What is the Wheel of the Year?

So, if you have googled anything about being a witch, or following a Pagan path, you’ve probably seen the phrase “the Wheel of the Year”, but what does it mean? What is the wheel of the year?  

The wheel of the year is seen by many modern Pagans, or Wiccans to be exact. It is an annual cycle of seasonal festivals based on the four solar events that take place during the year. These would be the Summer/Winter solstice and the Spring/Fall Equinox, plus four seasonal festivals that occur in between the solar “holidays”. These mid solar holidays are also known as the “Greater Sabbats” while the solar events are known as the “Lesser Sabbats”. This has less to do with their importance and more to do with distinguishing the two types of sabbats.  

While the wheel of the year does not belong to people that follow the path of Wicca, the Wiccan version of the wheel of the year is considered unique, and the version I am more familiar with, so that is primarily what I will go over in this post. With the Wiccan version of the wheel of the year, there is a parallel with the cycle of the God and Goddess. Who are responsible for the creation of the world and the seasons of nature. In this parallel, the God is considered to be the Sun and the Goddess the moon, which is a common association for the God and Goddess. The relationship between the two deities can be seen as a relationship between mother and child, as well as procreating lovers. It is these two relationships that are shown with in their cycle of birth, death, and rebirth throughout all eight sabbats.  

So, what are the Sabbats that these Wiccans are celebrating? In the Nothern hemisphere, the eight sabbats are Yule (Winter Solstice), Imbolc, Ostara (Spring Equinox), Beltane, Midsummer/Litha (Summer Solstice), Lammas, Mabon (Autumn Equinox), and Samhain. For the Southern hemisphere, the cycle is the opposite.  

• Yule – December 21^st, June 21^st – This is when the God is reborn to the Goddess. This also falls around the same time as Christmas for half of the world. To me, this is the time for rebirth, and a good time for you to start new things.  
• Imbolc – February 2^nd, August 1^st – This is when the Goddess is considered in both the Mother and Maiden phase, while the God is young and growing. This is a time where creativity is high.  
• Ostara – March 21^st, September 21^st – This is when the God and Goddess are considered to be youthful and excited for their growing relationship. This is also a time for fertility and birthing new ideas. This also lines up with Easter for the northern hemisphere.  
• Beltane – May 1^st, October 31^st – This is when the God and Goddess have reached maturity, this is when their relationship shifts form Mother and Child to Lovers. The God and Goddess perform the Great Rite together, in other words, they had sex.  
• Midsummer – June 21^st, December 21^st – The Goddess is now pregnant by the God, with the God. During this time the God, the one not in utero, is starting to change, he is slowly traveling towards the realm of quiet and shadows.  
• Lammas – August 1^st, February 2^nd – This is when the Goddess, as Mother Earth, is presiding over the first harvest of the year. This is also when the God dies and moves on to the shadow realm.  
• Mabon – September 21^st, March 21^st – The Goddess, still as Mother Earth, presides over the second harvest of the year. The God is a shadowy presence in the Goddess life.  
• Samhain – October 31^st, May 1^st – This is when the God becomes the true Lord of the Underworld, while Goddess, still pregnant, is embodied by the wise crone. They are both considered to be older and shrouded in mystery. This is a time of death, leading to the rebirth during Yule. This is also happening at the same time as Halloween for the northern hemisphere.  

The first date listed is for the Northern hemisphere, the second or the Southern. Some of these dates are rough estimates or the median dates in the range of time the holiday could fall on. And again, these are not mandatory things that need to be done to be considered Pagan, or even Wiccan. We will be going more in-depth with each sabbat in future posts.