The Wheel of the Year - Pagan Holidays

Alright everyone, how is everything going? Today, we are going to be going over, very briefly, about the Pagan holidays that are and have been celebrated for hundreds of years! These holidays are called Sabbats, or days of power that one can be closer to Nature.

Yule / Winter Solstice on or near December 21st 
Here in the northern hemisphere, nights get longer and days get shorter until the day of the Winter Solstice when the cycle reverses. The word Yule comes from the Norse Jul meaning wheel. On this darkest of nights, the Goddess becomes the Great Mother and once again gives birth to the Sun God. This is a fire festival so celebrate with a Yule log in the fireplace, candles on the table and lights on the tree. Evergreens, holly, ivy and mistletoe, symbols of fertility and everlasting life, remind us that the cold darkness of winter will eventually give way to the warmth & new growth of spring. 

Imbolc / Imbolg / Candlemas - February 2nd 
Imbolc means, literally, 'in the belly' (of the Mother) and in the womb of Mother Earth new life is truly stirring. The young Sun God is growing and his strength is beginning to be noticeable. If you look closely, you may notice a snowdrop or a crocus pushing its way out of the still-cold earth. This is traditionally a day of purification, of sweeping out the old to make room for the new... both physically and emotionally. Celebrate by lighting LOTS of candles to encourage the young Sun; if you like to make them yourself, this is an auspicious day to do it. As nuts and seeds symbolize new beginnings, enjoy some sesame cookies or nutbread while visualizing yourself co-creating a loving, joyous & prosperous future. 

Ostara - Spring Equinox - on or near March 21st 
Named for Eostre the Teutonic Goddess of New Life, Ostara is the first day of Spring. Light and darkness are in balance, but the light is growing stronger as days continue to grow longer. The Young Sun God continues to mature and grow; small tender leaves appear on the trees, young buds are swelling and, here in New York, cheerful white and yellow daffodils are already in full bloom. The Life Energies are building quickly now and the very air seems to vibrate with promise. Celebrate by coloring eggs, an ancient symbol of fertility. 

Beltaine / Beltane / May Day - May 1 
From the Irish Gaelic Bealtaine meaning Bel-fire (the fire of Bel, Celtic God of light) Beltaine is primarily a fertility festival; the Land represented by the Goddess is now ripe and fertile and the Sun God expresses His Love for Her. Celebrate by establishing a woodland or garden shrine and gathering flowers to adorn your living space... and yourself! 

Midsummer / Summer Solstice - on or near June 21st 
Midsummer is the longest day of the year. It's not harvest time yet, but Mother Nature is impressively lush. The veil between the Faerie realm and our world is thin so don't be surprised if you catch a glimpse of an otherworldly someone on Midsummer's Eve! Celebrate with a bonfire and if you're into herb magick, any plants gathered at this time are particularly powerful. Or just stroll through a park or woodland area and bask in the glory of our natural world. 

Lughnasadh / Lammas - August 1 
Even though Lughnasadh occurs at the warmest time of the year, it marks the time at which days become noticeably shorter and so is considered the starting point of the autumn quarter of the year. The autumn season contains three harvests, and Lughnasadh is the first of these, the time when the first corn harvest is cut. The name is derived from Lugh (pronounced 'loo'), a Celtic deity of light and wisdom. At Lughnasadh, bread from the first harvest was eaten in thanks. Baking, sharing & eating bread is a wonderful way to celebrate this holiday and if you can, attend a Renaissance Faire, Medieval Festival or Highland Games competition. The jousting matches and caber & sheaf tosses were no doubt inspired by that aggressive war god Lugh :-) 

Mabon / Autumn Equinox - on or near September 21 
Mabon is the time of the second harvest, when fruits are ready for collection. The land is showing clear signs of the journey towards winter - leaves are beginning to turn and birds are gathering for migration. Mabon is a time to consider which aspects of your life you wish to preserve and which you would prefer to discard. This is the Pagan Thanksgiving, a time to appreciate and enjoy the fruits of your labors. Commemmorate Mabon by making wine, feasting with friends, planting bulbs to bloom in the spring and put out feeders to help those brave birds who don't migrate get through the long winter ahead. 

Samhain, All Hallow's Eve, Hallowe'en - October 31 
This is the Last Harvest and New Year's Eve to the ancient Celts. Being "between years," it is considered a very magical time, a day when the veil separating the the physical plane and spiritual realms is most permeable. This is a good day to practice divination: scrying, Tarot readings and Rune casting are all particularly effective. The practice of donning costumes... especially scary ones... grew out of the ancient fear of evil spirits passing through the veil along with the benevolent ones and pumpkin carving evolved from the practice of painting hideous faces on gourds to keep "gouls and goblins" away from the home. Samhain is also a day for honoring our ancestors and one of my favorite rituals is the Dumb Supper... laying an extra place at the dinner table for those who have passed over to the Summerlands. 

Now, to kind of clarify, Wiccans believe in a place called the Summerlands. This is what some would believe to be paradise, the afterlife, etc. Also, Yule is celebrated kind of  like the Christian Christmas, but different; it is celebrated because of the passing of the old king that is to be reborn for another year. I still haven't gotten a grip onto it very well, but if you look it up some more, I think you will understand it more. But the rest is very simple and very easy to understand I hope. Next time, we'll get more into the topic of hand-fasting and soul mates, because I believe it's a very strong topic that Pagans do believe is very important. Well, blessed be!

Information for this post came from the following website: http://www.catanna.com/paganholidays.htm

The Calender And The Moon

Let's switch gears for a bit and talk about the sacred calender. This calender is very important for Wiccans, but I believe that not just Wiccans should follow the ways of the sacred calender. These holidays have been around since even before the creation of Christianity, starting back from generations of Pagans. First, before we go into a big huge lesson  of Beltane, or Samhain, let's talk about the moon phases.

The moon phases are a major and important part to spell practitioners, and many others. Some of the spells we shared we kind of already got a sense of when to do certain spells according to the moon phase. Loves spells to attract are performed when the moon is waxing, getting larger, and banishing spells are cast when the moon is waning, or getting smaller.

The full moon is a particularly significant day, symbolizing the power of the moon at its fullest. It's more than possible to tap into deeper levels of power if you perform a ritual or spell on the night of the full moon. What to remember is that the moon symbolizes the goddess, or the feminine aspect of the divine. So, if you have already figured out your matron goddess, this could be any female goddess; Ix Chel, Isis, Athena, Aphrodite, Hera, Durga, etc. But, there is also belief in a god, the masculine divine, symbolized by the sun. This can be any male god; Zeus, Triton, Thor, Osiris, Anubis, Odin, etc.

Therefore the days that mark the changing of the seasons are also days of power and significance, thus the Calender. There are eight days of power; four of them are the solstices and equinoxes. The other four mark the changing of the agricultural seasons. Here are all eight days and what they signify in order of the calender.

Imbolc - February 2: Imbolc celebrates light and fertility, as the days begin to get longer and the light begins to return, and the earth prepares for another season. It's also known as the Feast of Torches.

Spring Equinox - March 21: This is the official beginning of spring. Light and dark are in equal balance on this day, and the fields awaken and prepare for the blooming of spring and fertility. Spells for money and prosperity are especially effective at this time.

Beltane (Bell-chan-ee) - April 30: This is the return of vitality and passion to the earth. This is a good time to perform a love spell.

The Summer Solstice - June 21: This is the longest day of the year. It's a day of purification, health, and fertility. Healing spells done on this day have special powers.

Lunasa - August 1: This day commemorates the first harvest. The nights grow longer, and we begin to reap the fruits of our labors.

The Fall Equinox - Semptember 21: This is the other day when light and dark are in balance and harmony. The cycle of the earth is slowing down and preparing for winter.

Samhain - October 31: You may know this date as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve. It's also known as the Feast of the Dead. It's a time of reflection on the past, and a perfect time to communicate with spirits unseen. This is also the very last day of the calender. November first will be the beginning of the new year instead of January first, but this is only spiritually.

The Winter Solstice - December 21: This is the shortest day of the year. The darkness is greatest on this day and therefore spells that use light and candles are used to enhance the darkness.

Those are the eight days of power in the Calender. All of them have their own specific purpose and meaning. But it is safe to say, that if you want to add extra power to a particular spell, performing your spell on the proper holy day will add immense power to your spell.

Many Pagans choose to celebrate these days of power with a special ritual to mark the occasion. They are not asking for anything specific, per se. Sometimes they just want to give thanks to the divine powers, or feel connected in some way to the movement of the earth and the seasons.

Next time, we'll talk about the Holidays and how you can incorporate them to your Pagan religion. Blessed be!