Imbolc

Imbolc

by Merlyn Midwinter (early February) was the time of many ancient Pagan festivals, which have continued under Christian guises. The wild Lupercalia of ancient Rome was replaced by the austere Festival of the Purification of the Virgin, or Candlemas. Modern...
Ostara

Ostara

by Merlyn You don’t have to be a Wiccan or even a Pagan to celebrate spring’s arrival. The Ostara sabbat, also called Eostar or Eostre, is a minor sabbat that affects us emotionally because it occurs at a time clearly separating winter and spring. Two...
Beltane

Beltane

by Dru Summer is icumen in! Beltane, celebrated at the beginning of May, heralds the arrival of longer days, warmer nights, and growth, growth, growth. Beltane is one of the oldest recorded Gaelic seasonal festivals. Records show that it has been celebrated for...
Midsummer, Litha

Midsummer, Litha

by Merlyn The sun rises straight above the eastern horizon in early June, not in the southeast as it does in other seasons, and by 6 a.m. it can warm you to your bones. It’s almost Litha, the Summer Solstice, and time for the return of the Holly King, who will...
Mabon

Mabon

by Merlyn & Dru Mabon is the pagan celebration of the Autumnal Equinox. It is the Pagan Thanksgiving, the Middle Harvest when the fall fruits–apples, pumpkins, winter squash, and field corn for the cattle–are brought in from the fields and orchards. Mabon is one...
Lughnassad

Lughnassad

by Dru The Pagan Wheel of the Year, consisting of eight holidays, follows an agricultural and herding tradition, and it marks three autumn harvest festivals. Lughnassad (pronounced: LOO-nah-sah; the Irish “Lunassa” means “August”) is the first harvest. It is...
Our Lady of the Woods