Wheel of the Year

The Wheel of the Year is used to mark the solar and energy shifts of the year. Historically, time was seen as cyclical, always changing and then returning. The Wheel of the Year was first introduced by Jacob Grimm (1785-1863 CE) in Teutonic Mythology circa 1835. The concept was then adopted by the religion of Wicca around the 1950’s – 1960’s. There is no proof that the Wheel of the Year, as we know it today, was in existence before 1835. We do know from ancient landmarks and megalithic monuments, the same times were celebrated all around the globe.

Ancient peoples celebrated the turning of the wheel based on a solar calendar. The Wheel of the Year marks the Sabbats, religious holidays, the same ancient celebrations observing the equinoxes and solstices. They were celebrated by the Vikings, Celts, Egyptians, and many other ancient peoples. These ancient civilizations celebrated, honored and give gratitude to the many Gods and Goddesses. They believed these things kept the seasons moving and life continuing. Remember, the ancestors of our past believed rituals were vital to appease the Gods and keep the Wheel turning.

Magical Practice

The Sabbats were annual feasts and gatherings marking the passage of time and revolved around agricultural and/or astronomical movement. They were times for planting, harvesting, hunting, marriages, business dealings, fertility, births, and rituals. Celebrations were held during the day and magic was performed at night, a recommend approach to the Sabbats today. The mysteries of magic are found by observing nature as the Wheel turns and learning to align with the seasons.

Magical cultures used the timing to petition the Heavens for assistance and drew upon the power available to work their spells. Notice the Sabbats fall at exact moments when the earth offers up certain energies for use as do the celestial bodies, elements, ancestors, spirits, the Divine, and all of nature. Align with the energies, learn from them, understand their patterns, and use them to work your magic. You are also raising energy along with many other witches around the world as they collectively honor the Sabbats . As Above, So Below, it’s up to You to make it so. See that in Nature there is the presence of the Divine.

The Wheel of the Year spends half its time in light and half its time in the dark. Remember, this is not “good versus evil”, it is two sides of the same coin. Working in tandem to create alignment and balance, nature cannot turn on itself, it only cycles and changes form and continually transforms. This is also the path to enlightenment, as the light is the conscious and the dark the subconscious. We see this daily with the setting and rising of the sun and the moon, in her many phases. Dig into the myths and legends of the Sabbats to unearth the messages, meanings, and wisdom found within the tales. Seek for the magic that weaves its way through the Wheel of the Year.

The Wheel Broken Down

Now onto the Wheel of the Year, where you can connect with nature, yourself, and divinity. The Wheel consists of 8 Sabbats. There are four Greater Sabbats, the fire festivals, are Imbolc/Candlemas, Beltane, Lammas/ Lunasa/ Lugnasadh, and Samhain. The four Lesser Sabbats contain the equinoxes and solstices. They are Ostara/ Spring Equinox, Litha/ Summer Solstice, Mabon/ Autumn Equinox, and Yule/ Winter Solstice. 

Some old magical traditions believe it is disrespectful to nature, and the fae, to light bale fires or bonfires on the Lesser Sabbats. Ancient pagans counted nights instead of days, their days starting at sun down. The Sabbat celebrations were held the eve before the actual event. This can be seen in 1490 Tudor England when “Christ’s Mass”, or Christmas, started on the eve of December 24th. All work was put down for the “12 days of Christmas”. Many pagan Yule celebrations, customs, and rituals were incorporated in the festivities.

The Greater & Lesser Sabbats

The Greater Sabbats are cross-quarter days, falling at the midpoints between the equinoxes and solstices. There are two ways to view the Greater Sabbats; one is to go with a specific day of the year. Examples: February 1st – Imbolc, May 1st – Beltane, August 1st – Lammas, October 31 / November 1st – Samhain. The other is to use the astrological timing for these Sabbats, listed below. Use the energy of these Greater Sabbats, the peaks of the seasons, when their influence is at its height. A good time to celebrate, perform spells, and do magical and spiritual rituals. Incorporate the energies of the zodiac and celestial bodies as well. Determine which way works best for you if you are not bound to a certain tradition. Some traditions perform no magic on the Sabbats, using the time to simply celebrate and gather.

The Lesser Sabbats, again the equinoxes and solstices, mark the beginning of the seasons. These occur as the sun moves into a cardinal zodiac sign at the start of each season. The energy available for use is that of forward movement and growth in a new direction. Transition throughout the year with these holidays as they introduce a new season, while also incorporating the zodiac energies available. Today’s calendars note the start of a season at a solstice or equinox, the Celts saw these as occurring midseason. The cross-quarters actually beginning and ending the seasons; this falls more inline with the weather of the seasons. Align with the Sabbats, nature, and the seasons and decide which option feels most natural for you.

Astrological chart of the Sabbats

Spring Equinox (Ostara) – Sun at 0° Aries 

Beltane – Sun at 15° Taurus 

Summer Solstice (Litha) – Sun at 0° Cancer 

Lammas – Sun at 15° Leo 

Autumn Equinox (Mabon) – Sun at 0° Libra 

Samhain – Sun at 15° Scorpio 

Winter Solstice (Yule) – Sun at 0° Capricorn 

Imbolc – Sun at 15° Aquarius

Solar God of the Wheel of the Year

In the Solar view of the Wheel of the Year, the Sun God is born on the Winter Solstice, Yule, marking the beginning of the Wheel. As the shortest day of the year, God is weakened, in his infancy. He is the Child of Promise, who promises to bring back the light, and therefore, is the gift of hope from the Divine. The God then grows in strength, as does the sun with the days becoming longer, and goes through His rite of passage at Imbolc or Candlemas, which is the midpoint between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox.

He then moves into His fertile time of adolescence, as marked by the Spring Equinox, Ostara, where He carries the seed of light which ensures His rebirth after death to come. He seeks out His Goddess, whom He finds at Beltane. The Sun God then woos the Goddess, She is the renewal of life, and Their courtship begins. Their marriage is marked by the Summer Solstice, Litha/MidSummer, the longest day of the year. Here the Sun God is at His peak of strength and He unites His life with the life of the Goddess, sharing Their marriage bed. From here the days become shorter as His nights are filled with Her.

At Lammas, or Lugnasadh, the Sun God becomes the Father of Abundance as the Goddess gives birth to the fruits of the earth. They celebrate, the earth and its inhabitants are fed and nourished. At the Autumn Equinox, Mabon, the Sun God sacrifices His life as the Harvest Lord, through providing life by means of the harvest. He travels to the Underworld and the Goddess follows in search of Her lost lover. At Samhain, the veil between the Underworld and the Otherworld is thin and They are reunited, She is impregnated again. In the darkness, the Goddess gives birth and the Sun God is born again at Yule and the Wheel turns again.

Lunar Goddess of the Wheel of the Year

We start in the Underworld, the place of darkness, at Samhain, which sometimes marks the beginning. Compared to the cauldron and the dark moon this is the place of creation/procreation. This is where the Goddess carries within Her new life. The Goddess of the Moon then gives birth to the Sun God at Yule, Winter Solstice, gifting the world with hope and the Child of Promise. The world celebrates with gift giving and lighting of candles and hearth fires.

The Goddess then makes Her way from the Underworld to the Otherworld, first moving through Her rite of passage at Imbolc. She is the Divine Light, wearing a crown of candles or the crescent moon, even in darkness. At the Spring Equinox, She rises from the Underworld into the Otherworld, as a Maiden, and brings with Her vitality, life, and renewal. She then becomes the Queen of May at Beltane, where the Sun God courts Her; They wed at the Summer Solstice. At Lammas, the Moon Goddess is pregnant and She gives birth; She is the Mother who gives life to all things.

At the Autumn Equinox the Goddess begins Her descent, following Her Sun God after His sacrificial death, into the Underworld. She seeks Her desire, the other light, Her other half, and at Samhain She finds Him, and takes into Herself again His seed of light. She becomes pregnant again and stays in the darkness until She gives birth to the Sun God at the Winter Solstice. This time giving birth to the spiritual, as She gave birth to the material at Lammas.

What We Can Learn from the Wheel of the Year

There is no myth within the Mystery Traditions in which the Goddess ever dies or perishes. She changes shape and transforms from one aspect to the next. The God who is born of the Goddess, then becomes Her husband and Lover, until His death, when He returns to Her, His life force being absorbed by Her before being born again, renewed. She is the ever changing constant force within the Divine, meeting with Him for creation and recycling.

Consider the Divine God as a pumpkin, which is born on the vine out of a seed, who can provide life and nourishment, but whose seed is returned to the earth to be reborn into a new vine. When we look at this cycle it is easy to understand the concept and belief in reincarnation; nothing can be destroyed, it can only change forms. This also is why we see the Goddess as Mother Earth but also the White Moon Goddess, She gives birth but also changes phases based on the ever constant Sun. There are many other myths regarding the Wheel of the Year depending on your path; explore these as well. What else can you learn and discover from the Wheel? What enlightenments have you had?