My group had our Beltuinn campover in the woods this weekend, and wonderfully the sun cooperated and the rain stayed away! Even better, it was a full moon on the Friday night! My hubby was hosting so I made tokens for everyone in the form of salt dough phalluses. I also made naughty sugar cookies with rose petals, lavender, lemon zest, vanilla, and rose water to stir up some friskiness. On the Friday night there was a ritual to Aphrodite in Hellenic style. The altar was as beautiful as the rite. We all shared strawberries, champagne and fireball with the lovely goddess.
Saturday was the day of the Dionysia, a large Hellenic ritual full of dancing, singing and offerings, and of course drinking red wine for Dionysos. We put on a grand mystery play based around the Orphic Hymn of Dionysos and his wife Ariadne. Of course my hubby was Dionysos and I was Ariadne. We had great fun with the tale full of pirates, gods, kings and queens, brash princes, love betrayed, love won… lots of sex of course, but all imaginary. It was a blast! In the night time we had a large potluck feast with cloven fruit slyly being passed around. Then a few of use helped to build a wickerman out of bundles of large twigs and dried cedar boughs tied to a large wooden frame. We gave him apple balls and a loaf of french bread as a phallus. People spent time with the wicker man giving him what they wished to burn and lose for the coming year. Then we roasted him good, he went up fast! People jumped the 7 foot flames, only singeing eyelashes. Then couples slowly disappeared into the night…
No pictures of the play, the ritual, or the men’s and women’s mysteries resulting in the selection of the May King and Queen as my group is a private one (and my camera’s battery died on the first night), but I hope you enjoyed these lovely images of the altar to Aphrodite and the tokens and naughty cookies.
