The Wheel of The Year (3) Sabbats

The Wheel of the Year (3)
Sabbats

Imbolc also known as Candlemas is celebrated on the 2nd February. It is time of preparation for rebirth of the land, the beginning of Spring and the first shoots of growth. At this time, it is also appropriate to take time to clear away any of the old that is still hanging around and to refresh, cleanse and purify your space and yourself in readiness for the season of growth. Within the life of the God and Goddess it is when the virgin or maiden Goddess prepares for the union with the Sun God also celebrating the nurturing by the Goddess as the Mother of the young God while he is recovering his strength. You will see that this is also an excellent time to focus on healing. Bringing through the activities of the land this is when the farm implements and other tools are checked over, repaired and made ready for the new season.

One of the main deities recognised at this time is Brigid, the Goddess of healing, poetry and the Forge. She is also the Patron of smiths, healers and artisans. You can see from the areas in which Brigid is linked that this covers all the areas that are important at this time of the year.

IMBOLC ASSOCIATIONS

Herbs – bay, bramble, angelica, chamomile, rosemary, coltsfoot

Altar dressing – snowdrops, primroses, white flowers, Brigid’s (or Solar) Cross or other symbols for the sun

Crystals – amethyst, bloodstone, onyx, ruby, turquoise

Colours – red, orange, pink, lavender, pale green

Deities – Cernunnos, Herne, Osiris, Pan, Brigid/Brighid, Athena, Bast, Gaia, Venus, Vesta

Topics for ritual – cleansing of self and home, healing and preparation of remedies, extinguishing and relighting the home fire, fertility, blessing and cleansing gardening tools, initiations.

Ostara/Spring equinox

Ostara is the welcome return of Spring. The goddess Ostara was a pre-Christian goddess who was linked with the East and the morning light and renewal. It is time of the rebirth of the God and move towards summer and the Goddess is the Maiden full of life and vitality. The ground is beginning to warm and planting begins, heralding the start of growth and the death of winter. There is equal light and darkness now, therefore it is also a time of balance in all aspects. Ostara is celebrated between the 19th and 21st March and is a lesser Sabbat. Some people celebrate Ostara on 25th March which is also known as Lady Day whilst others still recognise the date to be the next full moon. It is worth remembering that Ostara is a Moon Goddess and that the Solstice itself is a solar event. With these dates so close you can also look at this time as the coming together of the male and female aspects in readiness for the growth to come.

Spring cleaning has come from the old witches who would clear their spaces for good fresh energy to come in. They would create a ditch around their property and place an egg in each quarter to create protection. If you would like to also perform this ritual now but cannot dig a perimeter ditch you can always place sigils over your doors and under the carpet to create the same effect. Eggs were used as a symbol of new life and this representation is common worldwide.

The hare is also a symbol of the moon, hence the moon gazing hare. The Egyptians called the hare Un meaning opener linking in with the month of April which is taken from the Latin root meaning to open. As such it is a symbol of new beginnings and openings. The Mayan Goddess of Fertility also had the totem animal of a rabbit. Not only are rabbits prolific in breeding they have a short gestation period and so are generally the first baby animals of the season.

OSTARA CORRESPONDENCES

Herbs – Honeysuckle, Iris, Peony, Violet, Woodruff, Gorse, Olive, Iris, Narcissus, Daffodils, Jonquils, Primrose, Forsythia, Crocus, all spring flowers, pine tree

Altar dressing – Decorated hard boiled eggs, Rabbits/hares, spring flowers.

Crystals – Jasper, amethyst, aquamarine, bloodstone, red jasper, fluorite and rose quartz.

Colours – Green, Yellow

Deities – The Maiden, Astarte, Aurora, Eostre, Eos, Ostara, Kore or Persephone (as the maiden), The Green Man, Ares, Mars, Attis, Adonis, Osiris, Narcissus, Hyacinth and Dionysus

Topics for ritual – planting, welcoming spring, coloring eggs, making/wearing new clothing, fertility rites, rituals of balance, herb work – magical, medicinal, cosmetic, culinary and artistic, spells for prosperity/fertility, new beginnings, potential, action

Beltane

Beltane is derived from the name of the Celtic God ‘Bel’, meaning ‘the bright one’ and the Gaelic word ‘teine’ meaning fire. Beltane is a Greater Sabbat and one of the most important dates in the Pagan calendar. It is the height of the Spring and beginning of the Summer on 1st May a time when the Earth energies are at their greatest and the potential growth is burgeoning. A time of great fertility. It represents the time when the maiden Goddess has reached her fullness. She now represents Flora, the Goddess of Spring, the May Queen, the May Bride – the embodiment of growth and renewal. At this time the God is in the form of the Young Oak King, as Jack-In-The-Green, as the Green Man. On the eve of 1st May they come together, as the God wins the hand of the Goddess and as the union is consummated the Goddess becomes pregnant. This union is considered to be the Sacred Union in their form as the May King and Queen. It is a union of the sky and earth. The union of the God and Goddess at this time of year has led to this time being the one that many human couples also have chosen to marry or have their handfasting particularly those in the Wiccan tradition. It is very time a time of unions, fertility and conception. It is not only physical conception that is highlighted at this time of the year it is also considered to be an excellent time to conceive new ideas, plans or activities.

Beltane is a fire festival and jumping the fire is still carried out today. The practice was traditionally carried out for purification and to encourage fertility. Another tradition for May Day is that of the Maypole. The pole is traditionally made from Ash and represents the potency of the God. The flowers on the top represent the fertility of the Goddess whilst the ribbons that are woven around the pole in the dances represent the spiral of life and the Union of the God and Goddess, the Earth and the Sky. The ribbons are often green (growth, abundance and fertility) red (strength, vitality, passion) and white (cleansing, dispersing of negativity).

CORRESPONDENCES

Herbs – All flowers, Angelica, Ash, Clover, Dittany of Crete, Frankincense, Hawthorn, Honeysuckle, Meadowsweet, Mugwort, Rose, Rowan, Yarrow.

Altar dressing – Lots of greenery and flowers, the mother goddess figure, any nature items such as seeds to represent fertility and a candle to represent the Beltane fire.

Crystals – Carnelian, Citrine, Emerald, Fire Agate, Fire Opal, Green Moss Agate, Malachite, Moonstone, Red Jasper, Rose Quartz, Ruby, Sapphire, Watermelon Tourmaline.

Colours – Green, Red, White, Silver, Blue, Pink.

Deities – Artemis, Bacchus, Cernnunos

Topics for ritual – Starting or boosting new ideas, celebrating the sacred feminine, planting new plants, sacred fire (in safe ways of course!)