Blackwell's Sabbat Sessions with Jennifer Lane and Laura Derbyshire BELTANE

Blackwell's Sabbat Sessions are a series of free events that take place throughout the year to coincide with key dates in the Witches' calendar. These events are hosted by Blackwell's Bookseller, Beverley Wass.

Beltane

At the beginning of May on the Celtic wheel of life is the festival of Beltane, half way between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. Beltane is a Celtic fire festival and marks the start of the Celtic summer.

The Celts only had two seasons, summer and winter and this festival is paired with Samhain (we know it as Halloween) which sits exactly on the opposite side of the wheel, half way between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice. At both festivals the veil between the worlds is thought to be thin. At Halloween the spirits of the ancestors are able to visit (and maybe play some tricks if they are so inclined!) and at Beltane human folk can more easily slip between the worlds and into the realm of the Faery folk, the elementals and nature spirits.

Of course May time is the most potently active part of the growing cycle, all of life is bursting with fertility and potential. Everywhere is green and growing. At Beltane, people celebrated the God and Goddess in their youthful aspect. However old we are, spring makes us feel young again. So it’s not so surprising that down through the centuries May Day has been associated with fun, revelry and most significantly, fertility.

Jennifer Lane

Jennifer Lane is a green witch and nature writer with a background in wildlife communications. She is the author of The Wheel: A Witch's Path to Healing, Through Nature and The Witch's Survival Guide: Spells for Healing From Stress and Burnout and, for young adults, The Black Air and The Second Hand Boy. As a journalist she has written for Vogue, the Guardian and the BBC, promoting the wider health benefits of nature, birdwatching and living in tune with the land. In 2018, she won a Northern Writers' Award. Jennifer is based near Manchester, UK, with her partner and a calico cat called Linnet.

Laura Derbyshire

Laura Derbyshire is an author, illustrator, and hedge witch, her debut book ‘The Handmade Grimoire’ is a guide for witches creating their first magickal spell books, or for those looking to connect their creativity with their witchcraft.

Laura’s grimoires and unique workspace have featured in design magazines such as ‘In Her Studio’, and she has taught workshops in many beautiful places and for brands including Soho Farmhouse, and Sisley Paris.

Laura lives in Oxfordshire with her husband, daughter, and burgeoning smallholding.

Her second book is due out in March 2027.

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