Calendar System
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org, please feel free to visit the school website)
Witches use a natural calendar system for tracking the passage of time. The interaction of sun cycles, moon cycles, seasons, and astrology form a calendar network of inter-linking and overlapping nature-based time schemes.
THE LUNAR CALENDAR
The lunar calendar recognizes the phases of the visible moon cycle through
its new, to full, to dark, to new, passage. This 28.6-day repetitive series
is celebrated, and particular types of witchcraft are often preferably enacted
during certain sections of the cycle. The belief behind this recognition
is that all life on Earth is affected by the moon’s force, as are
the ocean tides.
The dark moon is the night of the phase often mistakenly called “new” when there is no visible sign of the moon the entire night. The symbolism is one of release and mystery and is further embodied as death. Though not a time of mourning, the mood is rarely festive, as witches take time to look within themselves, seeking to find that which is ready to be released. Because the cycle is ever renewing, death is understood as a necessary element of continuing life, allowing the space for new growth to occur as change.
The new moon appears briefly the following night as proof of renewal. It is celebrated as such, as well as a symbol for potential. Any magick concerned with new beginning would be optimally begun at this phase of the moon if the witch were following moon influences closely. The birth of the new moon has occurred in the space made available, and that symbology is reflected inward with projects, intentions, ideas or openness within the witch. The moon then waxes to the first quarter in seven nights, halfway to full. Those things begun at the new phase are seen to be maturing in force of intention.
The full moon is when the draw of the natural moon energy is greatest. The energy is believed to help facilitate magick workings greatly; therefore the full moon is recognized and celebrated joyously. Full moon ceremonies are termed Esbats, and some events that may take place are divination or initiations. Any ongoing magickal works are thought to be at a point of zenith, and outwardly following energies are the central focus.
As the moon wanes from full towards dark, the last quarter is next recognized. The magickal energies are believed to be declining towards completion, as intentions are cemented into the fabric of reality. This is a time for releasing control of ongoing spells or projects into the hands of fate, and observing closely the signs of change surrounding the circumstances of any magick work. With the beginnings of release, an opening is created for new ideas and influences to be felt, as the seedling energies for work in the next cycle begin, and the phase returns to dark and the cycle again spirals in repetition.
THE SOLAR CALENDAR
The Solar Calendar of the year is in essence what all of Western society
observes as the sun’s influence responsible for the seasons we all
experience. Non pagan and pagan alike recognize the beginnings of the seasons
summer and winter associated with the two annual solstices, and spring and
fall with the equinoxes. Witches, beyond recognizing, also celebrate these
times with ritual and season-specific magick.
Further, the pagan calendar recognizes the halfway points between these
four events thus dividing the solar year into eight equal points. The additional
holidays are termed the cross-quarter days. Modern pagans, and specifically
witches, have adopted the pre-Christian agrarian holidays of England and
Europe as the main model for expression and celebration of the solar holidays,
called Sabats.
Winter Solstice is called Yule, and is celebrated on December 21st. As the cycle of the sun begins its yearly course; it is here on the shortest day, that the length of the day will begin to extend towards summer. The symbol of the child’s birth is prevalent (even being appropriated by Christians) as the wisdom of nature’s cycle is trusted to bring us all from the darkest time of winter forward. Ritual, gatherings, and gifts are shared at this popular seasonal designation.
February 2nd marks Imbolc, also known as Brigid and Candlemass. At this point of the year, the returning light and warmth of the sun is undeniable. Celebrations and rituals center around this, with emphasis on the potential for growth and refinement of what is to be co-created this year. The solar child’s symbology continues as the growing youth increases in strength and ability.
The Spring Equinox, also called Ostara, on March 21st is the festival celebrating new life as the product of the fertility of spring. The winter is ended and the promise of renewal is now realized in all of Nature. As an equinox, the value of balance is observed as a fleeting but poignant moment in the continuum of the cycling seasons and path of the sun. The symbols of eggs, rabbits and chicks embody the birthed potential of spring. The Goddess who birthed the solar child in some myths grows strong, while in other myths the return of the Maiden prompts the season.
Further into the cycle we encounter the high holiday of Beltane on August 30th, and May 1st. This holiday honors the sexual nature of our world. All existence and progression is the result of sexual union and consummated fertility, and witches sensuously celebrate this fact. The God and Goddess come together in divine copulation imbuing all the growing things with the force to grow towards fruition. The reflection of this is enacted during the ritual also known as May Day.
The Summer Solstice is the balance point to Winter Solstice as it marks the final day that the sun’s reign in the sky expands. The following days will grow shorter through to Yule, and this high point is recognized as the epitome of life’s expression. Boisterous growth surrounds, as Nature fed by the solar power displays a lusty bounty. The masculine principles of action and exuberance are honored as they inevitably reach a climax and begin the transfer of power towards the more sedate days to come.
August 1st is recognized as Lammas or Lughnassad and is another cross-quarter holiday. This is the first harvest holiday of the year and a time for reassessing how the work that has been done is bearing out. The cutting of the grain crops is ritualized as the funeral rights of the Sun God, and his energy within the plants is felled in conjunction with the declining influence of the sun in the sky. This is a time of feast and thanksgiving as the greatest part of the harvest still lies ahead.
The Fall Equinox is called Mabon in The Craft, and is celebrated on September 21st. The central harvest celebration is for work completed and sustenance earned. The seasonal balance is now obviously heading into the winter months and the active summer output is ending. Witches will look within at this time to gauge what needs to be prepared for winter, both physically and spiritually, “what will be brought into The Cave” is a popular phraseology. Those things in life that are beyond one’s needs or have outlasted their service can be culled between Mabon and Samhain.
Samhain has become the greatest festival of modern pagans and witches. Occurring on October 31st it is the predecessor of Halloween, which retains many misunderstood elements of this old festival. Samhain is the final harvest celebration, the one in which death is considered, honored, and confronted as a tribe. Family and friends who have crossed over into Spirit are remembered, and altars often display mementos of these spirits, including photographs in modern day witchcraft. The flocks of livestock once kept by our ancestors were culled at this time of year and the approaching Winter was understood to likely try some community members too heavily who would not survive. Many adaptations are made for this holiday by modern witches such as the dance of the stag’s death, rituals to Hecate, and costumed partying. As one faces the now near wintertime of contemplation and dream, scrying and divining the future are popular Samhain activities. Samhain can be both serious and reverent and also lighthearted and festive, as the tribe walks through life’s challenges together, as individuals. The cycle and spiral of life, death, and rebirth is accepted and embraced at this holiday.