THE CELTIC WHEEL OF THE YEAR



The Celtic wheel of the year is made up of eight sabbat festivals, four celtic in origin which are the fire festivals and the other four are two equinoxes and two solstices, which are fixed solar points.
     The wheel of the year takes the form of one season leading into another, and each phase is linked to the God and Goddess.
     To attune yourself to the wheel of the year will help you maintain a state of balance, equilibrium between yourself, nature and the gods. 
 
For me as a Celtic Priestess the wheel of the year is at the focal point of my worship to the gods, along with the phases of the moon. It is a time for me to pay my respects to the changing seasons and to acknowledge the changes that are happening in me and in my life, a time of celebration of life, of the spirit within and without.

Our lives are interwoven with the sacred festivals, it is our heritage and is our connection to the sacred land we walk on, to keep the wheel turning to show our children the wonder of mother nature and for them to realize their place with the wheel and for them to celebrate the changes in their  lives with the mark of rites of passage.

People celebrate the festivals in many ways, from big community gatherings, to pilgrimages to sacred sites like at Stonehenge on summer solstice. To small group gatherings where people makng small offerings individually and forms of "awen" are expressed (awen = means divine inspiration) in the forms of music, singing, dancing, poetry and storytelling.
    

      
  Blessed Be !
      Enjoy the wheel of the year and find your place within the sacred circle!

                                              
 The Sacred Journey
 of the
 Celtic Wheel Of The Year


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Yule - Winter Solstice  Death/Rebirth

Celebrated around 21st December this is the shortest day of the year, with the birth of the sun and the days are beginning to lengthen. The battle between dark and light, the battle of the Oak King, light and the Holly King dark, and the Oak King is the victor.  The goddess transforms from Crone to the bountiful Mother to give birth to the Sun/Son Mabon.



Imbolc - Bride's Festival
Celebrated on the 2nd Feb, when the days are lengthening yet the days are still cold, but life is beginning to stir, snowdrops start to pop up and  the first ewe's milk flows with the birth of the first lambs.
   Imbolc means " in the belly" the belly of the earth that life stirs. We see the son/sun growing stronger as the days start to get a little longer, the goddess now becomes the Maiden/Mother.
   Brides festival the goddess of fire, the sacred flame, smithcraft, poetry, healing and of childbirth. A time to cleanse the body, a spring tonic.



Ostara - Spring Equinox
This takes place around the 21st March, the days are gaining more light and we see the daffodils and primroses  blossoming, we see the mad March Hare and the egg, both symbolizeing new life and new starts. With the March winds clearing the cobwebs from our minds. The God is now seen as a young man growing strong in youth.
The goddess is seen as the Teutonic maid, goddess of the earth. Day and night are at equal length.




Beltane

The is one of the oldest and most important festivals May 1st, we see nature as riotous and blooming with vitality. The God & Goddess come together in sacred union, the sacred marriage, the God mates in love and celebration with the Goddess of the land, fruits of the earth.
This was the time when our ancestors had the Bel-fire, when cattle were driven between two fires to burn off fleas, ticks and for good luck.
The Celtic god Bel was worshipped at this time and he is known as the "bright one". The Bel fires signalled good fortune, change and was traditionally held on top of hills to herald the return of life and fertility to ourselves and the land.




               Litha - Summer Solstice              TN005
This solstice is around 21st June, this is when the sun is at its height of full power and summer is at its peak. This is the longest day of the year, and so from this time forward the nights will start to close in, the God is now middle aged and is at his peak of manhood, the Mother of the land can be seen in her full colours.  
Traditionally celebrated with the rising Sun, this is also seen celebrated in a stone circle like Stonehenge, as the stone circles were built to align with the rising and setting sun.



Lughnasadh 

This takes place on 1st August and is sacred to the God Lugh, of fire and light. The God Lugh is sacrificed with the first cutting of the corn, the first harvest of the fruits of the earth and fruits of harvest in our lives too.
This is the time when corn dollies are made and kept over the hearth fire for good fortune for the year to come.
The Goddess mourns the death of the God and the God begins his retreat to the underworld. The Goddess is seen as the bountiful land.




Modron - Autumn Equinox

Celebrated around 21st September. Day and night are of equal length, the darklight is gaining and this is the last harvest of nuts and berries. Life prepares to retreat inwards. Make plans for the winter months. We give thanks for the bounty of the Earth Mother, the Goddess is ageing. The God is travelling to the underworld.This is the time for our spirit to travel inwards for renewal.



Samhain

This is a special time for divination & Magic.
The end of the old year and the start of the new.
This is the Celtic new year which is on 31st October, the veil between the spirit worlds is at their thinnest, a time to remember our loved ones and to remember our ancestors. This night is full of magic and havoc! the fairies and other spirits course mischief!
Turnips were made into lanterns to frighten the spirits away. It is the time when the darkness seems to swallow the day and nature retreats back into Mother Earth to be re-born at yule. A time of retreat and release.