The Wheel of the Year is best known in modern Witchcraft as representing the cycle of the seasons throughout one calendar year. This symbolic wheel is divided into eight parts, with each spoke of the wheel representing a particular season. Although Witches consider the Wheel of the Year to be a Celtic/European symbol, it actually appeared in Greek references as early as 600 b.c. Once again we see the threads of Craft history shooting back into the realms of the ancient civilizations in the Mediterranean world.61
There is equal debate on the origin of the word “sabbat.”62 Most feel it was birthed in the Witch Trial era, then coined by Margaret Murray (1862–1963), an anthropologist who tried desperately to put the pieces of the historical Witchcraft puzzle together.63 Although Margaret’s work was received well by the public and the scholars of her time, it has since been torn to shreds; however, we cannot dispute the basic kernel of Margaret’s theory: (1) Pagan earth- and fertility-centered celebrations did exist for thousands of years; (2) magickal practices in the populace weren’t something new, these applications had been around for thousands of years; and (3) Pagans had religion—ergo our ancestor’s celebrations were magickal as well as religious and cultural, with dividing lines between the three intensely blurred, which leaves us to the question . . .
The Wheel of the Year.
Where Do Witches Come From?
How much was magick, how much was religion, and how much was cultural in the above- mentioned celebrations is still up for debate. Scholars and Witches alike will continue to theorize, argue, and research this issue until the end of time. When ancient and medieval history is involved there is never a definitive answer. Did Witches exist before Gerald Gardner? Of course they did—the Basque Witches are one example, and there are hundreds more in our history from all over the world. Just look at some of the archeological tribal studies still conducted today in remote areas that shed light on what type of magick and ritual people employed thousands of years ago. Did the Witches of old practice like we do in the modern Craft? No. Were they organized? Possibly in some areas, but more than likely not in the way they are today, unless we take into account tribal functions and then once again we are back to what is religion, what is magick, and what is tradition. Certainly, a great deal of what we call the Craft as it stands now can be attributed to Gardner’s organization of a revitalized idea in the twentieth century. There are even major differences in the way the Craft was practiced thirty years ago as opposed to what is done today.
The Craft changes and grows to meet the needs of its people. The twentieth century provided us with several gifted individuals who helped to solidify the various aspects of religion, magick, and culture into modern Witchcraft. Doreen Valiente gave us our history and our poetry. Raymond Buckland carried the Craft to the New World. Sybil Leek established covens on the eastern seaboard of America. StarHawk and Laurie Cabot brought us psychology and led us into the political arena (and they continue to do so) insofar as making definitive statements that we are here, we exist, and we want to be treated fairly, and that we can be helpful to society. The Farrars opened up the Wiccan rituals to thousands of people. Z. Budapest gave us the belief that we could have personal power and succeed. Scott Cunningham made the Craft incredibly simple for us to understand and practice, giving us small bites of easily digested theory and folklore, all the while improving our lives without undue headache. There are literally hundreds of others, some whose participation glimmered only throughout their lifetimes and whose works faded into history, especially where there was no one to record their positive “nameless deeds,” and others who continue to work in an effort to educate Wiccan practitioners and the general public alike. I could go on listing these strong individuals, but you get the idea.
Modern Witchcraft, like all the other religions on the planet, is a blended one—meaning it combines ancient history, cultural practices, and social models of the past and present. Unlike other religions, it carries little dogma, though as the religion ages this may change (I hope not—it’s the dogma that always gets you into trouble). It is difficult to say when any religion began, and it is equally tough to determine which practice belongs to what religion. Which brings us back to our discussion on the Wheel of the Year. As an example, the eight High Holy Days of the modern Craft religion are rooted in the practices of ancient civilizations that were carried by the people through medieval times and into the present, especially in the European segment of the population, and the Norse/Germanic influence on the eight sabbats cannot be denied. Unique to the Craft is that although many sects choose various pantheons, most stick with the European High Holy Days for their major sabbats (though there are groups that also celebrate specific holidays that match a particular pantheon in addition to what we now label as “generic” Wiccan holidays). We need to note, however, that although the timing may be much the same, there is more than one name attributed to each sabbat, depending upon the Craft group that you belong to and the history from which they draw their legends and lore. For example, where some may use generic names (such as Winter Solstice), others will say Yule.