Its been exactly a week since our seed group held its Beltaine ritual. The ceremony was itself a belated one but never-the-less a good number of us collected outside Wanstead station, where a large bank of grey rain clouds circled around and over us, appearing to be content to settle East of London for the time being.
Trui and myself arrived slightly late (primarily due to my attempts to help) and found the group huddled together. Like a clutch of damp chicks waiting for mum to return to the nest, the group peered out under the entance in the vain hope that the rain would be looking different to how it had been 2 minutes ago. But the rain continued. Peta who had come for her last ceremony before moving to Scotland tried to motivate us to head out and in a desparate attempt to change our situation Hilda suggested coercing the clouds with a ‘reverse rain dance’, but the rain, was not budging. Instead it teased us by letting off occasionaly, which drew one of us out to scan the horizon for a change in the weather. The rain continued and slowly the pub over the road began to look inviting. Greg suggested such a visit would be to be a likely venue for an alternative, ‘Celebration to the Corn goddess’! And so after much deliberation and due to the repeated questioning from an odd bag lady, who had a strong argument about “the flimsyness of umbrellas these days”, we retreated to the pub to wait it out.
Inside we found a suitable table in line of sight of Gregs bike and ordered beer and crisps. The pub had a welcome feel to it with high ceilings and comfey corners and the ironwork above the entrance looked a little a little like a entry to a Paris Meto station. We had chosen a table that was over looked by a large chair in the shape of a black wooden dragon or devil and we wondered and then argued where it had come from. Ideas of its providence were put foward such as it being the head masters’ chair from the local school, ‘St Satans’… or a prop from a Hammer House of |Horror set, but strangely nobody expressed a wish to sit in its arms…. ? We also had a good conversation about working with the elements and how it had taught some of us to becomme fully present in ‘the hear and now’ and the connectedness of all things.
By the time we had cleaned out the pubs crisp collection the rain had infact let-up and with this a new force drew the group outside and towards Wanstead Park in search of a group of yew trees.
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We had been wandering for some time… After walking around the dense looking woodland we headed down an overgrown path. I brought up the rear with Greg who had his bike in tow. The path was occasionaly blocked with fallen Silver birch trees but undeterred myself and Greg lifted the bike over a large number like a pair of well trained dragoons at the Edinburgh Tatoo. Trui, our leader for the day, occassinaly disappeared and re-appeared out of the undergrowth scratching his head and swearing that “the site had been somewhere near by”. Disappointment seemed to be very much in our company today. However, the rain had infact left us and the sky appeared to be clearing! Light was episodically pushed through and dappled sunlight warmed a large Yew tree we came upon. While we marvelled over this old tree and stared up into its canopy Trui, who had gone off again, returned and decared that we had infact arrived at our destination. He proved this by pointing out a circle of the same trees that surrounded a small mossy hill and suggested that we use the geography of the land for our ceremony. We all agreed and after some discussion and creative slipping down the wet sides of the hill, we decided to use the male and femail energies within two bottles of Glasonbury water that Trui had brought. After a usual Opening ceremony, we would unite the waters from the ‘Red springs’ set in golden bowl at the top of the mossy hill, with the White springs water at its base and bring the waters in a bowl into the circle to drink. It sounded a lovely idea and after a brief rehersal we began……….
It was a lovely ceremony. We all played a part and during the ceremony each member brought something creative and unplanned into the circle’s ceremony in a way that sung the ceremony alive for us all. The sun now assering itself through a break in the clouds shone down upon the bowl as it was raised for all to see below the hill and in silence the waters were brought together. At midpoint in the ceremony the bowl containing the waters was passed around until it was drained and all spoke out rythmic chant, “We celebrate the union of Male and Femail”. It was a powerfull and meaningfull experince and as I drank I focussed on the groups chant to cement the act and confirm the new life that had begun to mingle within me. Once the waters were drunk and offered to the ground we spent some time in meditation. I had imagined earlier that our ceremony was going to be quick and hurried due to the weather. But now, with the sun gracing us through broken sky, the group gave itself time to feel the presence of the land and the season.
Once the ceremony was over we shared a hug and toasted the season (and Greg) who had provided us with some rose-hip wine and yummy homemade cake. We chatted some more and also acknowleged the sad fact of Peta’s last ceremony with us.
Thanks to all who came. To Trui (our Indianna Jones of Wanstad Park) for leading the day, to Peta for motivating us all to mark her last ceremony and the elements who sometimes grace us with good lessons.
Mark Hassall.
