Photo from St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Tacoma, WA

In this flourishing month of May, we find ourselves immersed in a sacred tapestry where ancient wisdom and Christian devotion gracefully intertwine. Across the Celtic lands, May has long been a time of deep spiritual vitality. The festival of Beltane — meaning ‘bright fire’ — marks a pivotal turning of the seasonal wheel, celebrated as one of the great cross-quarter festivals of the Celtic year, heralding the height of Spring and the approach of Summer. For centuries, fires were lit on hilltops to bless the land, protect the flocks, and rekindle the passion of life itself. These age-old rituals were not merely seasonal demarcations — they were sacred ceremonies of the soul, reawakening within each person a conscious reigniting of the fire within to wholeness, renewal, and new birth — to the rhythms of nature that mirror the inner landscape of our hearts.

In some Christian traditions, the month of May is a time of tender devotion, dedicated to the crowning of Mother Mary, our radiant Queen of Heaven, whose roots reach deeply into humanity’s timeless longing for the sacred feminine. In its gracious expansiveness, Celtic Christianity embraced Blessed Mother Mary as the embodiment of echoes long cherished – of the Good Goddess of Beltane, the Great Mother of the Celts — she who was known to cradle the fertility of Spring and the mystery of every new beginning in her gentle hands. Just as the ancient festivals of Beltane honored the earth’s awakening with garlands of flowers lovingly crafted for the goddess, so too do we, in the crowning of Blessed Mother Mary, weave blossoms into wreaths and lovingly place them upon her statues — each bloom a fragrant offering of virtue, each petal a tribute to her boundless grace. Through Mother Mary, we are tenderly reminded that God’s love is both fierce as the bonfires and gentle as roses — a love that brings forth life, shelters it in compassion, and lovingly guides it home.

John O’Donohue, beloved Irish poet and mystic, spoke of ‘thin places’ — those rare moments or landscapes where the veil between heaven and earth seems to vanish, and we glimpse eternity shimmering through the ordinary. Beltane and all of May, really, has the energy of such a threshold — a potent time of transition, a time of radiant life.  And it’s so  appropriate that Mother Mary herself prominently stands with us in this month as a sacred bridge between the human and the divine. As we move through this month, we are invited to pause: to feel the whisper of Mother Mary, the saints, the angels and our ancestors in the wind, to revere their wisdom, and to sense their nearness. For Celtic spirituality teaches that we are never alone; we walk hand in hand with those who came before and are ever present, woven into a great and luminous lineage of faith, love, and resilience.

Yes, throughout history, mystics, from the Celtic Christians to the Essenes, to the Cathars, the Gnostics and other spiritual seekers — have recognized and venerated the Divine Feminine. In the Ode of Sophia from the Gnostic text, Acts of Thomas, we read:

“The Maiden is Light’s daughter — majestic her look, and delightsome; in radiant beauty she shineth. Like spring flowers are her garments; from them stream the scent of sweet odors. Truth crowns her head and joy sports at her feet.”

These words echo the profound truth that within each of us resides a spark of this holy light, just like Mother Mary, a reflection of the Divine Mother’s beauty, strength, and mercy. Yes, Blessed Mother Mary, calls us into deeper relationship with divine wisdom – with Christ, inviting us to live with open-hearted trust and sacred courage.

This May, I encourage you to honor this lovely season by stepping into your own ‘thin place.’ Light a candle of intention. Walk barefoot on the earth. Crown a statue of Mother Mary with flowers, even if only in your heart. Give thanks to the saints and ancestors whose lives have shaped your path. Know that you are part of an ancient and unbroken dance — a holy weaving of spirit and flesh, matter and light. May this month awaken you more deeply to the radiant presence of Blessed Mother Mary, enfolding you in love, and guiding you ever deeper into the very heart of God.

If you feel the calling to experience more of this grace and peace, and would like someone to accompany you on the pathway in a supportive way, feel free to check out my Spiritual Life Coaching offerings at sacredrelationship.com/spiritual-life-coaching/.

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