Many of the holidays we celebrate today have their roots in ancient Pagan festivals based on solar cycles. The most important of these for our ancestors were the solstices and equinoxes, referred to as the quarter days. They divide the year into quarters and mark the sun's ingress into the four cardinal signs of the zodiac: the spring equinox occurs when the sun reaches 0 degrees Aries, the summer solstice at 0 degrees Cancer, the autumn equinox at 0 degrees Libra, and the winter solstice at 0 degrees Capricorn.
The cross-quarter days—Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain—divide the periods between the quarter days in half. That means a holiday occurs approximately every six weeks. Some people celebrate these holidays on the days when the sun reaches 15 degrees of the fixed signs: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. Others mark them on the 31st through the 2nd of the solar fixed-sign months.
Still celebrated by Wiccans and Neo-Pagans today, these eight holidays, or sabbats, chart the sun's annual passage through the heavens (as it appears to us from earth) and tell the story of the Sun King's growth, maturity, decline, death, and rebirth. Together, they form what's known as the Wheel of the Year. In her book The Spiral Dance, Starhawk describes the sabbats as “the eight points at which we connect the inner and the outer cycles; the interstices where the seasonal, the celestial, the communal, the creative, and the personal all meet.”
In early agrarian cultures, the cycle of seasons showed the relationship between nature and humankind. Festivities commemorated the patterns of fertility and barrenness, activity and rest, outer and inner life. Today, most of us no longer work the land or live in close relationship with nature. Celebrating the eight festivals in the Wheel of the Year gives us an opportunity to reconnect with the earth and the heavens, as well as the deities associated with the holidays.
Also known as All Hallows Eve and Halloween, Samhain (pronounced sow-en) is usually celebrated on October 31, when the sun is in Scorpio. An Irish word, Samhain means “summer's end.” Long nights and cold weather descend upon the earth (in the Northern Hemisphere) as the Sun King's powers decline. This is the season of death and rebirth, when the dregs of the harvest are plowed under to decay and fertilize the earth for the next spring's planting season.
Considered the witches’ New Year, Samhain is a time for reflecting on the past and looking ahead to the future. Both an ending and a beginning, it's a day for releasing old ideas, outworn behaviors, unwanted habits, and restrictive bonds in order to make room for something new to be born. To aid in this letting go, try this simple spell: on strips of paper, write things you want to eliminate from your life—fears, self-limiting attitudes, and unhealthy attachments—and burn them in a fire on Samhain Eve.
A SPELL FOR THE NEW YEAR
Shuffle a set of Ogham or Norse runes by mixing them with your hands, then with your eyes closed, draw eight runes. The first-drawn rune describes conditions, experiences, events, insights, and challenges you can expect to face between Samhain and the winter solstice. The second rune shows what's likely to occur between the winter solstice and Imbolc. The third indicates what may happen between Imbolc and Ostara. Each subsequent rune offers guidance and information about the next turn of the Wheel.
Record your rune reading in your grimoire or book of shadows so you can refer to it during the course of the year. Write down events and experiences that occur in the coming months and compare them to what the runes foretold. Also note the dates of these experiences. How accurately did the runes predict what actually came to pass? Did the time frames match?
This is also an appropriate time to make New Year's wishes or resolutions. The custom of wearing costumes on Halloween is a way to visually demonstrate what you want to be in the coming year and to project that image out into the world. (No witch would choose to dress up as a ghost, skeleton, goblin, or hobo!)
In Wiccan and Neo-Pagan traditions, Samhain is also a solemn time for remembering and honoring those who have passed into the spirit realm. The veil between the worlds is thinner now than at any other time of the year, making it easier to communicate with spirit guides, nonphysical entities, and departed loved ones. Consequently, this is a good time for scrying and divination. Dreams on Samhain may have special significance too.
The theme of death and rebirth is depicted in the children's game of bobbing for apples. The apple is a symbol for physical life—if you cut one in half, you'll see the seeds form a star pattern inside, which represents the human body. Samhain rituals often include eating apples or drinking apple cider.
You may wish to decorate your home with apples, pumpkins, acorns, and other fruits of the harvest season. Ritual fires made from the wood of sacred trees play a traditional part in Samhain celebrations. The Druids, who honored and incorporated trees into much of their magickal practice, considered the following trees to be sacred: alder, apple, ash, birch, blackthorn, cedar, elm, fir, gorse, hawthorn, hazel, holly, juniper, oak, pine, poplar, rowan, vine, willow, and yew. Some groups enact dramas that portray the death of the old year and the birth of the new, or the passage of the soul from one realm to another.
Long before the advent of Christianity, earth-centered cultures in Europe, Britain, and Ireland commemorated the birth of the Sun King at the winter solstice (approximately December 21, though this can vary slightly from year to year). This is the longest night of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere), after which the hours of daylight increase and the dark hours begin to decrease. A joyous time, heralding promise and renewal, Yule celebrates the triumph of the forces of light over darkness, of life over death. The holiday was so important to early people that Christianity adopted this season of good cheer to mark the birth of Jesus, who was said to bring light into the world.
The Christmas tree has its origins in the Pagan winter festivals of northern Europe and the British Isles. Because evergreens retain their foliage even during the coldest months, symbolizing everlasting life, they play a central role in Yule festivities. In recognition of the rebirth of life when the earth appears dead and barren, Wiccans and Neo-Pagans decorate their homes with pine, holly, and other evergreens.
In a magickal sense, pine's cleansing properties can help eliminate negative energies. According to Celtic mythology, holly bushes provided shelter for the nature spirits and earth elementals during winter. The Druids valued mistletoe as an herb of fertility and immortality. Used in talismans as an aphrodisiac (perhaps the reason we kiss beneath it today), it is said to enhance creativity of all kinds. Its magickal properties offer protection, thus the holiday custom of hanging it on doorways and over entrances of our homes. Circular evergreen wreaths symbolize eternity, wholeness, and unity.
To celebrate the eve of winter solstice, light a Yule log (traditionally oak) and allow it to burn throughout the night. Save a piece of unburned wood to include in next year's fire. You may wish to include wood from other sacred trees in your holiday fire as well. After the fire burns down, collect the cool ashes and wrap them in a piece of silk or linen cloth along with a pinecone. Then place the package under your pillow at night to solicit guidance and advice from the spirit realm.
Greenery and bark from these trees can also be brewed in a cauldron over the ritual fire. Strain the fragrant brew and pour the liquid outside your front door to protect your home. Allow the plant mixture to dry, then fashion sachets from the sacred blend to attract blessings throughout the year.
Feasting, music, exchanging gifts, dancing, and singing are part of many Yule festivities, as they are at Christmas. Some people enact a play of the Sun King's birth. You may wish to design your own ritual to commemorate the occasion and personalize it in a way that has meaning for you.
Usually celebrated from sunset on January 31 until February 2 when the sun is in Aquarius, Imbolc honors the Celtic goddess Brigid. When Christianity became widespread in Ireland and the British Isles, Brigid was named a saint because the people refused to abandon their beloved goddess. Also known as the Lady of the Flame or Bright One, she's the goddess of poetry, healing, and smithcraft. Creativity is her gift to humanity, symbolized by the fire of inspiration that she tends. Imbolc means “in the belly,” and the cauldron, representing the womb where creativity is nurtured, is one of her tools. As Shirley Toulson explains in The Celtic Year, “Brigid is the all-provider, the nurturer, enabling Spirit to survive in bodily form.”
Because Brigid tends the hearth as well as the forge—which signify traditional tasks of women and men—she depicts the union of feminine and masculine energies. The Celts also see her as goddess of the sacred wells, so she's linked with water too. Drawing on the powers of fire and water, Brigid epitomizes creativity and inspiration, and thus serves as patroness for poets, musicians, and artists of all kinds.
At this stage in the Wheel of the Year, the young Sun King is beginning to grow. Daylight is waxing (in the Northern Hemisphere), winter is on the wane, and spring's renewal is promised. Thus, Imbolc is a reaffirmation of life and a time for planting “seeds,” in the form of ideas and affirmations, that you want to ripen as the year matures.
Fire is the central feature at Imbolc, and you may choose to light a sacred fire as part of your ritual. If you are celebrating the holiday with others, give each person a candle. Form a circle around a ritual fire or a large pillar candle set on an altar in the center of the circle. Also place a cauldron filled with sand or earth within the circle.
Each person in turn lights a candle from the central flame. When all are lit, one person begins by stating a “seed” wish (in the form of an affirmation). Go around the circle, letting everyone say what he or she wants the year to bring. As smoke from the candle flames rises toward the heavens, it carries the requests to Brigid. Offer songs or prayers of thanks to the goddess. When you are ready to open the circle, place the candles upright in the cauldron and allow them to burn down completely.
Because Brigid is the goddess of inspiration and creativity, you honor her by firing your imagination. I like to spend her day engaged in some form of artistic activity, usually writing and painting. You may prefer to bake, fashion wreaths of greenery and pinecones, play music, or enjoy another creative endeavor. If you possess smithing skills or healing powers, this is the perfect opportunity to use them.
The sun's ingress into Aries around March 20 marks the spring equinox. Today, the hours of daylight and night are equal in length. Flowers start to bloom, trees begin to bud with new leaves, and in some parts of the Northern Hemisphere, it's warm enough to plant crops. In the Sun King's journey, this is a period of growth and power, the point at which light surpasses darkness.
The equinoxes are times of balance, when daylight, which corresponds to activity, the outer world, and masculine energy, is equal to night, which corresponds to rest, the inner world, and feminine energy. On this day, devote an equal amount of time to both. For example, I try to complement periods of physical activity with meditation; socializing with solitude; work with rest. Practices that combine yin and yang energies are also appropriate for this holiday.
Because Ostara is the first day of spring, this is a good time to plant seeds (literally or figuratively) and to gather, plant, or decorate your home with flowers. Spells that utilize flowers, herbs, and other botanicals can be especially powerful if performed on the spring equinox. The Druids celebrated the Festival of Trees on this day. In honor of my Druid ancestors, I hang offerings for the nature spirits, birds, and animals from the branches of trees on Ostara. If possible, enjoy spring equinox festivities outdoors.
Like all the sabbats that take place while the sun waxes, Ostara is a fertility holiday. Painting eggs, which symbolize new life and promise, is a traditional way to commemorate this aspect of the spring equinox and the origin of the custom of dyeing eggs at Easter (a word that derives from Ostara or Eostre).
An old folktale tells us that a rabbit gave the Germanic fertility goddess Ostara some magick eggs. The colorful eggs so delighted the goddess that she wanted the rabbit to share them with everyone. The rabbit, of course, is also a symbol of fertility.
Want to add a magickal dimension to the familiar custom of decorating eggs on this holiday? Dye the eggs colors that represent your intentions. (See Chapters 10 and 12 for more information about color correspondences.) Paint symbols on the eggs that describe your wishes. Display the eggs in a place where you'll see them often, to remind you of your objectives.
With the arrival of spring, we say goodbye to the winter season of scarcity and hardship. The spring equinox is also a time for leaving behind old fears and self-limiting attitudes or behaviors as you look ahead with hope to a brighter future. You can act this out symbolically by wrapping a cord several times around your wrists to represent psychological bonds that are holding you back. Chant a phrase that describes what you want to change in your life, such as “I release neediness and embrace success.” As you envision this taking place, wriggle your hands until your bonds loosen and come undone.
We celebrate Beltane on May 1, when the sun is in Taurus. This joyful time of year honors nature, creativity, and fertility, which astrologers associate with the earth sign Taurus. The word comes from the old name for the god, Baal or Bel, and honors the god in the power of his youth. Beltane recognizes the time of year (in the Northern Hemisphere) when flowers bloom and the earliest crops start to emerge. The Sun King has now reached maturity and is ready to take a mate: the earth.
Because Beltane is connected with fertility, it celebrates sexuality; the Great Rite is often a part of the sabbat's festivities. In pre-Christian Europe, sexual rites were considered a type of sympathetic magick performed to enhance the earth's fertility. The Maypole is an obvious phallic symbol; dancing around it recognizes the union of masculine and feminine energies for the purpose of creativity—of the mind as well as the body. In some early cultures, women who wished to become pregnant leapt over small fires on Beltane, and domestic animals were led between fires to increase their fertility.
You may wish to mark this joyful holiday with dancing, singing, drumming, or other forms of cheerful celebration. Activities that express creativity, especially in connection with love, are also appropriate on this day. Consider doing love and prosperity spells now that include botanicals.
This is also a time to commune with nature spirits and honor the earth. Beltane rites may include making offerings to our planet and the nature deities, feasting on the first spring foods, and planting seeds that will produce new life. If possible, celebrate this holiday outdoors.
The sun's ingress into Cancer on approximately June 21 marks the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The Sun King has now reached the peak of his powers and reigns at the summit of the heavens.
During this time of fullness, enjoy feasting and revelry and the richness of life. Ideally, this holiday should be celebrated outdoors. Midsummer is a good day to gather herbs and other natural materials, when they are at their peak potency, to use in spells and talismans throughout the year. Decorate your home with flowers. Also give thanks for nature's bounty and for the blessings you've received. Seeds sown earlier in the year now bear fruit. Remember the nature spirits and elementals at this time and leave offerings for them.
The sun's position high in the sky chases away shadows and darkness, enhancing clarity and vision. Therefore, some people choose to practice divination, scry, or embark on vision quests at Midsummer. However, the fullness of the sun's power is best utilized in an active, social, outward manner. Celebrate with music and dancing. Play, laugh, and have fun. Put aside solemnity and introspection temporarily while you share this holiday with friends, loved ones, and like-minded people.
Named for the Celtic god Lugh, Lughnasadh is celebrated on August 1, when the sun is in Leo. This is the first of the “waning” festivals, when the sun's light is declining and we begin to harvest the season's crops in preparation for winter. The Sun King's powers ebb as he ages, although his mate—the earth—reaches a period of abundance.
Because Lughnasadh coincides with the season when grains ripen in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere, baking bread often plays a part in this holiday celebration. Early Christians called the holiday Lammas, meaning “loaf-mass.” Beer and ale, drinks made from grain, also show up at Lughnasadh festivities, and many people enjoy brewing their own grain-based beverages on this day. You may also wish to decorate your home with sheaves of grain, berries, and late summer flowers.
Some people fashion a facsimile of the Sun King from straw, hay, or cornstalks at Lughnasadh. Weave the strands of grain together to form a doll or bake a loaf of bread in the shape of a man. Build a ritual fire (outdoors if possible) and give thanks to the earth and the sun whose combined energies produced the grain. Then toss the grain-man into the fire to symbolize the death of the Sun King as his power wanes.
According to an old Lughnasadh tradition, people made holiday bread and put a dried bean into the batter. Whoever got the bean in his/her portion was granted a wish.
Like many Wiccan and Neo-Pagan holidays, Lughnasadh honors nature, so remember to give thanks for her gifts today. If possible, spend some time outdoors. Take a walk. Commune with the nature spirits. Feed birds and wildlife. Leave offerings of bread for the earth elementals.
Mabon occurs at the autumn equinox on approximately September 22, when the sun enters Libra. This coincides with the harvest season in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere and is therefore a time to express gratitude for the bounty in our lives. The season of fullness and activity has passed, and a period of rest and introspection is approaching. Because day and night are the same length today, this is also a time of balance.
Focus on the ebb and flow in your own life on this day. Seek balance between your inner and outer worlds, between yourself and others, between action and contemplation, work and relaxation. You may wish to offer thanks for all you've received during the past six months—physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, materially.
As you reflect upon your past and what you want for the future, weave a braid of natural material (hemp, linen cloth, straw, silk cord) to represent the things you plan to weave into your life. The three strands symbolize body, mind, and spirit. Concentrate on your wishes as you braid your magick cord. It represents a link between you and the Divine, a conduit through which assistance comes from the spiritual world. When you've finished, hang the braid someplace you'll see it often. Throughout the dark season ahead, work in harmony with Divine Will to achieve your wishes.
You may want to decorate your home with pinecones, nuts, autumn leaves, dried cornstalks, or dried flowers on Mabon. Some people build a ritual fire and burn these in it to honor the dying Sun King. This is also a good time to make wine from the season's harvest and share a holiday meal of fall vegetables with loved ones.
“Our lives and all life, like the seasons of the year, are constantly moving and changing. These are the tides that we observe, contemplate, and imitate in our rites. By doing so, we draw closer to the natural tides of all life, and are able to move forward in every way more easily and effectively.”
—Morwyn, Secrets of a Witch's Coven