk, she and her husband would make love in the moonlight. There would never be a better time for her body to receive him.
She took a warm bath and gave her body hair a fresh shave. A few drops of oil in the water made her skin moist and smooth. She washed her hair under a long hot shower, luxuriating in the preparations. Then she donned a silk robe and sat quietly in the bay window. As she combed her hair dry, she meditated on the new green leaves. The wind made its rushing noise through the trees.
After a light supper, Erin put on her favorite ritual dress. It buttoned left of center from neck to hem. The silver acanthus leaf buttons made a shining trail over her left breast and down her hip. The dark purple fabric would blend with the twilight. It draped and swished when she walked. She wore no undergarments. That would be out of keeping for the entire celebration.
Beltane Sorren and her sisters and friends ate at the women's table, whispering and stealing sly glances at the men. They smiled and talked about whom they would be with. She knew Dafydd would be her first. After that, chance would decide. This was important to reflect the balance of human will and divine will. The earth did not choose what seeds fell where upon her bosom, yet they grew strong and beautiful. So too, once each year, the village honored the Fates. The people would reverberate with the earth and give their will to the goddess and god.
She only hoped she would not couple with Marrock, the surly dark-haired boy who frightened her a little. He never seemed to have much to say and what words he uttered were terse. He was the smith's apprentice. His arms were as hard as the metal he fashioned and his face was often smeared with soot. Tonight for the festival he had bathed and put on clean clothes -- he was almost handsome in his dark way. When she caught him gazing upon her, she quailed and turned away.
The sun began to set.
Earth Day Erin and the other twelve gathered in their circle. They chanted each other's names in welcome. Then they sang the circle into being:
"We are a circle Within a circle With no beginning And never ending."
Around and around they went, their voices rising higher as the sun went down. The chalice was lit. The leader thrust the ritual knife into the cup. From the center flame, each woman lit her candle. Then, shielding the flames with their hands, they walked out to the labyrinth.
Their long robes whispered against their skin. The stones of the eleven circuits gleamed in the dusk. Aurora entered the labyrinth first, her pace slow and deliberate. When she was three paces in, the next woman entered the sacred space. Erin shivered and a little sweat trickled under her arms. In a few minutes, she would be next.
Beltane The third cup of wine went down easily. The men set the bonfires ablaze. They lifted the pole and thrust it into the earth, and a full-throated shout went up from the crowd. In the dusk, the dancing began: boy, girl, boy, girl. They sang the ancient song and plaited the ribbons around the pole. At first the dancers were in a large circle, holding the ribbons out long and wide. Slowly they wove in, closer and closer with every step. As the ribbons intertwined, it became impossible for their bodies not to brush against one another.
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