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THE WHEEL OF THE YEAR

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Samhain celebrates the final harvest. This is a time to assess the harvest in our lives.  To inventory the blessings of the preceding year, and to take stock of the abundance in our lives, trusting that these blessings will sustain us through difficult or less fruitful times.

With the end of the harvest, the last yields of Summer give way to the coming Winter.  Samhain reminds us that  all things pass away in time.  Just as the leaves fade and fall from the trees, so we must allow for loss and passages in our lives.   This is a time to celebrate all the aspects of our lives that are dropping away from us ... the relationships, the situations, the pain, the emotions, the old identities that once served us, are now passing away to make room for new growth.  Samhain is an ideal time for releasing old conditions in our lives that are constricting our growth and progress. Honor the lessons and experiences these situations have brought you, and then bid them farewell.

In Old Europe, Samhain was the celebration of the end of the Old Year and the start of the New.  More accurately, it is the space between the years -- the old year is dead and the new year has not yet begun.   It is a time out of time ... a space outside of the natural order.  As such, it is a time when the division between dimensions or levels of reality are thinnest. This division is referred to as “the Veil between the Worlds”.  Therefore, Samhain is an excellent time for divination (reading tarot cards, scrying, etc).   

Samhain is also known as the Feast of the Dead.  At this time, ancestors and departed friends are honored. Memories and stories are shared, and it is customary to set out extra places at supper for departed loved ones.  Since the Veil between the Worlds are thinnest on this night, it is believed that it the best time for dead souls to make contact with the living. People sometimes use this time to make contact with those on the other side.  This should be done in a spirit of invitation or opening the channels for any voluntary communication the dead may wish to send with the intent deepening understanding or closeness with departed loved ones, never to control or command.

Yule marks the longest night of the year -- the triumph of the dark half of the year.  Night and darkness have reached their apex and the Wheel turns to restore balance.  The dawn heralds the return of the sun, bringer of light, warmth, and growth.  In the days following Yule, the sun’s power grows steadily, encroaching upon the night, pushing back the darkness.

The darkness of this longest night holds many lessons.  One of the most powerful is the awareness that hope and light spring forth from deepest darkness. Here, indeed, is the message “that the darkest hour comes just before the dawn”.  As we wait quietly in the darkness, we honor the stillness and the mystery of the night, and light the Yule log to summon the sun’s return.  In the summoning of the sun, we work in partnership with Nature to preserve balance.  Similarly, when faced with difficult challenges in our lives, we are partners with the Universe in manifesting hope out of despair.

The Yule tree (recognized in modern times as the “Christmas tree”) is an ancient symbol of life, fertility and vitality.  Even in the dead of Winter, the Yule tree is evergreen ... a reminder of the lifeforce of Nature.  Trees are brought into the house and decked with lights to celebrate Life and the returning of light after the darkest night.

Yule is also a celebration of dawning potentiality.  As darkness gives way to light, the Earth lies sleeping.   To us, the Earth appears dead, dormant, but deep within Her soil lies the slumbering seed awaiting the power of the new born sun to activate its growth.  At Yule, we look within ourselves for the sleeping seeds, and identify the situations, blessings, activities we would like to germinate and grow in the coming year.  We honor the need for the regenerative stillness, the rest before the energetic growth of springtime.  Yule is a time of transformation and rebirth.  Rituals and personal healing work centered around rebirthing are customary at this time. 

Imbolc celebrates the earliest signs of Spring ... the blossoming of the earliest flowers (in some climates snowdrops and crocus appear around this time), the first signs of thawing.  At this time the sap begins to rise in the trees.  The seeds which slumbered at Yule begin to germinate.  It is the “quickening” of the Year.

Imbolc is a time of purification.  A time to clear away any last dregs which may still be holding us back as we move toward the growth and brightness of Spring.  This holiday is a traditional time for initiations and dedications of oneself to new levels of spiritual exploration & commitment.  Through the preparation for and process of initiation, one is purified and focused for the tasks and growth ahead.  This is an ideal time to do a thorough Cleansing & Blessing for your home. 

Imbolc is a sacred feast of the great Celtic Goddess Brighid.  In honor of the growing light (and in honor of the Brighid’s perpetual flame) it is traditional to burn candles to celebrate this feast, particularly silver and white candles.  It is customary to make and/ or bless candles to be used for the coming year.  On this night, people ask the  for Divine favors, blessings and insight for the coming year.  The insight received may shape the challenges and blessings of the year. 

Ostara  (Spring Equinox)
approximately March 21st
Theme:  First day of Spring; Fertility; Equilibrium & Balance
Type:    Solar Holiday; balance of night & day

Ostara marks the first day of Spring.  It is a celebration of the awakening of the Earth.  All around us, the Earth reveals Her vitality ... in the soft haze of first greening, in the swelling of buds, in the song of the robin.  The seeds within the soil have sprouted and are pushing out into the sunlight.  Likewise, within us it is time for the seeds we have nurtured since Yule to come into the light and begin to flourish.    It is a time of new beginnings, the freshness of dawn.  The Earth is young again and so are we.  In the Greek myth, Persephone returns from the Underworld to be welcomed in joy by Her mother Demeter, who decks the world in Springtime as a celebration.  Now is an ideal time for planting,  or for decking your home or altar with flowers.  Many people bless the seeds for their gardens on this day.

Ostara is a fertility feast, both summoning and celebrating fertility.   It is traditional to dye or paint eggs on this day.  The egg is an ancient symbol of fertility and possibility.  Eggs are often painted with symbols, images or colors to magickally evoke qualities or events which we desire in our lives.  This, of course, has become a custom associated with Easter, but it’s origins reach far back into the indigenous traditions of Europe.

 At the Spring Equinox, the day and night are in equilibrium -- light and darkness are in perfect balance.  Yet light is in ascendance; in the days that follow, the darkness gives way to the growing light.  It is a time to embrace both the light and the darkness, to acknowledge the dualities within ourselves, to bring polarities into balance, and honor the balance in all things. 

Traditionally, bonfires were lit on this night and cattle were driven between the fires to purify them and promote fertility.  People leaped over the flames for fertility and good luck. 

Ostara takes it’s name from the Teutonic Goddess Eostre or Ostre, whose name is also the origin of the Christian holiday Easter.  Ostre was traditionally honored on this day, but it is appropriate to honor the Goddess in all her maiden forms.  We are renewed by the joy of the Maiden.

Beltane is the last of three Spring festivals.  Spring is in its fullest expression; fertility and life is all around us.   Traditionally this was a time for blessing the fields and the animals to promote fertility and abundance.  Fertility rites are performed, such as leaping the fire, and dancing the maypole (an ancient fertility symbol with the pole representing the phallus and the woven ribbons representing the vulva).

It is a time for celebrating love and union ... the fertility of people, plants and animals, and also of projects and endeavors.  It is a unashamed celebration of sexuality -- the joy of sexual union and love.  In Celtic tradition, lovers found each other by the glow of the bonfires, and made love on the hillsides.   Through these rights the fertility of the Earth is stimulated sympathetically.  Beltane is a very popular time for handfastings (a non-legal bonding ceremony) or marriages.

 Joy and celebration are the hallmarks of Beltane.  It is not a time for deep contemplation or meditation, but rather a time to dance with the energy and rhythms of the earth.  To celebrate life and growth in all its forms -- within and without.   It is a time to call energy for new projects and undertakings, and to honor the growing fullness of our lives.

Midsummer is the counter-point to Yule on the Wheel of the Year.  It is the longest day -- the triumph of the light half of the Year.  When the sun has reaches its peak, the Wheel turns to restore balance.  In the days that follow, the nights will grow longer and longer, the sun’s power slowly waning.  Traditionally, the Celts set wheels (as symbols of the sun) on fire and rolled them down the hillsides to celebrate the power of light, and recognize the imminent decline of the sun.  Bonfires were lighted and jumped, and the ashes scattered on the fields to bless and fertilize them.

Despite the name, Midsummer actually marks the first day of Summer.  It is a time of ripeness and fullness.  Summer is in full bloom and the Earth is alive with abundance and the promise of the harvest to come.  The energetic, passionate dance of Beltane has deepened to a rich, deep pulse... the promise of fertility maturing into abundance.  Yet the knowledge that tomorrow the sun begins to wane reminds us that all things fade ... that change is inevitable ... that Nature demands balance.  Here in the height of Summer, we do not mourn the passing of things, but celebrate the the fullness of our experiences.

 Midsummer has long been associated with magick, bright mystery and faery realms.  It is a time when the veils between the human world and the Land of Faery may be easily parted.  This is a night to leave offerings of milk and bread for the Fay Folk to ensure their goodwill and promote harmony.  Midsummer is a good time for magickal workings and journeying between the worlds.

Lammas celebrates the first harvesting of crops, the first of three harvest festivals.  The Earth yields up Her first gifts to us ... a blessing from the Mother and the product of our human hands.  It is a time to celebrate the fruitfulness of the Earth and fruits of our labors.  We have sown and nurtured, and now we are reaping the benefits in rhythm with the Earth. 

Corn and grains are of particular significance at this holiday.  Traditionally, the newly harvested grain is made into bread to be shared with all in celebration.  (The word ‘Lammas’ is an Old English word meaning ‘Loaf Mass’).   Fruits and vegetables are ripe and ready for canning and preserving.  We celebrate and partake in the fullness of the Earth while beginning to make provision for the cold months ahead.

 The Irish name for this festival is Lughnasadh; it is a holiday sacred to the Irish God Lugh.  Lugh is associated with the power of sun and light, and so fires were burned in honor of Him on this day.  In addition to His associations with light, Lugh is a  God of Skill and Craft, a master of all human skills.  On this His feast day, it is particularly appropriate that we celebrate our own abilities and skills. 

It is a time to ask ourselves:  “What are my talents?  What are my skills?   How do I express my creativity?  How do I use my abilities to recraft my world ... to add beauty .... color ... richness?  Our skills may include woodworking, needlecraft, art, music, dance, sports or communication, organizing, healing, parenting, problem solving etc.  Whatever our talents or abilities, this is a time to recognize them and honor them, and to share our recognition of the talents and abilities of others around us.  If you have had an interest or urge to develop a particular skill or creative outlet, now might be the time to make a pledge or commitment to yourself to pursue your interest.  By offering the fruits of our labors back to the Universe we enrich both ourselves and our world.

Mabon  is the counter-point to Ostara on the Wheel of the Year.  It is the first day of Autumn and the second of three harvest festivals.  At Mabon, the harvest is at its fullest.  This is a time for thanksgiving ... of celebrating the fruits of our labors ... the rich blessings we have received. 

It is traditional to fashion a corn dollie from the last stalks of grain to be harvested.  It was believed that these stalks contained the ‘Spirit of the Corn’.  The bundle of grain is formed in the shape of a woman, the Harvest or Corn Mother.  Traditionally, the corn dollie was hung first in the barn to preside over the threshing of the grain, and then in the farmhouse until the planting of the new grain in Spring.  Today, the dollie is placed on the altar for the Mabon celebration and then hung in the house or on the front door until springtime when it is brought into ritual again to signal the return of the growing times.

Mabon is a bittersweet time when the abundant Earth is pouring forth Her harvest and yet Summer has faded into Autumn and signs of the dying year are all around us.  Night and day are once more in equilibrium, but now light gives way to the ascendancy of darkness, and the coming of Winter.  We are entering a time of stillness and reflection.  This is the time to take stock of our lives, and give thanks for all things ... for all experiences, the joyful and the challenging, teach and enrich us.  This honoring of all facets of our lives prepares us for Samhain when we will release those aspects of our lives which no longer serve us. 

From Mabon to Ostara, we are drawn inward ... to quiet contemplation, to exploration of deep mysteries found in silence and in darkness, to laying the groundwork for future transformation and growth.p