Wicca 101~Lecture #6 Sabbats

Section 2 LORE
Sabbats/The Wheel of the Year
"Every Ending is a beginning and for Witches this is the Law. Where they enter in, from there they must withdraw"
For Wiccans, time is not linear going from point a to point b to point c, but circular. All things move in great circles. Birth, growth, death, rebirth. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring again. And so it is our holidays are arranged around a great circle, the Wheel of the Year. We see it divided along natural lines, as we have up, down, left and right; Earth, Air, Fire, and Water; North, South, East and West, the wheel is subdivided into four God Holidays (cross quarters) or sabbats that celebrate the motion of the sun (Yule~Winter Solstice, Ostara~Vernal Equinox, Litha~Summer Solstice, and Mabon~Autumnal Equinox) and four Goddess Holidays (quarters) or sabbats that celebrate the changes in the Earth (Samhain~Holloween; Imbolc~February 2, Candlemas, Feast of Brigid; Beltaine~Mayday, Lady Day; and Lammas~Harvest Home or Feast of Corn). Of course these events are interrelated (how could they not be LOL), so that the sabbats alternate between God and Goddess.
The names of the sabbats vary, and the particulars of how the God and Goddess are honored at each also vary according to tradition, but each has an common theme that unites all the traditions irregardless of the specifics and it is this common theme that I will be talking about.
Let us now examine each more closely:
Samhain~(October 31)
This is the pagan new year. The end of the old year and the beginning of a new turning of the wheel. This is a time of remembrance, of closure. Acorrding to some traditions, this is the time that the God travels into the land of death and takes those who have died during the past turning with him. Because this day is neither in one year or another, it is a special day when the separations or veils become thin between the realm of spirit and material, between this realm and the realm of fairy, between the living and the dead. This is a great day for omens and divination. This is the day that the Goddess, heavily pregnant goes to sleep to prepare for the upcoming birth. We see this as the days grow shorter, the trees lose their leaves, the skies become leaden and winter approaches. Many animals follow the Goddess into slumber and hibernate, or prepare winter borrows. The power of the Goddess of Crops and Vegetation is waning and the Power of the God of the Hunt is rising.
Many customs that you may have participated in on Halloween are actually pagan in origin. For instance bobbing for apples: (apples are sacred to the Goddess, when cut crosswise they reveal a pentagram of seeds) the apple representing a soul and the cauldron or barrel representing the womb of life and death, by pulling the apples out we are retreiving the souls of those who have died. Trick or treating: because the veils are thin those who might visit your house on this night might be human or spirit, fey or ancestor so gifts of (anciently small cakes or fruits) sweets are given to propitiate them and make them friendly to you and your household. Those who were fearful of these spirits might place a lantern carved from a gourd (nowadays pumpkins) to frighten away malevolent spirits. This is one of the few pagan holidays that hasn't been "disguised" by the Catholic church very well, and retains much of it's original pagan flavor.
Rituals at Samhain are usually ones of remembrance, and circumspection over the year past. This is a time for closure and endings in your life and dealings, a time to close the book on old projects to make way for new ones. The colours of Samhain are orange and black...the orange of fire (who we must now rely on for warmth and light) and of fall leaves..the black of endings, of spirit, the colour worn to absorb energy as the days grow colder.
Yule~Winter Solstice, Christmas, December 21st or 22 depending on the year.
This is the longest night of the year and the first day of true winter. This sabbat the Goddess gives birth to the God, in His aspect as the Sun He will begin to grow in power as the days become longer from this point on, but he is a newborn now and has little power to warm us. This is a time of sharing and family, when we draw together for protection and warmth. Rituals at this time honor the Rebirth of the God, and the joys of family. Christmas trees are another pagan custom only thinly disguised, the pine tree and all evergreens are honored because of all the plants, they do not sleep in winter, but remain green even on the darkest and coldest of days, a reminder that the Goddess is sleeping not dead. The colours of Yule are red and green (big surprise hey?) the red is for the blood shed during the birth of the God, the green is for the spirit of the sleeping Goddess shown in the Pine tree.
Imbolc~Candlemas February 2nd
Imbolc means "in milk" and as a farming holiday celebrates the time when sheep have their lambs, the very first days of spring. The Goddess has woken up and the life of the Earth begins to stir. The God is ready to be weaned and while the Goddess nursed Him, His power continued to grow. Now that He is on solid food, He will grow rapidly and the days will become warmer and warmer. This time of year the snow begins to thaw, and the first stirrings of spring may be seen, but winter is not quite ready to release it's hold. Rituals at this time celebrate new growth and new beginnings, Brigid the Celtic goddess of fire, smiths, and poetry is often especially honored. This is also the time when all the candles to be used in the upcoming year are blessed in the Catholic church, (more pagan ceremony having been disguised and appropriated). This is a time to clear away the dust of the confines of winter and clear out your house, your mind, and spirit. It is a time of initiations and beginnings. The colours of Imbolc are white, silver, and pale green. The white of milk and snow, the silver of the Goddess and the pale green of tender shoots.
Ostara~Vernal Equinox, Eostre, March 21 or 22 depending on the year.
The day and night are equal in power and the Goddess is transformed. She becomes again Maiden, radiant with new life, the Earth blooms as Her Power rises. Easter eggs and bunnies (yet more purloined pagan symbology *grin*) are symbols of youth and new life. The God is now a youth, and He and the Goddess frolic as youngsters. It is a season of play and joy, as the renewal of the Earth is readily apparent. This is the time to plant, and to begin new projects, a fertile time when ideas and plans start to grow. Rituals at this time celebrate the young God and Goddess, the restoration of plants and animals after the cold of winter. The colours of Ostara are pastels. The soft fresh colours of youth.
Beltaine~Mayday, May 1st
This sabbat celebrates the Union of the God and Goddess, the celestial act of Love that generates all life. The God and Goddess are now adults and become lovers. This sabbat is ripe with sexual symbology. Celebrants dance around the maypole (now what does that remind you of?) twining multi-coloured ribbons around it's length. In ancient times, this sabbat was followed by the participants retiring to the woods to emulate the Lord and Lady and partake of the pleasures of sex. This is a time of lusty pleasures and fertility and also the time when the Great Rite is enacted within some traditions. (to get the full scoop on the Great Rite go here but as it contains sex and nudity (oh no not sex and nudity!) you must be 18+ to view it and register a password first)
(for those of you under 18 it is Sex Magick and should not be done until you are fully mature enough to handle the emotional and magickal energy that are raised therein). Of course as a solitary, performing the Great Rite is not applicable, but I substitute it with a really lusty night with my hubby :) (who doesn't really ask why, but generally looks forward to May 1st LOL)
The colour of Beltaine is rich emerald green. On Beltaine we become the folk of the forest, a leafy people dancing, singing, laughing and celebrating the robust life of the Earth.
Litha~Midsummer Eve, Summer Solstice June 21 or 22
The God is at His strongest and from now on out His power begins to wane. The Goddess is pregnant and the earth is warm and bountiful. This is a celebration of ease and plenty. This is the best time to make contact with the fairy realm, because on this day the world of dreams and the material world are closest. Rituals at this time celebrate the good things in life, this is a time to enjoy yourself, to travel, to meet people and make friends, to sleep outdoors and revel in the full glory of Mother Nature and enjoy the summer. The colours of Litha are the bright colours of summer.
Lammas~ Harvest Home, or the Feast of Lugh, August 2nd
This sabbat is the first of the harvest sabbats. We thank the Goddess for her bounty, and eat of the first of the harvest. The Goddess in Her Aspects of Ceres and Demeter are especially honored. The God is middle-aged now and His power is waning as His strength is being fed into the grain. Rituals at this time thank the Goddess for her bounty and the God for giving of His strength. This is a time to start seeing the fruits of plans made earlier, the time when goals are almost accomplished. The colours of Lammas are gold and yellow. The gold of the fading Sun and the yellow of ripe grain.
Mabon~Autumnal Equinox September 21 or 22
Last sabbat of the year. The day and night are once again in balance, but the power of the sun will fade rapidly from this time out. The leaves are falling and the Goddess is visibly pregnant now. The last of the harvest is brought in and the God now old, dies with it having given all of His Power to the Grain. Now He will travel the spirit realms seeking out the souls who have gone on, collecting them until He can usher them into the Summerlands at Samhain. Rituals at this time, mourn the passing of the God and the ending of summer, and prepare for the harsh months to come. They also thank the Goddess for her bounty and gifts are given to the Earth to replenish Her for the bounty of another summer. This is a time to bring projects to completion, to finish jobs, and end relationships, to gather in what we have put out over the summer. The colours of Mabon are orange and gold and yellow. The colours of fall and harvest.
Now all that I have told you so far is the one God tale of the sabbats, many traditions have a two God sabbat history which goes something like this. During the Winter and Fall the Holly King reigns (Mabon,Samhain, Yule, Imbolc), during the Spring and Summer the Oak King reigns (Ostara, Beltaine, Litha and Lammas). The Holly King is the Dark God of Winter and the Oak King is the Bright God of Summer, at the equinoxes (Ostara and Mabon) they wrestle and switch places with the other being vanquished and/or killed. In this version the Goddess gives birth to the Oak King at Yule. As you research in books and websites, I am sure you will see both versions..both are equally correct in a way of speaking, so whichever one you prefer most is the one that is correct for you. (As you can probably tell I lean toward the one God version myself.) As of this writing I am only half done with posting my Sabbat rituals to the website, but to see my rituals for Mabon, Samhain, Yule, and Imbolc go here.
And with that said the Wheel of the Year is once again turned and we exit where we came in.
Next Lecture~Esbats (New and Full Moon Rituals)

This page last modified 2/4/99