Chapter 26: While You Were Out

Piper knew people ... by the time campers started arriving, water and electric had been installed by an interesting little tool that cut a foot deep slit and dragged the conduit behind, folding the slit over the PVC piping. Every hundred feet there was a water faucet and every fifty there was an electrical outlet. This allowed trader's row to have electric and water ... very convenient.

Open air showers with cold and instant on hot water had been set up in secluded groves scattered around the camp acreage.

Two hundred Porta Johns had been delivered.

Mina used a bit of one of Megan's remaining debit cards to pay for the setup.

By Thursday April 28th, the field behind the garden plot was filling up. A fence had been thrown up between the parking and the camp. Pipers massive tent was just inside the gate. Violet presided over registration. The ability to read minds meant no one intent on discord registered. Once past, celebrants had to go through the tent to get to the camp, the fire, the ritual circle and the Pole.

After registration and the assorted declarations absolving the land owners and ritual organizers from the fruits of the registrant's own folly, they were given a numbered flag and a string and allowed access to the camp. Find a tent site and flag it, there's a fifteen foot radius around the flag that's their campsite. It was up to the camper to make sure their camp didn't overlap another camp. The number on the flag automatically gives precedence.

Once the site was chosen ... and there was close to forty acres of mown grass interspersed with little islands of trees and bushes, very level, and quite beautiful to choose from, your vehicle would be allowed in through a gate ... with a guard.

He or she, whoever had the duty, would check the license plate against a list of registered gatherers. Normal tents were allowed one hour to set up. Tipi's, yurts, wall tents and pavilions could take longer ... and usually did.

Most of traders row were lean-to's, baker's, and canopies, but nearly every trader was already in place by Wednesday, the 27th. Cars and trucks were NOT allowed to remain in the campground.

People were very surprised that admittance was free. "This is for the Goddess," said Mina, whenever she was asked.

This gathering was actually going to be celebrated Saturday, April 30th through Sunday May 1st. Seldom is Beltane celebrated on the actual DAY. People work, kids have school, life gets in the way. It's usually celebrated as close to May Day as the weekends fall, and next year it would fall outside of the traditional May Day weekend ... but THIS year ... Whoa Nellie!

Picture, if you can, three thousand celebrants in a sylvan setting ... with Tiki lights scattered here and there along chosen paths and people in robes and peaked hats greeting scattered friends as only friends can greet folks they see at the most, eight times a year. There's the smell of oak and hickory fires here and there sweetening up the evening.

Tipi fires are inside and there's something mystical and magic about a row or circle of lodges looking like giant flickering lanterns, smoke gently wafting out of properly adjusted smoke flaps. In the mix of lodges, there's here a red painted top and there another that's yellow or orange. Some have fantastic symbols and others are starkly white, but yellow in the glow of internal fires.

The Goddess blessed the ground with a warm fog ... and it was only Thursday!

Earlier in the day, the organizers gathered at the circle in the woods to open the celebration.

During the entire ritual, Pyewacket twined silently in and around the boulders and legs of the presenters.

At the entrance, DD and Mina stood with the sacred sword. DD was nude, Mina was cloaked. As each corner caller prepared to enter the circle glade, Mina presented the sword, DD looked into each eye and said, "I am the called servant of the God and Goddess. The Goddess does not summon lightly, it would be better to cast yourself on this sword than to enter this glade with fear in your heart. What say you?"

Each celebrant kissed the hilts and said, "I have no fear."

Before they took their places, Cindy Piper took sweetgrass and smudged DD ... repeating sacred words of power under her breath.

Mina held out the sword, DD drenched the blade with Cocke County Clear and lit it ... it burned with an invisible flame. DD took a sage and cedar bundle tied with red cotton thread, lit it and smudged the sword, Mina, the corner candles, Megan, the Greek Censer, the celebrants and each boulder.

DD drew her Athame and closed the circle.

Standing at the corners, four celebrants held large candles: blue for air, red for fire, green for water and yellow for earth.

Mina dragged the consecrated two edge-ed sword around the outside of the four boulders ... in the cut from the sword, fire followed. As she passed each stone she called a corner.

"I call upon the guardians of the watch fires of the East. Protect this gathering of the people of the Goddess and the God. Cast out evil ... keep your people safe.

"I call upon the guardians of the watch fires of the South. Protect this gathering of the people of the Goddess and the God. Cast out evil ... keep your people safe.

"I call upon the guardians of the watch fires of the West. Protect this gathering of the people of the Goddess and the God. Cast out evil ... keep your people safe.

"I call upon the guardians of the watch fires of the North. Protect this gathering of the people of the Goddess and the God. Cast out evil ... keep your people safe."

She raised the sword and slid it into the boulder of the North ... there was no slot, yet the sword cut as a warm knife cuts cold butter.

The fire in the blade cut blazed. Pyewacket leaped over the flame.

From the flat stone at the foot of the pierced boulder, DD picked up the unlit Greek Censer. As soon as she touched the braided chain, the frankincense poured forth smoke. She passed the chain to Mina.

Mina made a second pass. This time with the Censer ... at each corner she performed mystical movements with the braided chain, swinging the Censer right, left, right, left, up, down, circle the boulder widdershins with the censer. The frankincense fogged the rock.

"I call upon the guardians of the watch fires of the East. Protect this gathering of the people of the Goddess and the God. Cast out evil ... keep your people safe.

"I call upon the guardians of the watch fires of the South. Protect this gathering of the people of the Goddess and the God. Cast out evil ... keep your people safe.

"I call upon the guardians of the watch fires of the West. Protect this gathering of the people of the Goddess and the God. Cast out evil ... keep your people safe.

"I call upon the guardians of the watch fires of the North. Protect this gathering of the people of the Goddess and the God. Cast out evil ... keep your people safe."

Mina passed the chain to DD, she hung the censer from the hilts.

The Censer smoked abundantly ... the fire in the sword cut roared. Pyewacket leapt over the flame.

Mina picked up a carven wand. The end burst into flame ... she glided to the East. DD followed.

Peter Piper proffered the candle.

He said, "I call upon the guardians of the watch fires of the East. Protect this gathering of the people of the Goddess and the God. Cast out evil ... keep your people safe."

Mina lit the candle.

She passed the burning wand to DD, Peter gave Mina the Candle. She placed it on the Boulder of the East in the niche provided. DD passed the burning wand back. Mina kissed Peter full on the mouth.

She glided to the South, Cindy presented the candle.

Cindy said, "I call upon the guardians of the watch fires of the South. Protect this gathering of the people of the Goddess and the God. Cast out evil ... keep your people safe."

Mina lit the candle.

She passed the burning wand to DD and received the Candle from Cindy. Mina placed it on the Boulder of the South in the niche provided. DD passed the burning wand back. Mina kissed Cindy full on the mouth.

Mina glided to the West, Megan presented the candle.

Megan said, "I call upon the guardians of the watch fires of the West. Protect this gathering of the people of the Goddess and the God. Cast out evil ... keep your people safe."

Mina lit the candle.

She passed the burning wand to DD and received the Candle from Megan. Mina placed it on the Boulder of the West in the niche provided. DD passed the burning wand back. Mina kissed Megan full on the mouth.

Mina glided to the North, Laurel offered the Candle.

She said. "I call upon the guardians of the watch fires of the North. Protect this gathering of the people of the Goddess and the God. Cast out evil ... keep your people safe."

Mina lit the candle ... this time DD placed the Candle in the niche in the Boulder.

All the candle flame tilted to the place of the Censer.

Mina made passes with the Wand ... to the Corners, to the ground at the new laid fire, to the sky and to the silver wrapped Candle on the flat rock at the foot of the North Boulder ... the Candle burst into flame. "This silver is the Candle of the Goddess ... burn to the end."

Peter left his post and met Mina in the middle. Mina inquired with a look.

"I call the God ... I require the wand." The fire went out.

There was a palatable battle of wills. Mina relinquished the wand. Peter turned to the South. He passed the wand over the large red candle on the flat rock in front of the South Boulder ... the candle and wand burst into flame. The Censer poured out abundant fragrant smoke ... the fire in the sword cut flamed high. Pyewacket yowled.

Peter passed Mina the wand ... the fire went out. The wand was cold ... there was no charring. DD took the wand and concealed it.

Mina stripped off her robe and coupled with Piper.

Cindy stripped off her robe and coupled with him, too.

Megan had her turn, then Laurel and last, DD.

DD opened the circle, they left. DD closed the circle. Woe betide anyone who forced entry.

As the last supplicant left, Aphrodite's Amaryllis bloomed and wound about the iron arbor.

Within an hour the entire iron fence was covered with the pink and white flowers.

Roses bloomed in the camp meadow glades and violets blossomed in the short grass.

Friday was a trifle hectic. Violet registered pagans from both Virginias, Michigan, New York, Key West, Haiti, Texas, Wisconsin, Ohio, Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, the Carolinas ... if it was within 900 miles people drove. Wendy's husband David's sister drove down from New Hampshire and arrived very early Saturday morning with her girls. She had started Wednesday after school.

The house got calls from the airport. Rather than give directions, Mina picked up people from Hawaii, England, France, Germany and two High Priestesses from Japan.

Friday evening, after the feast, there was a ritual at the circle in the woods performed by both men and women, designed to honor the feminine aspects of the universe as well as their female ancestors.

Each participant was to feel free to call upon his or her particular Deity.

The large log and plank altar was decorated with symbols of femininity: cups, chalices, flowers, lunar objects, fish, and doves or swans. It stretched all the way around the outside of the stones but inside the iron arbor.

Celebrants were asked to bring any or all of the following:

A white candle

An offering of something that is important to you

A bowl and a flask of water

A handful of small pebbles or stones

The circle was opened by DD. The fire ignited unlit.

Mina stood in the goddess position, Peter in the god.

"Please, feel free to repeat after us. Use your own name.

"I am Mina, Peter, and we stand before you,

"goddesses and gods of the sky and earth and sea,

"We honor you, for your blood runs through our veins,

"one woman, man among many, standing on the edge of the universe.

"Tonight, we make an offering in Your names,

"As our thanks for all you have given us."