#Witchcraft 9 The Sabbats The Craft and Wicca is a Nature oriented religion. Nature to witches is a many-levelled reality. The natural year includes some of the aspects as follows: agricultural, pastoral, wildlife, botanical, solar, lunar, planetary, psychic. The tides and cycles which all affect or reflect each other. A framework known as the “Eight Festivals” or Sabbats are the witches way of celebrating and putting themselves in tune with these cycles as well as in tune with their fellow witches. For men and women are them there selves part of the many levelled nature, and many strive to consciously and constantly to express that unity. The witches’ Sabbats are eight: IMBOLG - 2nd February (Candlesmas, Oimelc,Imbolc). SPRING EQUINOX - 21st March (Alban Eilir) BEALTAINE - 30th April (Beltane, May Eve, Walpurgis Night, Cyntefyn, Roodmass) MIDSUMMER - 22nd June (Summer Solstice, Alban Hefin ; also sometimes Beltane) LUGHNASADH - 32ST July (August Eve, Lammas Eve, Lady Day Eve.) AUTUMN EQUINOX - 21st September (Alban Elfed) SAMHAIN - 31st October (Hallowe’en, All Hallows Eve, Calan Gaeaf) YULE- 22nd December (Winter Solstice, Alban Arthan.) Imbolg, Bealtaine, Lughnasadh and Samhain are the ‘Greater Sabbats’ ; the Equinoxes and Solstices are the ’Lesser Sabbat’s’.(The actual dates of the Equinoxes and Solstices may vary by a day or two compared to the more traditional usage and also from year to year in astronomical fact. While the Greater Sabbats tend to involve both the ‘Eve’ and the following ‘Day’. The solar-astronomical Lesser Sabbats are both older and newer than the natural - fertility Greater Sabbats. Greater Sabbats are older as they were the pre occupation of the mysterious Megalithic peoples who pre dated Celt, Roman and Saxon by thousands of years!. ( Although it is the Celts who are considered to be the biggest single influence on giving the Old Religion the ritual shape of which it has survived in the West, which may be why the Greater Sabbats have mainly Gaelic Names). ( I personally can not wait until ‘Samhain’ (Halloween to you and I), us here at Afterdark have a fair bit planned for our Halloween event check out the posts ;), (a wee heads up from me, it is set to be a brilliant one so if you have not booked tickets, book now to avoid disappointment.). Claire.
Posted on: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 13:33:59 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015