Each Beltane, the May Queen and the Green Man share a dance together on the stage. This can take many forms and can appear very different to our witnesses each year. But the thread between these, is that shared space and moment. This dance will culminate with the Green Man readying Himself, stepping forward towards Her and reaching out to touch the May Queen. As soon as contact is made; He dies. 

But what’s in a turn? During this sequence on the stage, on the ground the May Queen’s Guard, Hands or in this year’s case Pixies are conduits for the energies on the stage. Their own ‘dance’ grows more intense as they end up spinning clockwise until they too collapse to the ground as the Green Man dies. 

The Reds? Well they try their damned best to get into the stage space and once allowed by the Blues, they run anti-clockwise around the May Queen’s companions in a blur of Red. Again, when the Green Man dies, they too fall to the ground. 

For those witnesses who have watched this moment, you might have sensed the stillness and poignancy of this moment. It is as though the very world takes a moment and holds its breath. It is no longer Winter. But The Wheel is yet to turn. We invite you to stand in this silent moment. To put down your phone. And to wait with us. 

Slowly, you see the May Queen’s companions walk up the steps. Together they strip the Green Man of the last vestiges of Winter. Then, they raise him towards the night sky and they begin to turn clockwise. One turn. The Wheel grates into movement. Two turns. It spins slowly. Three turns. Summer has arrived. Her companions place Him down at Her feet and together they walk off the stage. This is what you will have seen at many Beltane’s in the recent past. 

What some witnesses may not know, is that once upon a time the Reds often touched and turned Him and The Wheel in their own way. You could see them chaotically crawl up the steps, raise the Green Man up to the sky and spin Him anti clockwise. Sadly, not many details remain in our oral histories of why this was done but it was something Andrew Binnie this year’s Green Man was keen to revive. 

As a community, both Beltaners and our witnesses see these turns as a physical manifestation of the seasons changing. However this year we Pixies and Reds want to share our own stories. How, through this turning, can we ensure our Summer is honouring expansive rewilding?

Pixies are playful, take delight in mischief and we see parts of ourselves mirrored in the Reds. Reds are born anew each Beltane and embody the wild and joyful nature of Summer. We also see how the Pixies can delve deeper into their playful personas. 

Where previous groups of companions to the May Queen have walked up onto stage, we Pixies like to crawl and honour our feral ways. Where previous groups of Reds have remained on the ground, peeking over the stage as Her companions lift their Green Man up we realise we can share one final part of our nature to Him on His journey. 

This year, The Wheel will still turn, but in ways that are, perhaps, unusual to you. 

As witnesses standing in this moment with us, you will see Pixies scurry onto stage and tear away the last vestiges of Winter. You’ll see us lift the Green Man towards the sky. You’ll see us turn Him three times clockwise. You’ll see us playfully leave the stage, nodding to our May Queen whom we love so very very much. Just like the houses we used to clean; a helping role is complete.

We then encourage you to acknowledge the quiet turning of The Wheel. But ponder how, if we are to truly expansively rewild both ourselves and the ecosystems we live in, we can do this if we continue on as we always have? Perhaps, as you see the Reds crawl onto the stage to greet Him in his death, you may contemplate that we need to think radically about how we can change our relationships with the wild. 

And as you see Reds lift Him to the sky, turning Him once anti-clockwise to offer a little bit more wildness from themselves, we invite you to allow some wildness back into yourself too. Safe in the knowledge that as the May Queen breathes life back into Him, The Wheel has still turned. And that Summer, is just moments away from waking up…