Hi, I’m Francesco and I feel very honoured to be embodying the Green Man archetype this Beltane.

I have been around the Beltane community for about eight years and I participated in the performance ritual two years ago as part of the Fire group, who symbolically ripped apart some aspects of the Green Man’s ego so that he could journey into the underworld! A very strong image that has stayed with me since. This year the conditions felt ripe for me to take on the responsibility to walk the Green Man’s path, as my personal life journey strongly resonates with his.

I will embody a Green Man who needs to shed his old crystallised Wintery self-image that is over-identified with, and attached to, his past achievements and life stories. Only by doing so will he be able to step into his full power & unbounded Divine creative potential (that we all carry dormant within ourselves!) and ultimately welcome Summer through his union with the May Queen.

To me the Green Man also represents the shift required by the present stage of Human Consciousness on this over-exploited Earth. The letting go of our goal-oriented, patriarchal, ego-centered, violent materialism and ungrounded sexuality, toward a shift of the Divine Masculine dropping from the logical-head into his heart and vulnerability. To do so, the Green Man will have to undergo a journey of purification and letting go. The more he will empty himself from limited self-beliefs, the more he will be able to hear, take-in, and carry forward into Summer the ancient wisdom of Nature.

To this role I ought to bring my passion for devotional dance, Qi-gong practices, self-inquiry and sacred rituals. I am super excited to share this journey with you all and celebrate the coming of Summer!

Banner image by Mark Taylor for Beltane Fire Society.