Wheel of the Year                    

**This version of the wheel is based on the ancient peoples planting and harvesting cycles.

Samhain (Celtic) (October 31)  All Hallows Eve (November 7) Happy Witches New Year! This night represents the final harvest for the season, when the crops are all safely stored for the cold of Winter. The veil between the worlds of life and death is at its thinnest. Take time to remember your loved ones passed. Set a place at your feast and welcome them to join. Work divination! Light a black candle to ward off negativity. Buy a new broom for your house and decorate your home with gourds, brooms,  yellow mums, witches, pentacles and feathers. Remember that the God has given up his life to the land and has gone to wait until he will be reborn at Yule.

Yule, Yuletide or Winter Solstice (December 21) The Goddess gives birth to her Son, the God, on this shortest day and longest night of the year. The waxing sun overcomes the waning sun. Celebrate this holiday with fire and the very traditional Yule log. Decorate your home with red and green along with the Yule tree, after all the tradition of cutting the tree and decorating it was indeed Pagan first!  Each year save a piece of your Yule log to protect your home throughout the year. Use it to light the following years log.

Imbolc or Candlemas (February 2) The Goddess  has recovered from the birth of Her son and He is growing in His strength with the waxing power of the Sun. A traditional time to celebrate the banishing of the winter season. It is time to welcome in the Spring and have celebrations of fertility. Hang 3 ears of indian corn (collected during the fall season) outside your home for wealth and protection. Each ear of corn is a symbolism for the Goddess in her three phases (Maiden, Mother, and Crone). On the day after Fall Equinox, bury the three ears of corn in your garden. If you don't have one, then chose a favorite tree or bush, in your yard, or that of a friend/loved one, to gift with the nourishment of the corn.  Also for this holiday, decorate your home with lavender and white candles. Work around the house, sprucing up a bit..i.e. new tablecloths, curtains, fresh coats of paint, wallpaper and repair all broken furniture.

Ostara: Spring (Vernal) Equinox  (sometime mid March) This Sabbat occurs when night and day are of equal length. The Goddess is in her Maiden form and the God is in his prime youth. This is time to celebrate balance as it is not quite Spring and no longer really Winter. Take time to gather and prepare seeds with blessings for future plantings. The Easter Bunny is a Pagan derivative as is the baskets and flowers. Place colored eggs on your alter. Decorate with pastel colors of green, pink and yellow.  During this holiday, if you are a woman, gift yourself with a new broom and if a man, a new staff. Don't forget to cleanse and consecrate both in ritual. Use your new broom to cleanse your circles and sacred space. Traditional witches will give their broom a name. Some even include a naming ceremony for it!  All other namings can be done at this time as well. Eat homemade breads and sweet cakes at dusk  (after circle if you have one) and/or have a feast of breakfast with family and friends at sunrise.

Beltane or Mayday (Mayday is celebrated on May 1 and Beltane on May 5) The Goddess has finally reached her womanhood and is ready to receive the God. They lie together, planting the seed of life's continuance and the Goddess is impregnated. This is a time for love and to celebrate unions. People, plants and animals all are busy preparing for the warm months ahead. Many traditions include the winding of the Maypole by children and their adult friends. Colors for this holiday include bright blues,  shades of purple,  hot pink, yellow and white. However, the traditional colors for May are red and white. The colors red and white were in representation of a maidens loss of her innocence to her love. Many witches pick a tree, in their yard, to decorate with ribbons and bows with the colors mentioned above. Place bowls of flowers around the house with floating candles. A basket of fresh flowers on the door and greens on the mantle are nice touches for the home too. During circle toss flower petals within the sacred space. Before opening the circle sweep them in a pile and later redistribute them around your home for protection.
 

Summer Solstice or Midsummer Night's Celebration  (the longest day of the year)  The Goddess knows she is pregnant and the God is at His peak of power! Magick celebrations can include those of business, success, passion, any that include male energy. Decorate your alter with gold and red flowers and feathers (red for sexuality and yellow for prosperity). Candles should also be red and gold.  Take a walk in the woods and commune with the tree sprites and forest fairies.
 

Lammas or Lughnassadh (Lammas August 2 and Lughnassadh on August 7th)  Lughnassadh is a Celtic holiday in celebration of the Sun God. The God is now waning. This is a time to give thanks for the first harvest. Bake breads for this celebration and decorate your alter with items from your garden. Stock your magickal cabinet with needed items for the year. Harvest all herbs for magickal intent on this day, bundle and hang them to dry. It is best to harvest them in the early morning hours when the dew fairies have just gone. Add bright colored candles to your alter and around the home.
 

Mabon or Autumn Equinox Daylight is beginning to grow less and the God is weakening.  Harvest corn and all other foods that are to be harvested at this time. Make corn cakes and cider for ritual feasts. Cut and hang to dry all other herbs that have not been already done.  Decorate the home and alter with the colors red, orange, yellow and brown. Gather river and stream stones to empower for various purposes. If you are planning on making your own set of Runes over the winter months, this is a good time to collect whatever items you will use to make them. Flat stones and shells work best.  Spend time in your yard preparing it for the months it will be sleeping. Rake leaves, protect tender bushes and plants from the upcoming cold. Plant and/or transplant bulbs.

The wheel has once again turned and the circle of life continues yet again.

Blessed Be!