Pagan 101TimeWheel of the Year : Pagan 101TimeWheel of the Year
Slide 2 : Wheel of the year music
The Winter Queen by
Gwydion Pendderwen
Worlds Wedding By
Emerald Rose
Slide 3 : Overview
Time and the Year are important to us. We connect with the earth and the dogs thru the celebration the seasons and the moon times.
Recorded Talk by Hurne Silverthorne
Slide 4 : October 31 -- November Eve -- Samhain
Samhain means "summer"s end", for now nights lengthen, winter begins, and we work with the positive aspects of the dark tides. In the increasing starlight and moonlight, we hone our divinatory and psychic skills. Many Craft traditions, and the ancient Celts, consider this New Year"s Eve. It is the one night when the veil that separates our world from the next is at its thinnest, allowing the dead to return to the world of the living, to be welcomed and feasted by their kin. The Christian religion adopted this theme as "All Saints Day" or "All Hallows Day" (Nov. 1), celebrating the eve as "All Hallows Eve" or "Halloween". The alternative date of November 6 ("Martinmas" or "Old Hallows") is sometimes employed by Covens. SAMHAIN is also considered to start the reign of the GOD or the dark time of the Year when the Sun goes lower each day and begins to weaken.
Slide 5 : December 21 -- Winter Solstice -- Yule
the shortest day of the year. From this day forward the sun again begins to grow in strength and rise to new heights each day. It is a time of celebration and gift giving. At each of the Sabbats a number of Covens will meet and those that practice solitary may come to celebrate in the festivities. Families come together traditionally to these festivals. At Yule the celebration is in honor of the Sun being reborn and its start to warm the Earth and drive the Winter from the land. In the early days the LORD of the HUNT, or the HORNED GOD of the HUNT, was most important for survival in Winter since hunting was the means of survival practiced. The Horned God is in no way to be confused with the DEVIL. Wicca does not consider the Devil to be an entity but believes that all good and evil are contained in each individual and it is up to that individual to be as good or as bad as they deem. MAN is man, both good and bad. "Yule" means "wheel", for now the wheel of the year has reached a turning point, with the longest night of the year. This is the seed point of the solar year, midwinter, time of greatest darkness when we seek within ourselves to comprehend our true nature. In virtually all Pagan religions, this is the night the Great Mother Goddess gives birth to the baby Sun God, because from this day forward, the days begin to lengthen, light is waxing. The Christian religion adopted this theme as the birthday of Jesus, calling it "Christmas". The alternative fixed calendar date of December 25th (called "Old Yule" by some Covens) occurs because, before various calendar changes, that was the date of the solstice.
Slide 6 : January 31 -- February Eve -- Imbolc
Actually, this holiday is most usually celebrated beginning at sundown on February 1, continuing through the day of February 2. This date is approximately half way between YULE and Candlemas is considered in some traditions as SPRING. "Imbolc" means "in the belly (of the Mother)" because that is where seeds are beginning to stir. It is Spring. Another name for the holiday is "Oimelc", meaning "milk of ewes", since it is lambing season. It was especially sacred to the Celtic Fire Goddess, Brigit, patron of fire, smithcraft, healing (midwifery), and poetry. A Coven"s High Priestess may wear a crown of lights (candles) to symbolize the return of the Goddess to her Maiden aspect, just as the Sun God has reached puberty. Weather lore associated with this sabbat is retained by the folk holiday of "Groundhog"s Day". The Christian religion adopted a number of these themes, as follows. February 1 became "St. Brigit"s Day", and February 2 became "Candlemas", the day to make and bless candles for the liturgical year. The "Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary" adapts the Maiden Goddess theme. The alternative date of February 14 ( "Old Candlemas", Christianized as "Valentine's Day") is employed by some Covens. Candlemas is considered in some traditions as the marker point where the Mother Goddess, the Great Earth Mother marks the path for the Sun God to find her in the dark times. It is a time when the first rush of Spring may be felt in the air and the warmth of the Sun grows stronger.
Slide 7 : March 21 -- Vernal Equinox -- Lady Day
This is the festival of Spring and the return to the land of life after the dead of Winter. It is a celebration of the return of growth and green things to the land. If possible this festival is done outdoors so the feeling of being close to nature is attained. All around the feeling of Spring may prevail from the new grass beneath the feet to the sweet clean smell of the air. The joining of mankind with nature at this festival is easily accomplished with the land renewed all around us. As Spring reaches its midpoint, night and day stand in perfect balance, with light on the increase, a balance between the forces of nature and man and woman. The young Sun God now celebrates a hierogamy (sacred marriage) with the young Maiden Goddess, who conceives. In nine months, she will again become the Great Mother. It is a time of great fertility, new growth, and newborn animals. The next full moon (a time of increased births) is called the "Ostara" and is sacred to Eostre, Saxon lunar goddess of fertility (from whence we get the word "estrogen"), whose two symbols were the egg and the rabbit. The Christian religion adopted these emblems for "Easter", celebrated the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. The theme of the conception of the Goddess was adapted as the "Feast of the Annunciation", occurring on the alternative fixed calendar date of March 25 ("Old Lady Day"), the earlier date of the equinox. "Lady Day" may also refer to other goddesses (such as Venus and Aphrodite), many of whom has festivals celebrated at this time. The first day of Spring holds much in the way of folklore. It is also known as the Spring Equinox, Ostara, Eostre"s Day, Alban Eilir, the Vernal Equinox, or Festival of the Trees. It takes place between March 19 and 22. It marks the first day of true spring (verses the balmy weather that may proceed it.) It is a time of beginnings, of action, of planting seeds for future grains, and of tending gardens. On the first Sunday after the first full moon following Eostre"s Day (the name from which the Easter was derived), the Christian religion celebrates it"s Easter Day. Spring is a time of the Earth"s renewal, a rousing of nature after the cold sleep of winter. As such, it is an ideal time to clean your home to welcome the new season. Spring cleaning is more than physical work. Some cultures see it as a concentrated effort on their part to rid themselves of problems and negativity of the past months and tho prepare themselves for the coming spring and summer.
Slide 8 : To do this, they approach the task of cleaning their homes with positive thoughts. They believe that this frees the homes of the hard feelings brought about by a harsh winter. Even then, they have guidelines that they follow such as any scrubbing of stains or hand rubbing the floors should be done in a "clockwise" motion. It is their belief that this aids in filling the home with good energy for growth.
To the Druidic faith, this is a sacred day occurring in the month of Fearn (meaning, "I am the shining tear of the Sun"). Part of their practices are to clean and rededicate outdoor shrines, believing that in doing so they honor the spring maiden. This is a time of fertility of both crops and families. In promoting crops, they believe that the use of fire and water (the sun and rain) will reanimate all life on Earth. They decorate hard-boiled eggs, the symbol of rebirth, to eat during their rites, and such foods as honey cakes and milk punch can also be found. The mothers and daughters give dinners for each other and give cards and gifts as a way of merging with the natural flow of life and with each other. (The Druids consider this also as Mother"s Day.) In Greek mythology, spring was the time when Persephone returned from the underworld (where the seed was planted in the barren winter months) and thus represents the seedlings of the spring. Demeter, Persephone"s mother represents the fertile earth and the ripened grain of harvest since it is alleged that she is the one that created the need to harvest crops when her daughter was kidnapped and taken to the underworld. It was through an arrangement that her daughter could return for 1/2 the year that Demeter allowed the crops to spring forth for that time until she again went into mourning for her daughter in the fall. In some cultures, even today, the ones that continue to celebrate the rites of spring rise on Easter morning to watch the sun "Dance" as it rises. The Christian festival commemorating the resurrection of Christ, synchronized with the Jewish Pesach, and blended since the earliest days of Christianity with pagan European rites for the renewed season. In all countries Easter falls on the Sunday after the first full moon on or following March 21. It is preceded by a period of riotous vegetation rites and by a period of abstinence, Lent (in Spain Cuaresma, Germany Lenz, central Italy, Quaresima) and by special rites of Holy Week. Everywhere Easter Sunday is welcomed with rejoicing, singing, candle processionals, flowers in abundance, and ringing of church bells. Many pagan customs survive, such as the lighting of new fires at dawn, among the Maya as well as in Europe, for cure, renewed life, and protection of the crops.
Slide 9 : April 30 -- May Eve -- Beltaine
This is one of the old fire festival at which BALEFIRES would be started across the country with a new fire that had been started by the Priests and hearths would be rekindled with the fresh flame. In some quarters stock would be driven between two fires , one to each side to purify the animals(not to mention get rid of pests they might be carrying). It is also considered as the coming together of the God and Goddess in fruitful union to add new life to the crops and hasten their growth. "Beltane" means "fire of Bel", Belinos being one name for the Sun God, whose coronation feast we now celebrate. As summer begins, weather becomes warmer, and the plant world blossoms, an exuberant mood prevails. It is a time of unabashed sexuality and promiscuity. Young people spend the entire night in the woods "a-maying", and dance around the phallic Maypole the next morning. Older married couples may remove their wedding rings (and the restrictions they imply) for this one night. May morning is a magical time for "wild" water (dew, flowing streams, and springs) which is collected and used to bathe in for beauty, or to drink for health. The Christian religion had only a poor substitute for the life-affirming Maypole - namely, the death-affirming cross. Hence, in the Christian calendar, this was celebrated as "Roodmas". In Germany, it was the feast of Saint Walpurga, or "Walpurgisnacht". An alternative date around May 5 (Old Beltaine), when the sun reaches 15 degrees Taurus, is sometimes employed by Covens. (Both "Lady Day" and "Ostara" are names incorrectly assigned to this holiday by some modern traditions of Wicca.) The first day of May: observed as a spring festival everywhere in Europe, the United States, and Canada, and as a labor festival in certain European countries. Rites such as the ever famous May Pole occur in the town squares or in the family"s front yard. The gathering of green branches and flowers on May Eve is the symbolic act of bringing home the May, i.e. bringing new life, the spring, into the village. The May Queen (and often King) is chosen from among the young people, and they go singing from door to door throughout the town carrying flowers or the May tree, soliciting donations for a merrymaking in return for the "blessing of May". June 21 -- Summer Solstice -- Litha
This is the longest day of the year and marks the high point reached by the Sun on its yearly journey. It is the height of Summer and the fields are green with the new crops. Life abounds all around us and in every living thing is the feeling of oneness with nature. It is easy to stand in a woods or a field and feel the Earth around you while the Sun shines on your face. To hear the birds in song or to watch the animals teaching their spring born young what they must learn to survive winter is a beautiful feeling of oneness with all beings. Although the name "Litha" is not well attested, it may come from Saxon tradition - the opposite of "Yule". At midsummer, the Sun God has reached the moment of his greatest strength. Seated on his greenwood throne, he is also lord of the forests, and his face is seen in church architecture peering from countless foliate masks. The Christian religion converted this day of Jack-in-the-Green to the Feast of St. John the Baptist, often portraying him in rustic attire, sometimes with horns and cloven feet (like the Greek god Pan)! Midsummer Night"s Eve is also special for adherents of the Faerie faith. The alternative fixed calendar date of June 25 (Old Litha) is sometimes employed by Covens. (The name "Beltaine" is sometimes incorrectly assigned to this holiday by some modern traditions of Wicca, even though "Beltaine" is the Gaelic word for "May".)
Slide 10 : This is symbolic of bestowing and sharing of the new creative power that is stirring in the world. As the kids go from door to door, the May Bride often sings to the effect that those who give will get of nature"s bounty through the year. In some rituals, a King and Queen May symbolize the male and female principles of productivity. In parts of France, some jilted youth will lie in a field on May Day and pretend to sleep. If any village girl is willing to marry him, she goes and wakes him with a kiss; the pair then go to the village inn together and lead the dance which announces their engagement. The boy is called "the betrothed of May." This festival is also known as Beltane, the Celtic May Day. It officially begins at moonrise on May Day Eve, and marks the beginning of the third quarter or second half of the ancient Celtic year. It is celebrated as an early pastoral festival accompanying the first turning of the herds out to wild pasture. The rituals were held to promote fertility. The cattle were driven between the Belfires to protect them from ills. Contact with the fire was interpreted as symbolic contact with the sun. The rowan branch is hung over the house fire on May Day to preserve the fire itself from bewitchment (the house fire being symbolic of the luck of the house.
In early Celtic times, the druids kindled the Beltane fires with specific incantations. Later the Christian church took over the Beltane observances, a service was held in the church, followed by a procession to the fields or hills, where the priest kindled the fire.
Slide 11 : June 21 -- Summer Solstice – Litha
This is the longest day of the year and marks the high point reached by the Sun on its yearly journey. It is the height of Summer and the fields are green with the new crops. Life abounds all around us and in every living thing is the feeling of oneness with nature. It is easy to stand in a woods or a field and feel the Earth around you while the Sun shines on your face. To hear the birds in song or to watch the animals teaching their spring born young what they must learn to survive winter is a beautiful feeling of oneness with all beings. Although the name "Litha" is not well attested, it may come from Saxon tradition - the opposite of "Yule". At midsummer, the Sun God has reached the moment of his greatest strength. Seated on his greenwood throne, he is also lord of the forests, and his face is seen in church architecture peering from countless foliate masks. The Christian religion converted this day of Jack-in-the-Green to the Feast of St. John the Baptist, often portraying him in rustic attire, sometimes with horns and cloven feet (like the Greek god Pan)! Midsummer Night"s Eve is also special for adherents of the Faerie faith. The alternative fixed calendar date of June 25 (Old Litha) is sometimes employed by Covens. (The name "Beltaine" is sometimes incorrectly assigned to this holiday by some modern traditions of Wicca, even though "Beltaine" is the Gaelic word for "May".)
Slide 12 : July 31 -- August Eve -- Lughnassad -- Lammas
This is the festival of that which is the first harvest. The early crops are being brought in and stored for winter while the abundance of nature is all around. The corn stands high in the fields and the days are warm and luxurious. Lammas is the time of sharing the first harvest and breads that are made from the early grains. It is a festival where sharing between all present of the harvest and its bounty forms a closeness or bond. It is a time of thankfulness to the God and Goddess for their help in the creation of a full harvest for the winter that lies ahead."Lughnassad" means "the funeral games of Lugh", referring to Lugh, the Irish sun god. However, the funeral is not his own, but the funeral games he hosts in honor of his foster-mother Tailte. For that reason, the traditional Tailtean craft fairs and Tailtean marriages (which last for a year and a day) are celebrated at this time. As autumn begins, the Sun God enters his old age, but is not yet dead. The Christian religion adopted this theme and called it "Lammas", meaning "loaf- mass", a time when newly baked loaves of bread are placed on the altar. An alternative date around August 5 (Old Lammas), when the sun reaches 15 degrees Leo, is sometimes employed by Covens
Slide 13 : September 21 -- Autumnal Equinox -- Harvest Home
FALL EQUINOX is the exact opposite of March 21st. Both of these are times of equal night and equal day. Fall Equinox is a reminder that the Sun will now start to grow shorter each day from this point on until again at YULE the longest time of darkness will come again. This is again a time of equalness between the God and Goddess, the God represented by the Sun, the Goddess by the Moon. Each representing half of one whole that is fulfilled by their joining as one. Fruitfulness of the land being the end result of their mutualness, the bounty of the harvest will be brought in and stored against winter, and the dark times. From here the next festival is again SAMHAIN and the start of a NEW YEAR. In many mythologies, this is the day the Sun God, the God of Light, is killed by his rival and dark twin, the God of Darkness - who was born at Midsummer, reached puberty at Lammas, and lives a mirror-image life of the Sun God. (The Holly King and the Oak King) From this mid-Autumn day forward, darkness will be greater than light, just as night becomes longer than day. So it is a festival of sacrifice, including that of the Sun God in his aspect of Spirit of the Fields, John Barleycorn -- for this is the final grain harvest. The Christian religion adopted it as "Michaelmas", celebrated on the alternative date September 25, the old equinox date (Old Harvest Home). (The Welsh word "Mabon", meaning "son", is used by some Witches for the name of this holiday, although such usage is recent and not attested historically.)
Slide 14 : Moon Times
New Moon
Waxing Moon
Full Moon
Waning Moon
Slide 15 :