The ever-changing tapestry of nature in all its sublime beauty is something that stirs us all. Since the first ceremonies to honour the hunt, we have marked nature’s turning wheel with magic and ritual in our spiritual as well as our physical lives, drawing wisdom and power from the patterns of the seasons. In the Celtic lands of Britain and Ireland festivals have for millennia marked the migration of animals, the growth and decay of wild foods and crops, as well as the movements of the sun and moon. From the Neolithic era the solar cycles of the Summer and Winter Solstices and the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes were honoured as agricultural and spiritual markers, and evidence suggests they also celebrated the cross-quarter days positioned in between these solar events. To the later Celts, these cross-quarter fire festivals – Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh and Samhain – were of greater importance, and were often celebrated in conjunction with the new or full moon and great public bonfires. As well as reminders to reap and sow, these were times of spirit migrations, when the veils shifted between the worlds of life and death, between the mortal realm and that of the spirits, faeries and gods. To our ancestors, the divine was manifest in nature and all the earth was sacred, something many of us now seek to remember and draw upon once again for spiritual nourishment and support.
The turning of nature through the deep rest and renewal of winter, the bursting forth of green shoots in spring, the fiery exuberance of summer and the wholesome harvest of autumn (fall) is an endless cycle of growth and completion that can be mirrored in our own lives – spiritually, psychologically and practically. Every one of the eight special seasonal festivals (see right and pages 4–5) has a history of observance going back to the very earliest times, marked by solar alignments in Neolithic burial mounds and stone circles throughout the British Isles, invoked in myths and folklore and recorded in histories and the ancient Celtic calendar, and these traditions have survived until the modern era in various forms across the 'Celtic fringe'. In the last few decades these ancient celebrations have seen a passionate revival, as many people feel the call to relate spiritually to their environment once again and seek to rediscover their heritage. Woven together in the modern era, these festivals make a consistent whole: the Wheel of the Year. This cycle of conscious celebration helps us, year on year, to align with nature’s rhythms with feelings of wonder and insight, walking in the footsteps of our ancestors as well as creating new ways to mark the seasons for generations to come.
Iron Age Celtic culture spanned much of northern Europe and the Atlantic coast, and was highly sophisticated for its time. Long-distance trade routes facilitated the exchange of ideas, helped by a common language and shared values and spiritual outlook. The Celts’ relationship with nature and their environment was all encompassing; they understood that their very lives were dependent upon nature, its seasons and its patterns. The heavens above, their agricultural life below, and the wilderness that surrounded them were all infused with spiritual significance. In the Celtic worldview, the gods were immanent in nature; they were present in tree and rock, wind and rain, river and soil, sun and moon, together with a whole host of spirits and the ever-guiding ancestors.
Celtic culture waned in the centuries following the expansion of the Roman Empire, but lingered on in what is commonly called the ‘Celtic fringe’ – notably Brittany, Cornwall, Wales, Scotland, the Isle of Man and Ireland. When Christianity came, many Celtic gods were forgotten or turned into saints or faery figures remembered only in folklore, yet traditions that celebrated the turn of the seasons with ceremony and magic have spanned the millennia.
Eight seasonal festivals honour and celebrate nature's yearly cycle:
1–2 February (northern hemisphere)
1–2 August (southern hemisphere)
A time of birthing, of the year’s first green shoots, of the lambs in the pasture and of our own hopes and plans.
20–23 March (northern hemisphere)
20–23 September (southern hemisphere)
A time when life springs forth with the turn of the season, bringing joy and exuberance with the blossoms on the bough.
1 May (northern hemisphere)
31 October (southern hemisphere)
A time of lovers, the fertile season, when Jack-in-the-green meets his mate, and all life is seeded through the marriage of opposites and their magical embrace.
20–23 June (northern hemisphere)
20–23 December (southern hemisphere)
A time of power when the sun is at its height and all life swells as plans come to fruition.
1 August (northern hemisphere)
1–2 February (southern hemisphere)
A time to feel pride in our accomplishments and abundance as life’s harvest comes into fullness.
20–23 September (northern hemisphere)
20–23 March (southern hemisphere)
The harvest is gathered in, and it is time to prepare for the darkness ahead and find gratitude in our hearts.
31 October (northern hemisphere)
1 May (southern hemisphere)
The spirit night is a time to face death and the darkness within, as the wheel turns to winter and the ancestors and the spirits are abroad.
20–23 December (northern hemisphere)
20–23 June (southern hemisphere)
A time of deep rest and renewal, while nature dreams within the womb of the earth and the sun is reborn, giving us more hours of light each day.
The Druids, the Celt’s religious caste, were fabled for their extensive knowledge of nature, philosophy and the sciences, which included detailed starlore. This mastery allowed them to mark the passage of time and seasonal shifts with a startling accuracy that was beyond even the astronomical capabilities of the Roman Empire at the time. The wonderful Celtic calendar, dating from the second century CE, found in Coligny, France, in 1897, demonstrates the Druids’ significant mathematical and astronomical knowledge. Based on the moon’s 19-year cycle, it is an accurate lunisolar calendar that unites the solar year with the lunar months – an astounding feat for the time. Each of the months recorded in the Coligny calendar runs from full moon to full moon, charting the fall and rise and fall again of the lunar rhythm.
Each month was given a dark half and a light half, with the word atenoux, meaning ‘renewal’, inscribed in the middle of the month, suggesting that the month darkened as the moon waned and was renewed at the new moon, after which the month lightened night after night until the moon became full once more at the beginning of the next month. The year was also divided into a dark half and a light half following the same pattern, the dark from Samhain to Beltane and the light from Beltane back to Samhain.
There is much argument about the Coligny calendar and which part of the year it started but the names of the months give us reliable clues that the year began with Samhain, or Samonios, meaning ‘summer’s end’ or ‘seed fall’, and progressed through the winter to the following spring, summer and autumn. This method of tracking time placed importance upon the inner life, on the emotional and the spiritual, as well as on the ebb and flow of the tides – both of the sea and of women’s fertility – balancing the solar pattern of the seasons to create a rich and deeply soulful way for the Celts to relate to the world and to themselves. It’s clear the stars and seasons were observed not only for practical reasons, but also for their spiritual lessons: a pattern of increase then decay, followed by rebirth and renewal.
The Coligny months are as follows, beginning on the full moon of each month:
Coligny month |
Meaning |
Modern month |
1Samonios |
‘Summer’s end’ or ‘seed fall’ |
October/November |
2Dumannios |
‘Darkest depths’ or ‘month of sacred or sacrificial smoke’ |
November/December |
3Riuros |
‘Cold time’ or ‘month for fattening’ |
December/January |
4Anagantios |
‘Stay at home month’ |
January/February |
5Ogronios |
‘Time of ice’ or ‘time of cold’ |
February/March |
6Cutios |
‘Month of winds’ |
March/April |
7Giamonios |
‘Winter’s end’ |
April/May |
8Samivisionos |
‘Time of brightness’ or ‘time of the sun’ |
May/June |
9Equos |
‘Horse time’ |
June/July |
10Elembiuos |
‘Claim time’ or ‘month of the deer hunt’ |
July/August |
11Edrinos |
‘Arbitration time’ |
August/September |
12Cantlos |
‘Song time’ |
September/October |
Each of the names of the months was based upon agricultural and cultural events as much as on spiritual devotions or natural occurrences. This gives us additional insight into the Magical Year as it spirals from one season to the next, which we can apply to our own understanding of the seasons and our seasonal celebrations today. By using our experience of nature as a mirror for our own patterns of increase and restoration we can adapt our celebrations to reflect our own lives and make them relevant to our own needs today as much honouring nature itself and the traditions of the past.
The Wheel of the Year can be understood as a continuous cycle of celebration and magic that relates to the four directions and also to the patterns of growth and decrease in our life cycles as well as in the earth’s seasons. Colours, herbs, crystals and other natural objects can also be associated with appropriate positions of this wheel. In this way a web of correspondences can be drawn upon to add extra insights, power symbolism and magic to our celebrations, to help us maximize their effects. These are some of the associations of the Wheel of the Year, but each person will have their own ideas and each landscape its objects and natural resources that can be added to this list. Feel free to add your own associations over time.
Direction |
Festival |
Key associations |
North |
Winter Solstice |
Night; earth, winter, age, crossing over into spirit; onyx, jet, granite; holly, all evergreens – cedar, pine; death as gateway to renewal; peace, knowledge; the Cailleach |
Northeast |
Imbolc |
Pre-dawn; first stirrings of new life, emergence, birth; rutilated quartz; snowdrops, pine birch, anemones; white gold and green; candlelight; purity; Brighid |
East |
Spring Equinox |
Dawn; air; new life, childhood; birch, blackthorn, daffodils, primroses; birdsong; yellow, green; exuberance, inspiration, ideas; Eostre |
Southeast |
Beltane |
Morning; youth, sexual emergence, discovery; faeries; bluebells, wild roses, hawthorn; green, red, white; rose quartz; the May queen |
South |
Summer solstice |
Midday; fire; adulthood, power, pride, passion ; roses, honeysuckle, oak; amber, pyrite, gold; red, orange; action; Áine and Gréine |
Southwest |
Lughnasadh |
Afternoon; parenthood; harvest, skill, wholeness, pride, sacrifice; corn, barley; poppies, cornflowers; red, orange, brown; Lugh and Tailtiu |
West |
Autumn Equinox |
Evening; water; maturity, age, the moon, dreams, vision, intuition, emotions, the unconscious; silver, amethyst, aquamarine; brown, gold or water colours, blues and purples; elder, rosehips, blackberries; Avalloc |
Northwest |
Samhain |
Sunset; death, descent, dissolution, spirit, infinity; the blood of our ancestors; honouring spirit and chthonic forces; black, silver, purple; blackthorn, elder, poplar, aspen; Gwyn ap Nudd |
Modern life can draw us away from the earth and the changing seasons: we can be overtaken by technology and an endless drive to consume rather than create. Our homes are centrally heated and electrically lit, and we focus our gaze on TV or computer screens where once we sat entranced by flickering fires and the company of our loved ones. Yet the wild world, and a more organic, simpler life is never far away, and we can open our hearts to the beauty of nature once more. Marking all eight of the ancient Celtic festivals then becomes a continuous cycle of spiritual growth and celebration that deepens our connection to the earth, and makes our lives soulful and seasonally rich once again.
Much is said of becoming ‘present’ to the wonder of the ‘now’, and there is no more effective way to do this than stepping outside and touching the earth, letting your body and soul realign with nature’s pulse, and finding spirit at last in the sensuality of the wild. Deep snow, spring rain, fallen leaves or the wind in the barley fields – I have always found spirit, divinity, in the wonder of nature. The wild places, the forest, the hedgerow or the green spaces in the city are as full of holiness to me as any temple. Lying back in the meadows of my childhood, I knew that, for me, God was the wind in the trees, the gentle voice of the river.
Growing into adulthood, this sense of the natural cycle stayed with me. Even when I lived in the city, I could watch the rowan trees along the road change from green to gold, observe the stillness of their bare branches in winter, and how they became green and resplendent in the new spring. I have walked the spiritual path of the wisewoman, practising the ways of my Celtic ancestors for nearly 30 years, and the cycle of the seasons remains as fresh and as full of wonder to me now as it ever did.
Celebrating these seasonal festivals is a way to make our relationship with the earth and the world around us conscious and sacred once again. Here is an opportunity to reclaim our natural selves, and rediscover the greater whole of which we have always been a part. This book will guide you through the rich traditions of the Magical Year, with information and practices that can help you realign with nature’s rhythms.
• Discover the old Celtic gods and goddesses, the spirits of nature, and learn how to call them into your own life.
• Weave magic and reclaim your power with seasonal spells, charms and blessings.
• Explore the changing heavens with Celtic starlore.
• Make gifts and decorate your home with beautiful seasonal crafts.
• Discover herbal remedies and kitchen witchery to create traditional cures and nourishing recipes to share with friends and family.
• Deepen your experience of the Magical Year with guided visualizations and meditations.
• And lastly, create seasonal celebrations and ceremonies that are both spiritually rich and joyful, and meet your needs whether you celebrate alone or with a wider community.
In the pages that follow there are many ways to connect to the seasons and celebrate nature’s ever-turning wheel. Drawing on traditional lore for insight, any of the activities can be practised using what you have to hand or with ingredients and materials easily bought or found in nature, at a time to suit you. In the past many of these festivals were celebrated over a week or so, and focused on different specific dates from community to community, or changed over the centuries, so weave these celebrations into your life in a way that works for you, including your friends and family or seeing them as an opportunity for solitude and self-nourishment. Be creative and confident, allowing yourself to customize what you do so that it is meaningful to your own life and the landscape in which you live.
Cooking and crafting can be great fun, and provide a chance to really involve yourself in the seasons in a practical, physical way. Use whatever materials come to hand for crafts, and adapt recipes to suit your tastes and your local produce. Invite friends and other members of your community to cook together as part of your celebration and gather to make decorations for your homes and your shared spaces. These simple forms of practical magic help us grow and bond as community, family and tribe, and create offerings of goodwill and care as well as gifts of art and food to share with each other and to give to the spirits of our land, honouring the old ways in a new era.
Remember, if gathering moss and greenery from the wild, make sure you only take what you need and give thanks to the plant for its gifts.
You may choose to do the guided shamanic journeys/visualizations in this book either in your sacred space (see page 14), or out in nature, accompanied by drumming or a drumming CD if you wish, or in silence. It important to allow at least 20 minutes for each one and ensure that you won’t be disturbed in that time. You may like to record or memorize the journey path before hand, or just remember the key details, as you choose. Start each one of the journeys the same way. Begin by making yourself comfortable, preferably sitting upright with your feet on the ground, as the old Celtic seers used to do. Next, take a few deep breaths, gentle and easy, breathing deep into your belly, and close your eyes. Let the vision unfold before you, first as if you are watching a film, and then, as you go on, engaging with it more and more. There is no need to analyse, and there is no right or wrong way to do it. You may find your journey unfolds differently from the way it is described in the book. Just remember to always return the way you came, visualizing the path in reverse as you return to your body and ordinary consciousness.
For the starlore meditations you may choose to search out the relevant constellation in the night sky if you live in the northern hemisphere, but it isn’t essential, as it is possible to tune into these stellar energies wherever you are in the world.
Seasonal festivals are a wonderful time to get together with friends, family and community. Group celebrations infuse spiritual meaning into social events and serve to bind us together and deepen our relationships by giving us common purposes and insights. We can use all sorts of elements to create our own meaningful ceremonies, depending on who is attending, what we have to hand and how we feel, and this book will provide you with all the knowledge and inspiration you need together with simple templates to create your own holistic rituals and seasonal celebrations. They don't have to be perfect – they need to be fun and loving, events to draw people together.
Celebrating alone is also a wonderful and powerful thing, often allowing us to go deeper into our spiritual selves to foster a connection with our own soul. After your spiritual work is done, be sure to ground yourself by eating and drinking.
However you decide to celebrate, start by choosing a special site. This could be a place in your home or garden, a local community hall or out in nature. If celebrating out in nature, remember that the old gods and faeries remain even in cities, so choose a place of special beauty and atmosphere, as a clue to their presence. You may also want to prepare your space by using the sacred-space ritual and calling in the four directions (see page 14) and decorating it with seasonal crafts and perhaps an altar.
If you are planning a group or community celebration then you may want to get together in the days leading up to the festival to prepare a feast of festive treats to share. You might also like to have a purifying lustral bath (see page 36) and spend some time in contemplation or meditation considering the meaning of the season in your own life.
The eight festivals of the Wheel of the Year can be celebrated in so many ways, so feel free to mark them in a manner that feels true to you. Allow yourself to be inspired by nature and discover your own methods of honouring each one. Initiate your own traditions as well as remembering the old ways, open the windows, step outside and take a little time to feel the fresh air on your face … the wheel has turned.
Blessed be!
Before working on any of the ideas in this book, you may find it helpful to mark the beginning of your celebrations by creating a sacred space in which to work, and also by renewing your connection with nature. Simple practices that acknowledge the sacred in your life and your surroundings can be very powerful.
You can create sacred space anywhere and in any way you choose. You may wish simply to ensure that wherever you are working is clean, tidy and decorated. You may like to light incense or an oil burner to delight your senses, and play some music in the background to create some atmosphere. You may also want to make a seasonal altar as a focus for your activities, or ‘cast a circle’ by calling in the four directions and their corresponding elements.
To help you feel a connection to the landscape around you, take time to look to the horizon at each of the four cardinal points: north, east, south and west. What can you see? (If you are indoors – what lies beyond the walls outside?) In spiritual traditions around the world, the four directions are associated with the four elements:
• North – Earth
• East – Air
• South – Fire
• West – Water
Taken as a whole, along with the fifth unseen element of spirit, we have all the ingredients of creation, held in balance and harmony.
Cast a circle by facing each of the four directions in turn, holding in your mind and heart the landscape that stretches before you, and ask that the blessings of each element and direction be with you and all present. You may want to use these words or your own. Whatever feels heartfelt and simple is best.
‘I ask for the blessings of the north, of earth and stone!
I ask for the blessings of the east and the air, the blessings of the sky and the winds!
I ask for the blessings of the south and the fire, of the hearth, and of the light of the sun!
I ask for the blessings of the west, of the waters, of sea and rain!’
When you have finished your work, remember to give thanks and bid farewell to each direction in turn, and to any other energies, spirits or gods you have called upon, to close down your sacred circle until next time.
You are invited now to dance in the ever-turning wheel of the seasons, discovering the magic of the eight festivals of the Wheel of the Year for yourself in the pages that follow.
Blessed be!