On the hilltops in the British Isles you can still see bonfires burning joyously away on Beltane or May Day, May 1st. Beltane is still celebrated as it has been throughout the ages as a fertility festival by farming communities in olden times. The awakening of the land was very important when peoples existence relied upon it in order to reap a good harvest in the fall. It is traditional not only to dance around a maypole and weave colored ribbons about the pole, but also to dance around, between, or leap over bonfires. This is for purification after the long winter. As the celebrants dance about the circle, sparks of energy that they have raised with their jubulant dance flow about the circle like fireflies. They are all dressed differently, representing different backgrounds and traditions, but come together in the circle in fellowship. One woman has donned faerie wings, a reminder that the first of May is a day of much faerie activity. The drummer keeps time and one man plays lilting airs on a flute. We are a circle, within a circle, with no beginning, and never ending. 11"x17" acrylic and Berol Prismacolor pencils on Illustration board. By Mickie Mueller
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