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Winter Solstice (December 20th - 21st) is the shortest day of the year. It is a time of regeneration and new beginnings when the light reenters the world and the days first start to lengthen again. In the stillness of the darkness of the void, inspiration dawns, and burning sparks of creativity became the fire seeds of fertilized power. A festival of peace and waxing sunlight, Winter Solstice (Yule) is celebrated with greenery, holly, ivy, pine cones, and by burning Yule logs. It is a time of resolution and release of held negative emotions, of learning from prior mistakes and then moving forward with renewed hope. Imbolc (February 1st -2nd) is a fire festival of great joy and a time of omens, of portents, of signs, of spring buddings, of stirrings, of passion's first blush, of the whispered bird kisses of youthful love, and of the glimmerings of future potentials. This is the rite of the divine need fire and the goddess Brighid. It is celebrated by letting the hearth fire die out completely the night before then rekindling the fire with special care the following morning, using twigs from seven to nine different trees. Other Imbolc customs are to plant fruit trees in the morning and to pour milk or cream into the earth in thanksgiving for the return of fertility. Auguries about the promise of new life are also done at this household fire festival since the end of winter is in sight. Spring Equinox (March 21st - 23rd) is a celebration of the first day of spring. The Spring Equinox is also a midway station on the seasonal wheel between winter and summer when the earth stirs from winter slumbers, awakens, and is receptive to wisdom. On this "Light of the Earth Day", day and night stand together as equals. It is a time of sun strengthening, of blossoming, and of nest building. The Spring Equinox is celebrated by hiding eggs or rolling them down hills before eating them. Crops are also sown; and, seeds and flowers are planted in honor of the Earth Mother and sprinkled with well water. Group poems are read with verve to renew bonds with nature.
Beltane (April 30th - May
1st) is a bright and brilliant fire festival (which is opposite on the seasonal
wheel from Samhain). Beltane heralds the full glory arrival of Summer. This
"Return of Life" time is one of peak blossoming when fertility is waxing; as
well as, a time of creative vitality when no matter your age, you feel young
again and reconnect with your sensuality.
It is the time to rethink plans and goals and to make wish lists of desired future happenings. Beltane is celebrated as May Day by dancing around a pole. Twin bonfires are lit, symbolizing the alchemical integration of the male and female aspects and union of the polarities. Young people leap over the fire for good fortune in finding a partner; while, travellers jump the fire in hopes of safe journeys. Summer Solstice (June 21st -22nd) is a "Light of the Shore" festival that happens on when the Sun reaches its zenith. It is celebrated on the longest day of the year with the most complex of seasonal ceremonies beginning with a solstice eve vigil around a fire, followed by a sun rising ritual, with a further ceremony at high noon. Midsummer's Day is a time of solar peaks, of ripening, of accomplishing, of strengthening Nature Spirit connections (with the land, sea, and sky), and of rebalancing (mind, body, and spirit). Celebrated with a large bonfire, forest picnics and games, Summer Solstice is a time to nurture the soul by expressing dreams and by manifesting them in the world. Lammas (August 1st - 2nd) is a harvest festival or "Feast of Bread" that signals the beginning of the harvest season as the season of Summer starts its progression into the season of Winter. Lammas is a time of harvests of first fruits, grains, herbs, and seeds, as well as, gatherings, contests, games, handfastings, and marriages. Since the wheel of the yearly cycle begins its roll down the hill at Lammas, it is also a time to feel fulfilled and satisfied with creative endeavors or with child rearing achievements, to pause and to reflect, to enjoy home and family, and to open to future possibilities. Lammas (Lughnasadh) is celebrated with loafs of bread, by enjoying the fruits of family life and successful ventures, by rolling flaming wheels down hills, or by passing a wheel around the circle. Fall Equinox (September 21st -23rd) is a "Light of the Water" festival. It is the first day of autumn and a halfway station on the seasonal wheel when the sun is between summer and winter, when colorful autumn leaves signal the harvest's end. As the sun begins to wane and the dark half of the year draws near, it is a time to finish old business, to collect seeds for the next cycle, and to give thanks for health and prosperity.
The Autumnal Equinox (when
day and night are equal around the world is also a sacred and powerful time for
magic. It is celebrated with cornucopias, acorns, fruits of the harvest,
storytelling, songs, dancing, making outdoor shrines for the Nature Spirits,
offering libations to the trees, and toasts to the deities...Go
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