BoS Prompts 5: Sabbats & Wheel of The Year.

Link to previous prompts: http://ppwwmm.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/cauldroneers-bos-prompts.html

Prompt 5. Sunday 17th December 2017 - The 5th prompt will be...  Sabbats & Wheel of The Year.

At the time this was published, Christmas eve is a week away meaning next Sunday I will not be posting a Prompt because 1. I don't know if people will have time to read this one let alone one the night before Christmas.  2. I don't really want too!!  Hehe..  If I find time there is a video I want to get done which will fall well into these posts..  If I find time.  Seasons Greetings, Happy Hanukkah, Divine Saturnalia, Blessed Yule, Merry Christmas etc..

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P5A:  Different between Sabbats and Esbats?

Sabbats: 
Sabbats are eight seasonal marks throughout the year.  Some are fixed dates such as Samhain is on the 31st October every year whereas others move slightly like Yule can fall on 19, 20, 21, 22 or 23rd December.  Sabbats mark the changing of the 4 seasons and also the story of the birth, life and death of God and the changing of the Goddess.

THE GODDESS

The Goddess goes through a three part  change each year as part of the yearly cycle.  In the Springtime she is said to be the Maiden aspect as she is reborn and revived full of new life, she is said to be fresh, pure and have that young innocent everything is new excitement..  In the Summer the Goddess becomes the Mother aspect (mother-earth) and as such she is now imbued with new developing life,  she is entering and developing in motherhood and she is glowing and giving life to the world..  In the Winter again she changes to become the Crone aspect as she reaches the end of her cycle.  As she has aged now knowing and being wise.  She dies only to be reborn again in the Springtime when she once again becomes the maiden.

In Paganism this triple aspect or triple Goddess is often shown in pictures as 3 separate Goddesses / Women however we actually we see her as just the one and is therefore called ‘the Goddess’.  – This title of ‘The Goddess’ is a none-specified name covering all female deity forms.  While some will call her by a specific name referring to her different aspects that correspond to them or perhaps their working.

THE GOD

Like the Goddess, the God has a yearly cycle and change for him he is born at Yule and grows into a child, young adult, very fertile young adult, adult, and through to being elderly and through to death where he is then reborn again from the Goddess at Yule. 

Again, like the Goddess, we often use the term and name 'the God' which is a none-specified name and as said more specific God names can be given to speak to a specific aspect of The God. 

Esbats: 
Esbats are celebrations of the full moon; there are 12 (rarely 13) of these a year.  - I will cover this in the next BoS Prompt which is about the moon!

Physical & Book Activity:

Optional - You might want to write that down, or at least remember it, in your book or at least make a note of it.  The next blog installment will be about the moon so you might want to hold off till then..

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P5B:  What are the Sabbats?
As said there are eight.. 

• Yule (Winter Solstice) December 19, 20, 21, 22, or 23
• Imbolc (Brigid, Candlemas, Imbolg, or Brigid’s Day) February 1 or 2
• Ostara (Spring Equinox, Eostar or Oestarra) March 20, 21, 22, or 23
• Beltane (May Eve, Beltaine, Bealtaine, or May Day) April 30 or May 1
• Litha (Summer Solstice, or Midsummer) June 20, 21, 22, or 23
• Lammas (Lughnasad or Lughnasad) August 1
• Mabon (Fall Equinox or Home Harvest) September 20, 21, 22, or 23
• Samhain (All Hallow’s Eve, Hallowmas or Halloween): October 31 (some celebrate November 1)

Yule aka Winter Solstice

Since to most Pagans God is represented by the Sun and the Goddess by the Moon. Yule is a very symbolic time as it not only marks the shortest day of the year.  But it is a time that shows the death and rebirth.  Yule is where The Goddess gives birth to a son, The God.  Following this seasonal time The Sun (God) stays up in the sky for a short time although as the seasons continue to change and God (The Sun) stays up longer and longer, just as the sun literally is in the sky longer and longer, this is a symbolism of how he grows into a boy and then a man and then an elderly man and eventually his death throughout the seasons.

Ways in most Pagans celebrate Yule usually has us look upon the death and darkness of winter but with great hope of new life and fertility in the Spring time.  We often celebrate this by lighting candles, and decorating evergreen trees to welcome back the greenness of our lands and to welcome God as he grows giving us those longer days and shorter nights.

Imbolc (Pronounced Im-ulk)

Imbolc is the sabbat that marks the early beginnings of spring time.  

The longer days and new growth the Goddess is recovering after giving birth to the God.  It is also the sabbat that brings us warmth from the Suns new fertility as he has matured, causing the seeds of life to germinate and sprout.

Imbolc is a celebration of surviving the dark freezing death of winter, and beaming with new life, longer days, new beginnings, growth, and new light.  It is a time when most Pagans literally clean their living spaces and is most powerful to cleansing, cleaning and concentrating workings.

Ostara aka Spring Equinox

(Equinox meaning day and night are the same length.)  The Spring Equinox is the festival that marks the first true day of Spring time. 

It is this part of the year that God has reached his maturity and entering into young adulthood where he is most fertile.

We celebrate Ostara as the light that has taken over the darkness.  It is considered by Pagans and Witches alike to be the best time of year to do workings for future gain.

Beltane aka May Day

Beltane is the Sabbat where the Goddess and God lay together and unite as one. It is also a time for marriage and union.

This is often celebrated with dance, or more specifically the dance of the May Pole – The May Pole is used as a symbol of both the flame of the Sun (God) and also that of the fire of the cauldron (Cauldrons are often a symbol of the womb or goddesses womb).  – And the weaving in and out of the May Pole is a symbol of the the Goddess and God coming together as one.

We also celebrate this Sabbat with a lot of plants.   It’s said to be the best time to do workings of fertility and love.

Litha aka Summer Solstice aka Midsummer

This day marks the longest day of the year and is the sabbat where nature is at its highest peak and absolutely flourishing with life. 

Litha is often celebrated literally from sun rises to the point where the sun sets and this is demonstrated with magic of all kinds - a very powerful day.  Many Pagans celebrate this sabbat around a fire to represent the sun.

Lammas / Lughnasah (Pronounced Loo-na-sad)

Lammas is the marking of the Harvest festifval, it is where the first harvest of the year takes place and we celebrate this as a sign of being thankful to both the God and the Goddess for providing us with such a bountiful crop.

It is the time where God is now reached that elderly adulthood and is slowly fading and is beginning to die, though he live on within the womb of the Goddess don’t forget!!

This sabbat is where we reflect and show how we are thankful and in thought of nature and the world and all that it has given us this year and how each meal is such a gift.  Most Pagans celebrate this sabbat only with food this is often a meal containing and also offering a symbolism of the harvest such as bread as a token of thankfulness and appreciation, it is also to honour.

Mabon aka Autumn Equinox

(Like Spring Equinox, Again the Autumn Equinox is when day and night are the same length)  At this time of the year the Darkness once again takes over our lands and the seasons shy away from the light.

The God gets ready to leave his physical body now until he is reborn, from The Goddess at Yule.

Samhain (Pronounced Sow-Hane)

Samhain is said to be the Pagan / Witches New Year.  It marks the start of winter and of death and darkness.  It is one of the most important times; as it is a time of the year for reflection, not just of ourselves, but to remember those we have lost and pay our respects to them, to our ancestors it is also a time to celebrate what has been accomplished over the year and be thankful for the harvest and all what we have.

We celebrate this Sabbat in may ways which may include setting a dinner place for the dead at your table, visiting the resting places of ancestors past, lighting of candles and more.

As said it is also a time of personal reflection, a lot of shadow workings are done around this time especially entering into the darker months.

Physical Activity:

Optional - There are many different ways in which the Sabbats are celebrated..  Perhaps research them maybe even mock practice them? 

At the time this blog post was released it is the week before Yule..  Also since this is technically the Birth of God it truly would be a good place for you to start your study.

Book Activity:

Journal about each Sabbat.  Like the Elements this could be a page or two pages for each or it could simple be just a list with basic information.  You could make it bright and colourful or have each part represented by its attribute (birth / life / death).  You might want to journal this after your wheel of the year, or before..  Be creative.

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P5C:  What is the wheel of the year?
The wheel of the year is best described as a round calendar.  From it's centre point if you rotate it round so each Sabbat is at the top.  Often these 'wheel of the year' calendars show pictures of symbolism relating to that time, it should incorporate the dates (some dates are fixed whereas others move slightly), The name of the holiday and any other information you deem fit.

Here's some examples I pulled off of the internet...

Purchasable Print from Etsy

Image can be found on this website.

Image can be found on this website.

Physical & Book Activity:

Research more about The Wheel of The Year and then purchase/print your own OR even better I challenge you to make your own Wheel of The Year!!  Simply draw a circle and then divide this into 8 segments and use the information I have given you here to create your own.  I would absolutely love to see these.  Feel free to make it and stick it into your BoS or if you're feeling confident draw it straight in.  You could also be extra creative if you attach it with a brad (paper pin) so you can move it round and have an interactive BoS page! 

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Imogen x

Next week there will be no prompt as it's Christmas but the week ager prompt No.6 - Moon Stuff.