The Goddess Wheel of the Year. What do Goddessians Celebrate? Part Two: My Personal Wheel of the Year.

When I said that the Part two of this series would come soon, by soon apparently meant the same day.  When I first wrote this post my first thought "Was darn this is long, why is this so long? Am I really this wordy?"  And my second thought was "Why isn't this already in my Book of Shadows?"

When I became a Goddessian I found that the mainstream Wiccan Wheel of the Year was no longer applicable to my path.  In addition, I end up discovering that I had issues with the traditional Neopagan Myth of the Wheel of the Year.  Although many Pagans say that the Myth of the Wheel of Year is about the Dance of the God and Goddess, honoring both equally, it became clear to me that the Wiccan Wheel is very God Centric.  The Wiccan Wheel of the Year is about the God’s rebirth, his maturity, his peak of power, his decline in power and eventually his death.  The only exception is Imbolc, which is often centered on the recovery of the Goddess after the birth of the God and sometimes on the Goddess Bridget. Most of the Sabbats are heavily centered on the God, with the Goddess mostly serving a supporting role for his progress through the year. 

When I became Goddess Centric I looked into many different takes on the Goddess Year.  I even created my own myth based on the cycle of the Dark Goddess and the Light Goddess, but that ended up being contrite and still didn’t quite fit well with me. After a few years of practice and trying out different myths, I noticed I really didn’t need a myth to accompany the Wheel of the Year.  I was happy enough celebrating the cycles of the Year, and the themes of the Sabbats alone. 

I view the Wheel of the Year as the cycle the Earth goes through as it revolves around the Sun. I have found in my years of practices that there are certain themes that pop up at certain times of the year.  Sometimes they respond to what’s happening seasonally in the part of the world I’m in, and sometimes they simply complement the time of the year the Sabbat falls in.  These are the themes I have come to embraced over the years. Some are very similar to what most Neopagans celebrate and some are somewhat unique to me and my group of friends I develop them with.  I offer you my take on the Wheel of the Year not a a set of dogma, but as suggestion for your practice.  As will all things pagan, take what you like and leave the rest.

I wouldn’t say the Wheel of the Year I follow is necessarily a Goddessian Wheel, but more a myth-less year that could be used by anyone of any Pagan Path.  For the most part the gender of the Deity isn’t important, my only exception is Imbolc.  From my experience I have found that this version of the Wheel works very well when I’m celebrating Sabbats with my friends and family, most who follow a path where both God and Goddess are honored.  My take on the Wheel doesn’t force the God/Goddess binary on me, and at the same time doesn’t push a Goddess Centric model on those who find worship of the God meaningful.  In practice, I’ll sometimes center a ritual on a myth of a Goddess that fits with the theme of the Sabbat I’m celebrating.  Other times I only evoke the Spirit of Gaia or the Universe if I’m feeling pantheistic.  There will even be a God along with a Goddess invoked other times, the major different here being that there’s a theme being focused on other than simply what the God and Goddess are doing this time of year.

Yule

I know it is common for many Pagans to observe Samhain as the end and beginning of the year, but personally I view Yule as the beginning and end of the Wheel of the Year.  For me it just makes more sense. In western society we observe New Years on January 1, so the mainstream cultural conciseness centered on endings and beginnings already exists.  As December nears its end people of all faiths and of no faith are reviewing the pass year, making personal inventories of the things they would like to continue and bring with them into the new year, and which things they would like to leave behind in the old year.  On a mass scale this energy exists in the December, where it doesn’t in October.  To me embracing Samhain as the New Year requires me to mentally fight with my culture, and my western mind which tells me New Years is January.  And this personally just doesn’t work with me.

To me Yule is the rebirth of the Sun.  It’s a time to banish the harmful and useless so that it doesn’t follow us into the next year.  At the same time Yule is a time to cast spells, say prayers, and perform rituals to attract and aide in growth, completion, and bounty in the coming year.  Yule is the time to reevaluate our life plans and goals.  Another major theme of Yule for me is to remember that the Earth is at peak of Her darkness.  And while we are at the peak of coldness, darkness, and infertility, the peak also promises that this is not a permanent state, but that warmth, light and productivity will once again return to the Earth.

Imbolc

Most of the themes in my personal wheel of the year are genderless, but Imbolc is my one exception.  To me Imbolc, is the Celebration of the Solar Maiden.  Many honor Bridget on this day, but I have a better connection to Bast, so I honor Her on this day.  One could also honor any Hearth, Domestic, or Fire Goddess on this day.

In addition to honoring the Sun Maiden, Imbolc is the time for Spring cleaning.  While at Yule we acknowledge and attempt to cleanse ourselves of the emotional and spiritual clutter that hold us back, on Imbolc we cleanse our personal space.  This is the time for reorganizing our personal space, for cleaning the corners, cracks, and other spaces of our house that normally get over looked, and to get rid of personal belongings that are no longer of use to us.  This is also the time to ritually cleanse our house.

To me Imbolc is a holiday to be surrounded by family.  If you have a family of your own spend time with them with a special meal.  If you are separated from your biological family for whatever reason then take the time to hang out with your closest friends on this day. 

To me Imbolc is the holiday that honors everything familiar (meaning family based) and everything domestic.  In addition to this theme, Imbolc also reminds us even though the surface of the earth appears baron and dead, the Earth is quickening.   The days are lengthening, the soil is warming and seeds are starting to sprout and are making their way to the surface.  Imbolc is the time to strengthen our base, reconnect or build stronger ties with friends and family, and to get our houses in order so that we can have a productive year.

Ostara

To me Ostara’s meaning is quite simple.  It’s the first day of spring.  Ostara marks the beginning of the dominance of the Sun, Warmth and Light on earth.  In nature we are starting to see the first signs of life’s return.  The Trees are starting to bud, and sprouts are appearing on the earth’s surface.  I like to keep things simple on Ostara, so that I can be aware of the Earth’s natural energies.  In my opinion there us enough going on there to keep me spiritually satisfied.  Focusing on major themes, or myths take away from this.  From the way I see things, the summer seems like a continuation of spring. By the time the first day summer comes the weather is already quite warm, and the Earth’s fertility has already come back in full swing.  And winter is just the continuation of autumn.  By the time the first day of winter arrives it has already been cold for quite awhile, the first snow storms might have already been experience, and the Western World’s has been engulfed by the holiday season.  But on the Equinoxes there seems like a major shift of energies happens.  The Spring Equinox marks the end of the cold infertile season, and the Autumn marks the end of warmth and fertility.  If you haven’t felt this shift before, just take a moment to be still when the year nears these times and you will feel it.

I don’t like to plan big formal rituals or heavily focus on myths on the Spring Equinox.  My favorite thing to do is to take a walk outside and gather the early spring flowers and blossoms.  I then take the flower I’ve collected and to put them into a bowl full of water and meditate outside.  If I can’t be outside for any reason, then I open all the windows in the house and let the spring breeze fill my space.  I do a simple free meditation.  I just focus on the sounds of spring, the scent of new plant life, and feel the cool spring air touching my skin.

Beltane

To me Beltane is about Sex and Fertility.  This can either be about the physical fertility of life returning to the Earth, or be about creating symbolic fertility in the endeavors in our personal lives, such as in our careers, passions, or even school.  If you have a partner this is the time to join with them in an embrace of sacred sexuality.  If you do not have a partner, or even if you do Beltane is a good time to reflect on the parts of your life which are stagnate and either get rid of them, or focus on how to make these parts more productive.  Feel stuck in your job?  Then maybe think about continuing your education, expanding your expertise with more training or consider seeking out new employment.  Your social life feels blah?  Then maybe take the time to seek out old friendship you have neglected due to your busy life, or seek out new friendships.  Take advantage of the fertility of the season to bless new or old endeavors so that they will be fruitful, satisfactory and productive.

Litha

To me Beltane is about Sex and Fertility, and Litha is about Love and Magic.  Love in all its forms, sexual love, romantic love, familiar love, love of friends, love of community, spiritual love, love of self, etc.  I think this association for me comes from the Shakespearian play A Midnight Summer’s Dream.  To me Litha is the perfect time for Love Magick.  If you don’t have a lover and would like one, do a spell to attract one.  If you feeling a lack of self esteem do a love spell to grow your self-love.  I have even hosted a group ritual once where we sent out love to our local community.

Litha is also a time to remember the power of the Sun on Earth is at its peak, and will soon be descending.

Lughnasadh

It's ironic that we Americans often try to deport
the very people who harvest our food.

Lughnasadh is known as the first of the Harvest holidays.  Which since picking up gardening I have found funny because by this point I have been harvesting for most of the summer, and if I started early enough, I was probably also harvesting in the spring.  With that said, to me Lughnasadh is a time to reflect on sacrifice.  Even though Mabon is known in the Neopagan world as the “Witch’s Thanksgiving,“ to me Lughnasadh is my “Witch’s Thanksgiving.”  To me Lughnasadh is the day to remember that in order for life to live it must consume life and for general contemplation on the circle of life. Plants absorb nutrients from the decayed matter of once living beings, herbivores consume plants, carnivores consume herbivores and all living things will return to the earth to feed the flora once again.  In order for us to continue living on this Earth another being must sacrifice its life. Even if one is a vegetarian the death of plants is still required.  To me Lughnasadh is about being thankful to all the plants and animals that sacrifice their lives to become our food, as well as giving thanks to the Earth for providing food, and to the people (migrant workers, and others who work in the food industry for little pay and little to no recognition) that help bring our food to our table.

Mabon

Like on Spring Equinox, I like to keep things simple on Mabon.  In the high desert of New Mexico where I currently live it seems like the weather changes drastically after the Autumn Equinox.  I remember one year the day before the Equinox was a bright warm sunny summer day, and the next day, sweater weather.  It seems to happen that quickly here.  To me Mabon is about embracing all that is Fall.  The harvest, the falling leaves, the crisp autumn air.   With the coming of Mabon also comes the reminder that the dominance of the Sun on Earth is over.  The days will continue to grow shorter, and the weather grows cooler.  This is the time to take inventory of what has been accomplished this year, and to remember to tie up any loose ends before the year is over.  My ritual for Mabon is similar to my Ostara ritual, a simple meditation either outside or inside with windows open, just sensing the energies, feelings, and scents of fall.  Sometimes if I’m up to it I’ll inventory my accomplishments of the year while in ritual.

Samhain

While other Neopagans observe the passing of the God, and while other Goddessians honor  the Goddess in her Crone aspect, I take this opportunity to take my focus off of the Divine and off of the cycles of the Earth and honor those people who have made my path into this world posible, and those who have enriched my world, but are no longer in it.  To me and many others, Samhain is the day to honor deceased ancestors and the beloved dead.  I don’t tend to focus on any myths, or Goddesses on this day, but choose to honor my family’s beloved dead this day.  I remove my religious symbols from my family alter and leave offerings of alcohol, tobacco, water, bread, flowers and candles in the memory of my dead.  I like to write down their names and recite them in ritual.  I usually ask for that the Deities that they honored when they were alive watch them and protect them wherever they may be, and let them know that I haven’t forgotten them.  I don’t usually evoke the dead as many do on this day.  I personally have mix feelings about this.  I know I have beloved dead that wouldn’t have condone this practice while they were living, so I don’t do it out of respect for their religious beliefs.  Plus I hold the belief in reincarnation.  So it’s plausible that some of my dead have already moved on into the next life, so what’s the point in trying to contact them?  To me Samhain is more about honoring and remember the dead than it is about taking advantage of the thinning of the veil.