The Wheel of the Year
"The year is a dancing woman who is born at the coming of Spring.
The year is a dancing woman. Of her birth and death we sing." - Shekhinah Mountainwater
The Wheel of the Year tells the tale of the gods through solar festival holidays throughout the year. These are made up of 2 Solstices, 2 Equinoxes, and 4 cross-quarter fire festivals. These are a cycle of seasonal holidays to honor the changing seasons.
The wheel the year is Wiccan but based off older seasonal holidays of celtic and anglo saxon origin. Many of these traditions survived and morphed into our modern holidays such as Christmas or Easter.
There are a million and one ways to view the wheel of the year and often it is unique to a specific tradition.
In Wicca, it is based around the life - birth, love/sex, death, rebirth, of the God. The Goddess playing the roles of mother/lover through it. That ofcourse doesn't work for the Dianic path which is Goddess focused. And where we view the Goddess as more than just a tool to advance the God's story.
Generally, instead, we view the wheel of the year as the cycle of the Goddess' and in turn a reflection of our life cycles and women's mysteries. This of course depends on your specific path. There are very uniquely different views among the different Dianic Traditions and each individual woman as well. Like every holiday out there, every person/family develops their own traditions and ideas on celebrating the holiday. So definitely explore each celebration and decide what makes the most sense and meaning for you.
I really like Shekhinah Mountainwater's view of the year being a dancing Goddess. I would check out her book for more information. And Ruth Barrett’s book Women’s Rites, Women’s Mysteries, which are both what I base mine on.
In the Southern Hemisphere they switch these around so they match up with their seasons. I am in the northern hemisphere so I will explain that here.
Below is a short snippet of each holiday as I view it. Please see each individual page for more details!
Samhain-
October 31st-Nov 1st
The witch's New Year because death is also seen as a rebirth. Dedicated to the Goddess Hecate. It is honored as a time of change as we go from Dark Maiden to Crone and begin to look inward as we head toward the dark cold winter months. It is the last fire festival and harvest festival of the year. The veil is thin and we honor the dead.
Our major theme for Dianics is change, death, and rebirth.
Winter Solstice-
around December 21st
The winter solstice, hiemal solstice or hibernal solstice occurs when one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt away from the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere. Astronomically marks the beginning of lengthening days and shortening nights -Wikipedia
Manifestation. This is a time for change and rebirth. The stirrings of spirit begin to whisper. This is a time for faith and hope that our visions of the future light will manifest. We pray and hope for the light's return.
Imbolc-
February 1st
This is the first of the fire festivals and generally, we honor Brigid as the home/hearth/fire Goddess.
I see it as the rebirth physically of the maiden, time for initiations, growth, nourishing our goals and life.
Spring Equinox-
Around March 21st
The March equinox or northward equinox is the equinox on the Earth when the subsolar point appears to leave the Southern Hemisphere and cross the celestial equator, heading northward as seen from Earth. -Wikipedia
The equinox represents a balance to the world. This day is dedicated to the Bright Maiden, Kore. This is a time of earthly regeneration and spring rebirth.
Beltane-
May 1st
The second fire festival. On this day we celebrate and honor menstruation, passion, lust, and sex. The Goddess Diana is honored, and we honor women's mysteries.
Summer Solstice-
around June 21st
The summer solstice, also known as estival solstice or midsummer, occurs when one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere. -Wikipedia
This is a celebration of union, love, and fertility. It is dedicated to the Goddess Aphrodite.
Lammas-
August 1st
The third fire festival and first harvest festival. The Mother Goddess is at Her peak. She is full and ripe.
Autumn Equinox-
around September 21st
Just like the spring equinox, this marks the balance of the earth. It is devoted to the dark maiden Goddess, Persephone.
I see this as a time of transition from Mother to Priestess. It is Persephone's journey to the underworld. We begin to look inward, reflect, study, contemplate, do shadow work, work within the dark moon's energies and magick.
The Turning of the wheel...
The crone soon turned to ash and dust
but within the ash there was a spark
The spark soon grew into a small flame
The flame then grew into a wild dancing fire.
The fire roared and teased and kissed
And all the daughter's lit their candles from the flame
Each candle's flame gave their hearth warmth and feasts
Until each flame began to dim again.
At the beginning of Samhain, we saw our potential ahead of us as we left the past behind. At Winter's Solstice, we hoped and trusted in the spark of light that we wished to grow into. At Imbolc, the little spark is growing and being nourished with life. At the spring equinox, the energy is being fueled, active, and energized. With Beltane, the energy is flooded with life
As the Summer Solstice arrives,
Women's Mysteries....
Note: These are not to be taken as literal. Obviously, not all women experience these mysteries in the same way. They are symbolic and the mysteries themselves are reflected through our cycles and life in a thousand different ways. We may experience motherhood as the act of creation for example. Some women may never menstruate or be fertile physically but our blood is life all the same, we shed the old and are reborn through every path we take, through every year of our life where we grow and change.
I see these mysteries as a myth retold. A Goddess may have never transformed into a bird but what can we learn from this? How does it make us feel?
Samhain- The Crone and Death
Winter Solstice- Conception
Imbolc- Childhood and a mother nourishing her young
Spring Equinox- Youth, the age before menstruation
Beltane- Womanhood, Menstruation, Sex/Passion
Summer Solstice- Union, Fertility
Lammas- Motherhood, creation
Autumn Equinox- Priestess, taking time for oneself, pre-menopausal