The Wheel of the Year has eight divisions that are central to Wicca, splitting the year approximately into six-week periods.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EIGHTFOLD YEAR
Some witches in the southern hemisphere move everything around six month—for example, celebrating the Mid-Summer Solstice on or around December 21.
THE STRUCTURE OF THE WHEEL
The four Solar festivals, the Quarter Days, the Lesser Sabbats, the Equinoxes, and the Solstices that fall midpoint through the four seasons vary date-wise each year by a day or two because of the tilt of the earth.
Magickally, they are celebrated like the other four points on the Wheel—from sunset the evening before, the beginning of the Celtic day, until sunset on the day, after the festival day, giving a forty-eight-hour period for each.
The Cross-Quarter Days, which fall midway between each of these Solar festivals, are four Fire festivals that form major rites in the Wiccan calendar. Create your own ritual celebrations, whether alone, in a coven, or with family and friends.
The four Greater Sabbats are sometimes calculated as the day upon which the sun enters fifteen degrees of Scorpio for Samhain (end of October or the beginning of November), fifteen degrees of Aquarius for Oimelc (end of January or the beginning of February), fifteen degrees of Taurus for Beltane (end of April or the beginning of May), and fifteen degrees of Leo for Lughnasadh (end of July or the beginning of August).
For every festival, in your Book of Shadows write the ongoing story of your personal Wheel and your plans when the Wheel reaches this point again in twelve months’ time.
THE FESTIVALS
Weave your own celebrations small or large, alone or with others, using the appropriate candle colors. With a large group, have a big central offerings bowl or cauldron.
Imbolc (Imbolg) or Oimelc
Dates: January 31–February 2
Focus: New ideas, planning the future, new love and trust, the first steps to launch new projects, melting conflicts, newborn infants, babies, and young animals
Direction: Northeast
Place on the Wheel: Oimelc is named after the first ewe’s milk available after winter. Imbolc means fire in the belly and is the awakening of passion in the Maiden Goddess.
Alban Eiler, Ostara, or the Spring Equinox
Dates: March 20–March 22
Type of Day: Quarter
Focus: Fertility and positive life changes, new beginnings and opportunities, flowering love, ventures, travel, moving, clearing what is no longer needed in your life, conception, pregnancy, children, and young people
Direction: East
Place on the Wheel: Alban Eiler means in Gaelic “the Light of the Earth that returns after the winter from the Otherworld.” Ostara is the Norse goddess of spring.
Beltane or Beltaine
Dates: April 30–May 2
Type of Day: Cross-Quarter; the secondmost important of the year and the beginning of Celtic summer
Focus: For people in their twenties and thirties, fertility, increasing commitment in love, consummation of love, creativity, improving health, and abundance
Direction: Southeast
Place on the Wheel: Named after the Gallic fire and sun god Bel, Belenus, Belinus, or Belenos, or the earlier Gallic solar and fire goddess Belissima.
Alban Heruin, Litha, Mid-Summer or Summer Solstice
Dates: June 20–22
Type of Day: Major Quarter
Focus: Power, joy and courage, male potency, success, marriage, people approaching middle age, happiness, wealth, and career opportunities
Direction: South
Place on the Wheel: Litha means light, and Alban Heruin is the light of the shore as the sun floods over the land, ripening the crops (the longest day of the year). The first light on Solstice morn acts as a shaft of gold across standing stones and stone circles, linking the dimensions.
Lughnasadh/Lammas
Dates: July 31–August 2
Type of Day: Cross-Quarter
Focus: People in their forties and fifties, justice, human rights, partnerships, personal and business relationships, contracts or property matters, willing to sacrifice for the greater good
Place on the Wheel: Named after the Irish sun god Lugh, he renews the Sacred Marriage with Eriu/Nass, the Irish Earth Goddess, transferring his remaining light to her for the continuing growth of the crops.
Alban Elued, Mabon, Autumn Equinox
Dates: September 21–23
Type of Day: Quarter
Focus: The completion of tasks, fruition of long-term goals, mending quarrels, receiving money owed, financial and material security, all matters concerning retirement and older people, and chronic health problems
Direction: West
Place on the Wheel: In Gaelic, Alban Elued means light on the water. The sun is moving away over the water to shine on the Isles of the Blest. In traditional celebrations, a priestess distributes wheat, fruit, and vegetables.
Samhain
Dates: October 31–November 2
Type of Day: Major Cross-Quarter; most important of the year and the beginning of the Celtic winter and New Year
Focus: For people in their seventies and eighties, family ancestors, looking into the past and the future, protection, psychic and physical, overcoming fears of aging and mortality, and for retired people
Direction: Northwest
Place on the Wheel: Another fire festival, Samhain means summer’s end, the time when the herds were brought down from the hills and family members including the ancestors returned to the homestead for the winter.
Alban Arthuran, Yule, or Mid-Winter Solstice
Dates: December 20–February 22
Type of Day: Major Quarter
Focus: The rebirth of light and hope, domestic happiness and security, family togetherness, home and property, accepting what cannot be changed, for very old people, carers, and welcoming home the absent
Direction: North
Place on the Wheel: Alban Arthuran means in Gaelic the light of Arthur and refers to the rebirth of Arthur, the Sun King in myth, as the Divine Child. At this time, people held feasts as a magickal gesture to attract abundance.
In the next chapter I will describe how best to work as a solitary practitioner, set up a coven, or join an existing coven.