Suggested Celebration Planning: Observe the exact date, or wait until the following weekend Sept. 23-25. Could be combined with Dark Moon rites on Sunday. Suggested Celebration Planning: Observe the Wednesday night before after moon enters Aquarius at 2:45 pm until exact opposition at 9:36 pm the next day. Hume, Lynne (1997). Witchcraft and Paganism in Australia. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. ISBN 9780522847826. August 6 – Kourotrophis. Tradition is to perform rituals evoking Artemis and Hekate to protect children. Read more, including a ritual of blessing and protection, here. At Beltane, we open to the God & Goddess of Youth. However old we are, Spring makes us feel young again, and at Beltane we jump over the fires of vitality and youth and allow that vitality to enliven and heal us. When young we might use this time as an opportunity to connect to our sensuality in a positive creative way, and when older the mating that we seek might well be one of the feminine and masculine sides of our nature. Integration of the animus and anima or of the male and female aspects of the Self has long been seen as one of the prime goals of spiritual and psychotherapeutic work, and Beltane represents the time when we can open to this work fully – allowing the natural union of polarities that occurs in nature at this time the opportunity to help us in our work – a work that is essentially alchemical.

Mabon or the fall equinox is the second harvest festival. Traditionally, it’s when fruits and vegetables are harvested, when autumn begins, and when Wiccans believe the Goddess moves from Mother to Crone. It’s a time to give thanks for all that has been provided. Spend this day honoring your ancestors that watch over you from the afterlife. On this day the veil between worlds is thin so it’s a wonderful time to invite your deceased loved ones into your presence. Set a place for them at the table and serve them food to call them forward. You can also arrange an altar with images and tokens of their life to invoke their spirit. Samhain is the last seasonal celebration of the harvest season before the darkest times of the year set in, so light a candle to add light and warmth to your hearth and home. Dine on the last of the harvest produce to celebrate the abundance from nature, such as pumpkins, gourds, squash, and root vegetables. Release burdens and un-serving attachments by hosting a bonfire and burning pieces of paper inscribed with the things you are letting go.Ritual Function: Balance elemental water energy, and shadow work for the virtues and vices of Pisces. September 3-9 – Eleusinian Mysteries. An ancient festival honoring Persephone and Demeter. Note that Persephone means The Destroyer and her spring/summer incarnation as The Kore referred to her youthful side. She was the Wheel of Time personified, birthed by Demeter. Read about the traditional festival here. What is trying to come through you? What wisdom is stirring and rising from your womb? Yule (Winter Solstice) – 20th-23rd December Explore the necessity of baneful witchcraft in this article. The Night Queen (October 17 – November 15)

With the arrival of the longest day, the archetype of June is The Bright One. All is illuminated, everything is growing and there is much work to be done, especially if you grow your own crops or wild harvest. This archetype reaches her zenith on the Summer Solstice. Key Events The rest of this lunar month will be covered in the 2021 Witches’ Wheel of the Year guide. Key Events The phrase 'Wheel of the Year' was in use by the mid-1960s to describe this yearly cycle of eight holidays. [8] Prominent Wiccan Aidan Kelly gave names to the Wiccan summer solstice (Litha) and equinox holidays (Ostara and Mabon) in 1974, which were then promoted by Timothy Zell through his Green Egg magazine. [9] Popularization of these names happened gradually; in her 1978 book Witchcraft For Tomorrow, influential Wiccan author Doreen Valiente did not use Kelly's holiday names, instead simply identifying the solstices and equinoxes ("Lesser Sabbats") by their seasons. [10] Valiente identified the four "Greater Sabbats", or fire festivals, by the names Candlemas, May Eve, Lammas, and Hallowe'en, though she also identified their Gaelic counterparts Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasa, and Samhain. [11] Suggested Celebration Timing: Observe the Sunday night before, May 29, after the moon enters Gemini at 1:23 pm, until 7:30 am the next morning with conjunction. The ancient pagan peoples of Europe differed in the festivals they celebrated. In the British Isles, the Anglo-Saxons primarily celebrated the four solstices and equinoxes, while Insular Celtic peoples primarily celebrated the four midpoints between these. [4] [ need quotation to verify] The four Celtic festivals were known to the Gaels as Beltane (1 May), Lughnasadh (1 August), Samhain (1 November) and Imbolc (1 February).

2022 Astrological Ritual Calendar for Esbats and Sabbats

And so the circle completes itself as we come again to the time of Samhuinn – the time of death and of rebirth. a b Harvey, Graham (1994). "The Roots of Pagan Ecology". Journal of Contemporary Religion. 9 (3): 38–41. doi: 10.1080/13537909408580720. Suggested Celebration Timing: Observe early that day between 2:36 am when the moon enters Leo until exact conjunction at 1:55 pm.

Litha is also known as the Midsummer. The sun is at his most powerful, and the heat of Summer still lies ahead of us. But from now on, he will leave the sky a little earlier each day between now and Yule. Crops are in full growth and are close to maturity as we edge near the first harvest. Suggested Celebration Timing: Observe the night before on January 16, 2022 or the exact date until 6:48 pm.Ritual Function: Balance elemental fire energy, and shadow work for the virtues and vices of Aries. Selbie, John A. (1914). "Gifts (Greek and Roman)". In Hastings, James (ed.). Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics, Volume 6. New York; Edinburgh: Charles Scribner's Sons; T. & T. Clark. p.212. Smith, Bonnie G. (2004). Women's History in Global Perspective. University of Illinois Press. p.66. ISBN 978-0-252-02931-8 . Retrieved 14 December 2015. The pre-Christian observance obviously influenced the Christian celebration of All Hallows' Eve, just as the Taoist festival affected the newer Buddhist Ullambana festival. Although the Christian version of All Saints' and All Souls' Days came to emphasize prayers for the dead, visits to graves, and the role of the living assuring the safe passage to heaven of their departed loved ones, older notions never disappeared. At mid-summer the expanding outer cycle of the year reaches the longest day and the shortest night - the summer solstice. All of life is pulsing with outer growth and manifest energy. All beings are out in the world, celebrating their own identity and uniqueness. It is the high point of the year and the apex of the sun’s strength. Yet, just like the winter solstice, Litha is a dual celebration. The return of the darkness is underway because each day going forward decreases in light. Nature will gradually withdraw from the outer world. From Litha until Yule is a time to explore the inner realms once again and begin seeking rest and renewal. This is a good time to form strong roots to anchor and nurture ideas, inner wisdom, and visions. I encourage you to make your own choices, too. Ones that truly serve you and align with the woman you’re becoming. Imbolc (Candlemas) – 1st feb

July 20 – New Moon in Cancer (2nd one). Double dipping in the spirit of the crab in 2020. Perform a World Soul Sunrise Ritual to connect with the Anima Mundi within you. Go Deeper Ritual Function: Balance elemental earth energy, and shadow work for the virtues and vices of Virgo. Suggested Celebration Planning: Observe anytime the Monday before, November 7 (also exact Samhain) after the moon enters Taurus at 12:15 am until exact opposition with the Lunar Eclipse at 6:02 am Tuesday morning. As the darkness prevails and the veil grows thin, the witch is called to walk on the Other Side and to heal within. The Guardian shines the way with her pale torchlight in the distance, leaving room for us to follow of our own free will. Key EventsThis is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the past year. What are you celebrating? What have you learned? And how have you grown? The Spring Equinox, Alban Eilir, located in the East, represents the time of Reception – Reception of Wisdom, as we face the dawn rays of the rising sun on the first morning of Spring. The East has always been associated with Wisdom and Enlightenment, because it is from the East that the sun rises. And it is on the Spring Equinox that it rises due East. At this time we can open ourselves to wisdom and the powers that can bring clarity to us. Practices vary, but sacrifice offerings, feasting, and gift giving are common elements of Midwinter festivities. Bringing sprigs and wreaths of evergreenery (such as holly, ivy, mistletoe, yew, and pine) into the home and tree decorating are also common during this time. [16] [18] [19]