The Wheel of The Year
In the past people lived by the seasons and the amount of daylight in order to live their lives. This continues to be honoured in the Wheel of the Year. The year is divided into 8 sections of four Sabbats and four Esbats each representing the season in which they occur. These provide the fallow time, the time for planting the time for growing and the time for harvest. The year begins at Samhain or Halloween. The information provided here is a general view of each of these Sabbats. There are a range of beliefs and as many of those practising Pagan pursuits do so as individuals and so you will find that different people have their own perspectives of the correspondences. I would suggest that you consider the information and work with what you feel is right for you. There is also a mixture of ideas today some of which are ancient and some which have been added more recently and when combined result in the present day beliefs.
agan beliefs honour both the male and female aspects as being equal and fulfilling their own roles. This carries through into the Wheel of the Year which represents the life of the God and Goddess particularly in the Wiccan practices. In those beliefs the Goddess progresses through from the young mother (Imbolc), to the maiden (Beltane), to the pregnant mother (summer solstice), to the Harvest Mother (Lammas), to the crone carrying the God of Light (Samhain) and giving birth to the God at Yule. The Goddess is often described as the Mother, Maiden and Crone representing the phases of life of a woman, the phases of the moon and also growth of knowledge and wisdom throughout life. The God is both the lover and the child of the Goddess. He begins as the child of light at his birth at Yule and becomes the youth at Beltane, growing in strength and power becoming protective and a Sage until his death sacrificing himself placing his energy within the harvested crops to provide for the feeding, support and protection of all through the colder winter months.
There are variations within the beliefs relating to the Wheel of the Year, Sabbats and Esbats and included here is one interpretation.
The Wheel of The Year
In the past people lived by the seasons and the amount of daylight in order to live their lives. This continues to be honoured in the Wheel of the Year. The year is divided into 8 sections of four Sabbats and four Esbats each representing the season in which they occur. These provide the fallow time, the time for planting the time for growing and the time for harvest. The year begins at Samhain or Halloween. The information provided here is a general view of each of these Sabbats. There are a range of beliefs and as many of those practising Pagan pursuits do so as individuals and so you will find that different people have their own perspectives of the correspondences. I would suggest that you consider the information and work with what you feel is right for you. There is also a mixture of ideas today some of which are ancient and some which have been added more recently and when combined result in the present day beliefs.
agan beliefs honour both the male and female aspects as being equal and fulfilling their own roles. This carries through into the Wheel of the Year which represents the life of the God and Goddess particularly in the Wiccan practices. In those beliefs the Goddess progresses through from the young mother (Imbolc), to the maiden (Beltane), to the pregnant mother (summer solstice), to the Harvest Mother (Lammas), to the crone carrying the God of Light (Samhain) and giving birth to the God at Yule. The Goddess is often described as the Mother, Maiden and Crone representing the phases of life of a woman, the phases of the moon and also growth of knowledge and wisdom throughout life. The God is both the lover and the child of the Goddess. He begins as the child of light at his birth at Yule and becomes the youth at Beltane, growing in strength and power becoming protective and a Sage until his death sacrificing himself placing his energy within the harvested crops to provide for the feeding, support and protection of all through the colder winter months.
There are variations within the beliefs relating to the Wheel of the Year, Sabbats and Esbats and included here is one interpretation.