Wheel of the Year - All lifes a circle

As mentioned in the previous edition, wiccans, witches and other pagans celebrate and venerate nature and the natural order and an important aspect of that is the passing of the seasons. Throughout the year, that passing of time and that movement from one season to another, in a continuous circle is celebrated by eight festivals. These festivals fall on the two solstices and equinoxes and the other four approximately half way between each. Together they are referred to by wiccans as the Wheel of the Year.

The concept of the Wheel of the Year is relatively modern. Throughout antiquity you can find similarities between different cultures around the world but each group of pagans would have had their own rituals, with varying emphasis, depending on their needs. The Wheel of the Year bring some of these together in an organised way, festivals on the equinoxes and solstices are called quarter days and are often based on Germanic festivals, while those in between are called cross-quarter days and are based on Celtic festivals. So before the event of neo-paganism the Wheel of the Year as it is today didn't exist but the festivals or celebrations that are represented on the Wheel have their origins from well before organised religion.

The eternal wheel of the year for a wiccan commences at Samhain (pronounced SOW-en), but most consider the 1^st of January as New Year so I will show the wheel of the year against the traditional Gregorian calendar.

The dates of the various celebrations were originally established north of the equator, but as mentioned earlier these celebrations are tied to the seasons, so those south of the equator that are true to the spirit of these celebrations turn the wheel of the year 180 degrees, so Samhain in the Southern Hemisphere will be celebrated on the 1^st of May when the North celebrate Beltane.

The solstice and equinox dates change from year to year, hence the approximate date on the list but to make it easy I have added the actual date for 2010 in brackets. Many of the celebrations are either celebrated on the date or on the full moon nearest to that date, so a little latitude is allowed. I am sure that there are many who celebrate on the nearest weekend to that date for convenience purposes.

Now for a quick description for each of the celebrations, I will list them in order of the Northern Hemisphere in recognition of their origin.

Imbolc or Candlemas is when we celebrate the coming of spring. It is time to start shaking off the shackles of the past and planning for your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual growth. Now is the time to start planting the seed for your future, time to begin to take action.

Ostara is the Spring Equinox and is the fertility festival, celebrating the birth of spring. Today the daylight and night are equal; from now on the days will get longer and warmer. Flowers are beginning to bloom, everything seems new and hopeful, the future full of promise. If you have been making plans but haven't started now is the time to take action. If there is something old in your life that is no longer working for you, get rid of it, make space for what is to come.

Beltane is a celebration of life, all that life has given us and all that life has still to offer. It is a festival to be celebrated in the sun and the fresh air with family and friends. It is a time for singing and dancing and appreciating the earth. Go to the beach, to the edge of the water and put your feet into the sand. Feel the water lap at your ankles, feel the wind in your hair, lift your face to the sun and say 'Thank You.'

Litha, Summer Solstice or sometimes it is referred to as Midsummer is the longest day of the year, when the sun is at its height, a good time to acknowledge the energy and light it gives us. It is a time to give thanks for what we have achieved so far and to take stock. There is still time to take action.

Lammas, also known as Lughnasadh; though I prefer Lammas because at least I can pronounce it, is the 1^st harvest festival, which celebrates the fruits of the earth and all that the earth has provided. It is a time we should repay debts, give thanks where it is due and repair hurt we may have caused others.

Mabon, Autumn Equinox is the only other date in the year when day and night are in balance. It is the time to celebrate the 2^nd harvest, to start to bid farewell to the warmer months and welcome the approaching winter. It is also a time to bring balance into our lives as the days shorten and the cold nights creep in, it is more a time for reflection and contemplation rather than action. It is time to reflect on what we have achieved, think about what we've learnt and consider what we could change. Sit down and work out what area you'd like to improve in your life and devise a plan.

Samhain is the celebration of the end of the Goddess ruled summer and the beginning of the God ruled winter. It is the night when the veil is thinnest between this world and the spirit world, this is best time to make contact with our ancestors, family and friends that have passed over. If nothing else it is the best time to at least reflect on the part they paid on our lives and to honor them.

Yule occurs on the winter solstice and is the, longest night of the year; it also marks the beginning of the time when days grow longer, the rebirth of the sun. Pagan customs for this sabbat include decorating a tree, hanging mistletoe and holly and burning a Yule log. Christmas is actually the Christianization of the Pagan Yuletide celebration. The focus for witches at this sabbat is family and friends, love, peace and prosperity.

These celebrations took root at the beginning of human kind, when the passing of seasons, time for sowing, time for harvesting, time for taking stock and preparing for the harsh winter was vital to human survival. They may have been given different names by different peoples throughout the world but the veneration of the earth, its cycle and the life it gives us was important to all people everywhere, and it seems that as the world debate climate change, air, water and food security that it is just as important today.

So even if you are not a wiccan or pagan, when you see a full moon or watch the sun come up after the winter solstice or hear the squawk of a hatchling in spring, reflect and give thanks to the passing of the seasons and the earth that still sustains us.

So until the next edition,

Blessed Be,

Mad Meg

The Web Witch