Reigniting the Sacred Flame: Beltane, Ancestral Healing & the Return of the Wise Woman
Read prior post: Beltane Blessings (click here)
As the Wheel turns and the wild green world bursts into bloom, Beltane (pronounced BEL-tay-nuh or BEL-tuhn) arrives with her fire and flowers—a threshold moment where spirit and matter dance, where the veil thins, and where we are invited to remember our sacred belonging.
Beltane, rooted in ancient Celtic tradition, marks the midway point between spring equinox and summer solstice. It’s a celebration of fertility, passion, and the divine union of land and sky. Bonfires once blazed across the Irish hills to bless the cattle, protect the crops, and awaken the vital energies of life. And today, this sacred time continues to offer us medicine for modern disconnection, inviting us to reignite what has gone cold in our souls.
This year, my own Beltane journey is deeply tied to ancestral remembrance, spiritual preparation, and the reclamation of the Wise Woman within—not just for myself, but for those I serve.
A Full Pilgrimage, A Full Heart
In just a few weeks, I will lead an intimate group of brave and beautiful souls on a sacred pilgrimage to Ireland that we started in February as part of a six-month journey.
This year’s journey is full, and my heart is overflowing with gratitude for those who said yes to this deep ancestral healing. We will walk the lands of the goddesses, tend the wounds of lineage, and reclaim the stories that patriarchy, colonization, and religious indoctrination tried to erase.
Though registration for this year’s pilgrimage is closed, you can join the waitlist here to be among the first to receive details for future journeys. If your bones are whispering soon, listen.
Beltane Rituals: Fire, Flowers & the Feminine
In preparation for this sacred work, I’m weaving in traditional Irish customs and rituals that connect me to both land and lineage:
Sacred Fire & Candle Ceremony: I’ll light a ceremonial fire (or candle altar) to honor the ancestors, set intentions for the coming season, and call in the spirits of protection, growth, and fierce compassion.
Floral Offerings: Hawthorn branches, primrose, and rowan berries—plants deeply tied to the fae and Irish folklore—will be gathered and offered at thresholds: doorways, sacred trees, and the altar.
Earth & Body Connection: Walking barefoot on the land, listening to the heartbeat of the earth, and placing my prayers into the soil, I allow the land to speak through me—and to hold the healing for all those I work with.
Water Blessings: As Beltane is also associated with sacred wells and the divine feminine, I’ll offer water rites for cleansing, fertility, and renewal—sprinkling blessed water on tools, hands, and heart.
Supporting the Rise of the Wise Woman
While the pilgrimage is full, there are still powerful ways to connect and be supported in your own sacred path this season:
Accessing the Wise Woman Within – October 5th Retreat
A one-day immersive experience where we gather in sisterhood to remember, reclaim, and embody the healed and whole grandmother wisdom within.
Featuring vibrational sound healing, tea ceremony, ancestral rituals, and sacred circle. Facilitated by Christel Poirier and Laura Bonetzky-Joseph
Buffalo Drum-Making Workshop – November 2nd with Janee King
Craft your own medicine drum in sacred ceremony, connecting to the heartbeat of the Mother and the rhythm of your soul.
Perfect for those called to deepen their healing journey through sound and ritual.
Monthly support and healing circles to connect, share, release, and rise—especially needed during these turbulent times when so many of us are holding so much.
Each of these offerings is an extension of my life’s work: to hold space for deep healing, ancestral remembrance, and spiritual reclamation rooted in authenticity, integrity, and love.
A Personal Invitation
Whether you join us in circle, drum your prayers into being, or light your own Beltane flame at home, I invite you to pause and ask:
- What sacred flame within me is asking to be reignited?
- What wisdom have I buried that now wants to rise?
- Where can I say yes to beauty, pleasure, and purpose?
Let this be the season you remember your magic. Let this be the year you return to the earth, to the ancestors, and to the Wise Woman within.
With fire, flowers, and fierce love,
Laura Bonetzky-Joseph
A multi-generational and multi-disciplinary approach to healing
Jikiden Reiki Shihan | Ancestral Healing Guide | Spiritual Activist | Intuitive | Author | Podcast Host
