The 8 Sabbats of the year are focused on the Solar Rites of Wicca. They honor the Goddess and the Sun God. The Wheel represents life as it comes and goes in completion. The embryonic growth, the birth, the life, and then the death of the Sun God portrays nature’s seasons and also the life of a Wiccan. The Sabbats are made up of the four “quarter days” known as solstices and equinoxes. The other four days are made up of the four midpoints between known as the “cross quarter days.” In Elohian Wicca, we break them up into Sabbats, which focus on the quarter days, and Cruciates, which focus on the cross quarter days. Elohian Wicca will be the same as traditional Wiccan traditions focusing on the 8 Sabbat holidays and Lunar Esbat celebrations of the Witch’s Wheel of the Year with a minor deviation: the Witch’s New Year will be on Imbolc, which is your awakening from spiritual death, and on Ostara we will start the New Year of Wheel of the Year for Rebirth of the God of the Year as opposed to Yule.
December 21: Yule
Yule is the celebration of the ending of the long days of light and the start of the long days of dark. The Wheel of the Year shifts to darkness. This is the longest night of darkness and shortest day of light, just as its opposite solstice is the longest day of light and shortest night of darkness. The Great Sun God has perished and the Goddess is in mourn of his death. She has peeled back all life from the earth and everything has gone into suspended sleep state waiting for the God’s rebirth later this year.
The Goddess as Crone has lost her love to the dead of winter. He lays at her feet unmoving as the first stirs and contractions of the baby begin to ripple through her body. The deep reflections from Mabon to Yule have provided a spark within humanity to cultivate themselves spiritually mentally and productively. Farmers have already began to plan the planting season ahead. The dark days of depression that suffocated the poet breaks loose and words flow free from the pent up depression and isolation that’s looked forward to. The transition from the old year to the new one is marked at Yule and opens up time for reflection and change.
Correspondences:
Colors: Green and Red
Tree: Oak, Pine, Fir, Spruce, Cedar
Plants: Poinsettias
Herbs: Holly, Pinecones, Mistletoe
Oils: Myrrh
Icons of the Year: Yule Tree, Mistletoe, Pinecones
February 2: Imbolg/Imbolc/Candlemas
Imbolc/Candlemas is the fire festival of purifications and awakening. It is the time during the year to go out with the old and stagnant energies left behind during your spiritual transformation and come in with the new energies your awakening harkens for spring. It is a time of purification and a pre-spring cleaning. You are airing out the winter’s cold and building for the spring’s warmth. Many harken to the Celtic Goddess Brighid in many different traditions at this time. She is known to all as the Fire Goddess. Her presence entails the arrival of early spring, which is one reason she attributed to Imbolc on the same day as groundhog’s day. Candlemas was instituted by Christians to venerate Virgin Mary by lighting candles in her honor and celebrate Jesus’ growth in childhood. Acclimating it with our tradition, the purification of the mind, body, and soul come through both the Goddess and the Sun God. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals.
The first stirs and contractions of the baby begin to ripple through her body. The Goddess knows that she could not survive the end of winter without her Consort and could not survive the baby’s birthing alone. The ripples send panic throughout her body, and each contraction pushes her fears to the forefront. The rippling effect begins to erase her wrinkles and restore her vitality as she prepares to birth the new Solar God back into the world. The Solar God has been awakened during the cold, dead season of winter and it warms the cockles of her heart as her contractions are the signs of the life that stirs within her womb. The deep reflections from Mabon through today have provided a spark within humanity to cultivate themselves spiritually mentally and productively. Farmers have already begun to plan the planting season ahead. The dark days of depression that suffocated the poet breaks loose and words flow free from the pent-up depression and isolation that’s looked forward to. The transition from the old year to the new one marked today opens up a time for reflection as you evaluate the changes experienced in the darkness of suspended slumber.
The young and youthful Goddess watches over the spirit of the young God as his growing strength within her womb is noted in the young sprouts of the foreboding spring. The Goddess has been purified into her maiden self from the passing days of Yule and passes this purification through the land by rejuvenating what was once dead. With the marking of the dwindling cold days and the arrival of spring in 6 weeks, Imbolc is the perfect time for “cleaning” both physically and spiritually. Goddess Brighid is called into the circle for her attributes of childbirth and being the fire goddess of purification. Fire and the light of fire is symbolic of the Solar God growing to unite with the Goddess in Beltane and make the land fruitful. Fire also is used for purification, so by lighting the Fire of Brighid, we are purifying ourselves through the Divine Goddess. By lighting our fires and/or candles we are thanking the Goddess for the year passed and asking for blessings for the year to come. When acclimating it with our tradition, the purification of the mind, body, and soul come through both the Goddess and the Solar God, and we unite in divine energy under the growing light of the waxing sun.
Correspondences:
Colors: White, Yellow, Pink, Baby Blue
Tree: Rowan
Plants: Primrose
Herbs: Yule Tree sprig, Sage, Bay
Oils: Lemongrass
Icons of the time of year: Candles Corn Dollies, Sun wheels, Bonfire, and Bridal Chamber
March 21: Ostara/Spring Equinox
Ostara occurs at the Spring Equinox. It is the first spring fertility festival. You would paint eggs and “hide” them in different areas as the symbolic planting of the seeds in the Earth to bring forth the Sun God. Quite equivocally, Easter (Christian Tradition) was derived from the holiday of Ostara. If you notice the painting of eggs and the Easter bunny is still used today. The young Solar God has become a flourished “teenager” alongside his consort prepping the days ahead of sowing seeds.
The final contractions of labor begin to ripple through the body of Mother Earth. Her heart throbs with joy as pushes the baby out and she hears the cries of the blessed baby. The Solar God has been reborn under the Gate of Life. The deep reflections from Mabon through Imbolc have provided a spark within humanity to cultivate themselves spiritually, mentally, and productively. Farmers have already begun to plan the planting season ahead. The dark days of depression that suffocated the poet breaks loose and words flow free from the pent-up depression and isolation that’s looked forward to. The transition from the old year to the new one marked at Samhain opened up a time for reflection and change.
The long-awaited finale of the season change from winter to spring has finally come to term and the sun is once again reveling in the growing power. Flowers are blossoming as the Solar God and his Goddess consort share the privilege of welcoming the return of life to the earth. It is just the start of full-blown spring and the two are merrily enchanted with one another’s enamor. Colored eggs are presented in homage to the Goddess, which in retrospect, symbolize the fertility of the earth yet to come from the planting of seeds and impregnation of the Goddess.
Both God and Goddess are youthful, new adults frolicking in fields of wildflowers as the sun makes its ascent to its high powers in the upcoming rites of growth and abundance. The winter days of death have finally become just a reminder to the earth that death is only the beginning and never a complete finality of what’s to come. All life sprouts from the dead that had once coincided with the living. There can be no new life without the sacrifice of another. Plants cannot live without the decomposition of the earth to sustain and fertilize their growth; just as human life cannot be birthed into the world without the death of another’s mortal body to present a soul. Ostara reminds us that through the darkest days, there is always light on the other side to renew our strength and renew our life with more meaning
Correspondences:
Colors: Pastels Colors for everything except very green grass
Tree: Cherry Tree
Plants: Daffodil, Violet, “Easter Lilies”
Herbs: Daffodil, Jasmine
Oils: Lavender
Icons of the year: Eggs, the New Moon, Butterflies
May 1: Beltane
On May 1st, Beltane, also known as Cétshamhain and Lá Bealtaine, is the last of the spring fertility festivals. It is the mark of the end days of spring and the beginning of the summer days to come in June. All household fires would be doused and relit from the bonfires of Beltane. Beltane and Samhain divide the year into two primary seasons. Beltane is the summer (Light part), and Samhain is the winter (Dark Part), marking the passage into the growing and resting seasons. Therefore, Beltane is about honoring the living and the push to lavish the land with produce. It is when the sun is released from winter into summer and can live life again. The Young Solar God has reached his maturity and has wedded the Goddess. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals.
At Beltane, the Solar Lord has flourished into a young man of vitality and requests the hand of the Mother Goddess. The arrival of full-blown spring is in the air, and the sensuality of life is thriving beneath the feet of the celebrants. As the last frost of the year has come and gone, the planting of crops can be successful with abundant growth. Although Summer doesn’t achieve full growth until the Summer Solstice, Beltane is considered by many as the initial days of summer progression, although it is still spring. Romance is in the air, and May Day poles are erected to symbolize the union of the Solar Lord and Goddess on this Rite. The Solar Lord and Goddess embrace the land and sow the seeds of life with their bitter waters. The Rite of earthiness proposes our natural adoration of the earth’s energy and free flow of energy through our bodies producing a tantric energy of erotic love for life. It reminds us that even though dark days are ahead, the sun’s light will always shine on our parade of jubilance. With the consummation of their love, the Solar Lord and Goddess fill the world with abundance and happiness as the arrival of summer is just at the brink of the horizon of time, as He becomes the Consort of the Divine Mother of life.
A common, and more importantly, modern practice of pagans and Wiccans is to wed on Beltane, creating a holy union between yourself and your partner to celebrate life and fertility. May Day poles are erected, symbolizing their union, and many Wiccans hold handfastings on this day. Handfasting is a Wiccan marriage that a High Priestess oversees. She ties a sash around the couple’s hands for the union as one. n However, contrary to modern beliefs, it was superstitious, rude, or just in bad taste to marry on the same day as the holy union of God and Goddess. Ancient teachings predicted ill fates to those who married on Beltane, stealing the spotlight from the restoration of nature. Beltane was the celebration of the return of life, the return of Summer, and the return of the God and Goddess to spread fertility across the land for plentiful harvests in autumn.
Ritual Correspondences
Altar cloths: green
Candles: seasonal altar candle: white, green, red, and yellow
Great Rite: white, black, red
Elements: yellow, red, green, blue
Herbs: mint, rosemary, rue, blessed thistle, Lily of the Valley, foxglove, rose, broom
Stones: emerald, jade, peridot, opal, clear quartz
Oils: Beltane oil
Food: Hot cross buns
Drink: Lemonade
Observances: weaving flowered necklaces, head crowns, and chaplets.
Seasonal Rite: Light the Balefire
Item needed: wood for balefire, matches
Inspiration of the Sun: May Day Wedding Bouquet (Lavender, Lily of the Valley, Roses, Foxglove, string)
Altar: May Day Pole (wooden paper towel holder, ribbon, artificial flowers, hot glue gun)
Ribbon and Flower Crown (flexible Oak tree branch, ribbon, artificial flowers, string, hot glue gun)
Decorations: Maypole
Sabbat mythos: The Sacred Marriage of the God and Goddess
Sun position: Sun at 15 degrees Taurus
June 21: Midsummer/Litha/Summer Solstice
June 21st is the cross-quarter day of the Summer Solstice, or as some call it, Midsummer and Litha. It is the longest day of light in the year, with the shortest night of darkness as the northern pole of the Earth tips toward the sun. It marks the first day of summer astrologically and the midpoint of summer beginning in spring. The growing season is in full bloom as farmers tend to their summer crops. The Solar God and Goddess are sprinkling their blessings of fertility all across the land. The first day of Summer coincides with the sign of Cancer.
Throughout prehistory, Midsummer has always been a celebration marked by the Megaliths aligned with the sun’s rays rising and falling in perfect angles. It is the last fertility sabbat of the year as the sun slips into waning in preparation for the first harvest in August. The sun reaches its most northward point and stops for three days before returning to its normal course on rise and set. Celebrations of feasting, dancing, and singing were among many common traditions. The Celts celebrated with bonfires, and one of the traditions was jumping over the bonfire to bring good luck and fortune. Others would set wheels on fire and roll them down the hill into a body of water. Many celebrate this time of year as a day of inner power and brightness. Some even use this day as a traditional handfasting day, like Beltane.
In some folk traditions, this is the battle between the Oak and Holly King, where the Oak King is defeated and retreats to the Underworld for respite while the Holly King takes over to rule the dark half of the year. The Oak King represents daylight and takes over from Yule to Midsummer, and the Holly King represents darkness and takes over from Midsummer to Yule. In Fairy mythology, the time between Beltane and Midsummer was said to have been a liminal time in space during which the veil is thin allowing the fae to venture freely between the realms of our world and the Otherworld. If there have been occurrences with items going missing or being misplaced, this was said to be the fae playing tricks! However, mostly the fae that venture into our realm are benevolent and is said to be a blessing when they choose you as host of their adventure, so be sure to leave cream, honey, or sugar cubes out for them for food and drink as well as gifts to thank them for their time. Once Midsummer passes, the veil begins to build once more, and they have to return to their realm.
In mythology, the Solar God is honored at his peak of power. After today, the Solar God will slowly lose his power as the sun wanes and slips back into the darkness of the year. The romance of Beltane has strengthened the bond between the two lovers, and the promise of the womb child brings joy and happiness to the two. As the day lingers longer than any other day of the year, the Solar God smiles down on the fields with his blessing of growth and plentifulness. His Goddess consort stands by his side with a smile. Today, they revel in the Light of creation that shines down from the Solar God onto the fields of sustenance.
From the darkness came the Light; from shadows of perpetual hardship, the Light blossomed over time into a shining ray of hope. The ray of hope entails that even at its final peak of power, the sun may wane and grow dark, but it never completely goes away. There are always dark days ahead and light days behind, but once past those dark days, the Light continues to draw you in as a bug to a zapper. As the bonfires are lit in reflection of the sun during this Fire festival, one must also note the festival is a water festival with the Goddess at the peak of her power and flowing from her first trimester into her second with child. Her power wanes, as does the Solar God’s power, as they share the throne of energy and age into the Mother and Father of the Wheel of the Year.
Ritual Correspondences
Altar cloths: red or bright yellow
Candles: white, red, and gold
Plants: lavender, orchid
Tree: Oak
Herbs: honeysuckle, lavender, mint, roses, feverfew, meadowsweet, vervain
Stones: amber, jet, cat’s eye, bloodstone, garnet, ruby
Oils: Lavender, Jasmine,
Icon of the year: Sun Symbols, Sun Wheels, Fairies
Decorations: summer flowers, sun wheels
Sabbat Mythos: Goddess is a Mother, pregnant with her strong Consort.
Sun position: Sun is 0 degrees Cancer
August 1: Lammas/Lughnasadh
Lammas is the first harvest festivals of apples and grains. The word comes from the old English word half-maesse, which means loaf, mass. This is one of the few examples of how Christians took a piece of paganistic traditions and incorporated it into Christianity. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals.
Lammas is old English for “Loaf Mass,” a celebratory time for the great grain and apple harvest. The Solar God’s Diminishing power is spread throughout the fields to liven the stock and provide a more beneficial source of nutrients to the partakers. By the cutting of the grains, the Solar God is sacrificing himself to humanity and being offered up to himself in thanks as they make their breads and partake in the “seeds of life” that were sown during Beltane. It is properly represented by the notion of death provides life as the Solar God presents his divine energy to keep the world alive through nourishment. By the power of the Solar God, the earth would have plenty during the famine months of winter’s death.
This time period mark’s the descent of the sun into the waning months back into the darkness. The Goddess stands by her aging God as his power weakens and he returns to his state of weakness just as his child-self had been. The growth of the Solar God has completed and his reversion of power is noted as his manly self begins to drift into his Sage persona and then come full circle at his death and rebirth.
Lammas relates to Imbolc, as the two are complete opposites. While Imbolc promises the return of spring and the first sprouts of life, Lammas is taking this life and promising the first days of death.
Correspondences
Colors: Red, Gold, Yellow, Orange and Citrine
Tree: Alder
Plants: Corn, Wheat
Herbs: Alfalfa, Corn silk, golden seal
Oils: Eucalyptus, Corn, Safflower
Icon of the year: Harvest Full Moon, Grains for festival
September 21: Mabon/Autumn Equinox
September 21st is the cross-quarter day of the Autumn Equinox, and the holiday celebrated is Mabon. This is when the wine is made from the ripened grapes of summer and prime time for apple and gourd season. Mabon is the Pagan Thanksgiving and the second of three harvest festivals. Farmers start preparing their fields for the winter months ahead, as does Mother Earth.
At Mabon, the Goddess has fully entered her Crone stage with her God, the Sage. Autumn has officially begun, whether there are patches of color on the foliage or not. This time of the year marks a time to reflect and give thanks to the universe for all it has provided throughout the year, as the Witch’s Year draws closer to its end. We see our God withering away, surrendering His life to sustain the crops until the harvest season, as well as the Promised Child the Goddess carries as he stands before the threshold of the Gate of Death and enters to begin his descent through the 7 Gates of Sheol.
Once the final harvest is completed, the Sage will completely wither and returns to the Goddess’ womb for respite to be reborn as the Promised Child. A time of personal reflection begins as the nights grow longer and the days become shorter. Together, they enjoy the twilight days remaining until they are once again separated, only to be reunited again at the Vernal Equinox. The Goddess withdraws into her own quiet contemplation, and as she does, she pulls life back from the Earth as she waits for the final moments of life to be given to her consort.
Many Wiccans and Pagans gather for festivals and dinners to celebrate the Last Supper of the God before his final sacrificial departure at Samhain through the last gate into the primordial womb of Sheol. They feast with apple wassail and moon cakes seasoned with the seasonal fragrance of cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Thanks are given to the God for his continuing sacrifice, and the ancestors are honored and given blessings as well. It is a time of reverence and reflection; much of the holiday is spent celebrating, eating, drinking, and crafting. In some traditions, a Wicker Man/Straw Man effigy is made to symbolize the King of the Harvest and lit on fire as a ritualistic sacrifice of the God of the Year. This was to replace the sacrificial human or animal of the ancient traditions it was modeled after.
Correspondences:
Colors: Brown, Orange, Violet, Maroon, Russet, and Deep Gold
Tree: Hazel
Plants: Indian Corn, Gourds
Herbs: Rye, Wheat,
Oils: Bergamot, Gardenia
Icon of the year: Sun Wheels Gourds, Grape Wine Vines, Horn of Plenty
October 31: Samhain
October 31st marks the third and final harvest of the year and the holiday celebrated is Samhain or All Hallow’s Eve. Samhain is the celebration of the dead. This Sabbat honors the ancestors —human, spirit, and God — that have crossed over through the veil. The veil is the thinnest on this day so spirits can come through and visit their loved ones. Many celebrate with their dearly departed by leaving plates of food for them and lighting candles to lead them home. Pumpkin carving was carried over by this tradition for lighting a candle and placing it inside a jack o lantern would ward off evil spirits. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals.
The solar god is in his last days of dying as he stands before the threshold of the last Gate of Death and preparing to enter into the womb of Sheol to await his resurrection at the Vernal Equinox. He is revered for his self-sacrifice to nature by his diminishing powers and allowing nature to transition into a new growth cycle. The dying and wilting away of spring and summers productions gave way to new growth. Even though the green has browned and trickled away from plants and trees the plants continue to thrive and live beneath the earth. It is an analogy of our own selves when we retreat from the cold winter air to spring back out once the weather warms. So just as the goddess is reflected in nature by the seasons of change, she reflects within humanity as well. With this deep reflection during the dying days comes our need to think of loved ones passed ere go the days of the dead to live once more on our earthly plane. The power of thought to the dead by the masses transmutes energy to thin the veil between realms for them to roam and visit loved ones.
Though some think Halloween is a modern tradition celebrated on this day, the tradition of Halloween goes back to the Celtic traditions of Samhain. Folklore shows that on this day, during the thinnest liminality of the year, spirits enter into the realm of the living, both benevolent and malevolent. In Irish folk stories, fey spirits, renowned for their mischievous antics, would play tricks on the living. To avoid being tricked, people would dress up as monsters or other creatures. Jack-o-lanterns with a bright burning candle were wards for spirits, often made from any type of gourd or even turnips. So, while children run around gathering treats in their costumes, in the lore of the Irish, they are tricking the spirits into thinking they are one of them too and are allowed to pass peacefully through the night.
Correspondences:
Colors: Black & Orange,
Tree: Cypress
Plants: Marigold
Herbs: Mullein, Coltsfoot, and Damiana
Oils: Dragon’s Blood, Myrrh, Patchouli, Clove and Sage
Icon of the year: Jack-o-Lanterns Besom, Masks, Cauldron, Balefire