The 2024 Wheel of the Year begins anew with the celebration of Yule on Thursday, December 21, 2023. For weekend observance, aim for Dec 22-24, 2023. 2023 Poster SOLD OUT! Along with The Pentacle Path, the Lithatide begins after our celebrations of Beltane are concluded. We tap elemental fire’s powers of Will, to apply our energies and forge plans of action to attain our great work intention. Then at Litha we release to the fires what no longer aids our sacred mission, investing into the work through personal sacrifice and toil. We also shed old skins that no longer fit our evolving selves, tapping elemental fire’s powers of surrender. Dark Moon Taurus Depending on each practitioner’s spiritual beliefs, they may choose only to celebrate the Celtic fire festivals. Some may choose only to celebrate the solstices and equinoxes, and some may mix and match. Time of Day: Mid-morning is perfect. 2023 Great Work Wheel – Fire Detail – Hand-drawn by Heron Michelle Elemental Tides of Fire: To Will – To Surrender

The Wheel of the Year term and concept was adopted and used by Gerald Gardner from Jacob Grimm ( yes, as in Grimms’ Fairy Tales) when creating Wicca, along with other coven members during the early 1950s. They were attempting to modernize ancient Pagan traditions and pulled from Celtic and Middle East celebrations, among many others. Reference: Paganism – An Introduction to Earth – Centered Religions by Joyce and River Higginbotham) Wiccans believe this is when the god dies and when the Goddess both reaches her highest power as the Crone and is pregnant with the god that will be born at Yule. And hence, the cycle begins again. It is, because the divide between the world’s is at is thinnest, also one of the most powerful nights to do magic. Wiccan Holidays: 2020 Dates HolidayI like to find ways to connect with Nature in my area and incorporate the spiritual intentions each pagan holiday represents. This can be a simple meal with a loved one, meditating alone with a candle, journaling, or simply walking outside. Feb 2 – IMBOLC (also called Candlemas, Imbolg, and Saint Brigid’s Day) It is midway between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. This sabbat reminds us that the light is growing stronger and that the harshness of winter will start to fade. To celebrate the growing light, many Pagans will light candles on this holiday. When I was growing up, I always thought Beltane was the coolest, but that’s because I thought of it only as the holiday in which you lit a bonfire and went and made love in the woods.

Great Work Wheel – Air Detail – Hand-drawn by Heron Michelle Elemental Tides of Air: To Know – To Wonder

Spring Equinox, Ostara Sabbat

The Wheel of the Year is a Pagan metaphor and calendar for the cycle of the seasons. It consists of eight festivals, known as sabbats, spaced at approximately even intervals throughout the year. Ritual Function: Maximize Autumn’s Integration of Great Work; Lunar Eclipse aligns conscious Scorpio emotional awareness with subconscious Taurean physical awareness. For Wiccans, Lughnasadh is marks when the god’s power begins to decline. And, for some pagans, it’s the time when the Celtic Sun God Lugh transfers his power to the grain. When the grain is harvested and baked into bread, his cycle of life is complete. In 2022 we also have two lunar eclipses and two solar eclipses to tap for spells exploring both sides of the Taurus earth/Scorpio water elemental pairing. Solar eclipses occur at dark moons, when the sun and moon are conjunct in the same sign. The first solar eclipse occurs at Dark Moon in Taurus ♉︎ on April 30. The second one occurs at Dark moon in Scorpio ♏︎ on October 25.