TYPE 4

"WHEEL OF THE YEAR - TIME AND DATES

THE WHEEL OF THE YEAR

The first thing to note here is that the calendar which you and I

use today, is off by several days from the old calendar. Therefore the

dates which I am using here are those dates which are commonly associated

with the Rites of the year, among Witches, Neo-Wiccans, and Pagans in this

current Age.

The Aridian Year begins on October 31st and is marked by the

Treguenda (Sabbat) known as Shadowfest / Samhaine. In our Mythos this is the

time of Shadows, the time of pro-Creation. Hidden within the mists of the

Realm of Shadows are the God & Goddess, joining together in a Divine

act of pro-Creation, through which All Things shall come to be. From

this Season forward until Spring, the God rules the Year. As his

representative, the High Priest is given charge and bears the responsibility

for organizing the rituals and overseeing the training of new Initiates.

During this Season all Initiates are robed within the ritual circle, as a

symbol of the time of Shadows. On May 1st (Tana's Day / BELTAINE) the rule of

the Year is passed to the Goddess, through her representative the High

Priestess. She will then be given charge over the Year, until Shadowfest,

when the reign is passed once again. During Her Season all Initiates are nude

within the ritual circle. This is a symbol of their Freedom from Slavery, and

of the openness of this time of the year. All things are springing forth in

Nature, and revealing their natural beauty. Slavery can come in many forms.

Some people are slaves to Judaic-Christian morality, and though professing to

be Pagan, still hold to the morality of Christianity, and to their

inhibitions which rob them of personal empowerment.

Following Shadowfest, the year turns to the rite of the Winter

Solstice / Yule. Here the Goddess gives birth to that which issues forth from

the Union of the God & Goddess in the time of Shadows. A new light is

born on the Winter Solstice, which will save the World from what seems

to be an ever encroaching Darkness (Winter).

The next rite is called Lupercus / IMBOLC, and in our Mythos this is the

time of puberty for the newborn God. It is a time of purification, and

is associated with bonfires and torches. Remnants of the ancient Roman

Lupercalia can still be seen in this Rite today.

Following Lupercus is the Spring Equinox / OSTARA. This is the time when

the Goddess journeys from the Realm of Shadows into the World of

Light. The Legend of the Ascent is read and a Mystery Play is performed

during the reading. The seeds which will be planted are blessed, as is the

earth itself.

Next in order is Tana's Day, which is observed on May 1st./ BELTAINE

This ritual marks the Courtship of the Goddess and the God. Here the God

passes his Reign to the Goddess, in a Drama enacted by the High Priestess &

High Priest. It is a ritual of the Celebration of Life and Fertility. Tana's

Day is followed by the Summer Solstice/ LITHA, which is a time of magic and

renewal. Energy is raised to cleanse and renew the Earth, and to banish evil

and negativity from the Community (and the World). After the Summer Solstice

comes Cornucopia, which is a Celebration of the coming Harvest, and a time of

Plenty.

Following the Rite of Cornucopia, comes the Autumn Equinox.[ LUGHNASADH &

MABON] This is the time in which the God is slain, and enters into the

Afterworld.

The Goddess journeys there also to find her lost love, and this is

enacted in a Drama Play held during the ritual, in which the Legend of

the Descent is read (just as was done with the Legend of the Ascent in

the Spring Equinox). The wheel of the year has then turned completely,

as the Season then leads back into Shadowfest, on October 31st. Here

the God and Goddess unite once again, and the Cycle begins anew.

The year is also divided up into the times of Waxing and Waning.

The Waxing Year is associated with the Stag God, and the Waning Year

is associated with the Wolf God. The common image of the Goat God, is

merely a domesticated version of the Stag God of the Forest. As Human-

kind began farming, the domesticated animals became more important

than the once hunted animals, and the symbolism began to change. Pan

(or Faunus) is simply the Stag God as seen by an Agricultural Community which

valued domesticated animals more than wild animals of the Forest.

The Winter months brought on the wolves who preyed upon both

domesticated and wild animals. They were seen as symbols of the power

of Winter. Their connection with the Stag God of the Forest (the

Hunted & the Hunter) lay deep in the memories of early Humankind. Thus

the Wolf God came to symbolize the Waning Year and the Stag God came

to symbolize the Waxing Year. This is symbolized by the phenomenon of the

cycle of regeneration and growth of the stag's antlers.

The Stag and the Wolf (as deities) go back to the days of Antiquity, in

Witchcraft. An early Etruscan painting, found upon a vase, depicts a Goddess

holding up a Stag and a Wolf, one in each hand. This is no surprise, for

Italian Witchcraft originates from Tuscany which is where the Etruscan

Civilization once stood.

Under ideal circumstances we Celebrate the Equinoxes and Solstices on

the exact days on which they occur. Then we calculate the mid-point dates

between the Equinoxes and Solstices, and establish the dates for the other 4

Celebrations accordingly. When these times do not work out then we may elect

to Celebrate on the popular Wiccan dates, if those times fall better in the

week. Again, this becomes a practical adaptation for our modern Lifestyle.

Our goal, of course, is to adhere to the Old Ways whenever possible.

BLESSED BE.