Hellosies again!
I do so hope you have na fallen asleep reading the information I have been posting on Wicca and all that. Who woulda thought that something so MAGICAL could actually read so dry?
Don't blame Wicca...blame me. It would be my writing style, not the content that would give your eyes such heavy lids.
So what is next?
Holidays
So in the last installment we talked about duality and the elements in Wicca and how that applies to you and your inner world. So how does Wicca help us connect, reconnect and interact with our outer world?
If you were thinking of donning a magical robe and wizard's hat....you may want to put those items back. We haven't skipped that far merrily down the road of discussion yet.
I would like to touch base on the Holidays. Holy Days really. It must have been that Olde Englyshe spelling that had us going from Holy to Holi.....
At any rate while some religions may base super uber important days upon the birth or death dates of memorable persona's Wicca follows Nature's Calendar.
What is someone's birthday or deathday be if it had nothing to do with survival? Right?
More or less.
And so you will notice that the Wiccan Holiday calendar is based off of the season cycles itself.
I'm not going to go into a whole bunch of details on background, history and lore for deities. Those details change depending on which tradition you follow ( much like your focus on Christ, Mary and Saints change depending on which arm of Christianity you follow).
Here is a more or less Calendar Run Down of the Holidays and why they are Holi.....I meant Holy.
Samhein (*waves to the
TNP'r with this handle :p) - Commonly pronounced SAM HANE though purportedly to be pronounced SO WHEN or SOW WANE ( I'm not Gaelic/Celtic/Irish/Welsh/Scottish so I'm not going to tell you precisely how this one is ennunciated). This is October 31st. All Hallow's Eve later to be known and then lovingly switched over to Halloween.
So WHY is this so important?
If you were Celtic this would be the New Year by your calendar. More specifically this day was important because it was when the last of the harvestables were taken in. Not just fruit/veggie wise mind you. This was also the meat harvest too. Anything too old or problematic to make it through the winter was slaughtered.
How Cruel!
They did na have gas, heat, microwaves, Wal-Mart or 7-11 back in ye olde days....so if it wasn't gonna make it through the tough times then it might as well be useful for those who could.
This day was said to be the day when the veil between worlds ( dead and live) was thinnest ( going vaguely into lore here...it's because the God sacrficed himself for the good of the people and tore a hole in the veil so he could step down mortally and then become the keeper of the gate to the Summerlands...more on that in another segment).
This was a night for celebration ( yay no more harvesting) and fear ( omg winter is coming and it may be reaaaaaaaaallly harsh) as well as a connection to our present ( lets all drink and revel and be merry) and our past ( honoring our ancestors and those who have passed on).
It was a night of being conscious and aware of our past, present and future.
Wheeeehoooo!!!
Yule - December 21/22 This is the Wiccan version of Christmas. You have pine trees ( represents the ever presents of the earth/Goddess being alive even in dark times), gifts ( appreciation of family and friends), celebration ( what brings ppl together quicker than food and fun....o well besides crisis?). The theme here is that this is the longest night of the year and that means the days will get longer soon ( the sun is coming back from it's winter slumber). The yule log and lights we are used to seeing around this time of year was actually a way of connecting with that need to have the sun come back ( we sort of depend on it no?). In a way it was celebrating what was to come as well as encouraging ( or superstisciously pleading) the light of day to come back into our lives.
Imbolc - Feb 2. This was when things were warming up, animals were breeding and giving birth and things were starting to look less bleak weather wise.
Ostara ( Eostre) - March...21stish....this is the Spring Equinox. First day of Spring. Blossoms, birds, bees, warmer weather and fruit on the way. I could see why ppl would want to celebrate.
Beltane - May 1st(ish) This was supposedly the day when the God and Goddess got married ( long lore story). Sacred day...warm weather and all that.
Summer Solstice -June 21/22ish The longest day of the year.This is a HUGE significance as this means that the pleasant weather is officially checking out soon. The days will grow shorter and the weather harsher. There was lots of celebration and merriment as well as an undercurrent of things to come.
Lughnasadh (loo-na-saw...hey I dint invent it I just regurgitate what I was taught) Aug 22nd (ish) This is the first of the major harvests ( I canna remember what they were harvesting) so lots of harvesting and celebrating of good crops (assuming they were good ones).
Mabon (may-bon) September 21/22nd ish This was the fall equinox and the second of the harvest holidays.
So now you see that the holidays aren't just based on some big poobah (or poobahess). They were directly related and celebrated to the necessities we needed in order to survive. The turning of the seasons. The weather changes for planting and harvesting. The connection to the breeding cycles of the animals we depended on for food and clothing.
The holidays celebrated were markers and fervent reminders of our connection and dependence on our immediate environment. We cannot change the seasons and what they bring, however we can work with them, appreciate them, adapt and celebrate what we have given and what we have to offer.
So here is our connection to our everyday outer life. The seasons. The length of a sunbeam. The intensity of a windscream. The caress or pelt of a rain drop. The roar of a thundercloud or the heat of a long summer. The dwindling puffs of dandelions or the cheerful song of a robin. All markers. All reminders. All part of us and what we depend on and would do well in benefiting if we take note and connect with.
Next segment....Lunar calendar stuff....
C/S/
Wicca in a nutshell (III) 
. Anyway drunk again 
Linear Mode
