The Wheel of the year
The Wheel of the Year is a spiritual calendar that underscores the cycle of the seasons. It details a web of holidays, or sabbats, that celebrate natural rhythms. By honoring this calendar, we can reflect on how the world around us changes, and we can think deeply about the same changes in ourselves.
Living in harmony with the Wheel of the Year can uplift our spiritual practice and ground us in the cycles of the natural world. It's a trip filled with joy, introspection, and interpersonal connections that enhances our lives and provides us with profoundly beautiful and thought-provoking moments. Celebrating the Wheel of the Year invites a deeper, more meaningful life experience characterized by a rhythm that nourishes the spirit and develops a deep appreciation for the wonder of every moment that passes. Let us stroll along this age-old route, discovering happiness and knowledge while commemorating the cycle of the year.
The Wheel of the Year begins its cycle at Yule, during the winter solstice, with rebirth and the return of the sun—a beacon of hope in the depth of winter’s embrace.
The Wheel turns to Midsummer, or Litha, at the summer solstice, when light triumphs and the days are longest.
The Wheel turns to Imbolc, a time of cleansing and renewal, as the first hints of spring whisper through the melting snow.
As the Wheel continues to turn, Lammas marks the start of the harvest, a time of giving thanks and recognizing the yield of our efforts.
As the earth warms, Ostara celebrates the equinox, when day and night stand in perfect balance and the fertile earth reawakens fully.
Mabon, the autumnal equinox, brings balance once again, as day and night equalize, inviting us to reflect on harmony and thankfulness.
The fires of Beltane then ignite the beginning of summer with a festival of passion and promise.
Finally, the wheel comes to Samhain, the end and the beginning of the witches’ new year, where the veil between worlds is thinnest—a time to remember the past and look to the future with wisdom.