Feasting with the Dagda: A Beltane Celebration
Sing, sip, and bless the summer beside the Dagda’s fire as the veil of time parts
As we light the flames of summer and welcome the season of warmth and abundance...
Join us now as we enter the Grove.
We walk toward the fire and sit beside a jolly man—the Dagda himself—plucking a harp whose melody stirs the soul. A great dog howls along in a joyful song, and we join in as the fire crackles before us. A massive cauldron bubbles over the flames, filling the air with delicious, mouth-watering aromas.
The Dagda hands us a drink. We take a sip.
We sing. We laugh. We eat from the cauldron of plenty.
And as our eyes soften in the flickering firelight, the music shifts. Uaithne, the Dagda’s sacred harp, begins to play—and the veil of time parts.
We see Imbolc—ice melting, snow fading. Green shoots push through the earth. Flowers bloom, animals stir, and life awakens. The harp plays on.
The seasons shift again. Spring warms into summer. The first harvests arrive.
Welcome Bealtaine!
And now, as we leave the fire and return to the world:
May the Dagda’s Staff bring us life.
May our fields and livestock be fruitful and plentiful.
May the Dagda’s Cauldron of Plenty
bring us abundance and prosperity—and the generosity to share it with others, as the Dagda shares with us.
May Uaithne, the Oak of Two Greens, ring in our ears and hearts:
With the first note: grief and letting go.
With the second: joy, laughter, and the will to dance.
With the third: peace, harmony, and sacred rest.
Amen.
