Flower Crown Ritual For May Day + Last Chance for Full Moon Circle!

Happy Almost Beltane!

Beltane, or May Day, held on May 1st, is the halfway point between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice and is the celebration of fertility and sensuality. Traditionally, this was the day people would gather to make flower crowns, dance around the May Pole, and jump over fires as a symbol of purification. Like most Earth-based holidays, the rituals are rooted in blessing the land to provide healthy crops while inspiring our own awakening of fertility and growth.

I’ll never forget my lunch with Becca Piastrelli when she emphatically taught me about Beltane, its rich traditions, and the hawthorn tree. I was in the midst of negotiations to buy my home, and the word “hawthorn” kept popping up everywhere. When she told me about the magic of the hawthorn tree and how it is the primary tree of Beltane and holds the energy of fertility, sensuality, and heart-opening (its flowers and berries are also a powerful heart medicine), I was hooked. That afternoon I emailed the previous owner of my house and asked if by any chance there were any hawthorn trees on the property, and sure enough, she had planted many over the years.

Hawthorn Farm is now the name of our home and retreat center.

SO as you can imagine, I’m totally obsessed with this holiday. I am going to be kicking off the festival with a Pink Full Moon Circle on Sunday, April 29th, at 7:30 pm at Hawthorn Farm and online via Livestream. You can reserve your spot here. You’re welcome to wear pink and pin flowers in your hair.  It’s going to be a beautiful evening of awakening our passion and sensuality to be in true alignment with the full bloom of spring.

If you want to celebrate Beltane on your own, it’s an amazing time to gather with women or couples. Last year, my empowerer and spiritual strategist Katina Mercadante hosted a beautiful evening where the women gathered in circle, made flower crowns, and shared about how we want to fully step into our femininity, and the men went for a hike and shared about what it meant for them to step into their masculinity. We then came together for dinner and shared with each other. Parts were incredibly vulnerable and out of our comfort zone, but to really go there with our partners and friends was incredible.

To help you celebrate, I invited Leann Dameron – my friend, client, operations manager, and flower designer – to teach you how to make a flower crown with intention below.

Happy Beltane!

Love,
Sarah

P.S. This is the last Full Moon Circle I’m hosting before I have my baby! I hope you can make it.  You can reserve your spot for in-person or online here.

Hi! I’m Leann, Sarah’s behind-the-scenes manager and also the owner of my business, Leelee’s Garden. I’ve been so honored to create the florals and teach flower crowns at Sarah’s retreats at Hawthorn Farm.

There is something magical about making and wearing a flower crown. Making it connects you to an ancient tradition of women creating with plants and lets you weave your intentions into your crown. Wearing it lets you step into your inner queen like nothing else and, at the same time, get to play dress-up and honor your little girl within, too. I invite you to create your own flower crown this Beltane (especially with a friend) and weave into it all of your spring desires. Here’s what you’ll need:

Materials:
Assortment of flowers
(I suggest a mix of small filler flowers like waxflower and baby’s breath and a few accent flowers– I typically use the smaller spray roses since they dry well.)
Greens
(You can use any greens that you aren’t sensitive to. I like acacia and seeded eucalyptus.)
Vine wire 
Bind wire wrap
Floral shears or scissors
Wire cutters
Ribbon (optional)

Making your crown:

1. Before you begin, set an intention for spring that you want to weave into your flower crown. What desires do you want to plant and grow this season? As you make and wear your crown, let it be a symbol for your desires.
2. Measure the vine wire to wrap comfortably around your head. Add an extra 3 inches to create your “hooks” and cut with wire cutters. You can also make a shorter crown (this makes it a shorter project) with connecting ribbons, instead of wrapping all the way around. I suggest cutting to about 12 inches long for this shortcut version.
3. Bend the last inch on either side of the crown to form “hooks” that will connect the crown ends when you finish. If you are creating a shorter crown, you can tie ribbons to each hook and use the ribbon to tie around your head at the end. Keep the vine wire long before the next step (don’t connect the ends yet).
4. You’re ready to start adding flowers! Cut and group a small bundle of 2-3 stems of filler flowers and greens, about 2” long.
5. Hold the bundle in your hand on top of one end of the vine wire, so the flowers cover your first “hook.” Wrap around the bundle, attaching it to the vine wire 3 times with the bind wire. 
   
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5, making small bundles of a few stems at a time and adding them to your crown, each time covering the stems of your last bundle. Use the same long piece of bind wire, wrapping 3 times to secure each bundle. As you go, you can add some larger accent flowers into the bundles. Continue in the same direction until you reach the end.
7. Connect your two flower crown “hooks” to wear or have a friend tie on your flower crown if you used ribbon.

And remember, don’t worry if it doesn’t look perfect! It’s so easy to get in the perfection mindset when you’re making something. Keep in mind as you go: “This is for fun and a celebration of the season.” Happy Making!

If you’re in the Chicago area, I’d love to have you join me on Tuesday, May 1st, at my May Day Flower Crown Party. I’ll be teaching you how to make flower crowns in person at a local boutique. After the lesson you’ll have your pick of spring flowers to make your own. It’s BYOB and we’ll also have craft cocktails gifted from Chicago Distilling on hand. I can’t wait for this beautiful night of making and celebrating together. You can get all the details and tickets here.

Photography by Katie Lenhart

Events at the Moon Lodge

Events Hosted by Sarah Jenks

Full Moon Women’s Circle: gather with us under the Pink Full Moon to celebrate the coming of Spring,
April 29th, 7:30pm-10:00pm in person or livestream.
Click here to learn more and sign up.

Yoga + Movement Classes

Tuesdays:
9:30am-10:30am Gentle Hatha Yoga with Traci Phillips Ward
7:15pm–8:30pm SPA Yoga® with Cece Santucci

Wednesdays:
9:30am–10:30am Vinyasa Flow with Kathryn Postulka, RYT

Thursdays:
9:30am–10:30am Vinyasa Flow with Melissa Holm

Fridays:
9:30am–10:30am Fun Feminine-Based Movement (Rotating Teachers and Classes)

Get all the details to join us for yoga and movement here.

Guest Workshops 

Wellness Rituals for Motherhood with Karoline Barwinski and Mara Grbenick, May 6th, 10:00am–2:00pm.

Dreamful Daycation with Lauren Durso on Saturday, May 12th, 8:30am–5:30pm.

Get all the details for our guest workshops here.