The Wiccan and Pagan Calendar: Sabbats Reconnect us with Nature and her Seasons

Posted by Joanne E. Brannan Jul 6, 2009

Appreciating each season as it arrives, and the gentle anticipation of what is to come, is one of the joys of gardening, Wicca and Paganism. For me the three are all inextricably linked. In this season of summer’s bounty and a little more reflection, we look forward to the late summer, fall or autumn, and Yule and the winter solstice. Just a little of me begins to anticipate the midwinter festivities as soon as midsummer has passed!

Before the opulent celebrations of the Winter Solstice lie two Wiccan Sabbats or Festivals, each with its own beautiful seasonal character and mood. The Festival of Lughnasadh or Lammas marks the very beginning of the harvest, the start of the gathering in of the abundance and energy of the earth as the days shorten and our attention turns inwards. The completion of the harvest is celebrated at the Fall Equinox, the Sabbat of Mabon. This potent time marks the culmination of the activity of the summer, and the ascendance of our inner lives as the days shorten at their fastest rate. One of the highlights of the Wiccan year is the forerunner of Halloween, Samhain. A time for magic and renewal, make Samhain extra special with these Wicca Samhain Magic Spells and Rituals. I wish you peace and happiness at this time of plenty and activity, along with the gentle anticipation of more reflective and quieter time to come.