The Wheel Of The Year

Just click on the links above to find the appropriate rituals.
Some groups and solo Wiccans are content to celebrate the sabbats
within a few days of the above dates, while others prefer to celebrate on the
exact dates. For the solar festivals it is probably best to get the dates as accurate
as is practical. The other four sabbats are probably best celebrated when
seasonal changes are observed in the environment. However neither approach is
right or wrong. It all depends on the needs and feelings of the people concerned.

The Meaning Of The Sabbats:

The Sabbats tell a story. The changing seasons are symbolised by relationship between the Goddess and the God, and the effects this has on the fruitfulness of the Earth. There are many variations on these myths. and their study makes a fascinating pastime. Here we present some of the popular themes among modern Wiccans.

According to the ancient Celts, the year begins at Samhain with the final gathering of crops and the slaughter of livestock. This was because they could not keep many animals fed throughout the winter months. So at Samhain they selected the best breeding stock and killed and salted the rest to last them until Spring.

But to other races, and to many modern Wiccans, it makes more sense to begin the cycle at Yule. This is the time when the Goddess gives birth to a son, the God (later to become her lover).  This is a somewhat confusing theme. The Mother gives birth to the Sungod. And as he grows hotter in the sky, she gives birth to the God of Nature, the Green Man, the crops we eat. One reason for this difficulty is our attempt to marry together two quite different traditions.

Our very early ancestors were hunters. They followed the herds. The herds came and went according to the cycles of the Mother. They only celebrated the Earth Festivals: Imbolg, Beltaine, Lunasa, and Samhain.

Later, as they became more settled agriculturists, they needed sunlight and warmth for their crops. They sowed, planted and harvested according to the cycles of the Sungod. They only celebrated the Sun Festivals: Yule, Spring Equinox, Midsummer and the Autumn Equinox.

Yule:

The Winter Solstice is the first sabbat in the modern Wiccan calendar. This is predominantly a solar ritual when the Goddess gives birth to her son, the Sungod. The hours of darkness are long because the reborn Sungod is young and the world is still in the grip of winter's cold.

The Winter Solstice has long been viewed as a time of divine births. Mithras was said to have been born at this time, as was Mabon, The Welsh Child Of Promise. It is interesting to note that the Christians didn't appropriate this date for the birth of Jesus until the year 273 C.E. (Common Era).

At Yule the Goddess's cycle of fertility has been completed. She has given birth and she must regenerate herself and the world through the winter in order to empower the land with fertility in the spring. Yule is a time of re-birth and the cycle has begun anew. This is the time of greatest darkness. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year. Earlier peoples noticed such phenomena and supplicated the forces of nature to lengthen the days and shorten the nights. Wiccans sometimes celebrate Yule just before dawn, then watch the Sun rise as a fitting finale to their ritual.

We rejoice because our Sungod is reborn. We light fires or candles to welcome his returning light.

A common Pagan theme is the ritual combat between the Holly King and his brother the Oak King. The Holly king rules the waning year from Midsummer until Yule. Now he has been slain by his brother and we celebrate the rise of the god of the waxing year, the Oak King.

Yule is the remnant of early rituals celebrated to hurry the end of winter and the bounty of spring, when food was again readily available. It serves to remind us that the cycle of death and rebirth is endless and that one phase must end for another to begin.

Imbolg:

This is predominantly an Earth festival to celebrate the rejuvenation of our Mother Goddess due to the growth and renewed power of the Sungod. The days are beginning to lengthen, February is here and we feel the first stirring of spring in belly of Mother Earth. This waxing phase is a great time to plan for the warmer weather to come.

The lengthening periods of light awaken our Mother Earth. The God is a young, lusty boy and his power is felt in the longer days. The warmth fertilises the Earth, causing seeds to germinate and sprout. This is a festival of light and of fertility, once marked in Europe with huge bonfires on every hilltop. Fire is used to represent our own illumination and inspiration as much as light and warmth.

Imbolg is also known as Feast of Torches, Oimelc, Lupercalia, Feast of Pan, Snow Drop Festival, Feast of the Waxing Light, Brigid's Day, and probably by many other names.

Some female Wiccans follow an old Scandinavian custom of wearing crowns of lit candles, but many more carry tapers during their invocations. This is one of the traditional times for initiations into covens. Self-dedication rituals can also be performed at this time.

Spring Equinox:

An alternative name for the Spring Equinox is "Eostre", and this is the origin of the word "Easter". This is probable the greatest fertility ritual of them all, using symbols of new life such as rabbits and eggs. At this time we rejoice because the Goddess' fertility has been restored.

The energy is subtly shifting from the sluggishness of winter to the exuberant expansion of spring. The Goddess blankets the Earth with fertility, bursting forth from her sleep, as the God stretches and grows to maturity. He walks the greening fields and delights in the abundance of nature.

Celebrate the growing energy of the sun and the Goddess' rejuvenation! Plant your early spring bulbs, go outside after the long winter indoors and experience the beauty of nature replenishing itself! This is the time for the Rites of Spring.

At Ostara the hours of day and night are equal. The first warm breath of the God has been whispered across the Earth. The heat can how be felt in the air, pregnant with new potential. The days are noticeably lengthening. Light is overtaking darkness. The Goddess and the God impel the wild creatures of the Earth to reproduce. This is a time of beginnings, of action, of planting spells for future gains, and of tending ritual gardens.

Bealtaine:

In Pagan symbolism, the God and the Goddess perform the Great Rite at Bealtaine, lying together to ensure the fertility of the Earth. The God quickens the Goddess' womb and the land flourishes under the gentle wing of their love.

This is a time to celebrate the coming together of the masculine and feminine creative energies. Bealtaine marks the emergence of the young God into manhood. Stirred by the energies at work in nature, he desired the Goddess. They fall in love, lie among the grasses and blossoms and unite. The Goddess becomes pregnant by the God.

May Day has long been marked with feasts and rituals. May poles, supremely phallic symbols, were the focal point of old English village rituals. Many people arose at dawn to gather flowers and green branches from the fields and gardens, using them to decorate the village Maypoles.

The flowers and greenery symbolise the Goddess and the Maypole represents the God. Beltane marks the return of vitality and passion of summer. Maypoles are still used by Wiccans today where we have the facilities to do so. Another common focal point of the Beltane rituals is the cauldron which represents the Goddess.

Summer Solstice:

As Bealtaine is the beginning of summer, the Summer Solstice is the Midsummer celebration. A predominantly male ritual in honour of the God at the height of his power. This is a time to revel in your blessings and pray for the safe outcome of the harvest that is growing within the earth and within the Goddess' womb. Above all, this is a time to rejoice and play, the gift of summer is here, be child-like with the passion that the Goddess and the God have created! Enjoy the energy around you and within you as the sun caresses everything it touches with glorious heat.

The powers of nature reach their highest point at Midsummer. The Earth is awash in the fertility of the Goddess and God. Bonfires are lit to encourage fertility, purification, health and love. The fire once again represents the sun, feted on this time of the longest day. Midsummer is a classic time for magick of all kinds.

Yet this is also the final day of the Oak King's reign, when he must be slain by his brother. Tomorrow the Holly King takes control to preside over the Waning Year.

Lunghnasadh:

This is the time of the first harvest! The Goddess' fertility has given birth and the first crops can be gathered. The days are beginning to shorten now, as the God's warmth lessens. Share the first fruits of your garden with your friends or, if you have no garden of your own, visit your local farm shop and purchase the goods to prepare a feast that will give thanks to the God's energy and the Goddess' fertility that has made this first harvest possible.

The plants of spring have died, dropping their seeds for our use as well as to insure future crops. Mystically, so too does the God lose his strength as the sun rises lower in the sky each day and the nights grow longer. The Goddess watches in sorrow and joy as she realises that the god is dying, and yet lives on inside her as her child.

As summer passes, Wiccans remember its warmth and bounty in the food we eat. Every meal is an act of attunement with nature, and we are reminded that nothing in the universe is constant.

Autumn Equinox:

The days are much shorter now and the cool of autumn has begun to spread across the face of the Earth. The God is preparing for his journey to the Otherworld, where he will sacrifice his current incarnation so that he may be reborn to the Goddess and begin the cycle once more. The harvest is in full swing and preparation for the winter has begun. This is a time of taking stock of our spiritual and physical worlds and ensuring that we are properly prepared for the coming winter. The Goddess is now fully pregnant and her energy is one of quiet preparation to ensure the rebirth of the God.

This is the second harvest, the completion of the one begun at Lughnasadh. Once again day and night are equal, poised as the God prepares to leave his physical body and begin the great adventure into the unseen, toward renewal and rebirth of the Goddess.

Nature declines, draws back her bounty, readying for winter and its time of rest. The Goddess nods in the weakening sun, though fire burns within her womb. She feels the presence of the God even as he wanes.

Samhain:

The God's energy has faded now and he has descended to the Underworld. The Goddess marks the passing of the god with combined mourning and joy as the days become cold and quiet. This day marks the end of the harvest and the Goddess' preparation for the God's rebirth.

This is the day when the veil between the world of the living and the Otherworld, the world of the spirits, is at its thinnest. We remember those who have passed left this plane. We set places for them at our tables, remembering their gifts to us and celebrating their lives.

This is also a time of great power for contact with the Spirit world, a time for divination and a time to reflect on the year that has passed. We consider the events that have happened in our lives over the past year. We embrace them and what they have taught us. Then we release them so that we may begin a new cycle with the power we and wisdom we have gained as a result. We say farewell to the God. This is a temporary farewell according to the eternal cycle of death and rebirth. He will be reborn at Yule and so the wheel of the year is complete.

May the Old Gods & Goddesses guide you in your studies and in your life ahead.

Blessed be