Gathering Lemons

Today is Beltane, the traditional Celtic celebration marking the beginning of summer, and falling annually on the midway point between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. Historically during this time, fire ceremonies were had to protect and honor the land, fertility, the cattle and the forthcoming crops. Lighting a fire, and offering a blessing to the land is a lovely way to celebrate and welcome the fruitful season ahead.

I breathe in the fire of the sun!

This world is alive, and I am alive with it!

The fire in my heart is a Beltane fire,
A fire raging with passion and purpose!

Today I honor the sun,
And the movement of the earth.
The Earth Mother provides,
And the Sky Father encourages
New life on the land.

This is the moment to remember
That even while I practice in solitude
I am a living being, interconnected with all life.

I am the tree. I am the river.
I am of the earth, growing into fullness,
Supported by the Kindred.

Hail, the fire of Beltane!

- Solitary Druid Fellowship's Beltane devotional

Last week in the south of Portugal, I wandered along vibrant streets lined with intricately tiled homes, flowering branches, dreamy bougainvillea vines and citrus trees heavy with ripe fruit. The sidewalk before me was painted with freshly fallen lemons, and I was not passing up the opportunity to receive the surplus. As I gathered the palm-sized lemons from the ground, I couldn’t help but smile when the timeless phrase, ‘when life gives you lemons…’ popped into my head. I stopped to appreciate how much flavor is held in one single lemon and the infinite abundance of a fruit tree rooted in good soil. I delighted in the thought of sorbet, curd, lemon pickle, seasoning salts, mousse, muffins, zest, non-toxic cleaning spray, and of course, lemonade. The truth is, the lemons are all around us–we just have to walk slowly to see them.

I was recently reading Charles Eisenstein’s Substack post, Safety Third, and as usual, he said something that really landed for me. The particular quote that I’m referring to is this:

“We have become too busy, too distracted, too alienated, too hurting to fully receive the magnificence of all we can see, hear, feel, and praise. Full reception is a function of intimacy, and modern life has dulled the vividness and intimacy of our connections. Taking in only a tiny fraction of the sensory nourishment we need, we are forever hungry, craving ever more intense stimuli to meet the need to feel. Addiction, then, is not a failure of character or will. It is a sign of a real unmet hunger.”

-Charles Eisenstein

The idea of addiction being a symptom of hunger, rather than a character flaw or lack of willpower, is an important perspective to consider. In the context of my own social media habits, I’ve had to ask myself where it is that I am not being fully receptive to the world around me. I often find myself so eager to share photos of the wildflowers along my path, that I forget to stop and sit with them. I become consumed with sharing reels of recipes, that I forget to pray over my meal. What I know now, is that I am craving presence with my own spiritual unfolding. I’m hungry for deeper intimacy with the land, with my people, with Creator. One that I cannot weave my roots through as long as I am actively engaging with escapist habits. I choose to receive the wonder of life through all of my senses, and when I forget to listen, I’ll know to ask myself: Where is my hunger un-met?