I started celebrating the wheel of the year before I knew what it was.

I love holidays, celebrations in general, any excuse to get together and be merry. What's the point of life if not to enjoy it? Way back in 2008 I wrote on my closet door “Happy first day of Summer!” For a while, I had made it a point to mark the change of the season and I remember waking before sunrise with my friends, bike riding to the top of a hill to watch the sun come up on the first day of summer. An ode to the Sun on its longest day of the year. Unfortunately, the spot we chose was surrounded by trees and upon returning to my house I realized I had a perfect view of the sun coming over the horizon just outside my front door.

I celebrated the turning into summer, equinoxes marking spring and fall, and in winter sang joyously the whole season long. I celebrated these pivotal moments of the seasons for over a decade before learning about the Wheel of the Year.

So… What is the Wheel of the Year?

The Wheel of the Year Is a circle that has marked points of events that occur every year called Sabbats. These are seasonal celebrations, moments of great distinction as the Celtic and Germanic Pagans understood them years ago. Imagine it, if you will, as a Clock of Festivities. It may be a daylong celebration, a few days, or even a couple of weeks. This was before the time of clocks, during an age when people were in tune with the cyclical nature of life.

By now you may have noticed that I am a tad fanatical about the phases of the moon, and I do love to celebrate the continual death and rebirth I see in my life. The Wheel of the Year asks us to remember the larger picture, to notice where we are in the energy of life, and rejoice in the moment of each season.

Sabbats Summarized

Please note, the dates below are for the northern hemisphere.

Samhain – Halloween (October 31)

Samhain, (pronounced SAO-WIN) AKA Halloween, is popularized by the ritual of trick or treating, dressing in costume to disguise ourselves from the spirits of the night during this spooky time of year. Traditionally, this was seen as the new year, marked by the end of the Harvest, and is thought of as a time when there is a thinning of the veil between the realms. This is seen in our images of ghosts and skeletons rising from their graves, representing spirits or souls reaching into the world of the living - or living as we understand it ;)

Remember to finish your celebration on Hallowmas, November 1st, known as Day of the Dead or All Saints Day, by showing gratitude for our ancestors, saints, and spirits who have come before us and who continue to guide us on our journey.

Yule - Winter Solstice (December 20-22)

The marking of the solstice is done in Winter as Yule and the Summer as Litha (see below). This is the darkest day of the year, a day where the Oak King, in the great war of the Oak (summer) and Holly (winter) Kings, gains advantage and reigns until the summer Solstice. Yule is celebrated in much of the way Christmas has been portrayed throughout the years. Singing carols, decorating pine trees, giving gifts (as winter is a very hard time of year to survive), and of course, burning the Yule log. Check out my Rocking Around the Yule Log playlist on Youtube & Spotify!

Imbolc – Groundhog’s Day (February 2)

After Darkness there must come light, and the time to celebrate the coming signs of life is on Imbolc. There is feasting, as with every great gathering tradition, but you may recognize it as spring cleaning. The beauty of this holiday lies in its gentle nature of purification. Tidying the home, removing the energetic weight of winter, and going out to fresh streams and wells of water. If you see signs of Groundhog Day or Candlemas, pause in a moment of gratitude for the light that Imbolc brings your way.

Ostara – Vernal Equinox (March 20 – 22)

Spring! Most people are familiar with this joyous moment, as they embrace the warmth of the sun and begin spending more time outdoors. Not everyone knows that this holiday is named after the Goddess Ēostre, instead being more familiar with the eggs and bunny holiday of Easter. There are many beautiful stories of the Goddess Ostara, all of them representing her as a maiden bringing forth energy of new opportunities and life. The decoration of eggs is a tradition that represents the fertility of this time of year.

Beltane – May Day (May 1)

Light your bonfire because this holiday is HOT! Beltaine is the most sexual 'spoke' on the Wheel of the Year; after the symbolic fertility of spring comes a focus on sensual pleasure and reproduction, after all, there's only one way to create life. To celebrate the natural eroticism and abundance in life, a traditional custom was matchmaking! Couples would Handfast, or marry, and spend a year together before deciding to stay committed to each other or to move on to better mates. Potential lovers took long walks among flowers, families feasted and leaped over the fires. Historically, two bonfires would be lit and the herd guided between them to cleanse them and bring a prosperous season. A fun tradition that isn’t seen often anymore is the May Pole dance and decoration.

By now, you may have noticed a theme of duality. At this transition into longer days and warmer weather, we see the same thinning of the veil that Samhain is infamous for. Only this time, it is between the realm of nature spirits (and yes, I’m including faeries here too), asking us to make way for lighter and brighter energy.

Litha – Summer Solstice (June 20 – 22)

On the longest day of the year, we celebrate Summer, when the sun reigns supreme and the championing Oak King takes over the sky for the next 6 months. Around the world, this day is celebrated and many cultures have their own traditions - in India, for example, many people perform 108 sun salutations, in Nordic countries they may have performed rituals to ward off evil spirits. Either way, this Midsummer (yes just like Shakespeare’s) festival is often accompanied by bonfires and games. Not much different from the secular party that Fairbanks holds in honor of the midnight Sun.

To make this celebration your own, you can consider what the Sun means to you, how it is represented in your life. For many it is a symbol of masculinity or fatherhood (perhaps why Father’s day is so close to the solstice), you may decide to see the ways you see patriarchal guidance in your life and how you honor this energy.

Lughnasadh or Lammas – Harvest Celebration (August 1)

Also known as “loaf-mass” day, this is a festival of bread. This is the first harvest, one of grain and also the halfway mark between the solstice and equinox. If you do nothing else on this day - make bread and bless it. Recognize and honor Lugh, the Gaelic God of light and craftsmanship. This mark on the wheel of the year may be the most work and smallest party as there is much work to do between harvesting and rotating crops and preparing and storing food.

If you would like more of a way to celebrate Lughnasadh outside of bread, you may choose to perform a ritual of gratitude, or maybe write a poem about a skill you have and appreciate. And remember, there are many out there tirelessly working, so give thanks to others for what they are doing, and if you are able offer a helping hand. Lest we forget, we live in community.

Mabon – Autumnal Equinox (September 20 – 22)

Happy fall! While some may be mourning over the end of summer, others are celebrating the harvest of the crops, and most everyone is in preparation for the winter’s rest. Or - maybe they would be if society were in alignment with the seasons and not under the chains of the seasonless work week, but I digress.

The leaves are changing and we see the metaphorical twin of Ostara shining, Mabon the Welsh God and child of the Earth Mother. Once again we are in a liminal space, a place of balance and equalizing. Unlike the invigorating energy of spring, here we are invited inwards to celebrate the second harvest. It is a time of giving thanks, of apples, ciders, and wine. Although many have started to associate them with Thanksgiving, this is the real holiday of the Cornucopia *aka horn of plenty*. Celebrate this time by organizing a feast with friends, sharing the fruits of your labors, and preparing for the cold winter to come.

If you follow Samhain as a mark of the New Year you will find Mabon is the last, but not least, of the Sabbats on the Wheel of the Year. Then again, there really is no end as the wheel continues to turn…

Why should you care?

Well, technically there is no should or should not, but why not? Living within the cycles of life helps us to stay connected to our natural way, to the world around us, and the energy it brings with it. The systematic Gregorian calendar, and even clocks, keep us plugged into the unrealistic idea of a perfect schedule. Our nature is to be in tune with the flow of life, its ebb and flow, phases of light and darkness. Following the Wheel of the Year is not meant to be a rigid structure, but a reminder of how and what we are celebrating! Just as we can tune our awareness of the energy of the moon, so too with the seasons we make adjustments in our life thanks to the gentle reminders that come every year.

And so the wheel turns, and turns, and turns.

Blessings

From the Divine, in darkness, and in light, in balance, death, and rebirth, may your spirit be renewed and filled. May you welcome the energy of each season in the ongoing cycle of life and rejoice in all the blessings as well as lessons that you receive.

In love, kindness, and unity, blessed be.

PS - in case you were wondering though I like to joke that I'm a witch, I'm more properly a Druid! Learn about Druidy here.