Wheel of the Year

It rests with us to make the traditions,
to set the pace for those who are to follow
and so, upon our shoulders rests a great responsibility

–Esther Voorhess Hasson, 1908
First Superintenant of the Navy Nurse Corps

I’ve put off putting together something on the Sabbats for quite a while.   In part because there is SO MUCH information out there, I really wasn’t sure where I wanted to start or what I wanted to include–particularly since my personal practice and our practice as a family has become something very different from established traditions and the Pagan “norm”.   There is part of me that thinks that by excluding something (like accurate history, other POV’s) I am doing myself and anyone that stumbles across this site a disservice (it really irritates me when people make their way out to be The Way, and I just hate bad history).  Also, like most people in general (and parents especially), I have this thing called life that gets in the way of seeing the ideas floating in my brain come to fruition in a timely manner.

But…I’m making a concerted effort this year to go ahead start pulling together some of the basic materials that we use–chants, prayers, correspondences, etc to build our family rituals.  Because we include the children as often as possible, we rarely work with a set ritual…instead we often put the pieces together as we go along working with what is best for the kiddos and their moods. Eventually, I hope to also include some resources for other traditions and more traditional observances–there is an excellent set of essays on The Cauldron to start off with, for anyone that is interested.  And, just a warning, our Wheel of the Year deviates a bit from the traditionally accepted observances.

WotY Overview:

The Longest Night (Yule)
Season: Mid-Winter
Occurs: Winter Solstice
Element: Air/Earth
Significance: Hope, new beginnings

Candlemas (Imbolc) 
Season: Winter’s End/Start of Spring
Occurs: Feb 2
Element: Earth
Significance: Inspiration, dreaming

First Blooming (Ostara)
Season: Spring
Occurs: Spring Equinox
Element:Earth/Water
Significance: Preparation, cleansing

May Day (Beltane)
Season: End of Spring/Birth of summer
Occurs: May 1
Element: Water
Significance: Growth, fertility

The Longest Day (Litha)
Season: Mid-Summer
Occurs: Summer Solstice
Element: Fire, Water
Significance: Celebration, intensity

Summer’s Bounty (Lughnasagh)
Season: Summer’s End/Start of autumn
Occurs: August 2
Element: Fire
Significance: Harvest, reward

Apple Harvest (Mabon)
Season: Autumn
Occurs: Fall Equinox
Element: Fire/Air
Significance: Thankfulness, humility

Remembrance Eve (Samhain)
Season: Autumn’s End/Start of Winter
Occurs: Oct 31
Element: Air
Significance: Memory, reverence