Carolina Dean
A Modern Witch's Book of Shadows
The Wheel of the Year
The Wheel of the Year is a term often used in Wicca to denote the 8 Holy-Days spread out over the course of the calender Year. These Holy Days encompass the four-seasons (Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall) or Quarters as well as four Cross-Quarter Days. The Cross Quarter Days fall approximately halfway between the Quarters. They are Imbolc, Beltane, Lammas, and Samhain.
As Wiccans we view time as a never-ending cycle rather than something linear having a beginning, a middle and an end. The Wheel is a metaphor for the passage of time in cyclical manner. The progression of our lives from birth to death to rebirth (reincarnation) is echoed in the Wheel of the year. However, this is not only true for ourselves, but also for our Deities as well, for the spokes on the Wheel of the Year mark certain events in their lives as well.
As above, so below.
Quick Reference: The Wheel of the Year
| Sabbats | Theme |
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Samhain
October 31st | Samhain, marks the descent of Winter. The leaves are falling from the trees in drifts, and life is drawn away from the surface of the earth, and descends deep into the earth. Life is now in the roots and bulbs of plants which rest over the Winter. The Horned God who was Lord of Life and the Wild Greenwood has taken His throne as Lord of the Underworld, the comforter of souls. |
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Yule
| Yule is the time we celebrate the return of the waxing sun. Light and life can be seen to be returning and conquering death. Yule is a turning point, a point of change, where the tides of the year turn and begin to flow in the opposite direction. It is the darkest time of the year, the time of the longest night, but there is the promise of the return of light. |
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Imbolc
February 2nd | Now is the time for the banishing of Winter and the welcoming of Spring Seeds which have laid dormant within the Earth over the cold Winter months begin to stir with life, as yet unseen. We celebrate the awakening Light of the soul. We welcome the Goddess who is renewed, reborn as the Flower Maiden. She has passed through Her phase as the Hag, Crone or Wise One, and is a Maiden again. |
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Ostara
Spring Equinox | This is the time of spring's return, the joyful time, the seed time, when life bursts forth from the earth and the chains of winter are broken. It is a time of balance when all the elements within must be brought into new harmony. The Prince of the Sun reaches out His hand, and the the Maiden, returns from the dark underworld. Where they dance, wild flowers appear, sorrow turns to joy, and scarcity turns to abundance. |
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Beltane
May 1st | Beltane is the beginning of the Celtic Summer, the light season of the year. Like Samhain, it is a time when the veil is thin between the worlds, a time to communicate with spirits, particularly at this time nature spirits. The mating of the Green Man with the Goddess as Queen of May represents a magickal act considered necessary for the fertility of the Earth. Beltane is a time of fertility and is also an excellent time for Handfastings, or sacred marriage. |
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Mid-Summer
Summer Solstice | At the Summer Solstice the sun is at its highest and brightest and the day is at its longest. The Lord of Light has fought the powers of darkness, and is triumphant, ensuring fertility in the land. But in so doing so, He sows the seeds of His own death. The Wheel turns and the Dark God (the Holly King) begins to wax in power as the Light God (Oak King) wanes. The Goddess shows Her Death- in-Life aspect, the Earth is fertile, and all is in bloom, the Goddess reaches out to the fertilizing Sun God at the height of His powers. At the same time She presides over the death of the God. The Summer Solstice is a time of fulfilment of love. |
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Lughnasadh
August 1st | Lammas is a time of the fullness of Life, and a celebration of the bountiful earth. It is a time of the sacrificial mating of Goddess and God, where the Corn King, given life by the Goddess and tasting of Her love is sacrificed and transformed into bread and ale which feeds us. The main themes of Lammas may therefore be seen as thanksgiving to the Goddess for Her bountiful harvest, stating our hopes for what we wish to harvest sacrifice, transformation, and a sharing of the energy of the Corn King. |
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Mabon
Autumn Equinox | The two equinoxes are times of equilibrium. Day and night are equal and the tide of the year flows steadily, but whilst the Spring Equinox manifests the equilibrium before action, the Autumnal Equinox represents the repose after action, the time to take satisfaction in the work of the summer and reap its benefits.
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Samhain
The Dumb Supper: A Samhain Rite
At Sunset on Samhain, set your table in complete silence, reversing the usual placement of each setting (forks on the left, spoons on the right, etc...) Make a centerpiece of a circle of candles, one candle for each Ancestor, friend, or other individual who you would like to remember. In the center of the circle, place one candle for all those who have no one to remember them.
Prepare a three-course meal and when all is ready, the candles are lit as a deceased loved-one is named. Lastly, the center candle is lit. Everyone in attendance holds hands around the table as the invocation is made.
"Spirits on the Other Side,
hear these words, hear my cry;
come to us and do not hide,
cross now the great divide!"
The meal is then enjoyed in reverse order (dessert, main course, soup/salad) as one at a time, each person at the table tells a story about the loved one they named as they lit their candle.
Link
Yule
"I burn these candles in love & trust,
knowing our Lord shall return to us;
& growing stronger in his might,
fill our lives with love & light!"
Since Yule falls so close to the secular New Year, on the first of January, any left over wax is inspected for signs of what the new year will bring. The day is then shared with friends and family sharing food and drink and exchanging gifts in honor of the Sun God's return.
Imbolc
& we await the coming Spring;
but before we can rejoice in that blessed day,
winter must be chased away!"
Ostara
Ostara: The Rites of Spring
the brutal winter
gives way to flowers of spring
nature comes alive
----Shadowmane
Light a red candle on your hearth, and beside this place a clear glass of water into which has been added a fresh egg. As the candle burns, throughly clean your house. When you are done, draw a warm bath for yourself that includes the following:
1/2 Cup of Salt
1 Tablespoon of Ammonia
1 Pinch of Red Pepper
First bathe away from yourself to remove negative conditions, and then bath towards yourself to draw spiritual blessings. Then dress in clean clothes and throw your bath water out of your back door, saying "So Mote it Be". Return to the burning candle and invoke the presence of the Goddess with these words:
"Within this circle that is home,
I invoke the Goddess I call my own;
Hestia, upon my home lift your face,
and bring your blessings to this place!"
When the candle burns itself out, bury the remaining wax in the Earth along with the egg and pour the water over the hole as an offering to the Gods.
Link
Beltane
It is said that at Samhain the Otherworld comes to us, but at Beltane we can travel to the Otherworld. However, once there, you should eat no food nor accept any drink, lest you find that you can never return again.
In addition, while in traditional Wicca, Beltane is an outward celebration of the union of the God and Goddess, for me it is about the union of my own inner masculine and feminine selves.
To promote fertility and guard against hunger, set your table with a feat and bless the fruits of your labor with the following rite. Place your Cup before you and fill it with milk, juice, or wine. Slowly, lower your Athame into the Cup saying these words:
"As male and female together join,
to bring forth life from their loins;
I ask that Spirit now bring,
these blessings to those who have nothing."
Midsummer
around and about me now unfurl;
come to me who calls you near,
come to me and settle here!"
Lammas
The Bread Feast: A Rite of Lammas
It has been observed that cooking is the closest thing we have to alchemy in the modern world. Alchemy is the ancient science of taking something thought to be of little value and making it more valuable, for instance lead into gold. As you celebrate this the first harvest, spend time with those you love and watch it transform into golden memories.
Be ever mindful that you reap what you sow and whereas the first harvest is physical, the second harvest is spiritual (Mabon). The seeds planted at Imbolc should be coming into fruition now.
Begin the rite of the first harvest with a feast of breads and cheeses. Bake at least one figure of bread that resembles a man and break him into four pieces, saying:
"The Holly King reigns,
while the Oak King wanes;
His life for our he freely gives,
the King is dead, long may be live."
Bury the four pieces at the four corners of your property.
Link
Mabon
The Rites of the Autumnal Equinox
Begin this rite by catching a falling leaf, being sure not to let it touch the ground. Place the leaf on your pentacle between a black and a white candle, and before the pentacle burn incense. In a meditate state, focus on the concept of balance. The statement "every action has an equal but opposite reaction," comes to mind. Say or think:
"Black and White, Light and Dark,
in between the balance starts;
as the night the day consumes,
a new life grows in the mother's womb!"
Hold the leaf in your hand and focus on releasing negativity, old hurts, stress, and emotional pain, etc... When you are done, crush the leaf and scatter it to the wind, knowing that the seeds of destruction you have sown today will grow into flowers of harmony.
Link
Workbook of Shadows
EXERCISES
- Write the words, Wheel of the Year in your journal. Below this, draw a pie chart in your journal and divide the pie into eight pieces. Write the names and dates of each Sabbat in order on each of the pie pieces.
- Dedicate 5 pages in your journal to each of the 8 Sabbats for a total of 40 pages. Of those 5 pages, dedicate one page each to the following topics for each Sabbat.
- Origin and Development
- Additional Names/Multi-Cultural Parallels
- Theme & Symbolism
- Customs and Lore
- A Sample Ritual
- Mark the dates for each of the Sabbats for the coming year on your calendar. Over the course of a year, perform a ritual celebration for each of the eight Sabbats.
Using your research in each Sabbat, write and perform your own Sabbat rituals for each of the eight Sabbats of the course of a year. Record your work in your journal.
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