“By attuning ourselves to the wheel, we connect with the energies of nature and celebrate the abundance of each season, and deepen our connection to the magick.”
Lor
The Magic of the Wheel of the Year lies within its cyclonical seasonal calendar consisting of many rituals and reflections. It is a modern conceptualisation of seasonal celebrations that mark the changing seasons and natural rhythms of the earth, recognised by Pagans and Witchcraft traditions.
Consisting of eight festivals, known as a Sabbat, the Wheel includes solstices, equinoxes and cross-quarter days, each honouring the cycles of life, death and rebirth.
Through various rituals, we honour the earth and our place within it. We follow the ebb and flow of light and darkness of over the course of the year.
At its core, the festivals embodies and reflects Celtic Mythology, Folk Holidays, with a touch of German and Norse influences, with its earliest reference in 1835 in Jacob Grimm’s Teutonic Mythology , otherwise known as the Deutsche Mythology.
While there is historical evidence to show its existence throughout Europe, the Wheel itself holds no grounds in Ancient Pagan Traditions.
Thus, the Wheel is not observed by all witches and pagans, and many practitioners choose only to observe holidays that align with their own practices and traditions.
The Sabbat of the Northern Hemisphere
| Lughnasadh/Lammas | August 1st |
| Mabon | September 19th – 22nd |
| Samhain | October 31st |
| Yule | December 19th – 22nd |
| Imbolc | February 1st |
| Ostara | March 19th – 22nd |
| Beltane | May 1st |
| Litha | June 19th – 22nd |
The Sabbat of the Southern Hemisphere
| Lughnasadh/Lammas | February 1st |
| Mabon | March 21st |
| Samhain | April 30th – May 1st |
| Yule | June 21st |
| Imbolc | August 1st |
| Ostara | September 21st |
| Beltane | October 31st |
| Litha | December 21st |
“Magic is about listening to what’s inside you and the messages the Divine and nature have for you.”
Arin Murphy-Hisocock
The Wheel of the Year is inverted for those who live South of the Equator. As a practitioner who lives in Australia, it was initially hard to find ways of honouring this cyclical calendar that aligns with myself, and the nature that I reside in.
As a result, many of my rituals, recipes and chosen ingredients relates to this. While some of these practices may be transferable to those who live North of the Equator, I hope to educate and share my experiences as an Aussie Witch, per say.
Under those circumstances, I have recently released some scribblings concerning Ostara and some rituals to welcome Spring. Thereafter, I will be dedicating time to writing about the other Sabbat for those who remain in the Southern Hemisphere.
I hope you may find comfort in the magic of the Wheel of the Year and its many seasonal rituals and reflections.
– Your Local Witch,
Lor
Discover more
invite you to awaken with Spring and Herald the return of warmth and fertility to the land – uncover the meaning behind Ostara and reveal the traditions and rituals for spring.
