Happy, happy May Day!
May 1 is my absolute favorite day of the year. It is Beltane, when nature’s transformational powers are released. A celebration of creativity, abundance, and lush, lovely love, it marks the delicious union of Earth and Sky, and the unofficial beginning of summer.
May Day—and all of Taurus season—honors the power of practical magic and real work. So it makes perfect sense that today is also International Workers’ Day. I send love and gratitude to all who serve the common good, from postal workers to therapists to scientists to sculptors to students (particularly now!) to stay-at-home parents. May we support everyone’s service every way we can—whether by strikes, boycotts, or birthday cupcakes.
May we also renew our commitment to the Earth and the deepest part of ourselves—to our land, love, calling. This is the day to honor labor in every blessed iteration of this word—in the fruits of Mama Earth, especially. Awash in sky blues and sea greens, lilacs and petal pinks, holiness can be found in every shade of this season.
“All things seem possible in May."
—Edwin Way Teale
Of all the months in the year, May belongs to the archetype of the divine mother, which is exactly what our country and planet need right now. Because I am Jewish, people are often surprised by my affinity for Mary Mother and Mary of Magdalene. But I believe they are more misunderstood than any other spiritual figures in our cultural lexicon.
Neither whore nor virgin, both women represent a serene, self-possessed energy, one that is receptive and rejuvenating. They are not two sides of one coin, but whole unto themselves. They know they can generate miracles through the sheer voltage of their faith.
They know life always springs again.
A friend reminded me recently that May is another name for the Mother Goddess, Maia or Maya. In Northern Europe, she was called Maj or Mai, the Maiden. No matter what, she is an expression of Venus, who—quelle surprise!—rules Taurus.
And today is her festival of fertility, when we may birth something new.
So beautify something in the world. Scrub your home with lavender and tea tree oil, and sage every corner. Bathe in a tub filled with rose oil and rose petals. Plant cosmos and coriander, and write as many love notes as you please. Gather wildflowers and green branches. Decorate yourself, your hearth, and your community with garlands and bold pastels. Leave bouquets on the doorsteps of friends and neighbors. Summon scarlet kundalini. Dance around a Maypole or a favorite tree. Build a bonfire!
This year especially, shadows lurk everywhere, so it’s especially important to fete this big, butterfly light—in the water, wind, sun, soil, you. Simply wriggling your toes in the mud or breathing deeply outdoors will send an SOS to the very best part of yourself and others.
It’s no coincidence that Mayday! Mayday! is the radio signal for aid. Oh, how we need this healing now.
Whatever you do, take time to bask in all this radical receptivity and peony-scented love. It’ll take you all the way to May 31st—which, no joke, is the Feast of St. Mary.
As Pablo Neruda said: You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming.
This is an ideal month to activate your personal practical magic. Book a reading for yourself or a loved one, and share this newsletter with whomever it may help.
Let this time of beauty and love illuminate your path.
With waggling eyebrows and slow kitty blinks,