The Wheel of the Year
The Wiccan religion was founded by Gerald Gardner in the 1940’s, based on his study of older European pagan religions, and the existing occultism movement which began earlier in the century. In building a ritual calendar, he sought to honor the agricultural and astronomical holidays of older traditions, while also having a degree of symmetry throughout the year. He settled on eight roughly equidistant holidays throughout the year. Four to mark the solstices and equinoxes, and four spaced between them. All but one of these is an ancient pagan festival, observed in new ways by modern Wiccans.
At Fire Dance, we use the Wiccan calendar for our public rituals, because it pulls elements from a variety of traditions, and is the most well known and accessible pagan tradition in North America.
Samhain
Pronounced sah-win or sow-in, Samhain is the Gaelic name of what is commonly called Halloween today. This is the celebration of the final harvest, leading into winter. In America, our growing season is longer, so we have Thanksgiving after Samhain. But in most of Europe, this is the last harvest and therefore the last feast before Yule. The apples, gourds, and pumpkins associated with Samhain are the crops harvested late into the autumn.
This is the time to prepare for winter and reflect on the past year. Traditionally, we do not begin new endeavors around Samhain. It’s considered bad luck. Instead, this is the time to shed anything from the old year which no longer serves you, guilts and grudges, habits, and even ritual tools that need to be retired.
The new can begin at Yule when the sun is reborn. In the Celtic calendar, the year ends with sunset on Samhain, and the new year begins in the morning, setting Samhain night apart from the rest of the year, as a liminal space between one year and the next.
As the days grow shorter, the night dominates. This is when the Other World is closest to us. As winter’s chill brings death and slumber to the natural world, we honor those who have passed before us. This is a time to call on and honor our ancestors.
Often, Samhain is celebrated with a Dinner for the Dead, in which we invite beloved shades to join us for our feast, set extra places at the table for them, and eat in silence. Food may also be left on the doorstep or at a crossroads for the restless dead, and letters to the deceased burned in the hopes that they will respond, perhaps in a dream.
While this holiday focuses on death and the shades of the dead, it also reminds us of the immortality of the soul, and that all death is followed by rebirth.
The dead and assorted otherworldly beings are more free to interact with us on Samhain. The tradition of dressing up as monsters and trick-or-treating come from these beliefs.
If someone comes to your door on the night of Samhain, it’s best to be polite and give them an offering, because they might not be human, and if they aren’t pleased with your treat they’re liable to play tricks on you. So make sure you have some candy on hand.
If you have children, best to dress them up as ghosts and goblins so the spirits won’t kidnap them.
So if you’re a child, dress up as a monster and extort your neighbors for candy. While they’re inviting their dead relatives to join them for dinner.
Hekate and all other gods of death and the dead are associated with this holiday. I generally call upon Haides, Persephone, and Hekate for Samhain rituals.
Yule
Yule is the Norse and Wiccan name for the Winter Solstice.
As a Winter Solstice holiday, Yule is a festival of lights and a vital reminder in the depths of winter that the sun always returns and spring is always coming. Seasonal depression is endemic to the human condition, and a celebration of life at this time of year is desperately important to mental health, which is why almost all religions have a winter solstice holiday of some kind.
Symbolism in Yule celebrations often features the kindling of light in the dark, and the rebirth of a solar deity. Many of the aesthetics and traditions of Christmas are taken from ancient Yule traditions, including the decoration of trees, significance of holly and mistletoe, and the Yule log. Santa Claus was probably inspired by traditions featuring Odin and/or Cernunnos.
If possible, a live evergreen tree is a better decoration than a dead one. If a tree must be cut down, it’s possible to cut above the tree’s lowest branches, which will allow the tree to survive and grow back. If you have a live tree out doors, I advise against keeping gifts beneath it for obvious weather related reasons.
Yule celebrations are more meaningful without the commercialism common now in Christmas, so the best gifts are simple and hand made.
The Yule fire is sometimes lit from an unburnt portion of last year’s fire, continuing the endless cycle from one year to the next. This unburnt fragment of the fire is kept as a protective charm in the home until it is used and replaced next year. The ashes of the Yule fire also have protective power and may be scattered at thresholds or otherwise used for this purpose.
A simple charm for protection during dangerous times: Use the ash of the Yule fire to trace a pentagram on paper, roll the paper up and carry it in a red bag. When the danger has passed burn the paper.
Yule is a good time to replace ritual tools, such as candles, in preparation for the new year. Candle making and wand carving are good ways to celebrate the sabbat.
Some Yule rituals feature a symbolic battle between a Holly King figure representing the depths of winter, and an Oak King to lead the world into spring. Decoration with holly and English ivy (hedera helix) carries the same symbolism, as does using these materials in a Yule wreath to symbolize the wheel of the year.
Other rituals may reference the cauldron of Cerridwen as the symbolic darkness into which all dead and ending things must pass, and the source from which new life springs. This is a time for rituals and spells for the end of one thing and beginning of something new.
Imbolc
Imbolc is celebrated on February 2nd, halfway between the Winter Solstice, or Yule, and the Spring Equinox, Ostara. This holy day marks the beginning of the end of winter. Traditionally it’s around this time that snow begins to melt in Western Europe. As it turns out, often we have a sudden cold snap and more snow at this time in Shenandoah.
Imbolc is time to begin preparation for spring and the agricultural season, so the blessing and sharing of seeds is appropriate for the holiday, as well as preparation for any gardening or farming you intend to do in the spring. Imbolc is often associated with divination to determine when the weather will warm enough for farming. One ancient tradition in Europe involves monitoring the awakening of badgers from hibernation to predict the end of winter. In North America, the badger was replaced with a groundhog, and now we have Groundhog’s Day.
Another Imbolc tradition calls for the blessing of candles to be used throughout the year, a tradition which gives the name to the Catholic holiday of Candlemas. I make an anointing oil with scented oils to bless candles, and light them all from the Imbolc altar candles, each of which were lit their first time from the flames of other blessed candles, going back to candles used in pagan rituals in Ireland, from where this tradition comes.
As the snow melts and the seasons change it’s also time for old pattern in your life which no longer serve you to melt away with the snow. I would propose that Imbolc is a better time for resolutions than New Year’s, when it’s still cold and the world is resting.
Ostara
Beltane
Litha
Lughnasadh