A Warm May Welcome

Mother of Hermes! and still youthful Maia!
John Keats

With the many weeks of sheltering in place, flowers in the yard are truly a blessing– the sight and particularly the scent. When I open the front or back door, the world is filled with the perfume of jasmine–mysterious, sweet, and tantalizing. Springtime energy abounds.

The month of May dances onto the green landscape, adorned with brilliant purples and pinks—and all the colors of spring. She is decked out aplenty. Summer’s humidity is yet to come. So good tidings, dear May, come and uplift our spirits!

May’s namesake, Maia, participated in the Roman pantheon as well as the Greek. Her mother, Pleione, protected sailors from the dangers of the deep, and her father, the Titan, Atlas, saved humanity by carrying the burden of earth on his shoulders. Maia’s name relates to mother, grandmother, or perhaps wise one. She was the eldest of seven divine sisters, represented by the Pleiades in the splendor of the night sky. Seeking sanctuary from the attentions of Zeus, the king of the gods, Maia secluded herself in a remote cavern. However, Zeus followed the lovely woman to her dim starlit abode, resulting in the birth of a son, the fleet-footed messenger god, Hermes, known as Mercury to the Romans.

Maia, daughter of Atlas, shared the sacred bed of Zeus and gave birth to Hermes, renowned herald of the gods.
Hesiod, Theogony

 

The Romans depicted Maia as a goddess of spring and the fertility of nature. They celebrated her powers of sexuality and regeneration. Fire served as her element.  On the Wheel of the Year, the corresponding holiday is Beltane, a cross-corner day falling halfway between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. Maia is a Beltane Lady.

 

 

These days maybe you are watering your garden and encouraging it to flourish. Maybe you are crocheting or crafting or working on a new story. In whatever ways you honor nature, spring, and the rebirth of light and energy, Maia sends you mesmerizing aromas and vibrant blossoms to sparkle up your life. When I was a child, our elementary school had a big spring celebration with us dancing around the maypole. Did you ever dance around the maypole?

Cheers & Happy Reading!

Flossie Benton Rogers, Conjuring the Magic in Romance