Blog Article

The Wheel of the Year

The Wheel of the Year is an invitation to modern Pagans to live in sync with the rhythms of the natural world. It represents not only an annual calendar of holidays but also the natural cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. The eight sabbats that make up the Wheel of the Year celebrate nature’s natural rhythms and seasonal shifts. Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh, Mabon and Samhain mark the transition from one season to the next and help add balance and harmony to our lives. By intertwining our magic with these seasonal turns, we are able to better attune ourselves to the energetic cycles of nature and listen to what each season is whispering to us, rather than working against the natural tides.

Living in tune with the cycles of nature affects our mood and energy levels. By aligning with the seasons, we know when to rest and when to work, what kinds of foods to eat, and how to make time for ourselves as well as for others. The Wheel of the Year is a seasonal system for living that nurtures our growth physically, mentally, and emotionally through the changing seasons of our lives. It provides us with the means to establish meaningful rituals and develop a practice that aligns with the path that we are walking.

The Wheel of the Year is not contingent on myth or belief or story but is based on the transition of the sun through the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter. It is divided neatly into quarter holidays; two solstices and two equinoxes these are solar events that are easily reckoned and observed. Each of the quarter holidays comes at the dawn of a new season – liminal and powerful times of the year to harness magic from nature. Falling in between these quarter days are the cross-quarter holidays, or the fire festivals. This is when the energies of the season are at their peak and begin to usher in the changing energies of the coming season.

Working within the Wheel of the Year allows us to root ourselves into the natural world and celebrate the unique offerings that each season gifts.

The Eight Festivals of the Wheel of the Year

Yule (Winter Solstice) – 20th-23rd December

This festival celebrates the shortest day and longest night of the year. From this day onward, the sun rebirths, and strengthens in our skies, increasing the hours of daylight each day through to Summer Solstice. Yule is the longest night of the winter, and sometimes also referred to as “the dark night of our souls.” But with it comes seeds of hope as the light ever so gradually begins to return.

Imbolc – 1st Feb

Imbolc is a celebration of the Winter passing and welcoming in the first signs of Spring. The sun has returned, the trees are sprouting leaves, and crocus flowers bloom. It’s the beginning of a new agricultural year, with lighter, longer, and warmer days greeting us. This is the earth waking up again after her long, winter hibernation. The earth is ripe and fertile, ready for us to plant new seeds of intentions for the coming year; to nourish and tend to them between now and the harvest.

Ostara (Spring Equinox) – 20th-23rd March

Ostara symbolizes the sun getting stronger, and the earth warming up and becoming more fertile each day up to Summer Solstice. Flowers are sprouting up and blooming all over. Animals begin mating. New life is birthed. The whole world seems to now be fully awake; refreshed and full of child-like energy. The Maiden archetype is in full bloom. There is an expansive energy available to us all right now.

Beltane – 1st May

Beltane sits opposite Samhain on the Wheel of the Year, which means it’s a perfect contrast. While Samhain celebrates death, Beltane is a celebration of life. Spring has reached its peak, and Summer is around the corner. Masculine and feminine energy join together, and work in harmony. This is a season of maturity, connection, and commitment; and a time for making the most of the abundant fertile energy that is available to us.

Litha (Summer Solstice) – 20th-23rd June

Summer solstice marks the longest day and shortest night of the year; the sunlight seems to endlessly brighten the sky, and we enjoy the long, drawn-out summer evenings. You can think of Litha as the climax of the year; a celebration of all the beauty and abundance we have experienced so far, along with the beginnings of preparation for what’s to come.

Lughnasadh – 1st August

Lughnasadh is the first harvest, and is a festival for gathering in and celebrating everything that has come your way so far this year. This is what gratitude is in its truest form: a reciprocity in giving and taking. Giving thanks for all that is, while receiving all the lessons we have learned and the gifts we have earned along the way.

Mabon (Autumn Equinox) – 20th-23rd September

The Mabon Equinox is the second time of the year when there is a balance between light and dark; meaning the day and night are equal in length. Mabon is also the second harvest of the Wheel of the Year. Another celebration for all we have reaped, but this time, it’s a chance to celebrate the gratitude and abundance with others, family, friends, and our wider communities.

Samhain – 31st October

Samhain marks the beginning of the New Year in Celtic tradition; and is often regarded as the most important Sabbat on the Wheel of the Year. It is also the third and final harvest. On this day (and night), the veil between this world and the unseen world is said to be at its thinnest. It’s a wonderful time to remember loved ones who have passed and honor the dead. But it’s also a time when your intuition will be heightened; through tuning into what cannot be seen but can be felt or known.

These eight festivals, or Sabbats, are natural pauses in the year, where we can give ourselves permission to slow down and take a breath. To reflect on our lives, our choices, and our beliefs. And to tune in to the energy of the earth and feel more in flow and in harmony with her rhythm.

This is the beauty and the magic of the Wheel of the Year, and it’s available to all of us.