Green Man Blog - Wheel of the Year

Imbolc

nospam@example.com (Dryad) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:07:00 -0700

Today is Imbolc, also known as Candlemas. Imbolc is a cross-quarter day, midway between the Winter Solstice (Yule) and the Spring Equinox (Ostara). At Yule, the days slowly started getting longer, and at Imbolc the lengthening days are finally noticible. Although in many places this is the coldest time of the year, we are moving toward spring.

Imbolc is an old Irish word meaning "in the belly" (or Oimelc, meaning "in the milk"). This was the lambing season and the sheep were beginning to lactate in preparation for giving birth. "In the belly" also refers to the womb of Mother Earth, to the land and the soil becoming fertile in preparation for the planting season in the spring. This is the time of the Maiden Goddess, ripe with the promise of new life. The light is returning and with it comes the urge to start new projects and begin to plan for the next season. Some days seem bright and warm, then the next day it seems to be winter again. Similarly, on some days projects seem to be off to a great start, then the next day lethargy overtakes us and problems spring up. But in this season of waxing light, we need to look ahead to the promise of the increase of light and overcome the obstacles we set up for ourselves.

Here is the United States, many people celebrate this day as Groundhog Day. According to the legend, if the day is bright and the groundhog sees his shadow, he retreats back to his hole and there will be six more weeks of winter. But if the day is overcast, we can look forward to an early spring. It seems like the groundhog would be encouraged by the sunlight, but it is his own shadow that drives him underground. This exemplifies the uncertainty and struggle of this season, when our own lethargy or "shadow" becomes an obstacle against moving forward. So don't look at the shadows - look ahead to the light!

Imbolc traditions center around light and purification. Candles are a symbol of Imbolc (hence the Christanized name "Candlemas"). Candles are often lit in each room to honor the returning sun. This is a perfect time to cleanse or bless your house. This day is also the festival of the Goddess Brigid, the Celtic Goddess of poetry, healing and smithcraft. She is associated with holy wells, sacred flames, and healing. She was so beloved by the Celtic people that she was one of the few ancient deities to survive into modern times. When the Catholic Church became dominant in Ireland they could not demonize her and so she was canonized as St. Brigid, patron saint of the arts and healing. Many people weave corn dollies out of cornhusks to symbolize Brigid, and crosses woven out of rushes are known as Brigid's Crosses.

Light some candles or a fire and visualize the returning warmth of spring and the spark of life and fertility for the coming planting season, whether you will be planting actual seeds or the seeds of creativity. Shake off the shadows of winter and look ahead to the light and abundance of the upcoming spring.

Winter Solstice/Yule

nospam@example.com (Dryad) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:53:00 -0700

Today is the Winter Solstice, also known as Yule. This is the shortest day and longest night of the year. At this time of the year, the sun is closer to the horizon, giving out the least amount of daylight. But starting tomorrow, the days will get longer, until the Summer Solstice on June 21, when the days will start getting shorter again.

Solstice is from the Latin meaning "stands still". For six days around the Winter Solstice, the sun appears to stand still on the horizon. Our ancestors must have wondered if the sun would actually return. The return of the light after the longest night of the year must have seemed miraculous, which is how Winter Solstice festivities were started. To this day, people all over the world celebrate the Winter Solstice as a time of rebirth and a new beginning as we transition from the dark days of Winter to the light of Spring.

Wiccans celebrate Yule as the rebirth of the God, who has been in the underworld during the dark time of the year. The God is reborn as a magical Child of Light, who represents hope and rebirth embodied. Some Pagan traditions celebrate Yule with the reenactment of the battle between the Holly King and the Oak King. The Holly King defeated the Oak King at the Summer Solstice and ruled over the dark half of the year, but at Yule the aging Holly King (the darkness of the old year) is defeated by the young Oak King (the light of the new year). The Greenman also symbolizes the transition of the death of winter to the birth of new life in the spring.

Yule decorations include Yule trees (which were a Pagan custom long before Christmas started). The evergreen symbolizes the continuity of life and the hopes for protection and prosperity in the new year. Brightly colored decorations symbolize the sun, the moon, and the stars, and also the souls of those who have died in the previous year.

A Yule log is traditionally burned on the evening of the Winter Solstice each year. The burning Yule log symbolizes the blazing forth of new light as the old year dies. A piece of the log is saved to use as kindling for the next year's Yule log, showing the continuity of the endless cycle. The ashes can also be saved and used for protective magick.

The evergreen wreath symbolizes the ever-turning wheel, the endless circle of life. The word Yule is from the Scandinavian word "Jul" which means "wheel". So many of the decorations we see at this time of the year are powerful reminders of the turning of the Wheel of the Year and the unending circle of life.

As we enter the light half of the year, take time to give thanks for all that you have, and to give to those who are alone or in need. Whether you celebrate Yule, Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, this season is a time for hope, for healing, and for planning for the year ahead.

Have a Blessed Yule!!!

Samhain

nospam@example.com (Dryad) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:53:00 -0700

Tonight is Samhain (pronounced SOW-in), the third and final harvest of the year. The dark half of the year starts tonight.

Samhain is one of the eight annual festivals, or Sabbats. In many Wiccan traditions, this is the beginning of the New Year, because as the end of a cycle, it is also the beginning. The seeds from the dying plants previously harvested lie in the Earth, waiting for new life to begin. For Wiccans, the God has died, or gone into the underworld, awaiting his own rebirth at Yule, when the light begins to return.

As the God has passed into the underworld, the Goddess becomes the Crone, stirring the cauldron of life, death and rebirth. The veil between the worlds is thin on this night, making it easier to communicate with those who have passed on. The mundane laws of time and space are temporarily suspended, allowing those in the spirit world to intermingle with the living. Many Samhain rituals involve paying respect to ancestors, loved ones, friends and pets who have died. The spirits of the departed may be invited to attend the festivities.

Since the veil is so thin, this is a good time for divination of all sorts. Tarot, runes, scrying and pendulums are just a few of the ways to look ahead into the future and see what the upcoming year may have in store.

The modern holiday of Halloween (which comes from the term "All Hallow's Eve") started out as the night before All Souls (or Saints) Day, the Roman Catholic Church's day of remembrance of the Saints and the dead. Many pagan practices were "Christianized". Trick or treating came about this way. Pagans would leave gifts of food and drink on the doorstep for the spirits who wandered that night to keep them from coming into the houses looking for food. In the Christian tradition, beggars could come to the door and ask for "All-Souls Cakes" in return for saying prayers for the recently deceased of the household. (Stinginess was rewarded with vandalism.) This has evolved into our modern tradition of going door to door and trick-or-treating for candy. In ancient times, people wore masks so that they would not be recognized by the wandering spirits. This became the custom of dressing up in costumes.

But the wandering spirits were not necessarily feared. In Celtic countries, food offerings were left on altars and doorsteps for departed loved ones. Single lit candles were left in a window to help guide their spirits home. Extra chairs were put at the table and a place set for the unseen guest. Apples were buried along roadsides for those spirits who were lost or had no descendents to return to.

Many Witches and Wiccans celebrate this holiday twice. The astrological date for Samhain occurs when the sun has reached 15 degrees Scorpio (usually around November 7). This is the astrological midpoint between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. You can celebrate the "party" aspect on October 31 and the "worship" aspect about a week later.

However you choose to celebrate, either partying, with solemn rituals and worship, or a combination of the two, be sure to take a moment to remember those loved ones who are no longer with us. Who knows - if you listen hard enough, you may hear them again.

Autumnal Equinox

nospam@example.com (Dryad) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:00:00 -0700

Today is the Autumnal Equinox. The Equinox is one of the two times a year that day and night are approximately equal (the other time being the Spring Equinox). From this point on the days will get shorter and we will notice that it gets dark much earlier every night. Soon we will be driving home from work in the dark!

In Pagan traditions, this is the second of the three harvest festivals, halfway between Lughnasad and Samhain, and is called Mabon (mah-bon). It is also known as the Witches' Thanksgiving. The fields are nearly empty; the crops have been picked and stored for the coming winter months. At this time we can relax and enjoy the fruits of the harvest, whether it is the abundance provided by Mother Nature or our own personal harvests - working our daily jobs, raising our families, achieving personal goals, or just coping with life! Give thanks for all the good things in life.

One symbol of Mabon is the cornucopia or "horn of plenty". The horn represents the Horned God and stands for fertility and strength. The bounty of Mabon is the result of the "fruitful union" of the Goddess and the God in the Spring and we give thanks for this bounty.

At this time, Wiccans celebrate the Goddess as she changes from Mother to Crone, mourning the God whom she knows must leave her. The God becomes the Wise Sage, preparing for his journey into Death. He is the Stag who falls, and the grain that is reaped, so that the people may have what they need to survive the winter. Even as we feast and celebrate the harvest, we acknowledge the sacrifices necessary to make it through the dark time ahead. But at the same time, we do not mourn the dark time because we know that as the Wheel of the Year turns, all endings are merely new beginnings, and the light will return.

Lughnasad

nospam@example.com (Dryad) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 01:00:00 -0700

Lughnasad (Loo-na-sa), or Lammas, is an ancient Pagan festival celebrating the first harvest of grain and corn. The name "Lammas" comes from Anglo-Saxon origin and means "loaf mass", a celebration of the bread made from the first harvest of grain. Lughnasad honors the Celtic God Lugh, whose name means "shining one". He is often equated with the Sun God. Although the light has been waning since the Summer Solstice, here in the Northern Hemisphere we are very much in the heat of summer. The hard work in the fields is ending, and now is the time to celebrate the harvest with games and feasting. Lugh is credited with inventing certain Celtic skills and games, such as ball games, horsemanship and fidehell (an ancient Celtic board game). Celebrate the day with sports and games of skill, and honor the meaning of the season with freshly baked bread and beer.

In ancient times, the success or failure of the harvest determined whether or not the winter could be survived. Nowadays, most of us do not live off the land and no longer need to fear that there will not be enough food to carry us through the winter. Instead, we plant projects and ideas rather than crops. Lughnasad is the time when we bring our projects to fruition and reap the rewards of our efforts.

In Wiccan tradition, the First Harvest starts the season of sacrifice, when the grain of the harvest must die in order to provide food. The last sheaf of corn may be kept and made into an effigy to represent the spirit of the corn and the harvest (sometimes called John Barleycorn). The effigy is placed in the center of the feasting table, and then ploughed back into the soil the following spring when the fields are being prepared for the sowing of new crops, so that the spirit of the sun and the corn does not die.

The daylight is now visibly waning as the mature Lord of the Forest and Field becomes more the Wise Sage and his power awareness begins to pass from without to within. The pregnant Mother Goddess rules beside Him as they both bask in the bounty of Nature in this, the beginning of the harvest season.

Summer Solstice

nospam@example.com (Dryad) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Also called Midsummer or Litha, this is the longest day and shortest night of the year. This is the time to celebrate the power of the Sun. The crops are growing and the weather is warm. From the moment of the Summer Solstice, the Sun begins to wane, and the journey into the harvest season has begun.

A Midsummer’s Eve bonfire is a tradition that celebrates the power of the Sun over darkness. This is especially meaningful in the far reaches of the Northern Hemisphere, where the long hours of sunlight are a pleasant contrast to the constant darkness of the winter months. Jumping the bonfire brings luck and fertility for the rest of the year. (Obviously you want to avoid catching yourself on fire when you jump!) The herds were driven through the embers in days of old to purge disease and illness from them. When the fires had burned down, the ashes were carried home to sprinkle on the field and the hearth for protection, health and luck.

It is believed that on Midsummer’s Eve, the veil between the worlds is thin and the fairies and elves can be more easily seen. The association of fairies with this day was famously celebrated in Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Be sure to leave an offering for the fey on Midsummer’s Eve, and take care not to stumble through the veil into the Land of Fairie, where time is suspended and we can be lost to the world for longer than we know!

In some Celtic-based pagan traditions, there is a legend of the battle between the Oak King and the Holly King. At the Winter Solstice, or Yule, the Oak King defeats the Holly King and reigns until the Summer Solstice, or Litha. At Litha, the Holly King returns to do battle with the old king and defeats him, reigning until Yule, when the battle starts again. The Oak King represents the light half of the year, as once the Winter Solstice has passed the days begin to get longer. The Holly King represents the dark half of the year, as once the Sun has reached its peak the days slowly grow shorter.

In some Wiccan traditions, the Oak King and the Holly King are seen as dual aspects of the Horned God. Each aspect rules for half the year, battles for the favor of the Goddess, then retires to nurse his wounds and rest for the next six months, until it is time for him to rule again. Even though these two beings are continually battling for power, they are both essential parts of a whole. Without one, the other would no longer exist.

Often, the Holly King is seen as a woodsy version of Santa Claus, dressed in red with a sprig of holly in his hair. The Oak King is seen as a fertility god, appearing as the Green Man or other lord of the forest.

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