American Celebration Kindred usually does our fall ritual as Rainbow Season, for two reasons. Firstly in honor of Heimdall, Tom's patron. Secondly, because we live in the Mojave Desert, where summer is the rainy season. After the rain comes the rainbow, so after the rainy season comes the rainbow season. This year we held Zisa Day in September and I did a Rainbow Season ritual at Pagan Pride Day in November. We'll probably return to doing our Rainbow Season ritual in September in other years, but we also try to do a least one or more new rituals each year. Last year my kindred's other gythia Amanda led Haustlong, a traditional autumn ritual, in September. This year we held Zisa Day. Lughnasadh marks the midpoint between summer and fall, and is the first harvest festival of the year. It’s a time for harvesting grains, giving thanks for the growth that has happened, and to enjoy the warmth and light that is still to come. The Urglaawe hold Zisasege on Sept. 28th, so I thought our fall ritual would be a great time to have a Zisa Day. My kindred members have more availability on weekends though so we scheduled ours on the closest Saturday. I try very hard to organize the ritual schedule for the year so everyone can get to do all the things but it isn't always possible. As it happened, only those who live here attended because others canceled due to illness. But unexpected guests came and brought pizza and serendipitous garlic knots. I felt that was oddly appropriate for Zisa Day, and might have it again deliberately next time I want to honor Zisa. From kindred holidays to the return of my local Pagan Pride Day, I've had a lot of community experiences this autumn. It's been awesome and of course I am sharing my fun with my blog readers.

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 Holiday Because solstices and equinoxes are tied to exact astronomical moments, the holidays shift slightly from year-to-year. There is a celebration about every six weeks, so there’s always something to look forward to! At the end of this post, I’ve included the Wheel of the Year dates for 2023 and 2024.With a very strong style all of its own, there are lots of folk out there who will jump at this offering and love it. You know who you are.. In between the weekend of the eclipse etc. and my next kindred ritual was Halloween, which the households on my street do up in style. My housemates and I and my neighbors did the American holiday of Halloween including a bonfire and marshmallow roasting. I was having mobility challenges again for the nth time this year, but with my housemates' help I pulled it off. We also tend to do more outdoor activities in the yard than we previously did, although we always did some outdoor activities in nice weather. This year in October there was an annular solar eclipse that happened the same weekend as the local Renfaire, which was the same weekend as a first year new sf con in town. Lots of people may have seen it from those venues, but I was at home. I left the convention early due to my body. Also due to my body, I missed all of faire this year. But the eclipse came to me. Over the past few years, the goddess Zisa has become increasingly important to me. One of her titles is Undoer of Knots, which is also a title of Mary; the two were euhemerized in continental Europe. Zisa can be represented by a pine cone. Her traditional libation is stone pine liquor, so we toasted her with it on our Zisa Day.

The spring equinox ( Ostara) is a holiday of renewal and abundance. For Wiccans, this is when the Goddess represents her Maiden aspect and when the god has become a young man. It’s a great time for planting seeds and celebrating the fertile spring. Traditionally Asatru sumbel includes passing a drinking horn from which everyone drinks. Early on in the pandemic, we switched to having everyone drink from an individual cup. At first we used disposable cups, and these days we still sometimes use them if the gathering has enough people to make it impractical to wash an individual cup for everyone. When we weren't passing the horn it was hard to tell whose turn it was to speak, though, so we eventually went with passing the horn for people to pour from into their individual cups. In Wiccan tradition, the Goddess (in her Mother aspect) gives birth to the God on the longest night of the year (the winter solstice) and then, like the Earth during winter, rests.Does your heart feel the pull of nature, and do you hear the whispers of the ancestors on the breeze? Do you bask in the power of the sun and the moon, welcome the cycles of the seasons, and yearn for a deep connection with the earth? Samhain, or best known as Halloween, is Celtic New Year’s Eve and the final harvest. It’s when the veil between the world of the living and the dead is the thinnest and when pagans believe spirits easiest roam the earth and when it is easiest to communicate with them. Samhain is a time to honor all those who have come before, for all that was gifted to us during the year, to ask for guidance, and to set intentions as the turning of the wheel begins again.

Imbolc is the holiday during which some pagans give thanks to Brigid as well as to the increasing daylight, which comes with hope for an abundant spring. It is also a traditional holiday for rededications or for witch initiations. 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. The greater sabbats or cross-quarter days fall approximately halfway between the greater sabbats and have origins in Celtic traditions. They include: Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain.

The 8 Wiccan Sabbats

Whoever hosts the ritual does any prep and cleanup that can't be done at the gathering itself while everyone is there, such as moving furniture around, cleaning up the home and yard, setting up and taking down outdoor cooking facilities, etc. Participants often help with any prep and cleanup that can be done on the day of the ritual, such as doing dishes or reconfiguring structures to their overnight positions.

After that we're doing Yule, which is a union of heathen and American customs. We do a full sumbel and blot for Yule but we also exchange presents and have a decorated tree and so on. After that comes birthdays, American style. And sometime before any more holidays arrive we will have to plan our ritual calendar for the year and decide which holidays we're doing and who is hosting and performing them. May Day is also celebrated by decorated and dancing around the maypole (representing the male aspect). And, it’s believed that, like at Samhain, the veil between the living and the spirit world is thinner. For Wiccans, this Sabbat is also a holiday of love and romance and when the God and Goddess come together. Mabon or the fall equinox is the second harvest festival. Traditionally, it’s when fruits and vegetables are harvested, when autumn begins, and when Wiccans believe the Goddess moves from Mother to Crone. It’s a time to give thanks for all that has been provided. I've made a separate post for Bear Day because it turned out to be more of a gnosis experience than a community experience. I had some communication with bear spirit and with other spirit beings and gods, and also some insights I had after the ritual was over because I was reflecting inward on bears. Watch for my next post, Honoring the Bear Spirit, coming soon. The 4 lesser Sabbats or quarter holidays are the two solstices and two equinoxes. They have origins in Germanic traditions and include: Yule (winter solstice), Ostara (spring equinox), Litha (summer solstice), and Mabon (fall equinox). The Greater Sabbaths (Cross-Quarter Days)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. This practical guide will show you how to harness the magic of nature, reclaim your personal power through the discovery of ancient wisdom, and embrace the feminine divine. You will journey through the year, learning to work with the forces of nature through spell work, incantations, rituals, sigils, age-old recipes, and charms that use herbs, candles, and crystals.