Beltane Fires, Making Sense of Madness

When Ma Nature expands to burst into bloom, when life is at its birthing zenith, we can get as crazy.  There are times when we, and other strangers, also burst into un-stoppable bloom.  These personal ‘flowerings’ are often zealous and fiery.  The energy is unstoppable.  We are convinced of our total right to bloom, and ka-boom.  We become instilled with our beautiful, flowering truth.

We more easily slide down this slippery slope of ‘sure knowing’ after hardship, or disappointment. The axiom, “What do they know?  I’ll show them!” comes to mind.   Sometimes the hardships are so extreme we become Peter Pans who believe that to die would be a great adventure, the next right step.  We stunt growth when living with idealistic absolutes.  We stop being human when we live in black and white words….  ‘I know and you don’t. ‘

Another myth, before Peter Pan, was about Zeus and Metis.  Metis was the first wife of Zeus and the first goddess of wisdom.  When she became pregnant with Athene, the gods whispered warnings to Zeus that he would be dethroned by any child Metis bore.  In one fell swoop, he swallowed her, and the unborn child.  Soon, Zeus embodied wisdom in his own right, and in time, after a splitting headache, he gave birth to Athene, who became his favorite child, and the acknowledged goddess of wisdom.

Why was Metis a threat?  Why eat her? And what has this to do with blooming zealots?  Symbolically, it seems Metis was a radical extremist, as she had not yet digested her wisdom.  She was right, she knew she was right, and truth stood on her side.  She was an anarchist of un-incorporated wisdom.  Her righteous knowing remained outside of Self.  When Zeus swallowed her and the baby, he made her wisdom his own by digesting what was outside.  In swallowing Metis he chose to integrate knowledge, wisdom, experience, and good advice.  That mouthful transformed and made usable Metis’ black and white. It was no longer, ‘I know,’ rather it was a lovely grey richness.

Next time you are confused, horrified by what zealots can do, struggling with the truth, uncomfortable with grey areas, ready to rant about,  ‘I’m right,’ fumbling with the Greek of life…Take a moment. Take a breath. Swallow a mouthful.  Digest it. Think of Zeus.  Feel wisdom blooming.