Yule/Midwinter/Winter
Solstice
This is where I offer ideas for seasonal celebrations and lunar rites
I'm thrilled to be able to share my altar room with you. In reality I don't have an altar room simply because my apartment is too small. So this is my opportunity to fill my personal altar with magickal objects and perform sacred rites. Just click on the pentacle to get more information on the Sabbats.
Yule/Midwinter/Winter
Solstice
This is the day we celebrate the rebirth of the Sun and honor the Great Mother for bringing forth the Divine Child. In some traditions this is celebrated as Mothers' Night. In others we commemorate the Oak King defeating the Holly King so that he may rule over the waxing year.
Imbolg is a time to celebrate the seeds beginning to stir beneath the still frozen earth. This is a day to bless candles to be used in the coming year. In some traditions Imbolg is the day when new witches are initiated or re-dedicated.
The Spring Equinox is one of two days during the solar year when Light and Dark are evenly balanced. This is a day to celebrate the courtship of the Goddess and the God. It is a festival of rebirth and fertility for the fields. As well as the feast of Ostara, the Germanic Goddess of Spring.
Beltane is a time to honor the passion in our lives. Whether it's the passion between lovers or the passion you feel for your art or towards a hobby you have, this is the day to rejoice in that passion. Traditionally Beltane honors the mating of the Goddess and God. Among ancient Celts this was the day the Bale Fires were lit and the community gathered together to celebrate. After the festivities men and women could pair off and wander into the woods for a tryst. It was felt that by mating in the fields energy was being raised that would result in the crops being fruitful. Beltane is a time to celebrate our sexuality.
Midsummer/Litha/Summer
Solstice
Litha is a time to celebrate the power of the Sun and to mark peak moments of warmth and growth in our lives. It's a day to honor the Great Mother, who is heavily pregnant, for allowing life to continue and for nurturing and sustaining life on Earth.
Lughnasa is primarily a grain festival, the first of 3 harvest festivals. It is a time to celebrate the Goddess as the source of life and to honor the God as the spirit of the growing corn. Today we celebrate the transformation of energy from the living force in the corn to the static force found in the cut sheaves.
The Autumn Equinox is the second day of the year when Day and Night are in perfect balance. After this day the darkness will increase a bit more each day. Mabon is a time to balance inner and outer lives, sorting and selecting what will be replanted and what will be cast aside. It is a time to reevaluate our lives and discard that which no longer works for us. In this way we open ourselves up to new growth and new experiences.
Samhain is the end of the Celtic year. It signals the renewal of the Wheel of the Year. This time of year is when the Old God dies, returning to the Underworld and when the Goddess in her Crone aspect mourns the loss of her son/consort. On Samhain night the veil between this work and the Otherworld is at its thinnest.
Imbolg/Candlemas