The Wiccan Wheel of the Year
Step Two - The Green Witches Coven Creed
Step Two - The Wiccan Wheel of the Year
This is the Step Two Lesson from the Green Witches Coven, on the Wiccan Wheel of the Year.
It follows on from Step One - The Witches Creed.
Witches name the seasonal cycle the Wheel of the Year. Witches celebrate a cycle of eight festivals, which occur every six or seven weeks throughout the year and divide the wheel into eight segments. Each of these festivals is named Sabbat.
Tap the button below to jump to the Quiz to test your Knowledge of the Wiccan Wheel of the Year. (You can do this before you start and/or after.)
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Understanding the Wheel of the Year
The Rhythm of Nature and The Four Sabbat Festivals
The Wheel of the Year consists of eight Sabbats that mark significant times in the natural and agricultural cycles. These include four Celtic festivals—Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain—celebrated under their traditional names and their Christianized forms: Candlemas, May Day, Lammas, and Halloween. Additionally, four solar events—Spring and Autumnal Equinoxes, and Summer and Winter Solstices—highlight crucial shifts in day and night duration.
Historical Significance and Modern Implications
These festivals not only honored ancient deities but also celebrated the vital transitions of nature—birth, death, and rebirth. Ancient peoples recognized these events as essential for survival, dependent on divine influence. Today, they offer a moment to step away from the frantic pace of modern life, reconnect with natural rhythms, and find balance through reflection and celebration.
Relevance to Modern Day Practitioners
For those practicing witchcraft, particularly Green Witches, these times provide powerful opportunities to engage with the energies of the earth. Observing these Sabbats helps maintain a connection to the traditional agricultural year, with each season prompting specific reflections and activities that align with natural and personal growth cycles.
Connecting Through Seasonal Observances
Whether it's embracing the renewal of Spring, the abundance of Autumn, or the introspective quiet of Winter, each Sabbat offers a chance to reflect on life's perpetual cycles. This connection is vital in a world where technology often distances us from natural patterns, allowing practitioners to live in harmony with the earth's rhythms.
Embracing the Sabbats
The Wheel of the Year provides a framework for aligning with the cyclical nature of the environment, offering a structured approach to spirituality that enhances the witch’s journey. By celebrating these Sabbats, practitioners can foster a deeper connection with the natural world and their spiritual path.
The Wiccan Wheel of the Year
Samhain
Samhain, which is pronounced “sow-in” heralds the beginning of the year and is the first spoke on the Wheel of the Year. More commonly known as Halloween, this Sabbat is held on the 31st October each year. It marks the beginning of the dark period of the year which will gradually give birth to a new sun and new life.
Samhain has been celebrated since ancient times and has its origins in Pagan Celtic traditions. Traditionally it was believed that the barrier between the living world and that of the dead was lifted during this special time. Because of this it is a time of remembrance, honouring ancestors, thinking about the past and looking forward to the future.
Traditionally Samhain saw bidding farewell to the Sun God as he faded away into the darkness. This absence was only temporary, though, as he is born once again to the Goddess at Yule. At Samhain the Goddess takes her role as older wise woman known as her Crone aspect.
The Christians adopted this ancient festival and celebrated it as All Hallows' Eve, later shortened to Halloween. In the Christian calendar All Hallows' Eve is followed consecutively by All Saints Day and All Souls Day thus still retains its connection to the dead.
The Wiccan Wheel of the Year
Yule
The Winter Solstice or Yule is a celebration of the shortest day and longest night and begins the Yuletide festivities on or around 21st December. Traditionally Yule was celebrated as a welcome return of the Sun God who had been given life by the Goddess. As the Goddess tends her newborn son, she takes a rest, in order to prepare for the change and growth of the coming seasons. This is a time to rejoice, and to look forward to lighter, brighter days.
The Christians celebrate this time of year as Christmas and claim it as the birth of Jesus.
Yule is the longest night of the year, marking the time when the days begin to grow longer and the hours of darkness decrease. Love, family togetherness, and accomplishments of the past year are also celebrated at this time.
The Wiccan Wheel of the Year
Imbolc
Imbolc is celebrated on 1st February. It was Christianized to become Candlemas. Often this festival is named the Feast of Lights and candles are lit in homes. It marks the first signs of spring and new life after the cold dark winter.
Imbolc means 'in the belly' and symbolises the growing of life in the womb of Mother Earth. On this day the Celtic goddess Brigid is celebrated. In the Christian church it is St. Brigid’s Day – a Christianised version of the Pagan goddess.
Traditionally this day marked the recovery of the Goddess after giving birth to the new Sun God. He grows steadily into a young boy by this time and brings the lengthening days of sunlight. His power however is unpredictable because of his youthfulness bringing warm sunshine one day, the next, grey skies. The Goddess begins to manifest her Maiden aspect, as the earth is fertile and creative at this time and ready to give birth to new things.
The Wiccan Wheel of the Year
Ostara
Ostara is also known as the Spring Equinox. On this day both day and night are equal. Ostara falls on or around 21st March and marks the beginning of spring. This festival has been Christianized to Easter.
At Ostara it is the time when the maiden aspect of the Goddess embraces spring and begins to cover the Earth with fertility, budding trees, colourful wildflowers and the freshness of spring. This is the time when the Goddess, joyful in the youthfulness and lust of a Maiden sees the strengthening adolescent Sun God in a very new light. The God grows in maturity, his strength on the verge of conquering the darkness.
The Ostara Sabbat is a celebration of the return of spring when night and day, light and dark, the Sun and the Moon, male and female are equal. It is a time of balance, when all the elements within us must be brought into a new harmony. It is a time of year to make a commitment or recommitment to your spiritual growth. It is a time to look ahead in hope and joy for what is to come. It is a time for cleaning and purification.
The Wiccan Wheel of the Year
Beltane
Beltane or May Day is an ancient fertility festival celebrated on May 1st. The traditional lighting of bonfires and dancing around the Maypole celebrates the fertility of the earth. Beltane is traditionally is a time of great merriment, a celebration of the joy of life reborn. The celebration of life and love and the weaving of all things together in the dance of the maypole are of course symbolic of the burgeoning life and fertility of spring. Traditionally many couples choose this day to marry.
Traditionally at Beltane the God is now fully grown and is aroused by the Maiden with her fertility all-encompassing. Their union creates the new Sun God-to-be and many couples choose this day to marry or to be hand fasted. In some Pagan traditions hand fasting is the union (similar to marriage) of a male and female. The couple’s hands are fastened together with a rope or ribbon and this is where the saying ‘tying the knot’ originates.
Beltane or May Day is an ancient fertility festival celebrated on May 1st. The traditional lighting of bonfires and dancing around the Maypole celebrates the fertility of the earth. Beltane is traditionally is a time of great merriment, a celebration of the joy of life reborn. The celebration of life and love and the weaving of all things together in the dance of the maypole are of course symbolic of the burgeoning life and fertility of spring. Traditionally many couples choose this day to marry.
Traditionally at Beltane the God is now fully grown and is aroused by the Maiden with her fertility all-encompassing. Their union creates the new Sun God-to-be and many couples choose this day to marry or to be hand fasted. In some Pagan traditions hand fasting is the union (similar to marriage) of a male and female. The couple’s hands are fastened together with a rope or ribbon and this is where the saying ‘tying the knot’ originates.
The Wiccan Wheel of the Year
Litha
Litha also known as Midsummer and the Summer Solstice is celebrated on or around 21st June. The Summer Solstice marks the shortest night of the year and the longest day. The power of the sun is at its zenith now, as is the God’s. Both God and Goddess now mature in their deepening love; celebrate the fertility of the earth despite the knowledge that from this point on, his power will begin to wane.
The Wiccan Wheel of the Year
Lammas
Lammas or Lughnassadh (pronounced loo-nus-oo) is celebrated on 1st August. Lammas is the first of the harvest festivals, it also marks the waning strength of the God as the nights grow longer and the days become shorter. The Goddess, now fully evolved in her Mother aspect, looks on sorrowfully at the God’s demise but finds comfort and strength in the realisation she carries the seed of the new year's Sun God within her. Lammas is a time of thanksgiving and counting our blessings.
The Wiccan Wheel of the Year
Mabon
Mabon is also known as the Autumn Equinox. Mabon falls on or around September 21st. This day marks the final harvest of the crops before winter. Mabon is once again a time of balance when days and nights are equal. Nature readies itself for the cold winter dark as the Sun God wanes in his powers.
The themes then of Mabon are the completion of the harvest, the balance of light and dark, and of male and female. The Wheel of the Year turns once again towards Samhain getting ready for the depth of winter and the start of a new turning of the Wheel.
Mabon is also known as the Autumn Equinox. Mabon falls on or around September 21st. This day marks the final harvest of the crops before winter. Mabon is once again a time of balance when days and nights are equal. Nature readies itself for the cold winter dark as the Sun God wanes in his powers. The themes then of Mabon are the completion of the harvest, the balance of light and dark, and of male and female. The Wheel of the Year turns once again towards Samhain getting ready for the depth of winter and the start of a new turning of the Wheel.
Completing Step Two
- Go to a park, forest or other place where you can collect items that can represent the current season, for example leaves, wildflowers, pine cones etc. Place these items on a special place, shrine or your altar if you have one.
- Make notes in your Magical Journal of how you felt about your outdoor trip. What did you smell, touch, hear, see and taste while out walking? Be aware of where you and nature are on the wheel of the year.
- Consider having a Coven Spell Cast (see below). This will deepen your connection with the craft and enhance your understanding of each lesson, supporting your magical growth and integration into our community.
- Take The Quiz to test your knowledge and see how far you have come in understanding the Wiccan Wheel of the Year.
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The Wiccan Wheel of the Year Quiz (Answers at the End)
- What
is the term used by Witches to name the seasonal cycle?
A) Circle of Life
B) Wheel of the Year
C) Seasonal Spiral
D) Nature's Cycle - Which
festival marks the beginning of the year on the Wheel of the Year?
A) Beltane
B) Imbolc
C) Samhain
D) Ostara - Which
festival is known as the Spring Equinox?
A) Beltane
B) Imbolc
C) Ostara
D) Litha - Which
festival celebrates the longest night of the year?
A) Imbolc
B) Yule
C) Litha
D) Mabon - Which
festival is a celebration of fertility and often includes dancing around a
Maypole?
A) Beltane
B) Lammas
C) Ostara
D) Mabon - Which
festival marks the final harvest of the crops before winter?
A) Mabon
B) Litha
C) Yule
D) Imbolc - Which
festival is celebrated on May 1st?
A) Litha
B) Beltane
C) Ostara
D) Samhain - Which
festival is known as the Summer Solstice?
A) Lammas
B) Beltane
C) Litha
D) Mabon - Which
festival is celebrated on or around September 21st?
A) Mabon
B) Imbolc
C) Yule
D) Ostara - Which
festival is pronounced as "sow-in" and is commonly known as
Halloween?
A) Yule
B) Samhain
C) Imbolc
D) Beltane
Answer Guide:
- B) Wheel of the Year - Witches name the seasonal cycle the Wheel of the Year.
- C) Samhain - Marks the beginning of the year on the Wheel of the Year.
- C) Ostara - Known as the Spring Equinox.
- B) Yule - Celebrates the longest night of the year.
- A) Beltane - Celebrates fertility and includes dancing around a Maypole.
- A) Mabon - Marks the final harvest of the crops before winter.
- B) Beltane - Celebrated on May 1st.
- C) Litha - Known as the Summer Solstice.
- A) Mabon - Celebrated on or around September 21st.
- B) Samhain - Pronounced as "sow-in" and commonly known as Halloween.
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