Power Days

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The Days of Power

Listed here are major celbrations of Wicca. They are all attune with nature. The Sabbats are solar rituals, marking the points of the Sun's yearly cycle, and are but half of the Wiccan ritual year. The Esbats are the Wiccan Full Moon celebrations. At this time we gather to worship She Who Is. Not that Wiccans omit the God at Esbats-both are usually revered on all ritual occasions.

Yule (circa December 21)-The Goddess gives birth to a son, the God on this day. This is in no way an adaptation of Christianity. The Winter Solstice has long been viewed as a time of divine births. Yule is a time of great darkness and is the shortest day of the year. Wiccans sometimes celebrate Yule just before dawn, then watch the Sun rise as a fitting finale to their efforts. Since the God is also the Sun, this marks the point of the year when the Sun is reborn as well. Thus, the Wicca light fires or candles to welcome the Sun's returning light.

Imbolc (February 2)-This day marks the recovery of the Goddess after giving birth to the God. The lengthening periods of light awaken Her. This is a Sabbat of purification after the shut-in life of winter, through the renewing power of the Sun. It is also a festival of light and of fertility, once marked in Europe with huge blazes, torches and fire in every form. Fire here represents our own illumination and inspiration as much as light and warmth. Imbolc is also know as Feast fo Tourches, Oimelc, Lupercalia, Feast of Pan, Snowdrop Festival, Feast of the Waxing Light, Brigid's day, and probably many other names as well.

Ostara (March21)-This is the Spring Equinox, also known as Spring, Rites of Spring and Eostra's Day. It marks the first day of true spring. The energies of nature subtly shift from the sluggishness of winter to the exhuberent expansion of spring. The Goddess blankets the Earth with fertility, bursting forth from Her sleep, as the God streches and grows to maturity. On Ostara the hours of day and nigh are equal. Light is overtaking darkness; the Goddess and God impel the wild creatures of the earth to reproduce. This is a time of beginnings, of action, of planting spells for future gains, and of tending ritual gardens.

Beltane (April 30)-Beltane marks the emergence of the young God into manhood. Stirred by the energies at work in nature, He desires the Goddess. They fall in love, lie among the grasses and blossoms, and unite. The Goddess becomes pregnant of the God. Beltane (also known as May Day) has long been marked with feasts and rituals. May poles, supremely phalic symbols, were the focal point of old English village rituals. Many persons rose at dawn to gather flowers and green branches from the fields and gardens, using them to decorate teh May pole, their homes and themselves. The flowers and the greenery symbolize the Goddess; the May pole the God. Beltane marks the return of vitality, of passion and hopes consumated.

Midsummer, The Summer Solstice (circa June21)- The day also known as Litha, arrives when the powers of nature reach their highest point. The Earth is awash in the fertility of the Goddess and God. In the past, bonfires were leapt to encourage fertility, purification, health, and love. The fire once again represents the Sun, feted on this time of the longest daylight hours. Midsummer is a classical time for magic of all kinds.

Lughnasadh (August 1)- This is the time of the first harvest, when the plants of spring wither and drop their fruits or seeds for our use as well as to ensure future crops. Mystically, so too does the God lose His strength sa the Sun rises fartherin the South each day and the nights grow longer. The Goddess watches in sorrow and joy as She realizes that the God is dying, and yet lives on inside Her as Her child. Lughnasadh, also known as August Eve, Feast of Bread, Harvest Home and Lammass, wasn't necessarily observed on this day. It orginally coincided with the first reapings. As summer passes, Wiccans remember its warmth and bounty in the food we eat. Every meal is an act of attunement with nature, and we are reminded that nothing in the universe is constant.

Mabon (circa September 21)- The Autumn Equionx is the completion fo the harvest begun at Lughnasadh. Once again day and night are equal, poised as the God prepares to leave his physical body and begin the great adventure into the unseen, toward renewal and rebirth of the Goddess. Nature declines, draws back it's bounty, readying for winter and its time of rest. The Goddess nods in the weaking Sun, though fire burns within Her womb. She feels the presence fo the God even as He wanes.

Samhian (October 31)- This day the Wicca say farewell to the God. This is a temporary farewell. He isn't wrapped in enternal darkness, but readies to be reborn of the Goddess at Yule. Samhain, also known as November Eve, Feast of the Dead, Feast of Apples, Hallows and All Hallows, once marked the time of sacrifice. In some places this was the time when animals were slaughtered to ensure food throughout the depths of winter. The God-identified with the animals-fell as well to ensure our continuing existence. Samhain is a time of reflection, of looking back fover the last year, of coming to terms with one phenomenon of life which we have no control-death. The Wicca feel that on this night the separation between the physical and spiritual realities is thin. Wiccans remember their ancestors and all those who have gone before. After Samhain, Wiccans celebrate Yule, and so the wheel of the year is complete.