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The Spring Equitherm, Traditionally May 1st
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� � � The promise of life hinted at earlier is now here in full force.� Life on earth is in full swing, with flowers, buzzing insects, and chirping birds.� Beltane celebrates the full regeneration of life, and commemorates the start of sexuality in teenagers.� This is a time for running barefoot in the grass (not that you can’t do that at other times) and of frolicking outside.� For this holiday we make small Maybaskets of flowers, or flower cutouts from construction paper, etc, and go outside to start enjoying outdoor activities.� Other Pagan traditions include washing ones face in the morning dew, dancing around a maypole or writing romantic poetry.� As the fall equitherm, this is the boundary between the cold and the warm parts of the year.
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In May the returning life grows to a resounding chorus, an explosion of growth that one doesn’t even have to look for to see.� This happened in earth’s history too, when animals rapidly diversified into so many new forms in the time from around 550 to 450 million years ago.� This diversity of life (both outside our front door as well as in the distant past) reminds us to look at the diverse people we can choose to be.�
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