The Eclectic Coven of Red Mountain

Sabbats

The eight Wiccan holidays mark turning points in the course of the year. The Lesser Sabbats (the solstices and the equinoxes) divide the solar year into quarters. These days mark milestones in the relationship of the length of night to that of day, with the equinoxes marking the points where the span of night and day are equal, and the solstices marking the extremes of darkness and daylight.

The Greater Sabbats, which bisect the quarters mentioned above, divide the year into seasons. As days are divided into complementary portions of daylight and darkness, Beltane and Samhain divide the year into complementary halves of warm weather and cold weather, with Beltane marking the start of summer and Samhain the start of winter. Completing the division, Imbolc marks the beginning of spring and Lughnasa the beginning of autumn.

We celebrate the eight holidays of the Wheel of the Year to attune ourselves to the cycles of nature and the rhythms of the universe. Through our ceremonies and our lives, we participate in the circle of life, death, and rebirth manifest in the agricultural cycle and the changing seasons.

The Wheel turns and we turn with it.

Yule/ Winter Solstice- December 21st
This is the turning point in the heart of winter when the dark night reaches its greatest length and the pattern shifts in favor of the light, bringing the promise of increasing daylight. Like our ancient ancestors and our present neighbors, we deck our halls with evergreens, symbolizing the continuity of life in the depths of winter, and we surround ourselves with bright lights in celebration of the returning sun and the renewed spark of hope. At this time we celebrate the birth of light, as the Great Mother brings forth the newborn Sun God.

Imbolc/Oimelc/Brigits Day- February 2nd
This is the first of the Greater Sabbats, the old Celtic cross-quarters in the Wheel of the Year. Traditionally this time marks both the first stirrings of Spring in Mother Earth's womb and the coming into milk of the ewes in lambing season. This day is sacred to the beloved Irish Goddess Brigit, triple solar goddess of smithcraft, inspiration, and healing, in whose honor a perpetual flame burned in the old Irish capitol of Kildare. At this time, associated with beginning growth and initiation, we honor the nurturing powers of the Goddess, her youth renewed now, as she nurtures and initiates the fledgling God.

Beltane- May 1st
This Sabbat derives its name from the fire of the Celtic God of Light and stands opposite Samhain in the Wheel of the Year. On this day, we recognize the ripening of Nature and celebrate the fires of passion. Like the maypole, this time marks an unabashed celebration of sexuality and fertility. As Pagans, we recognize the sacred nature of sexuality, and share an intuitive understanding of its spiritual power and our own deep connection with the natural world. The God and Goddess crown themselves King and Queen of May, reveling joyously among the first flowers of Summer.

Midsummer's Eve/Litha/ Summer Solstice- June 21st
On the longest day of the year, the Sun God reaches the peak of his power and the Bright Lady's abundance overflows. Herbs are gathered, and we celebrate all that is wild and free. And we are not alone in the flowering fields - no other day is so strongly associated wiith the Faerie in folk tradition as Midsummer's Eve (as Shakespeare well knew). With the faerie dancing round us, we light this night with fires as the Wheel turns toward the waning of the sun.

Lughnasa / Lammas- August 1st
The first fruits of the harvest ripen as the power of the waning sun flows into the life-sustaining grain. This Sabbat derives its name from the great Celtic Sun God Lugh, who also is called King of the Faerie. According to Irish legend, Lugh hosted this festival of funeral games in honor of his foster mother Taillte, whom we recognize as the Goddess in her crone aspect, gone ahead to prepare Lugh's way to the Summerland. We bake loaves from the first harvests in honor of the Lord of the Grain and the Corn Mother.

Mabon/Harvest Home/Autumnal Equinox- September 21st
This is the time of the final harvest, when we celebrate the Divine Sacrifice of the grain, freely given to sustain us through the cold winter. This concept is personified in the mythological motif of the dying god, manifest in forms ranging from the exotic Dumuzi of ancient Sumerian myth to the rustic John Barleycorn of folk tradition. We settle by the warmth of the hearth to enjoy the bounty of the harvest, and as we eat our cakes and drink our wine - in ritual and in everyday life - we accept the essence of the divine into ourselves, continuing the cycle of life.

Samhain/Halloween- October 31st
The Great Sabbat, Samhain (meaning Summer's End), is the shadowy counterpoint to the fire-lit Beltane. The age-old traditions of honoring the dead and divining the future still run true in the lore of Halloween. Poised between the death of the old year and the birth of the new, Samhain touches all at once on past and future, summer and winter, creation and chaos - on all that has been and all that will be. The walls between the worlds fade, and the dead walk with us in a sacred moment resonating with the ancient magic of in-between places. The God takes his place as Lord of the Dead in the dark realm of the Night Mother, and we embrace death as we embrace life, knowing that the darkness of the grave is also the darkness of the Mother's womb. The Wheel turns, and we turn with it, looking ahead to the solstice and the God's rebirth.

Written by Lycia for the Eclectic Coven of Red Mountain  ~ All rights reserved.  

To request permission to duplicate contact eclecticcoven@hotmail.com.