Mabon

The Autumnal Equinox, the second of the Harvest Festivals, is the Pagan rite of Thanksgiving, also known as "Harvest Home." It’s a Sabbat of celebration for the abundance of the harvest; a time meant for us to give thanks through song, dance, and feasts.

This is a time of balance, when day and night are equal once again. There may be a hint of sadness within us now, an inner sense of fear and trepidation, as the world begins to tilt toward the time of darkness. And so this Sabbat is also a time of meditation and introspection; a time to slow down the pace of our lives and to relax and recognize our own personal harvests during the year that is fast declining. It’s also a time to appreciate the connection we have with those around us, as well as those who have gone before us. While the name "Harvest Home" is often ascribed to the fact that the crops are being gathered, it also references the sense of "community" that this harvest festival fosters, for it’s through our kinship with those close to us that we endure through the long, dark, cold nights of winter.

Mabon is a Welsh name meaning "great son," and refers to the Son of the Great Mother, The Divine Son of Light. Mythologically this festival celebrates the story of Modron, the Great Goddess of the Earth, and the birth of her son, Mabon. According to the mythology, Mabon disappears (or is kidnapped) three days after his birth (thus, the light goes into hiding). Mabon is veiled in mystery in the womb of the earth, here personified as his mother, the Great Protector and Guardian of the Otherworld. Though his whereabouts are a mystery, it is only here that he can once again renew his strength and gain new wisdom in order to be reborn to the Goddess as the Son of Light. This is accomplished at Yule (Winter Solstice), with the aid of the ancient and wise animals: Stag, Raven, Owl, Eagle and Salmon. One can readily see the connection of this myth to the natural events occuring during this time. It also speaks to us of the Wiccan Mysteries of Life, Death, and Rebirth, and the sacrificial nature of the God.

This season also brings to mind the mythology of Persephone and Demeter. Some groups choose to celebrate the Sabbat by enacting this story in their Sabbat Circles, emphasizing the Mystery contained within the cyclical faces of the ever-constant Goddess.

Other cultures also identified this season with their own mythologies. In ancient Rome, it was a celebration to Mercury or Apollo. Christian Britain replaced the Welsh Mabon with St Michael, to whom churches on many sacred Pagan sites were erected. The Autumnal Equinox became known as the Christian Feast of Michaelmas.

Beyond Michaelmas, Mabon, and Harvest Home, the Sabbat has also been known as the Festival of Dionysus, the Wine Harvest, Harvest of First Fruits, Cornucopia, the Feast of Avalon, Equinozio di Autunno (Strega), and Alban Elfed (Caledonii, or Druidic - which celebrates the Lord of the Mysteries). The Teutonic name for this season is Winter Finding, which begins on the Equinox itself and continues until Winter Night, October 15th, which is the Norse New Year.

Symbols of this Sabbat include grapes and vines, wine, garland, pine cones, acorns, dried leaves, Indian corn, gourds, wheat, rattles (especially those made of gourds), and horns of plenty.

Since Mabon is a celebration of fruits and wine, traditional Pagan activities include fermenting grapes. Apples and vine products are sacred at this season, so apple pie, as well as other apple foods, are common at Sabbat Feasts.

It’s also traditional to wander wild places and forests, gathering seed pods, nuts, and dried plants, both for decoration and for possible future magick.

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Imbolc

Candlemas is the Christianized name for the Pagan celebration of the transformation of the Goddess from Crone to the Maiden of Spring, celebrated in old Ireland by the kindling of hillside bonfires and the lighting of candles. Also known as Brigit’s Day, it is a Fire festival to honor the great Irish Goddess Brigit, the goddess of fire and the patroness of smith craft, poetry, and healing.

When Catholic missionaries arrived in Ireland they wisely felt they shouldn’t demonize the great Goddess of this ancient land, and so they made her a Catholic saint. "Saint" Brigit then became the patron saint of smith craft, poetry, and healing in the Church’s eyes. They explained their reasoning by convincing the Irish people that Brigit was actually an early Catholic missionary, and that they’d misunderstood that the miracles she’d performed were not of her power, but rather by the power of God working through her. The Church then proclaimed this day "Candlemas," keeping the symbolism of the Fire Festival, but devoting the day towards blessing the candles that were to be used in the coming liturgical year. However, the service of Candlemas only addressed the lighting of "pagan" fires by the populace, and not the symbolism behind these festivities. Thus, the Church also marked the day as the "Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary." This holy day marked the end of the six weeks of Mary’s impurity after giving birth to Christ at the Solstice, and allowed the Church to co-opt the deeper meaning of this Sabbat, as well as the celebratory activities.

We still see this theme of cleansing and purification carried into our rites, as well as our seasonal activities today. While the house gets a thorough spring cleaning, it’s symbolism prepares our minds and bodies for the resurgence of the coming season of warmth. The Maiden sweeps away the debris of the old, dead season with her new broom; thus, we sweep away the outdated and useless from our lives, and fill our minds instead with new ideas, plans, and goals.

This Rite of Candlemas marks the first stirrings of the new Spring. And, while it may seem strange to be celebrating Spring while snow still covers the ground and the bitter winds of winter still whip around your shoulders, the old name of this Sabbat actually explains the reasoning. Imbolc (or Imbolg) literally means "in the belly;" thus, though the land is still covered with snow and frost, within the belly of the Mother (earth), the first faint stirrings of the seeds of the new season are beginning. A festival celebrating light in the darkness, the Rite of Candlemas is the celebration of the rekindled fire both within ourselves and within the world, as personified by the growing strength of the new Sun God

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Beltaine

Beltaine is one of two Celtic fire festivals, a cross-quarter sabbat, and is sometimes referred to as Cetsamhain, meaning "opposite Samhain," because it falls opposite to Samhain in the Wheel of the Year. Likewise, where Samhain is a festival recognizing and honoring the necessity of Death, Beltaine is a celebration of life and fertility returning to the world.

In the Celtic countries the festival was known by other names, such as Beltaine in Ireland (which means in Irish Gaelic "May"), Bealtunn (which means in Scots-Gaelic "May Day") in Scotland, Shenn do Boaldyn on the Isle of Man, and Galan Mae in Wales. The Saxons called this day Walpurgisnacht, the night of Walpurga, Goddess of May. Like Brigid, the Church changed this goddess into St. Walpurga and attached a similar legend to her origin. Also known as May Eve, this festival marks the beginning of Summer – the growing season.

The word "Beltane" literally means "bright" or "brilliant fire," and refers to the bonfires lit by a presiding Druid in honor of the proto-Celtic god variously known as Bel, Beli, Balar, Balor or Belenus. Bel, the god of light, fire and healing, had Sun-like qualities, but was not purely a Sun god, as the Celts were not specifically Sun worshippers.

They celebrated Beltaine with dancing, feasting, and "greenwood marriages." Men and women would disappear into the woods throughout the night for their own personal celebrations; these being understood to be unions through which the Horned God impregnated the Goddess and brought fertility to the earth, through the physical forms of man and woman. These unions were a celebration of life and love, accomplished to ensure the fertility and fruitfulness of the land, animals, and of themselves. Further, any babies born of greenwood marriages were considered children of the Lord and Lady, specially blessed by Them, and were seen as children of the whole village, rather than of just two parents.

For modern Pagans, Beltaine is the time of union and pleasure; of celebrating the returning warmth of the sun, and the greening of Earth. It is about the reconciliation of opposites through love, and the fruitfulness that arises from this reconciliation. It is a time of bonfires and feasting, drumming and dancing; a time of brightly colored ribbons woven around that ancient phallic symbol, the maypole. And it is a time to renew our commitments to the land, to love, and to each other.

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Samhain

Samhain marks the last of the harvest festivals; a time when the the herds of old were culled for the winter’s meat. Great bonfires would light the sky during the celebrations, and people of all ages carried eerily-carved gourds to protect themselves against the "little people" who were said to roam this night.

Samhain is a cross-quarter sabbat; a night when the veil between this world and the next is the thinnest. It is a time to honor those who’ve died during the old year just leaving, as well as all ancestral spirits. Many of today’s pagans continue the old tradition of "feeding the dead" by setting a place of honor for them at the Samhain feast table. In addition, many will load a large plate with a sample of all the feast foods, and leave it on the porch for the enjoyment (and boons) of all the spirits who might walk this night.

As it was with the Celts, Samhain is the Wiccan New Year. Divinations for the dawning year are done this night, as well as rituals and spells to be rid of bad habits and undesirable situations. This is our day to throw out the old which holds us back, and ring in the new with hope and joy.

Samhain is also known as Hallowmas, All Hallow’s Eve, and Halloween. Dieties celebrated especially for this Sabbat are the Crone Goddesses and the Sacrificial Gods. Symbols of the sabbat include the cauldron, mask, bonfire, and the jack-o’-lantern. And the colors most associated with Samhain are black and orange.

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Lammas

Lammas, the first of the Harvest Festivals, marks the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. The days grow noticeably shorter; there may be a cool spell or two to cut the heat of summer, and showers wash clear the soot and allergens from the skies, an intimation only of the season to come.

’Lammas’ is actually a medieval Christian name meaning "loaf-mass" or the "Feast of Bread" from the Saxon word, Hlaf-mass. As the feast name indicates, this was the grain harvest from which loaves of bread were baked and given up in offering. In Irish-Gaelic, the name for the festival was ’Lugnasadh’ and referred to the games or "nasad" of the Irish sun-god, Lugh. Lugh, or as he was known in Ireland, Lugh of the Long Hand, son of the Sun, held the games in honor of the memory of his foster-mother, Taillte.

Lammas is the first of the three harvest festivals, and symbolizes the waning strength of Bel, (Belenos) the Celtic god of light. It emphasizes his willingness as Corn King to sacrifice himself so that the tribe may endure the winter months ahead with sustenance and hope; that hope being grounded in the mystery of the Cauldron of Rebirth.

To many of us, Lammas represents the unbroken physical link of seed to harvest and back to seed. This is the most obvious concept, as seed from one crop has always been saved back as seed for the next crop. The importance of the transformation of the grain into flour is most evident, as well, as we head towards the winter months. But inherent in this is the crux of our spiritual beliefs, as we see the symbolism applied not only to the physical world, but also to our own spiritual lives. The grain seed is the kernel of soul, our unbroken link to the Ancestors; the Harvest King’s sacrifice is the harvest that we, ourselves, reap from our actions and thoughts of the year just passing, and from that which we bring with us from our previous dances on the Wheel.

And so Lammas is not merely a time to celebrate and feast and make merry in the largess of the God and the Goddess, but a time to take stock of what we have sown and are now reaping in our own personal lives, and what we wish to plant for not only the coming year, but for the life that comes after this for us, as well as for those who will one day call us "Ancestor."

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Litha

On this day, the noon of the year, light and life are abundant. This is the longest day of the year, the Summer Solstice, when the sun has reached the Tropic of Cancer. The Lord of Light has reached his penultimate zenith of strength and as he crests, must give way to his twin, the Lord of Shadows, godking of the dark half of the year. Though still in the throes of plenty, the year begins its waning journey to winter.

As with so many other Pagan celebrations, Midsummer was also adopted by the Christians. Proclaimed as St. John the Baptist’s feast day, this particular Christian adaptation ran counter to other feast days, in that it celebrated St. John’s earthly birth, rather than the normal commemoration of the saint’s death (and subsequent rebirth into the kingdom of God). Thus, with the celebration of Christ’s birth at Christmas, the Church kept intact the essence of the old Pagan celebration of these two solstices. The Oak King (St. John) and the Holly King (Christ), battle for seasonal rulership, whether the ritual celebrant be Pagan or Christian. Their births divided by 180 degrees on the Wheel of the Year, Christian lore has it that St. John was a prophet born six months prior to Christ, in order to announce Christ’s arrival. St. John’s association with wilderness and wooded areas, as well as many old statutes portraying him as bearded and often with horns, reinforce his association with the Oak King. This association is strengthened even more when one looks upon the stone faces of St. John gazing down from the walls of old church architecture; the mask of the saint looks amazingly similar to the foliate masks of our own Green Man, Pan.

Many customs are associated with this night’s celebration. Large bonfires were lit in England, thus “setting the watch” as the wards on city boundaries were renewed, with celebrants jumping over, through, or between bonfires for good luck. Revelers wandered from one bonfire to another, known as the “marching watch,” and were often attended by morris dancers. Shades of these old customs are still practiced today in England.

Contrasted with Yule when we look inward in meditative silence, Midsummer sets us to a time when our focus is turned outward, joyfully experiencing the delights of the Lord and Lady’s abundance. We delight in the first fruits of the season and revel in the company of others, dancing with wild abandon in a blissful celebration of the season.

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Ostara

Ostara (Eostre) circa March 21, also known as the Spring or Vernal Equinox, is one of two dates where day and night are equal; a point of balance, after which the forces of light gain power and preeminence over the powers of darkness until it reaches its ultimate at Midsummer.

Deities honored during this festival are those of the maiden goddess and the youthful, warrior god. The sabbat takes its name from Eostra (Ostara), the Goddess of the Dawn, the Saxon Goddess who heralds the triumphant rebirth of the Sun and the return of the greening season. Hellenic traditions celebrate the return of Persephone, Demeter’s daughter, from Hades. Some sects see this as the time of courtship between the God and the Goddess, whose relationship will then be consummated at the following sabbat of Beltaine.

When the Catholic Church preempted this rite, as with so many others, it kept the essence of the sabbat, but appropriated its essential properties for Christ. Ostara has always been a rite celebrating the resurrection and restoration of the Sun. The Holy Roman Church simply ascribed the resurrection to Christ, also known as the Son, who is also described in biblical terms as "the Light." Even the way in which "Easter" is arrived at is Pagan in origin, calculated from the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Equinox. That is, of course, unless a full moon falls on that date; at which time, the Easter sabbath falls on the following Sunday. While they were forced by an unchangeable astronomical event into keeping the essential date of the original Pagan Sabbat, it seems that having the Holy Easter Sabbath on a full moon was simply too much for the Church to abide!

Ostara is the beginning of the fertility festivals. Buds begin to push their way through the earth to reach the strengthening sun’s light; animals in the wild feel the ancient instinct to breed; the energies of Nature shift subtly from the torpor of Winter to the exuberant activity of Spring. It is a time of new beginnings, of action, of saying goodbye to the old and making room for the new. We can see this urge reflected in our lives even today. We talk of "Spring cleaning" and "In Spring, a young man’s fancy turns to..."; the desire to run the greening fields (or, in our world, walk the parks, fish, and other outdoor activities) vies urgently with the obligation of our workday routines, often resulting in "sick leave days" and spur-of-the-moment "personal days" where the real excuse is "Spring Fever."

Symbols of this holiday include eggs, rabbits, and flowers of all kinds. Modern secular activities such as the dying of Easter Eggs are remnants of ancient Pagan traditions. The Anglo-Saxons painted eggs with their hopes and dreams and presented them as a gift to Eostre. These eggs were then buried in the Earth, so that the Earth-Mother would know dreams of her children, in hopes that She would see fit to help them realize their desires. This practice predates Christianity by approximately 1000 years.

Rabbits (hares) were the companions of Eostre, and she is still often pictured with a hare by Her side. Because of their well-acknowledged reproductive ability, they are the perfect compliments to the start of a fertility-based season.

In many cultures, the Goddess was known not only as the Goddess of Fertility, but also as the Goddess of Grain. Therefore, special cakes and breads were baked and given to Her in offering. This tradition remained, long after the original reasons were lost, and we still see people baking special Easter breads and cakes today.

Other foods traditional to this season include those made of seeds, as well as pine nuts. Also, green leafy vegetables and sprouts are equally appropiate. Some groups create special dishes made of flowers, such as stuffed nasturtiums or carnation cupcakes.

Activities appropriate to celebrate the day include those listed above, as well as randomly collecting wildflowers on a walk through the woods, or buying a mixed bouquet from a florist. The flowers you choose will often reveal your inner thoughts and emotions, and their meanings to you can be divined through books, pendulum, and your intuition.

Some groups set the seeds they’ll soon be planting within the sacred Circle of their Ostara rituals. In this way, either a special charging ritual can be done for the seeds, or the seeds can simply absorb the energy of the Circle. They can then be planted safely after the next full moon.

Ritual cleaning is often done, though usually in the secular vein today. It seems people are driven by the need to throw open the windows to our homes and force out all the stale, winter air. Many of us clean the house from top to bottom; sweeping every nook and cranny from ceiling to floor; cleaning out cabinets and drawers, and scrubbing them, too. Often, many choose this time of year to change the liners in drawers, or to put away the winter bedding in favor of the lighter-weight summer linen. Heavy winter clothes are washed, folded, and put away and the lighter weight spring and summer clothes find their way into our closets.

This same mundane ritual of household cleaning can be applied to our inner selves, as well. Use Ostara to clean out all the mental cobwebs and to throw away all the old, negative modes of thought. Throw open the doors to your mind, heart, and soul and let the gentle breezes of Ostara breathe new hope and the vigor of youth into your newly awakening life.

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Yule

Yule is the Lesser Pagan Sabbat that acknowledges and celebrates the rebirth of the Sun. In our symbolism of the Year as a constantly turning Wheel, this is the spoke where the Oak King (representing the light half of the year) vanquishes the Holly King (representing the dark half of the year), and thus ensures that the light and warmth of the sun will begin to increase each day.

Known also as the Winter Solstice, this is the longest night of the year and is akin to the Long, Dark Night of Soul. Sabbat celebrations often echo both of these sentiments, often beginning in silent darkness and ending in a blaze of light, fire, and laughter.

While Yule is most often juxtapositioned with Christmas today, Yule and Winter Solstice celebrations far outdate the Christian Christmas celebration. December 25th, the popular date to celebrate Christ’s birth, was also the birthdate of Mithras, the ancient Persian Sun god of light and the guardian against evil. Christianity didn’t even celebrate “Christmas” until the fourth century, and even as late as 1740, it was a normal workday for the Puritans in the New World of America. They viewed Christmas as a Pagan holiday, and forbid any celebrations and/or decorations of acknowledgement of the day.

Try as one might, one cannot erase the Pagan aspects of this holiday. Most of today’s Christmas traditions are Pagan in nature, derived from both old Yule and Solstice traditions, and include holly wreaths, decorated christmas trees, the Yule log, kissing under the mistletoe, and the jolly old man himself, Santa Claus.

In today’s society, living firs and pines are cut and then placed in homes to be decorated with ornaments, lights, and the crowning star. The largest fear at this time, as well as the biggest nuisance, is the dried, dead needles which fall from the tree onto carpeting, as well as being a potential fire hazard. In days long past, though, the decorated tree was a living tree, either one standing outside the home or which was brought into the home in a planter. Firs and pines were not chosen at random to be the tree of choice; they represent today, as they did in ancient times, the “life-in-death” nature of the season. It seems almost a parody that we today buy cut, dead trees to represent the important symbolism of the season.

Living trees were also brought into the home to provide a warm place of residence for the wood spirits, who would then look kindly upon the family during the year. Foodstuffs such as apples and cinnamon sticks were hung on the branches so the spirits would have plenty to eat in this barren time of year, and bells were hung from the branches so that their tinkling could announce the presence of a spirit. The five pointed star (the pentagram), symbol of the five elements of earth, air, fire, water, and spirit, would be placed at the top of the tree and crystals hung to represent icicles.

Yule, being a Sun celebration, was most often noted by the lighting of the Yule Log, a large log burned throughout the Yuletide celebrations and then saved as a protective charm until the next Yule, when it was used to start the new Yule fire. The red and green colors of the season are probably derived from the colors of the trees, mistletoe, and hollyberries found in abundance at this time of year. They are, however, also a form of sympathetic magick, with “red” representing the warmth of the sun and “green” representing the growth of new plants, aspects everyone wishes to draw into their lives at this time of the year.

Yule is a time of rebirth; of new beginnings and the setting of new goals for oneself. It is a time of putting aside regrets, resentments, and that which causes us unhappiness. But before we can rid ourselves of these, we must know them intimately. And thus, the season starts in the silent darkness of the cold winter’s night; a time when we cannot escape ourselves through pleasurable outside diversions. The beginning celebrations are a time of meditation and inward thoughts; of recognizing the cold sorrows of the season of barrenness as both those within the frosted panes of our souls, as well as those raging outside the frosted window.


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