Wheel of the Year

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[Aster Breo]

Does anyone practice the wheel as 4 sun sabbats (solstices & equinoxes) and 4 moon sabbats (Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh at full moon, Samhain at new moon)?

Are there any hints historical Pagans did or might have celebrated them this way? (Or is there any proof none of them did?)

My understanding of the Iron Age Celts is that there is evidence to support the idea that they celebrated the agriculturally-linked festivals (Samhain, Imbolc, Beltaine, and Lughnassa).  There is no evidence that they celebrated the solstices and equinoxes.  But there is no evidence that they didn't celebrate them.

I celebrate Imbolc as my primary spiritual "holiday".  I have several things I do on and around Imbolc, so it really is a celebration.  I also try to do something to mark the other 3 festivals.  And I acknowledge the solstices and equinoxes.  In practice that basically means I know they're happening, and I text my husband and kids to say "Happy Equinox" at the right time but that's about it for me.

[RhiannonWhiteMare]

My understanding of the Iron Age Celts is that there is evidence to support the idea that they celebrated the agriculturally-linked festivals (Samhain, Imbolc, Beltaine, and Lughnassa).  There is no evidence that they celebrated the solstices and equinoxes.  But there is no evidence that they didn't celebrate them.

I celebrate Imbolc as my primary spiritual "holiday".  I have several things I do on and around Imbolc, so it really is a celebration.  I also try to do something to mark the other 3 festivals.  And I acknowledge the solstices and equinoxes.  In practice that basically means I know they're happening, and I text my husband and kids to say "Happy Equinox" at the right time but that's about it for me.

I'm the same way, Moon Ivy. When I was Wiccan and I celebrated all the holidays, I felt uncomfortable with them, because my God/desses were Celtic. It felt odd celebrating holidays that there is no evidence that they had. As you said, there isn't evidence that they celebrated them, but there isn't evidence to the contrary either. It just didn't feel "right" to me. When I dropped Yule, Ostara, Mabon and Midsummer I felt that was what I was supposed to do. I do acknowledge them and will say, "Happy Yule" to my fellow Pagans who do celebrate it. And when someone wishes me a Happy Yule I don't yell at them not to do that. I just say, "Thanks, you too." But I personally don't celebrate it.

[stardancer]

I celebrate the four solar days. I also celebrate Imbolc, Beltane and Samhain for more personal reasons. But all of them, for me, are linked to the seasons of nature. The only one I don't celebrate is Lammas/Lughnasadh, because I just don't understand it. Harvest in August? Huh?

I see Lammas as the berry and veggie harvest, the Equinox for fruit and grain, and Samhain for meat harvest. At least that's how it works out in my climate.

I celebrate all eight, mainly because they make for a nice, evenly spaced set of special occasions! 

Well, the quarters are important to me for astrological reasons; they're the ingresses of the Sun into the Cardinal signs. Then at Imbolc I see the sun over the hill for the first time, at Beltane - well Beltane just happens to resonate with my .. earthy.. mind  , Samhain resonates as a time to take stock of births and deaths (and we get a whole lamb from the neighbour at that time, just to emphasise). The wheel would feel unbalanced without Lammas to complete it, and there is harvest to be had at the time - the first tomatoes, cucumbers, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.

Stardancer

[SunflowerP]

I practice them all as solar (solstices and equinoxes with the cross-quarters at the midpoints in between.)  I pay a lot of attention to the sun, and make mental note of the angle,intensity and duration of the sunlight at different points in the year.

I suspect it comes of living in the Great White North; I'm quite conscious of those characteristics of the sunlight, too.  In that sense, the cross-quarters - especially Brigidfeast, because nothing else visible is happening - could be said to be solar for me.  The distinction, for me, is that the quarters are determined by astronomical observation of the sun in relation to the earth (so they have specific, if a little variable, calendar dates), and the cross-quarters are concerned with what's happening where I am (and the calendar dates are simply a planning convenience - in my solitary work, I often don't know exactly when my formal observance will be until enough of the little things fall into place and it feels like it's time).  That part is more about the light, than about the sun per se.

Tossing in another question: Does anyone else see the year in reflections?  On any given day in the year but especially on the Wheel holidays, I find myself thinking about the day on the other side of the year when the light is the same eg. Samhain/Imbolc.  I can't help but see them as two faces of each other.  Is there any precedent for this?

It's not a major aspect of how I practice (the way the two halves of the Wheel oppose/mirror each other is a lot stronger for me), but it's definitely something I'm aware of.  I'm not aware of any "formal" (historical evidence, inclusion as a specific feature in a trad, etc) precedent.

Sunflower

[KHarkless]

I've always wanted to follow a set of seasonal festivals, but I end up gravitating toward the solar festivals simply because I'm so familiar with the physical thresholds each one represents. Otherwise, the climate I live in is far enough from being like Northern Europe that the correspondences just don't work. I live in coastal California, which a lot of people say doesn't have seasons. This is false. There are seasons, but you need a sense of subtlety, and you have to divorce yourself from the idea that seasons can only come in sets of 4, and are anywhere near even lengths. Any semblance of winter in my city is going to be between late Nov and the end of January. It's spring now; the trees are in bloom and the ground is green. Wet/dry is a much better descriptor, however. Or maybe the seasons could be Fire, Earthquake, Landslide, and Budget Crisis. But in all honesty, if anyone has recommendations for articles or books with good summaries of seasonal celebrations in mediterranean or desert climates, that would be awesome.

Tossing in another question: Does anyone else see the year in reflections?  On any given day in the year but especially on the Wheel holidays, I find myself thinking about the day on the other side of the year when the light is the same eg. Samhain/Imbolc.  I can't help but see them as two faces of each other.  Is there any precedent for this?

I know nothing about precedent, but I think similarly as far as the light thing goes, since that's what gives me the biggest clue as to the season. Waxing and waning sunlight, two sides to the same coin. One of them is the pessimistic side, the other optimistic.

[RandallS]

But in all honesty, if anyone has recommendations for articles or books with good summaries of seasonal celebrations in mediterranean or desert climates, that would be awesome.

A lot of Mediterranean places just didn't do seasonal festivals in the same way the northern Europeans did. They had a bunch of festivals to the various Gods and had rituals to go along with planting or harvesting (which two or three planting/harvesting cycles a year) and the like. Of course, Greece and Rome were urban civilizations with urban religions.

[katkat42]

I live in coastal California, which a lot of people say doesn't have seasons. This is false. There are seasons, but you need a sense of subtlety, and you have to divorce yourself from the idea that seasons can only come in sets of 4, and are anywhere near even lengths. Any semblance of winter in my city is going to be between late Nov and the end of January. It's spring now; the trees are in bloom and the ground is green. Wet/dry is a much better descriptor, however. Or maybe the seasons could be Fire, Earthquake, Landslide, and Budget Crisis.

Hahahahaha!  I used to live in Los Angeles, so I know what you mean.  Except I thought that Budget Crisis was a continual state, not something confined to any season  .  I once heard a friend describe the seasons in southern California as following the elements, actually: Rain, Landslide, Santa Ana Winds, Wildfire.  I'm neither Wiccan nor living there anymore, so I haven't given it much thought, but maybe there's something you can do with this?  Just a shot in the dark, really.

[Selegna]

The only one I don't celebrate is Lammas/Lughnasadh, because I just don't understand it. Harvest in August? Huh?

I'm in the Southern Hemisfere, so it is in February instead of August, but we do harvest some fruits by Lammas. I have some tress on my backyard and I get the almond harvest on the first days of February, so naturally the gods get almonds on this holyday. 

[Midnight]

I think it's that time of year again.

Since Koi isn't here to explain it, I'll just refer you to the infamous 'post 33' :

http://www.ecauldron.net/mb/index.php?webtag=TCMAIN&msg=1498.33

Marilyn, thank-you for the link you posted, it was a good history lesson. I have heard some of it before, but again a lot that I didn't know.  It has made me understand the Wheel of Year and how it can work for me. I am eternally grateful (lol)

[Midnight]

Not exactly, for me.  The quarter-days (solstices/equinoxes) are solar, but I see the cross-quarters as agricultural in origin.  Since I'm definitely urban both in environment and inclination, they're not exactly agricultural for me personally, but they are about how the Wheel manifests in my immediate surroundings (I've been known to say, only half-jokingly, "It can't be Lammas, the saskatoon berries aren't ripe yet!").

Sunflower

I have been doing a lot of reading on The Wheel of the Year and find that these rituals would suit me best.  Since we share similar climates (Myself being from Southern Ontario), I was wondering if you can give me an idea of how you follow The Wheel of the Year? Should I have these dates written down on a calendar? or Should I celebrate them as i see fit? I'm asking because I don't know any Pagan's in my area (though I'm sure there are some in my area, but doing it secretly). Even if you can help me out with the dates according to the pagan rituals, that would be a great help, I already know the more obvious dates like Samhain, Ostera, May Day, Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice.

I would also like to take the time out to say what a great help the Members and Staff have been to put me on the right Path. Without your help I'd still be questioning my former faith and not moving forward.

Thanks

[SunflowerP]

I have been doing a lot of reading on The Wheel of the Year and find that these rituals would suit me best.  Since we share similar climates (Myself being from Southern Ontario), I was wondering if you can give me an idea of how you follow The Wheel of the Year? Should I have these dates written down on a calendar? or Should I celebrate them as i see fit? I'm asking because I don't know any Pagan's in my area (though I'm sure there are some in my area, but doing it secretly). Even if you can help me out with the dates according to the pagan rituals, that would be a great help, I already know the more obvious dates like Samhain, Ostera, May Day, Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice.

Well, I'm 'way over here in Calgary, so the climates aren't really all that similar, other than what comes of being similarly northerly.  But I can give some general principles that will probably help.

Since you're a beginner, you'll probably benefit from using calendar dates, at least to start with - unless you're already really in tune with your local seasonal cycles (f'ex, if you're on a farm, or if you do a lot of gardening, hiking, cross-country skiiing, etc) you won't yet have a solid basis for "as you see fit".  To get that basis - observe, observe, observe.  Look at what's happening around you.  What are the plants doing?  What are the animals doing?  What's the light like (angle, intensity, and duration, as Betty said, and anything else about it that comes to mind)?  What times are sunset and sunrise happening?  What's the temperature, and how does it compare to the recorded averages for the time you're observing?  How much rain/snow are you getting, and how does that compare to averages for the period?  And anything else you can think of.  Don't just do this at the sabbats, do it on any day - the Wheel is constantly turning; the eight festivals are just the times when we celebrate its turns.  Any change you see - noticing that there are now buds on the trees, say, or that there are a couple of red or yellow leaves appearing among all the green - can be a small, informal religious observance.

You'll still have to apply a little bit of "as you see fit" to begin with, since the dates aren't absolute.  The solstices and equinoxes, being based on the sun's apparent path through the sky, occur at predictable times, but could be anywhere in about a three-day range.  (The astronomy section of the US Navy Oceanography site has lots and lots of useful data including info on the exact date/time of solstices and equinoxes - and, while I'm giving links, Weather Underground is a good place to get [fairly] local sunrise/set times, current and recorded-average weather info, etc.)

The cross-quarter days, since they don't originate with a solar calendar, aren't as definite; different folks use different methods of determining the date.  For some, they're the first day (often beginning the evening before) of the relevant months (Nov, Feb, May, Aug), or sometimes the second day.  Others calculate what date is exactly midway between quarter-days.  Still others prefer to go with astrological timing, and celebrate at the midpoint of the relevant zodiacal sign (I don't know if they also set solstice/equinox dates astrologically, to the start of the relevant sign - which I believe would be slightly different than astronomical solstice/equinox - or not).  For your personal, solitary practice, you'll want to choose for yourself what method you prefer.

A check of the listings at Witches' Voice shows that there are, indeed, Pagans near you - only a couple of individuals, and no groups, for your particular town, but, checking via Google Maps I see that you can practically throw rocks at Oshawa, which has three groups (an Alexandrian coven, an Ar nDraiocht Fein grove, and the Durham Pagan Social Committee), and quite a few individuals.  And going a little farther afield, Toronto has more Pagan activity than I feel energetic enough to list.

Sunflower

[Waldfrau]

Since Koi isn't here to explain it, I'll just refer you to the infamous 'post 33' :

http://www.ecauldron.net/mb/index.php?webtag=TCMAIN&msg=1498.33

Wouldn't that make a neat article for the article section?

[Midnight]

Thanks for replying to my message, you have shed a lot of light on this subject for.  I have already ordered the book Twelve Wild Swans, I will also check out those websites you gave me and look into the Witch's Voice.  I noticed there was quite a few Pagans in Toronto as well (I became the 500th member:)(this is on Facebook) ). 

I work outside all year round as a Roofer, I am aware of Temp increase/decrease, Angle of the Sun, very aware of the intensity .  I also watch the local Weather channel all the time for the Current and Normal weather conditions.  Gardening has always been a favorite past-time for me (I had a fairly big one last year), but I don't live a the same address and I can't Plant anything in the backyard.  Do you have any suggestions for Potted Plants?

I have also noticed above seasonal values so far this February, it has been around 4 degrees Celsius for awhile (Sorry I don't mean to brag). 

Midnight

[Hufflee]

My understanding of the Iron Age Celts is that there is evidence to support the idea that they celebrated the agriculturally-linked festivals (Samhain, Imbolc, Beltaine, and Lughnassa).  There is no evidence that they celebrated the solstices and equinoxes.  But there is no evidence that they didn't celebrate them.

I celebrate Imbolc as my primary spiritual "holiday".  I have several things I do on and around Imbolc, so it really is a celebration.  I also try to do something to mark the other 3 festivals.  And I acknowledge the solstices and equinoxes.  In practice that basically means I know they're happening, and I text my husband and kids to say "Happy Equinox" at the right time but that's about it for me.

I do celebrate the solstices and equinoxes, but more as a part of the "circle" that makes up the whole. Kind of like I celebrate my birthday. It happens every year, there are no consequences if I don't celebrate, but it's part of the passage of time, so why not? The longest day, shortest night (and vice versa) represent balance to me, which is something I strive for in my personal life. Thats really the only "importance" they hold for me. Not to mention it's a good excuse to get my husband to watch the kids for a little while and get some ME time! 

[SunflowerP]

Gardening has always been a favorite past-time for me (I had a fairly big one last year), but I don't live a the same address and I can't Plant anything in the backyard.  Do you have any suggestions for Potted Plants?

I'm not a gardener (I've a sere and withered thumb ), but there are quite a few here on TC; perhaps one of them will have ideas to offer.

Sunflower

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