My Wheel of the Year
In 2020, I did an intuitive tarot study, the highlights of which I posted on my Instagram story and have recently made into a Reel if you want to check it out. It helped me come to a deeper understanding of the meanings of the cards and my own interpretations of them. This year I feel I have unconsciously done that with the sabbets and my own personal Wheel of the Year.
If you have read anything about modern witchcraft, you know most people follow the Celtic Wheel of the Year, comprising of the solstices, equinoxes and the four cross-quarter days. I have also talked about the sabbets on my blog before and here is the link to a post where I talk about them, their correspondences, and my personal celebrations.
Last December, I read Year of the Witch: Connecting with Nature's Seasons Through Intuitive Magick by Temperance Alden which had some great tips for connecting with the change of season as well as Mother Earth and the eight sabbets along with creating your own Wheel of the Year.
As a SoCal witch, I don’t get to experience the seasons like other places so I need to pay more attention when they change so I can honor the shift in energies. There are also other holidays not on the Celtic Wheel that are important to me that I wish to honor as much as Samhain or Imbolc. The book is also great for those who just wish to create their own Wheel from scratch. It is all about being connected to the change in season and the days whose energies are the most important to you and your practice.
Below is my Wheel of the Year which I have created this year and a little blurb about why I chose to include it. (A simplified version with just dates follows below as well.)
Samhain Halloween has always been my favorite holiday and thus it is definitely one of my favorite sabbets. The energy on this day is unreal and carries me on a high for the rest of the year. I start my Wheel here as Samhain is the Witch’s New Year and it just felt like the place to begin. I celebrate with solitary practice, pumpkin carving, and baking soul cakes.
National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo) A challenge to write 50,000 words of a novel in 30 days. Ever since I started doing it back in 2019, it has become an important time for me as a writer. The best way, I’ve found, of smashing out those first drafts.
Thanksgiving I know this one will have some mixed feelings, but we as humans have the power to change and grow. We (my pack) celebrate it as a day to be grateful, with friends, family and food. We do not gather to celebrate its history.
Yule (Winter Solstice) Along with the in-between energies of the sabbets and cross-quarter days (noted below as well), I also mark the reigns of the Oak and Holly Kings. (100% blame Sebastian’s Nothwell’s Oak King Holly King.) The Oak King rules from the winter solstice (Yule) to the summer solstice (Litha). Under his rule, the dark days will slowly start to lengthen, as Yule marks the longest night of the year. I like to celebrate with decorating and burning a Yule log and hot chocolate.
Christmas To me, Christmas starts the day before and sometimes the Eve is even better than the day itself. The night before, we feast on Chinese take-out and honeyed mead under the lights of our tree while the day-of has many traditions, like stockings and cinnamon rolls.
New Year’s sunrise A fairly new tradition that my partner and I started when we moved in together, staying up all night to watch the first sunrise of the New Year. It is a very peaceful, connecting thing and a very special moment to share with loved ones.
Lunar New Year My family has always celebrated the lunar new year, embracing our Chinese zodiacs, and giving red envelopes. Remember: it is not cultural appropriation if it is done with research, respect and honor to the culture.
Imbolc The day in honor of Brigid, my matron, Celtic goddess of healing, poetry, and smithing. It is also the first sign of approaching spring and the time to begin shaking off your winter slumber. I celebrate with lighting a candle in every room, embracing my feminine energy, and a good cheese board.
St. Snake’s Day You will know this day by another name, but as an Irish pagan, I abstain from celebrating an English Christian saint who drove out the druids and destroyed Ireland’s culture, much of which has been lost. So this day, I honor the “snakes” though I do still don the color green.
Ostara (Spring Equinox) Many of the ways I celebrate this sabbet are shared with the holiday of Easter, which “borrowed” many of its meanings from Ostara. I dye eggs (using some for spells), bake hot cross buns and start planting our garden.
Renfaire Season The Renaissance Pleasure Faire is a childhood tradition and an adult obsession of mine. It runs about two months and this past year, my partner and I went five times. We dress up, enjoy food and drink, and a good helping of fantasy. My favorite part is just walking around soaking in the energy. It is probably my happiest place on earth.
Anniversary Of course the day I connected with my soulmate is an important time to celebrate. We are hoping this will one day become our wedding anniversary as well. Our celebration is, of course, a very private affair, but a big symbol of it is definitely roses. Our song is Rose Tattoo by Dropkick Murphys.
Beltane It is still funny to me that our anniversary shares a day with the sabbet of sexuality. Again, my celebrations on this day are more of a private affair. Good books for inspiration are Sex Witch: Magickal Spells for Love, Lust and Self-Protection by Sophie Saint Thomas and Sacred Sex: The Magick and Path of the Divine Erotic by Gabriela Herstik.
Litha (Summer Solstice) Today, the Oak King surrenders to the Holly King who begins his reign as the days shorten toward winter again. On this longest day, I celebrate with leaving offerings to the fae, indulging in strawberries and a bonfire while we watch the sun set.
Lokabrenna These 39 days, spanning most of July, marks the celebration and time to honor Loki, Norse god of chaos. Loki is my patron and during this time this year, I really felt his presence and influence so when I read Lea Svendsen’s Loki and Sigyn: Lessons on Chaos, Laughter & Loyalty from the Norse Gods and learned of Lokabrenna, I was floored. I am planning on doing a deep study on my deities next year, like I did with tarot and the sabbets, so then I will share more on celebrating Lokabrenna. For now, I’d check out the book I mentioned above.
My birthday No, it is not self-centered to add your own birthday. It is your Wheel and this is probably the most important day. I like to celebrate by doing all my favorite things, like going to the beach, ice cream, and bookstores.
Lughnasadh This year, I really felt the energy of the First Harvest which this sabbet represents. I celebrate by jamming out to Celtic music, baking fun flavors of bread, and embracing my masculine energy.
Mabon (Autumn Equinox) The Witch’s Thanksgiving is appropriate to share the day with a hobbit celebration as it shares many similarities, feasting on harvested apples and root veggies, and all things hygge and homegrown. It is also a time of balance and shadow energy.
International Hobbit Day My inner nerd was happy to learn Mabon fell on Bilbo Baggin’s birthday. On this day, my partner and I like to make seasonal soup and a homemade loaf and curl up to marathon Lord of the Rings (extended edition). Hope you enjoyed this incite into my personal Wheel of the Year and that you take inspiration here to create your own.
