Yule, The winter solstice

circa December 21.

"The Mother gives birth on night's longest hour
With the frost aglow on the green.
The Child of Light is reborn as the sun,
To renew us on our journey unseen."

This is the longest night of the year, yet from out of this darkness comes new life and light, and from this point on, the days will increase in length. The sight of the sun rising after the longest night was (and still is) a definite cause for celebration, signalling the promise of better days to come.

Mythologically, at Yule we celebrate the birth/re-birth of the sun god, as he re-emerges from the darkness of the Mother's womb, returning from the Underworld.

In the days before we could alter our environments with electric lights, the rhythms of life revolved around the amount of daylight and darkness. As the increasing hours of darkness sent our ancestors indoors, their thoughts toward inward as well, and it is a rare person who can delve deeply into themselves without finding themselves lacking in certain areas.

Today, we have a greater understanding of the importance of the role that light plays in our mental and emotional lives. Even though we are insulated from the natural world in many ways, our bodies and minds still respond to the amount of daylight we receive, and we fall prey to the same inward spiral that our ancestors faced.

As we sink deeper into our own shadows, it sometimes seems as if we will never return from the void. The newborn sun gives us a sense of a spark of hope in the midst of despair, giving us the strength to hold on, to look forward to brighter days ahead.

Christians sometimes complain that it is hard for them to see the real meaning of Christmas beneath all the materialistic trappings of the season. It can be even harder, in some respects, for Pagans not to lose the true meaning of the season. For us, it's not just covered by rampant commercialism, but by centuries of Christian overlay as well.

Someday, I'm going to celebrate Yule by staying up all through the longest night, with candles burning and lights on in every room, and greet the newborn sun god as he rises. In the meantime, I'll settle for reclaiming some of the Yule traditions that were adapted by the Christians, starting with these songs, re-written (re-claimed?) by a friend of mine: Yule Carols

Many of the well-known Christmas traditions grew out of Mid-Winter celebrations, so don't be afraid to take them back and use them in your own rituals. (This is one of the most fun of the Sabbats, and one where you can decorate without having to be afraid of what the neighbors will think.)

For one thing, there's the tree. Because pines, spruce, etc, stayed green all year long, they were seen as a promise of immortality. Branches were cut and used to decorate the house at Mid-Winter, bringing the green of summer indoors. Entire trees were also cut, their branches decorated with candles (major fire hazard!) and hung with treats, small gifts, and symbols of the returning light.

So, don't be afraid to put up a "Christmas tree" and decorate it. If you can make decorations, so much the better. For one thing, it looks more "homey" and traditional than store-bought glass balls. And if you get the family involved, then hanging the ornaments each year will be more personal, as each decoration will bring back memories that can be discussed as you decorate.

Need ideas for home made ornaments? Every year, there's bound to be a women's magazine with a recipe for a modeling dough made out of flour, salt and water. Make, bake, and paint.
Also, dried milkweed pods can be spray painted silver or gold (or other colors) on the back, and have the insides painted with a brush, then decorated with glitter, small figurines glued in place, etc. Attach a wire hook at the top, and you're in business.

Imbolc

February 2

"All life in the earth begins to unfold,
As the waxing light is seen.
Each seedling will sprout into its own self,
To inspire us to be truly free."

Just as Yule is Mid-Winter, so Imbolc, also called Oimelc, Brigid's Day, and Candlemas (February 2nd) is the start of Spring. It may not look like it, and it almost certainly won't feel like it, but that's what it is. The days are noticeably longer now, lambing season is beginning (the name means "ewe's milk" or "lamb's milk"), and the first stirrings toward new growth can be felt.

Granted, here in Western Pennsylvania, February 2nd doesn't feel much like the start of spring, which made it really hard for me to connect with the energy of this particular Sabbat. Its lesson was shown to me in a most unexpected way...not from a book, a meditation, or a conversation with a friend, but in a phone call from a temp agency...

I was working as a temp and hadn't had an assignment in quite a while, when I got a phone call for a short term assignment. It wasn't much, but it was something...a promise of better things. With a smile, I realized that that was what Imbolc was all about...A promise of better things. It's still cold, yes, but the light that began to increase at Yule is noticeably stronger, a sure sign that summer is on its way.

Today, Imbolc is still observed, but as "Ground Hog Day" and as the Feast Day of St. Bridgid -- widely held to be a Christianized form of Brigid, the Celtic goddess of inspiration, creativity, crafts of all kinds, fertility (including pregnancy, child birth, midwives, animal husbandry, and agriculture). She was also a warrior goddess.

Imbolc is about beginnings, about potential, about "almosts." It isn't quite spring yet, but it's a start.

The longer days give us more energy, making us feel restless, and "cabin fever" sets in, as the weather remains too unfriendly to do much about this excess energy. People begin making plans for the planting season, (ever notice that seed catalogs start arriving about now?) and start dreaming about summer vacations as well. At Imbolc, there is a sense that things are possible again.

There are a lot of possible themes for an Imbolc celebration.

If you make your own candles, now is an excellent time to make and bless a supply for the coming year.

This is a time for purification, so why not (briefly!, at least in norther climes) open the doors and windows and let the fresh air blow through. Make it part of a house cleansing ritual, in which the energies of people who have been cooped up in too close contact throughout the winter are purged and replaced with a fresh start.

Purify yourself as well. Light a candle dedicated to Brigid, and make a list of bad habits, negative attitudes, old resentments, etc, and release them by lighting the paper from its flame and letting it burn in the cauldron of transformation.

Have something you want to bring into your life? Bless and charge some seeds, and plant them indoors. (Plastic take out food containers with clear tops make great mini-greenhouses.) As your plants grow, so does your abundance, patience, or whatever. (This is a great fertility or abundance spell...) The plants can be moved outside into your garden when the weather is more cooperative, and if you plant vegetable seeds, the harvest will be two-fold.

Do you do any sort of crafts or other creative endeavors? Ask Brigid to bless you with inspiration throughout the coming year, dedicate your craft work to her, or create something special in her honor.

Brigid was also a warrior goddess, so if there is something in your life where you need to stand strong, ask for her help.

Any symbols of the sun or fertility are appropriate for this Sabbat, as are foods that incorporate milk products. (My favorite Imbolc food is rice pudding, as it incorporates fertility symbols, sun symbols, and lots of milk.) Here's the recipe I use:

1 cup rice, cooked and drained -- wash pan and cook these ingredients:

4 cups of milk -- symbolizing the milk of the Goddess
1 cup of sugar -- for the sweetness of life
2 eggs, beaten -- symbolizing both the sun and new life/fertility
1 tblsp cornstarch -- to thicken and bind
1 tsp vanilla -- because every recipe has vanilla in it

Add rice to mixture and cook (over Brigid's Fire) stirring until it is like custard.

(If you are a Solitary, you can focus on the things you want to grow in your life as you stir, charging the pudding. If you are a part of a Coven or a Family Tradition, you can take turns stirring in your wishes.)

Ostara, Spring Equinox

circa March 21

"The Maiden returns in blossoms so new
To embrace Her Mother in birth.
And like children we play in the sweetness of day
And rejoice in Life's return to the Earth"

Ostara is the Spring Equinox, which occurs around March 21st, although the actual date may vary. The Christian holiday of Easter borrows heavily from this Sabbat, right down to its date. (Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox...could it get much more Pagan?) Most of the symbols that we associate with Easter are appropriate for Ostara -- eggs, chicks, bunnies, flowers, etc.
(And, of course, chocolate is appropriate at any time!)

Suggestions for Ostara:
Sunrise services are an important part of Christian Easter services, so why not hold your own sunrise service for Ostara? Check an almanac (or The Weather Channel) to find out when sunrise is in your neck of the woods, then be outside where you can see it...Greet the sun, its light, warmth, and healing, in whatever way you feel comfortable.

If you're not a morning person you can also always fall back on the standards of coloring eggs and hiding Ostara baskets.

Beltane

April 30 BLESSED BELTANE!

"The Maypole is crowned with ribbons so bright
As lovers leap in desire
Through woodlands and meadows we laugh in the sun
And the dance of life goes wild in the night"

Between the worlds we stand this night,
Around the bonfire's dancing light,
Calling forth the gods of old,
Bidding farewell to Winter's cold.

Farewell to Winter, turning the Wheel.
Farewell to Winter, turning the Wheel.

We open wide Summer's Gate,
Long the winter, long the wait!
Now we dance with spirits free,
Summer's coming, blessed be!

Calling Summer, turning the Wheel.
Calling Summer, turning the Wheel.

Summer comes on Beltane night,
Called by the bonfire's dancing light.
Lord and Lady join as one,
Now that Summer has begun.

Welcome Summer, turning the Wheel.
Welcome Summer, turning the Wheel.

marks the emergence of the young God into manhood.Stirred by the energies that work in nature, He desires the Goddess.They fall in love, lie among the grasses and blossoms, and unite.The Goddess becomes pregnant of the God.Wiccans celebrate the symbol of Her fertility in ritual.

Midsummer, the Summer Solstice

circa June 21

Arrives when the powers of nature reach their highest point.The Earth is awash in the fertility of the Goddess and God.In the past, bonfires were leaped to encourage fertility, purification, health and love.Midsummer is a classic time for magick of all kinds.

Lughnasadh

August 1

is the time of the first harvest, when the plants of spring wither and drop their fruits or seeds for our use as well as to ensure future crops.Mystically, so too does the God lose his strength as the Sun rises farther in the South each day and the nights grow longer.The Goddess watches in sorrow and joy as she realises that the God is dying, and yet lives on inside Her as Her child.

"The corn and the grain gleam ripe in the fields;
We have labored long in the soil.
Now we wait as our days fade into the night,
Will be rewarded well for our toil?"

Mabon, the Autumn Equinox

circa September 21

The completion of the harvest begun at Lughnasadh.Day and night are equal once again, poised as the God prepare to leave His physical body and begin the great adventure into the unseen, toward renewal and rebirth of the Goddess.Nature declines draws back it's bounty, readying for winter and it's time of rest.The Goddess nods in the weakening Sun, though fire burns within Her womb.She feels the presence of the God even as He wanes.

"The harvest was plenty, we give thanks with joy
As the leaves are blown from the trees.
We gather to share in the wonderment there
Of the circle of rebirth in the sea."

Samhain

October 31

the Wicca say farewell to the God.This is a temporary farewell.He isn't wrapped in eternal darkness, but readies to be reborn of the Goddess at Yule.A time of reflection, of looking back over the last year, of coming to terms with the one phenomenon of life over which we have no control - death.On this night the separation between the physical and spiritual realities is thin.We remember our ancestors who have gone before.The wheel of the year is complete.

"The old woman she sits in front of the fire,
She is wise and she bids us draw near.
We may pass in between what is seen and unseen,
For the Veil of Death is nothing to fear..."

Samhain is perhaps the most sacred time of the year for us...It is the time when the Veil Between the Worlds is thinnest, when it is easist to pass from one side to the other.

We do not worship Death, nor do we fear it. To us, Death is merely a transition, a change from one form to another...Death and Birth are merely two sides of the same event...Who is to say that when a baby is born, it does not feel as if it were dying to its previous life?

In the same vein, then, we do not worship the dead, but neither do we fear them. Those who have passed through the Veil are remembered at Samhain...they are invited into our ritual space to share in our rites, and we seek communion with loved ones who are no longer on our plane of existence.