The Wheel of the Year
As Pagans, we acknowledge the cycle of life, with the continuous progress from birth, to death, to re-birth, flowing constantly, like an ever-turning wheel. This cycle is evident all around us, not only in our own lives, but also in the phases of the moon each month, when she waxes and wanes and on an annual basis in the progress of the sun through the skies, influencing our seasons and hence the whole of nature. As Pagans we also celebrate the stages of the lives of our Goddess and God at significant points in the year.
The annual path of the sun is mapped out by the eight festivals which we celebrate through the year, at approximate six-weekly intervals. There are four major, or Greater Sabbats and four minor, or Lesser Sabbats, but each one is acknowledged as being part of the continuous cycle of life.
The major festivals are generally accepted as being Celtic in origin and closely tied to the agricultural year of our ancestors. Festivals, which would have marked important stages in the sowing, growing and harvesting of crops and livestock, and would - to them - have literally been a matter of life and death. Hence we celebrate Imbolc at the very beginning of spring, Beltane at the start of summer, Lughnasadh at the beginning of autumn and Samhain at the start of winter.
Interspersed between these are the solar festivals, of the two equinoxes and two solstices, which celebrate the annual rise and decline in the strength of the sun throughout the seasons.
The notes which are contained in this section will give you a flavour of what each one is about and in the Rituals section you will find some suggestions of celebratory Rituals which we in Somerset have used and would like to share with you.
