As we move into May there are are many reasons to be thankful and lots of celebrations going on around the country and indeed the world. May 1st is traditionally when May day and Beltane celebrations took place, celebrating the end of winter and the beginning of summer. The May day celebrations traditionally saw a May Queen crowned and lots of celebrations from the villages and townsfolk including dancing around the Maypole. It was originally the festival of Florialia the Goddess of Flowers and celebrated the fertility of the land, livestock and people. Beltane was the Gaelic celebrations of the coming of summer and was traditionally the time when livestock were put out to pasture. There were many rituals that went on using fire to protect the animals, crops and people and to promote growth.
These festivals are a reminder to us that things that have laid dormant over the winter months ( so to speak) will have started to grow during spring and as we now move into summer will blossom with the right care and attention. So if you have any projects on the go that you want to move forward now is a good time to give them the nurturing and focus that they need to be able to blossom. Beware though we are moving into a period of mercury retrograde. I don’t profess to know much about mercury retrograde except that mercury is moving backwards and so the energies can have an adverse effect on us. The whole period lasts for about 4 to 6 weeks and can have quite an effect on our lives particularly where communication is concerned.
When mercury is retrograde it is said that it is wise not to make big decisions, not to get married or sign legally binding documents! Communication between you and others may be difficult. Misunderstandings often occur as do mistakes so be patient and take the time to check things carefully, also be prepared for delays with things that are in progress, so with those projects you want to get moving, accept that there may be delays as you try to move them forward. Its often a time when electrical devices don’t work properly, computers have a habit of going down , telephones don’t work properly etc, etc. We also tend to find that our buttons are more easily pressed and we react rather than work from the heart, and it can be as if we are working from our shadow side if we do not have awareness of what is happening. It is therefore important to really ground ourselves so that we are in the Now and able to focus on what we want to achieve. Set manageable targets remembering that things are likely to take longer than normal at the moment and remember to give ourselves a pat on the back when we achieve what we need to achieve.
From a healing perspective mercury retrograde is reminding you to slow down and go within to heal the shadow side of you. We all have a shadow side, a part of us that we do not truly like but sometimes we forget that that side of us can give us great strength to deal with issues and dramas that we have got caught up in. Be mindful not to get caught in others dramas as they are for them to learn from and take the time to heal yourself so that you are able to move forward. Take the time to ground and centre yourself each day during this period (which goes from now until June 11th) so that you can reduce the effects these energies have on you. Be mindful of how you react to others and take the time to appreciate everything that is around you.
Prioritise what you want to achieve ensuring that you are not trying to do too much and focus on what you need to do to achieve it. As we come out of Mercury retrograde we will be moving into the middle of summer ( midsummers day being June 24th) and you will then find that things start to really drop into place ad come to fruition. The energies of mercury retrograde , when we are aware of them, teach us to be meticulous in what we are doing and to ensure that we are grounded and centred so that we are still able to work from the heart with love.
If things don’t go to plan don’t get frustrated, just take time out and nurture yourself so that when you try again you are not adding your frustrations to the energies affecting things. If your plans still don’t seem to be working then leave that project, item or idea and go onto the next one. You will know when the time is right to come back to the first project.
So now is a time to to start to focus on the ideas and projects that you want to bring to fruition in the coming months but remember to take time out for yourself so that you remain grounded and centred for when you are living in the Now it is much easier to work from the heart with love and compassion.
