It’s May, and even a blind and deaf person can tell that it is now solidly Springtime. Now, there is really only one thing associated with Spring, and that (of course) is fertility. It stands to reason, then, that in this month of May we examine the goddess Maia, for whom the month is named.
Maia is known to both the Greeks and Romans, though the Romans also call her Fauna, Bona Dea, and Ops. Frankly, it matters little what a person chooses to call their fertility deity – in every pantheon of gods (as far as I can think of) there is at least one, usually feminine, and often associated with the fields.
This is a time of year to appreciate the blooming of life around us. Every living thing, from the flowers to the bees to the people walking down the street is getting into the groove, feeling the sun, and smelling the aroma of things growing. The smell gets me particularly – it’s like free, natural incense.
So, in any case, it’s a good time to honor those deities who devote their time to making flowers bloom and people fall in love. Why not do so by actually going outside, smelling the flowers, and falling in love – either with another person or in the beauty of the things emerging everywhere.