Maypole

• Flat piece of wood
• Small wooden pole
• A wooden knob for the top of the pole
• Red and white lengths of ribbon
• Beltane symbols: Nuts, spring flowers, strings of beads, miniature apples, for decoration around the bottom of the maypole
• Glue gun

Directions:

Either drill hole into the flat wood base to insert pole or simply glue it to the bottom securely. Glue four equal lengths of ribbon to top, and seal knob on pole with glue, on top of the ribbons. Glue or place decorative items around base.

Ritual use:

During ritual, the maypole can be wound. Simply weave the ribbons in and out of each other in as pleasing a pattern as possible, fastening with sticky-tac or other less permanent adhesive (so that this apparatus can be used again next year in ritual). The symbolism of the maypole is that of the male phallic symbol (the pole itself) being enveloped by the female vaginal symbol (the ribbons). Also, the winding, when done in a traditional form by dancers around a real maypole, sometimes symbolize male-female mating with the red and white ribbons themselves.