A Guide to the Witches Wheel of the Year
What is the Witches Wheel of the Year?
The Wheel of the Year is an ancient concept that has been used by many cultures throughout history to mark the changing seasons and cycles of nature. Its origins can be traced back to prehistoric times when people relied on the cycles of the sun, moon, and stars to measure the passing of time.
The Wheel of the Year is an annual cycle of seasonal festivals, and holy days, currently observed by a range of modern pagans, marking the year's significant solar events and the midpoints between them.
A TIMELINE OF THE WHEEL OF THE YEAR
Many of our ancestors, divided the year into two seasons, summer and winter, the solstice’s and equinoxes and marked the transition between these seasons with four cross quarterly Sabbats: Imbolc, Beltane, Lamas, and Samhain.
Many of us are familiar with the solstices and the equinox, representing important transitions into the new season. But fewer are familiar with the cross quarterly holy days. Theses happen to be my personal favorite days to celebrate our connection with nature and with ourselves!
THE ROOTS OF THE WHEEL OF THE YEAR
Some consider the Wheel of the Year to be Neo-pagan, but it roots and history are present all over the world. By following the patterns of nature we can easily see that with each season comes a time of birth, growth, harvest and death or completion.
All over the planet there are temples and monuments built to line up directly with the light on the solstices, equinoxes and cross quarterly holy days. These sabbaths give us an opportunity to celebrate and give thanks for the turning of the season, with our own lives and take the part in the ecosystems in which we exist.
HOW TO INCORPORATE THE WHEEL OF THE YEAR INTO YOUR LIFE
I have been celebrating these holidays with my children, herbal students, my personal community and also as a solitary green witch for over 25 years. This path has given me the opportunity to craft my own spiritual journey, for both myself and my children and has helped lead us all along as path of both observance and reverence, for the cycles of life. The wheel of the year offers both the opportunity for continuous spiritual growth, as well as a deep connection to both our inner and outer landscapes.
Let's walk the seasons of the year together in our Journey Through the Wheel of the Witch course. Each online journey will be filled with history, ceremony and rituals as well as traditional prayers and songs meant to be shared in celebration of the quarterly and cross quarterly holy-days. You will learn how to deepen your connection with the Earth and Spirit and take aways skills, tools, ceremony and rituals that you can utilize in the years to come. Together, we will honor the ancestors, ancient rites of passages, elementals and healing herbs associated with each each of the Sabbats. Registration is currently open at an introductory price until January 11th.
