When I was younger, I wondered a bit how the Crone must feel at Beltane. After all, it is the Sabbat (I thought) that belonged to the young. The union between the Goddess and the God finally occurs, and we all join into the celebration of sexuality and fertility and share the passions that mark the beginnings of new life.
What part is left, then, for the Crone? Yes, as a pagan I do see sexuality as something that is holy and intrinsic to all of us, as holy beings. We are the Goddess and the God we seek to become. In my heart, I am Maiden, Mother and Crone — now, then, always. But, in my mirror, I am Crone. I will not be circling the Maypole for fertility; if it is luck I am seeking, I will not obtain it by jumping the Beltane fire.
What DO I feel at this turn of the wheel, then? I was contemplating this question, just a few days prior to Beltane this year, which happened to be my wedding anniversary. What did I feel on this day? I felt love, yes; sexuality — sure, even at this age! But, mostly I felt completion.
At Beltane, the God and the Goddess come together in a holy Union, which we celebrate:
Here, where lance and grail unite, feet and knees, and breast and lip. Be it known that a man is not greater than a woman.
Nor yet is a woman greater than man. As the athame is to the male, so the cup is to female. And when joined, they become One, and bring great blessedness.
With my marriage and the union with my partner, I completed my own self. After 44 years of marriage, he is more like me, and I more like him, with each passing year. But, more importantly, he has filled the parts of me that were missing, as I have done for him. Celebrating our maturing lives and deep found love is no more appropriate at any other time than during this season of Beltane.
We stand together in the presence of the Lord and the Lady, the great dance of life from which our spirits spring eternal. The Ancients walk the land with us and show us our pathway, while our own creations are born anew each day. we are each a part of the Greater Circle, and each a spark in the endless cycle of time.
I wish you blessings.