THE GODDESS AND MAGICK
THE WHEEL OF THE YEAR
Yule - Winter Solstice - December 20-23*
The Goddess gives birth to a son, The God, at Yule. This is a time long
been known for divine births, Mithras was said to have been born at this
time. The Christians adopted this time in 273 C.E.
Yule is the time of the greatest darkness and the shortest day of the
year. Earlier Pagans noticed this phenomena and supplicated the forces
of nature to lengthen the days and shorten the nights.
Since the God is also the Sun, this marks the point of the year when the
Sun is reborn as well. Thus, most Pagans light fires and candles to
welcome the Sun's returning light. The Goddess, slumbering through the
winter of Her labor, rests after Her delivery.
Yule is the remnant of early rituals celebrated to hurry the end of
winter and the bounty of spring, when food was once again readily
available. To most contemporary Pagans it is a reminder that the
ultimate product of death is rebirth, a comforting thought in these days
of unrest.
Imbolc - February 2
Also known as Feast of Torches, Bridget's Day
Marks the recovery of the Goddess after giving birth to the God. The
lengthening periods of light awaken Her. The God is a young, lusty boy,
but His power is felt in the longer days. The warmth fertilizes the
Earth (the Goddess), causing seeds to germinate and sprout. And so the
earliest beginnings of spring occur.
This is a time of purification after the shut-in life of winter, through
the renewing power of the Sun. It is also a time for the festival of
light and of fertility, once marked in Europe with huge blazes, torches
and fire in every form. Fire here represents our own illumination and
inspiration as much as light and warmth.
Some Pagan women follow the old Scandinavian custom of wearing crowns of
lit candles. It is also a traditional time for initiations.
Ostara - Spring Equinox - March 20-23*
Marks the first day of true spring. The energies of nature subtly shift
form the sluggishness of winter to the exuberant expansion of sprint.
The Goddess blankets the Earth with fertility, bursting forth from Her
sleep, as the God stretches and grows to maturity. He walks the greening
fields and delights in the abundance of nature.
On Ostra the hours of day and night are equal. Light is overtaking
darkness; the Goddess and God impel the wild creatures of the Earth to
reproduce.
This is a time of beginnings, of action, of planting "seeds" for future
gains, and of tending ritual and spiritual gardens.
Beltane - May 1 *
also known as May Day
Marks the emergence of the young God into manhood. Stirred by the
energies at work in nature, He desires the Goddess. They fall in love,
lie among the grasses and blossoms, and unite. The Goddess becomes
pregnant of the God. The Pagans celebrate the symbol of Her fertility in
ritual.
May Day has long been marked with feasts and rituals. May poles,
supremely phallic symbols, where the focal point of old English village
rituals. Many people rose at dawn to gather flowers and green branches
from the fields and gardens, using them to decorate the May pole, their
homes and themselves.
The flowers and greenery symbolize the Goddess; the May pole the God.
Beltane marks the return of vitality, of passion and hopes consummated.
May poles are sometimes used today during Beltane rituals but bowls are a
more common focal point today. It represents the Goddess - the essence
of womanhood, the end of all desire, the equal but opposite of the May
pole, symbolic of the God.
Litha - Summer Solstice - June 20 -23*
also known as Midsummer
This day arrives when the powers of nature reach their highest point.
The Earth is awash in the fertility of the Goddess and God.
In the past, bonfires were lit to encourage fertility, purification,
health and love. The fire once again represents the Sun, feted on the
time of the longest daylight hours.
Midsummers is a classic time of magic of all kinds.
Lammas / Lughnasadh - August 1
This is the time of the first harvest, when the plants of spring wither
and drop their fruits or seeds for our use as well as to ensure future
crops. Mystically, so too does the God lose His strength as the Sun
rises farther in the South each day and the nights grow longer. The
Goddess watches in sorrow and joy as She realizes that the God is dying,
and yet lives on insider Her as Her child.
Though not always celebrated on this day, it originally coincided with
the first reapings.
As summer passes, Pagans remember its warmth and bounty in the food we
eat. Every meal is an act of attunement with nature, and we are reminded
that nothing in the universe is constant.
Mabon - Autumn or Fall Equinox - September 20-23*
Is the completion of the harvest begun at Lughnasadh. Once again day and
night are equal, poised as the God prepares to leave His physical body
and begin the great adventure into the unseen, toward renewal and rebirth
of the Goddess.
Nature declines, draws back its bounty, readying for winter and is time
of rest. The Goddess nods in the weakening Sun, though fire burns with
Her womb. She feels the presence of the God even as He wanes.
Samhain - October 31
also known as All Hallows or November Eve
The Pagans say farewell to the God. This is a temporary farewell. He
isn't wrapped in eternal darkness, but readies to be reborn of the
Goddess at Yule.
Samhain once marked the time of sacrifice. In some places this was the
time when animals were slaughtered to ensure food throughout the depths
of winter. The God - identified with the animals - fell as well to
ensure our continuing existence.
It is a time of reflection, of looking back over the last year, of coming
to terms with the one phenomenon of life over which we have no control -
death.
It is believed on this night the separation between the physical and
spiritual realities is thin. Pagans remember their ancestors and all
those who have gone before.
After Samhain Pagans celebrate Yule, and so the wheel of the year is
complete.
In this agricultural story the ever-changing fertility of the Earth is
represented by the Goddess and God. This myth speaks of the mysteries of
birth, death and rebirth. It celebrates the wondrous aspects and
beautiful effects of love, and honors dependence that humans have on the
Earth, the Sun and the Moon and of the effects of the seasons on our
daily lives.
To agricultural peoples, the major thrust of this myth cycle is the
production of food through the interplay between the Goddess and God.
Food - without which we would all die - is intimately connected with the
deities. Indeed, Pagans see food as yet another manifestation of divine
energy.
By observing these days Pagans attune themselves to the Earth and to the
deities. They reaffirm their Earth roots. Performing rituals on the
nights of the Full Moon also strengthens their connections with the
Goddess (Grandmother Moon) in particular. These are times of real as
well as symbolic power. Honoring them in some fashion is integral to all
Pagans around the world.
*exact date varies from year to year