Yule, December 21st
We start with Yule, where the God as sun is reborn from the womb of the Great Mother. This is as Winter Solstice when the sun reaches its furthermost retreat to the South, and the light is but a spark in the darkness. This change is also marked in some traditions as the Holly King becomes the Oak King.

Imbolc, February 2nd
Next we have Imbolc. This is a celebration of the Goddess as threefold: Maid, Mother and Crone. Lambing season is with us and the first spring flowers appear. Mythologically we celebrate the moment where Diana restores her virginity each year in a ritual bath; practically, we celebrate the slow returning of life to the earth after the barren darkness of winter with the delicate Snowdrop and first spring flowers.

Spring Equinox, March 21st
The third Sabbat is the Spring Equinox, marking the equal point between the lengthening day and the shortening night. The first spring plantings take place and the next year’s crop is prepared. This is a time where we celebrate the God Pan and the stirring of the reproductive powers of nature.

Beltane, May 1st
The sexual drive reaches its peak in the Sabbat of Beltane. May Day is still celebrated with the phallic May Pole and Morris dancing, Stag dances and Hobby horses of many folk festivals throughout England and the rest of the United Kingdom. Beltane is also a time when the Goddess is celebrated as queen and the God as King. Their union in the Greenwood is still celebrated in like manner by many covens.

Midsummer, June 21st
Midsummer comes at the Summer Solstice. The Sun is crowned King and is at the height of his power. He becomes regent to the Great Mother, who now carries within her the Sun King’s son and other self, who will be born next Yule. It is also the point when the Oak King becomes the Holly King and the sun begins it’s descent.

Lammas, July 31st
July 31st is Lammas the point where the God takes on the first aspects of sacrifice. As John Barleycorn he sacrifices his life so his people may survive the rigours of winter. Lammas celebrates the first loaf of the harvest and the return of the God to the dark aspect of the Mother. In reality this is his second encounter with sacrifice: the sexual union of Beltane contains within it the sacrifice of the Gods seed to the Great Mother, a reflection of the greater sacrifice he now makes.

Autumn Equinox, September 21st
September 21st marks the Autumn Equinox, both a celebration of the second balance point in the year and a continuation of the celebration of Harvest. We prepare for the coning dark months as we follow the God on his journey towards his second Kingship as Lord of Death. This Sabbat is also marked by an act of contemplation that reminds us that death is within life and life within death (“behold the mystery).

Samhain, October 31st
The final Sabbat (if a wheel can be said to have a beginning and an end) is Samhain on October 31st. The God has completed his journey to the underworld where he has been crowned King. But as Lord of Death he isn’t something we fear – he is described as “The Comforter” and his realm gives us “peace, rest and reunion with those that have gone before”. Witches believe in reincarnation. Death is seen as the other half of life; not something to fear or something to aspire to, just an aspect of the great cycle to be understood. In the dark and quiet of Samhain we await the dawning of the shortest day and the Winter Solstice – and the next great sweep of the wheel of the seasons.