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Living with the Earth
Honoring and observing the seasons and celebrating
each turn of the Wheel offers a path toward
wholeness. By tuning into the cycles of
the seasons, the rhythm of the Divine, we
can once again find the harmony that holds
us all in that same sacred womb. There are
eight holidays (holy days) known as sabbats
celebrated during the Wiccan calendar. Four
of which are based on the sun, with the
solstices and the equinoxes, often referred
to as the lesser sabbats. The other four
mark planting and harvesting cycles, also
known as the major sabbats. You can choose
to literally ride the seasons, finding comfort
in the rhythm of their ebb and flow. They
offer a guideline for the best teacher Spirit
offers us: nature.
Celebrated on October 31, Halloween
or Samhain is the Witches’
New Year and a time to play with our shadow
selves and sit in the woods between the
worlds, knowing all things are possible.
It is a season to acknowledge that the light
and dark are necessary to our growth. Remember
loves ones and their gifts, harvest strength,
trust yourself, salute health, believe in
enchantment, and tell stories. Symbols of
the holiday are pumpkins, skeletons, marigolds,
fall leaves, pomegranates, and witch hats.
Herbs associated with this sabbat include:
apple, broom, mint, mullein, nutmeg, oak,
sage, thistle, and wormwood.
Celebrated December 20-22, Yule
or Winter Solstice is a time to
recognize that the wheel of nature and life
will continue in spite of us. Life is ever
evolving and circular. It is a season to
join friends and family and appreciate them.
Bring in the light and joy in your life
as your divine right, trust the process,
trust your faith, celebrate life in all
forms, open doors, and ask for great things.
Symbols of the holiday are wreaths, holly,
yule logs, and lights. Herbs associated
with this sabbat include: almond, ash, bay,
chamomile, frankincense, hazel, holly, juniper,
mistletoe, oak, pine, rosemary, sage, sandalwood,
thistle, and walnut.
Celebrated on February 2, Imbolc
or Bridgid’s Day is a time
to acknowledge our individual gifts and
feed our talents with supportive action.
Imbolc is connected to the powerful new
life awakening in the depths of the earth
and thus also represents the rebirth and
upsurge in personal power. Here we sit with
energy building and yet no form. The dark
night of the soul is a safe place to be,
as it purifies and stills the monkey mind.
This is a necessary process before great
expressions can manifest. Now we plant seeds
of inspiration, acknowledge first light,
invoke patience, find virtue in perseverance,
and inspire others. Symbols of the holiday
are seeds, wells, and fire. Herbs for this
sabbat include angelica, basil, bay, cinnamon,
frankincense, myrrh, orris root, saffron,
red nettle, rosemary, rowan, saffron.
Celebrated March 20-22, Spring
Equinox or Ostara is one of the
two days of the year when night and day
are of equal time. It is a time to rebirth
our new selves, clear away the clutter of
our minds and wipe the slate clean. See
life as non-dual, neither too terrible,
nor too fantastic. Ostara rejoices the beauty
of our unique selves and play with impish
delight. Find balance, plant individual
expression, believe in abundance and fertility,
face fears, cry, and allow for all emotions.
This ceremony symbolizes Dawn on the Wheel
of the Year. If the night owls in the group
do not object, celebrate the holiday at
dawn. But remember, ritual is a celebration
not drudgery, and does not need to be a
test of your determination. Symbols of the
holiday are eggs, rabbits, and flowers.
Herbs associated with this sabbat include:
broom, cinquefoil, jasmine, lavender, lily,
rose, sage, and violet.
Celebrated April 30 and May 1,
Beltane is a time to revel in life’s
absurdities and have fun. Enjoy the beauty
of life’s physical pleasures. Smell
the flowers or dance in a secluded part
of overgrown nature, as you relish in the
light and laughter of faeries and children.
Weave together the magick of the male and
female aspects of yourself. Honor the collaboration
and patchwork of you. Respect the soul’s
journey, and always remember to take the
ride of life lightly – it is only
a dream after all. Symbols are the Maypole,
strawberries, and flowers such as the daisy.
Herbs associated with this sabbat include:
almond, angelica, apple, ash, calendula,
cinquefoil, red clover, frankincense, hawthorn,
honeysuckle, rose, rowan, St. John's wort,
and woodruff.
Celebrated June 20-21, Summer Solstice,
Litha or Midsummer is a time to
spread the warmth, and enjoy the sun’s
energy. Praise the opulence and abundance
available to us for the asking. This is
a day to celebrate our gifts of healing,
whether intuitive or through plants. Make
peace with the impermanence of life and
changing relationships, knowing we are always
guided and watched over. Bloom where you
are planted. Respect malenergy. Honor your
light. Hug yourself. We are one with the
infinite Sun. Symbols are the sun, and all
things yellow, orange or round. Herbs associated
with this sabbat include: basil, wood betony,
chamomile, cinquefoil, dogwood, elder, fennel,
fern, frankincense, lavender, lemon, lemon
verbena, lily, mistletoe, mugwort, oak,
pine, rose, St. john's wort, thyme, vervain,
and yarrow.
Celebrated August 1-2, Lammas or
Lughnasadh is a time to harvest
your resources, assess your needs, and use
your gifts wisely, releasing any burdens
and grudges. Sacrifice the unwanted from
your life by throwing symbols of them into
the sabbat fire. Harvest fruits from your
garden with your family. Bless the tools
of your trade and bless them in order to
bring a richer harvest next year. Share
your harvest with others who are less fortunate.
For now we make initial contact with the
Dark Beauty, recognizing that nothing lasts.
Every feeling and event passes through our
awareness like clouds across a sky. Zero
in on your truth. Make a commitment to honor
your strengths and many skills. Find the
beauty in the muggles and mundane. Symbols
are corn, grains, and breads. Herbs associated
with this sabbat include: acacia, blackberry,
calendula, frankincense, mistletoe, oak,
rose, and sandalwood.
Celebrated on September 20-22,
Autumn Equinox or Mabon is the
second time when day and night are once
again equal, creating a mirror for us to
seek balance and acceptance with the bounty
of our own personal harvest weighted against
our life's experience. It is a time to glean
the knowledge
from the gifts life presented to use, and
separate this wisdom given from experience.
This acknowledgment honors and makes holy
the people, events, and experiences that
have so impacted our being and our journey.
It is a time to balance the light and the
dark. Simplify your life and ridyourself
of unnecessary activity and clutter in preparation
for the silence of the darker months. Donate
what you don’t need. Clear the disorder
of your mind and learn to sit with the quiet
of the soul. Without rushing around, you
will need to make peace with your shadow,
and hopefully this will help you release
a bit more of the mask and reliance upon
appearances. Give thanks and harvest what
is helpful. Symbols are leaves and cornucopias.
Herbs associated with this sabbat include:
apple, balm of gilead, calendula, cypress,
mugwort, myrrh, oak, orris root, passionflower,
pine, rose, sage, and thistle.
Connectedness and joy is our innate beingness.
We can effect change in the world and our
lives by paying attention to the vibrant
aliveness of this now moment. Find joy,
peace, harmony by following the impermanent
now. The Mandala of Nature will reveal a
new bounty at each turn. An abundant scene
awaits you. Allow this moment to be the
beauty of what is, and keep the knowingness
and release the experience.
Bloom where you are planted -- in the Now.
Blessings,
Jamie Dancing Butterfly Martinez Wood
This article is modified from an excerpt
in the upcoming Wicca Herbal
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