Last year, for New Year’s Eve 2017 –> 2018, I only had one real resolution. I wrote down:
Create family traditions around the 8 sabbats: Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh, Mabon, Samhain, and Yule. Include the coven and close friends. Create community. 8 parties this year!
It was an ambitious goal, but for the most part, I was totally successful! 2018 was the year that my magical practice fully bloomed and rooted. It feels so deeply ingrained in my everyday life, now. And as I’ve finally begun to feel more comfortable sharing this part of myself (mostly on Instagram stories), I’ve gotten so many private messages from others out there, on a similar magical journey . . . or wanting to be!
Which makes a lot of sense. One of the reasons I’ve always been drawn to witchcraft, is because of the way I feel that it connects me to the natural rhythms of the earth. Now granted, there are a million ways to be a witch, and mine is just one of them. But I think this sense of connection is calling to a lot of people, these days.
In my own practice, I am a secular solitary green witch, which means that my craft is based around natural cycles: the monthly waxing and waning of the moon, the slow but steady changing of the seasons, or even the daily passage of the sun, from dawn into dusk. Attuning myself to these natural rhythms bring me a profound sense of connection. It helps to settle the existential angst that’s otherwise always humming softly in the background of my mind. We are each of us small and insignificant, yes — but we are also intimately woven into something unimaginably large and exquisitely beautiful. What a gift!
And that’s why witches celebrate The Wheel of the Year. To remind us of this.
Imbolc — February 1st(ish) — Mid-Winter
“First light in the dark of winter”
Ostara — March 20(ish) — Vernal (Spring) Equinox
“Spring’s arrival”
Beltane — May 1(ish) — May Day
“The fertile earth”
Litha — June 21(ish) — Summer Solstice
“The longest day of the year”
Lughnasadh — August 1(ish) — First Harvest
“Abundance between lightness and dark”
Mabon — September 21(ish) — Autumn Equinox
“The harvest is home”
Samhain — October 31(ish) — Final Harvest
“The witches New Year”
Yule — December 21(ish) — Winter Solstice
“The shortest day of the year”
I’m planning to do a series of posts about the Wheel of the Year, and how I celebrate each of these 8 sabbats, over the course of 2019. I’m so very excited to share them with you!
Lots of Love,
~Sayward
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