Guest Author - Fiona Blackwolf

Wicca is an earth-based religion which follows the cycles of the sun and the moon. Before the world became the modern wonder that it is today, communities relied on local agriculture to get them through the year. These communities celebrated at the times when it was important to focus on a particular part of agriculture, such as planting and harvesting. Modern wiccans honor these traditions by celebrating eight solar holidays per year. These holidays follow the path of the sun from the shortest day of the year to the longest day and back again. The sabbats are:

*Yule (Winter Solstice)

*Imbolc (February 2)

*Ostara (Spring Equinox)

*Beltane (May 1)

*Litha (Summer Solstice)

*Lughnassadh (August 2)

*Mabon (Autumn Equinox)

*Samhain (Oct 31)

These are the dates in the Northern Hemisphere. For our friends to the south they turn the wheel 180 degrees and have their sabbats opposite, following their seasons. Because these days are of the solar cycle, often celebrations will focus on the journey of the Sun God as he travels the wheel of the year.

In addition to the eight sabbats, many Wiccans also hold ritual on the 13 full moons of the year. These times are often reserved for more personal activities such as spellworking and divination. Some Wiccans also celebrate esbats on the time of the new moon as well. Each phase of the moon has its own energy, and often rituals will include a focus toward the energy of the current moon phase. These rituals are lunar in origin and usually will honor the Goddess.

As practioners of a nature religion, Wiccans work with the natural elements of air, fire, water and earth. Some traditions also include a fifth element, Spirit. Each element had a corresponding direction and trait. These correspondences are used to aid in ritual and magical focus. Air is the element of East and its properties are thought, reason and intellect. Fire is of the South and corresponds to passion and action. Water is in the West and its focus is intuition and emotion. Earth is in the North and corresponds with silence, growth and abundance. The fifth element, Spirit, is that which is above and below, in front of and behind. These are the general correspondences, however, in other parts of the world they may differ.

Wicca is a religion filled with both the complexities and the simplicities of nature. It embraces the natural world and strives to maintain that relationship in our modern world.