I know, I know, it's May 1st, we're sorry! But spiritually, in our hearts, this is the April issue. We've been preoccupied with the big move to Philadelphia and the month got away from us, but we're here, and just in time for Beltane! Read on for a little somethin' about what Beltane even is, a ritual for the full moon in Scorpio, a Beltane blessing, and the usual herby musings. Or as always, you can skip right to the end for shop updates and where to find us next!

Beltane | May 1, 2026

Halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice, the Wheel of the Year blesses us with another celebration: Beltane. As we've discussed in past issues, the Wheel of the Year refers to the calendar of holidays or "sabbats" created by Wiccans in the mid-late 20th century and adopted by many pagans and other non-Wiccan witchy folk (like us) today. Beltane (the anglicized spelling of Bealtaine) is one of four cross-quarter days derived at least in part from ancient Celtic tradition, along with Samhain, Imbolc, and Lughnasadh.

Without going too deep down the rabbit hole, it's worth noting once again that the ancient Celts recorded nearly none of their history, which means that everything we think we know about how they celebrated Beltane is either derived from post-Christian accounts of what they believed to be Celtic tradition, or is an amalgamation of new, old, and multicultural traditions that have morphed together over the centuries. This doesn't mean they have no value -- modern traditions can be just as meaningful and magickal as the ancient ones -- but it's helpful to have that context as you decide for yourself how and what you want to celebrate! We'll do a deeper dive into Beltane's history next year, but in the meanwhile...

Beltane is generally celebrated from sundown on April 30th to sundown on May 1 and is considered the "Gaelic May Day".

There is some evidence that ancient rituals may have included jumping over a Beltane bonfire to purify and bring good luck for the summer, or walking cattle between fires to protect them from harm. As with the other four cross-quarter fire festivals, Beltane is a time of renewal and rebirth, reminiscent of a phoenix rising from the ashes. Since the festival falls at the height of spring, Beltane is also associated with flower crowns, maypole dancing, and of course, fertility.

Though many Beltane festivals died out in the 20th century, the Beltane Fire Society has been hosting an annual festival in Edinburgh, Scotland since 1988! (We almost went while we were there on our honeymoon last year but we left for Inverness and missed it by exactly one day, which we are still super bummed about). The modern Beltane Fire Festival describes itself as a "living, dynamic reinterpretation and modernisation" of ancient tradition and embraces the modern Wiccan mythology of the May Queen and the Green Man by way of performance art, elaborate costuming, drumming, dance, and lots of fire. If any of you have gone, please slide into our DMs and tell us how it was because we wanna gooooo! But in the meanwhile, we'll be celebrating here by gearing up for a big weekend of fairs and markets and welcoming the summer ahead!

Full Moon in Scorpio

Cosmically this year, we are gifted with another reason to celebrate on May 1 -- a Full Moon in Scorpio! With Scorpio ruled by Pluto, God of the Underworld, this full moon is all about transformation (much like the cleansing fire of Beltane). Let's double down with this energy and shed what no longer serves us! Scorpio energy is also about looking at and dealing with our shadow self -- the unseen self, the self of vices -- think the Devil Card in tarot. But just because something is in shadow doesn't necessarily mean it's evil or bad. It's all about perspective, moderation, and balance; sometimes vices can be fun! So take a look at your darker side, ignite your inner fire within, and enjoy the rebirthing of summer!

Ritual Magick

What you'll need:

the Devil tarot card
a red candle
a piece of paper & pen/pencil

Set & cleanse your space. Set the Devil card in front of you: a card of vices, mischief, lust. Meditate on the version of yourself that showed up this winter. Reflect without judgment -- maybe you isolated at home, or maybe the winter blues had you grumpy and short-tempered, wishing the season away. Maybe you overindulged in your vice of choice over the holidays; maybe your projects and passions stalled as you hibernated; maybe you felt a little numb. With total neutrality, observe this version of yourself. Now shift your focus to how you want to show up this summer. Consider your earthly desires and visualize what it is you WANT. Beltane and the Full Moon fall partially on Friday, Venus' Day, so if it feels right, ask yourself: what specifically do you seek in the name of Venus/Aphrodite, Goddess of Love? How do you want to feel this summer? Try to distill that feeling to a word or a few words, then use your paper & pen/pencil to draw a sigil based on your intention. There are many ways to create a sigil -- feel free to use whatever method you prefer. If you need some direction, try writing out your wish, crossing out all repeating letters, and then intuitively creating a symbol by combining only the letters that remain.

When your sigil is done, fold the paper towards you and place it underneath your red candle. Return briefly to the vision of your winter self and as you ignite the candle and gaze into the flame, visualize the layers of coats and scarves and sleepy days burning away to reveal the warm, passionate, summer self, embracing the feeling of your new intention. Let your candle burn completely if you're able (without leaving it unattended). Blessed be!

When you're done, sip on a cup of lemon and honey tea, honoring both the sweetness and sour of life, the cozy warmth of winter and the zing of the summer sun. Feel free to add this blessing to your ritual.

Blessed May Queen hear our prayer

As we emerge from our winter lair.

We celebrate from dusk to dusk,

This time of life, growth, love, and lust.

Once again the veil grows thin,

A time to remember family and kin.

All thanks to their fertile past

We were born with spells to cast.

The Sun grows longer, stronger each day,

Blessings of light we ask sent our way.

Love and life now spring from the ground.

May the birds and bees bring a peace from their sound.

As above, So below

We ask the Earth's abundance to flow

Through our veins and through our hearts

Until this Earthly body we depart.

In perfect love and perfect trust,

An it harm none, do what ye must.

By the power of three times three,

This is my will,

So mote it be.

Herbal Journal

Disclaimer: I only started studying and working with herbs in earnest last year. My goal for this section of the newsletter is not to teach you herbalism but to share what I'm discovering along the way so we can explore plant medicine together! If you're looking for stronger resources to enhance your herbal knowledge, I recommend doing your own research to find a teacher or herb school that speaks to you -- the teachers I've been learning from lately are Katja and Ryn with Commonwealth Holistic Herbalism; Ayelet Hashachar with Doll Herbalism; Brunem Warshaw with Well Deep Remedies; and Khadija Khansia with Ayni Herb Farm

With my schedule packed and my tinctures and jars still tucked away in a box somewhere, I've been forced to get creative with finding herbal support for the stress of the move. I've been returning to old friends and leaning heavily on food medicine, which has turned into a fun back-to-basics exercise. Lately my to-do list has had me feeling irritable and out of control, which might normally have me reaching for any number of helpers: motherwort, to protect my boundaries and take me out of fight or flight; tulsi, to elevate my mood and sharpen my cognition; lemonbalm, to release stagnant and restless anxiety. But all of those tinctures and tea blends are hiding in my kitchen somewhere and the task of unpacking and organizing is just another item on my ever-growing to-do list. So instead, I'm trying to use what's around me. Seeking out meals with sage, to return me to myself and stem the overflowing anxiety from my task list; a warm, spicy bowl of soup with ginger and cayenne to reignite my flame and return me to my body instead of dissociating or going numb; garlic and thyme whenever possible to keep my immune system strong while my sleep schedule suffers. I may not be ingesting a medicinal quantity of any of these herbs but something is better than nothing and, I've found, that's where the magic of folk medicine comes in. I still feel soothed. Even just standing outside and admiring the small collection of plants we're preparing to pot for our garden helps me to remind myself that this is why we're here and this stressful period will pass.

Upcoming Events

LUNAR FAIRE

5/2 & 5/16

We are extremely amped for our third season as Lunar Faire vendors. You can find us at tomorrow's season opener at Burlington County Fairgrounds, and again two weeks later at the East Freehold Showgrounds!

Get your tickets here!

RICHMOND STREET FLEA

5/3

Our first Philly event as full-time locals and it's right in our very own neighborhood?!

Last week's Richmond Street Flea was postponed due to rain, so find us this Sunday 5/3 in Port Richmond for all the witchy goodies and dozens of other amazing local vendors!

And as always...

You can find all of our regular products and order custom spell kits and pocket altars at our

Etsy shop!

And don't forget to follow us on Instagram at @bonegardenapothecary!

Bone Garden Tarot & Apothecary

✨Bone Garden Monthly Newsletter - April 2026✨