The Sabbats
The image above is what those of us on the "Pagan Path" call The Wheel of the Year. It's pretty simple really. We celebrate the seasonal changes of Nature, and we refer to each of these changes as a Sabbat. Mother Nature herself tells us the story of Birth, Growth, Decline, Death and...re-Birth with each of the passing seasons. All you have to do to witness this is look outside at the trees and plants and watch Mother Nature do her thing!
The Wheel starts on October 31st, "Samhain" (pronounced Sow, like a female pig, and en...sow-en) Halloween, right? Wrong!! Although I do love Halloween as well. Ghosts, Goblins, Pirates, Trick-or-Treating, Haunted Houses and...what?? You got it...WITCHES!! Yes, this is all fun and I love dressing up and joining in in all the festivities. But this is not Samhain. No.
Samhain is the last harvest. (more to come)
So Sabbat number One is Samhain!!
*Next Sabbat please.....
"Yule", the second of our 8 Sabbats! Like Christians, who on December 25th, celebrate the birth of Christ, on Yule (Dec 21st) we celebrate the birth of the Sun God, child of the Goddess! Although many see Winter as a sign of death...trees are bare limbed, flowers are all withered, and the farmlands are now just neatly plowed (not planted)...we see it as a celebration of re-birth. The Winter Solstice may be the shortest day and longest night of the year, but it is also the turning point of the year. The days slowly become longer and longer as the light of the Sun becomes stronger and brighter.
Many Pagan homes are decorated during Yule with what? Why, Yule trees of course!! Funny how they look just like a Christmas tree with all their lights and cute little ornaments hanging all over them! I could say that Pagans only use all natural things like..real trees, holly sprigs, pinecones, ect..ect...but that would be a fib. One of my Christian friends is a Tree Hugger (and a vegetarian..not that has anything to do with Yule or Christmas) and she puts up her cute little fake tree every year and decorates with strung popcorn, feathers, shells and pinecones (which she then puts peanut butter and birdseed on when the tree comes down to give to the birds)!!
On February 2nd we celebrate Sabbat number Three with "Imbloc". If you look around you might find some of those Spring bulbs you planted in the fall trying to poke their little heads up out of the Earth right about now. Or possibly the farmer down the road is busy tending to all the new furbabies that have just been born...as does the Goddess nurture Her young Son/Sun. This is a sign that Spring is just around the corner. Time to plant the seeds of our hopes and dreams for the coming summer months!
Our Fourth Sabbat is "Ostara". The Spring Equinox!! It is also when Christians celebrate Easter, and our Jewish community celebrate passover. We celebrate the balance between light and dark, renewal and rebirth. Did you know that the colouring and giving of eggs at "Easter" <clears throat> is actually a very Pagany <----is that spelled "y" or "ie"?? Doesn't really matter. It has very Pagan associations. After all, an egg is clearly a symbol of fertility...is it not? Seriously folks, can anyone please explain to me how Easter baskets, Chocolate Bunnies, and real live furry bunnies have anything to do with the Christian Easter holiday? (I do love however to bite the heads off the Chocolate bunnies and then make them jump up and down and yell....Off with her Head!!!).
On to our Fifth Sabbat...."Beltane". MAY DAY..MAY DAY...Don't panic! Beltane falls on the first of May *wink*. Some celebrate on the eve before. This is one of my favorite Sabbats. The smell of Spring is definitely in the air but still chilly enough for bonfires in which we take pleasure in jumping over for good luck! And then there is the Maypole that has been "erected" (pun intended) with strings of ribbon. We then gather in a group around the pole for the ribbon dance in which two circles interweave the ribbons round and round and round the pole we go! Whew...I'm dizzy. Welcome Spring!
The Sixth Sabbat is "Litha" or "Summer Solstice". I love summer. This Sabbat is celebrated between the 20th and 23rd of June depending on the Earth's rotation around the Sun. The hours of daylight are longer and the Sun is at the highest point before He (the Sun) begins to slide into the darkness (Fall and then Winter). We plant our flowers, our crops, our trees, and sit back and watch as Mother Nature does Her thing! (of course we do have to water every now and then). My birthday is in June...perhaps that gives to the energy of my love for the Summer Solstice!
(Hold tight...only three more to go!)
On the Seventh Sabbat we celebrate Lammas, which is also referred to as "Lughnasadh" but that is a mouthful and hard to spell!! August 1st, this is the time that we can sit back for a minute and bask in all the beauty of our Spring and Summer garden labors. The crops are almost ready for harvest. Some are all ready ready! Nothing like plucking that first Grape, Cherry Tomato, or biting into that bright Red Strawberry. So we celebrate reaping that which we have sown.
And, last but not least....
Our Eighth Sabbat is Mabon (Sept 21 - 23 time frame). Quite simply...a time to give Thanks. Our Thanksgiving. The crops have been harvested and now sit plentiful on our tables and stored away for later use. This is the time of balance between Light and Dark. We leave the warm days of Summer behind and head into chill of Winter. It is time to finish old business. A time for rest, relaxation and reflection.
The Wheel starts on October 31st, "Samhain" (pronounced Sow, like a female pig, and en...sow-en) Halloween, right? Wrong!! Although I do love Halloween as well. Ghosts, Goblins, Pirates, Trick-or-Treating, Haunted Houses and...what?? You got it...WITCHES!! Yes, this is all fun and I love dressing up and joining in in all the festivities. But this is not Samhain. No.
Samhain is the last harvest. (more to come)
So Sabbat number One is Samhain!!
*Next Sabbat please.....
"Yule", the second of our 8 Sabbats! Like Christians, who on December 25th, celebrate the birth of Christ, on Yule (Dec 21st) we celebrate the birth of the Sun God, child of the Goddess! Although many see Winter as a sign of death...trees are bare limbed, flowers are all withered, and the farmlands are now just neatly plowed (not planted)...we see it as a celebration of re-birth. The Winter Solstice may be the shortest day and longest night of the year, but it is also the turning point of the year. The days slowly become longer and longer as the light of the Sun becomes stronger and brighter.
Many Pagan homes are decorated during Yule with what? Why, Yule trees of course!! Funny how they look just like a Christmas tree with all their lights and cute little ornaments hanging all over them! I could say that Pagans only use all natural things like..real trees, holly sprigs, pinecones, ect..ect...but that would be a fib. One of my Christian friends is a Tree Hugger (and a vegetarian..not that has anything to do with Yule or Christmas) and she puts up her cute little fake tree every year and decorates with strung popcorn, feathers, shells and pinecones (which she then puts peanut butter and birdseed on when the tree comes down to give to the birds)!!
On February 2nd we celebrate Sabbat number Three with "Imbloc". If you look around you might find some of those Spring bulbs you planted in the fall trying to poke their little heads up out of the Earth right about now. Or possibly the farmer down the road is busy tending to all the new furbabies that have just been born...as does the Goddess nurture Her young Son/Sun. This is a sign that Spring is just around the corner. Time to plant the seeds of our hopes and dreams for the coming summer months!
Our Fourth Sabbat is "Ostara". The Spring Equinox!! It is also when Christians celebrate Easter, and our Jewish community celebrate passover. We celebrate the balance between light and dark, renewal and rebirth. Did you know that the colouring and giving of eggs at "Easter" <clears throat> is actually a very Pagany <----is that spelled "y" or "ie"?? Doesn't really matter. It has very Pagan associations. After all, an egg is clearly a symbol of fertility...is it not? Seriously folks, can anyone please explain to me how Easter baskets, Chocolate Bunnies, and real live furry bunnies have anything to do with the Christian Easter holiday? (I do love however to bite the heads off the Chocolate bunnies and then make them jump up and down and yell....Off with her Head!!!).
On to our Fifth Sabbat...."Beltane". MAY DAY..MAY DAY...Don't panic! Beltane falls on the first of May *wink*. Some celebrate on the eve before. This is one of my favorite Sabbats. The smell of Spring is definitely in the air but still chilly enough for bonfires in which we take pleasure in jumping over for good luck! And then there is the Maypole that has been "erected" (pun intended) with strings of ribbon. We then gather in a group around the pole for the ribbon dance in which two circles interweave the ribbons round and round and round the pole we go! Whew...I'm dizzy. Welcome Spring!
The Sixth Sabbat is "Litha" or "Summer Solstice". I love summer. This Sabbat is celebrated between the 20th and 23rd of June depending on the Earth's rotation around the Sun. The hours of daylight are longer and the Sun is at the highest point before He (the Sun) begins to slide into the darkness (Fall and then Winter). We plant our flowers, our crops, our trees, and sit back and watch as Mother Nature does Her thing! (of course we do have to water every now and then). My birthday is in June...perhaps that gives to the energy of my love for the Summer Solstice!
(Hold tight...only three more to go!)
On the Seventh Sabbat we celebrate Lammas, which is also referred to as "Lughnasadh" but that is a mouthful and hard to spell!! August 1st, this is the time that we can sit back for a minute and bask in all the beauty of our Spring and Summer garden labors. The crops are almost ready for harvest. Some are all ready ready! Nothing like plucking that first Grape, Cherry Tomato, or biting into that bright Red Strawberry. So we celebrate reaping that which we have sown.
And, last but not least....
Our Eighth Sabbat is Mabon (Sept 21 - 23 time frame). Quite simply...a time to give Thanks. Our Thanksgiving. The crops have been harvested and now sit plentiful on our tables and stored away for later use. This is the time of balance between Light and Dark. We leave the warm days of Summer behind and head into chill of Winter. It is time to finish old business. A time for rest, relaxation and reflection.