Sacred Spiral

Aries season is upon us and so marks the beginning of the zodiacal New Year. Aries is cardinal Fire, ambitious and initiating. It coincides with the first day of spring, Ostara, when day and night are in equal length - with the light growing longer with each passing day.

Since Imbolc, I've caught myself noticing how much brighter it is as we wind through our evening flow. The time change happened today and now I'm stepping from my baby's room, after her nightly routine, and there's still light in the sky. In previous years, I never would've paid much attention. Constantly zooming to work, running this errand or that and I would've just lost an hour and left it at that. I'm a Virgo sun, which makes me mutable Earth, and that so perfectly sums up my changeable attitude toward structure - I ebb and flow with a day, getting lost in distractions, never really doing the same thing in the same way. Since having a baby we've adopted a pretty set schedule and it's made me so much more perceptive of the world around me. No longer am I my center of my Universe, my world has slowed and I've been able to take in the natural world around me in a way I've never been available to experience until now.

The Celts acknowledge Samhain (Oct. 31) as the beginning of the New Year. Their festivities begin at sunset because 'all light must first come from darkness'. It makes sense that their year starts at this period of rich waning, deep in Scorpio season (Oct. 22-Nov. 21). It's a time for rest after the busy harvest season and for reflecting on the coming year when the light returns.

The Gregorian calendar places the New Year on January 1 - in Capricorn season (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Caps are cardinal Earth and best known for their resourcefulness and discipline when it comes to material + earthly matters, which can lend a hand in why we feel an extra boost this time of year. I personally do my Year Ahead tarot spread at this time because I rely on the numerology to determine my card of the year (as well as my personal birth card of the year). I could just as easily do it on Samhain or sometime in March during Aries season, but there is power in Collective belief and I ride the energetic wave of the more commonly followed Gregorian New Year for this particular practice.

My partner gifted me with To Walk a Pagan Path by Alaric Albertsson recently and in it he speaks on the importance of creating your own "Sacral Calendar", a personal adaptation of the Wheel of the Year. This practice has been calling out to me so loudly since having my daughter, so when it came up in the book I knew it was something I needed to sit down with. As a couple, Justin and I celebrated secular holidays and I'd make a special dinner for the sabbats when they worked with my schedule or I'd sneak out and meditate in the woods or do a solo ritual. This was partly influenced because my partner is agnostic and while he fully supports my spirituality, I never wanted to outright change his traditions by making mine of more importance. With our daughter, though, we've had to get really clear on what we want to teach her - the foundations that will shape her life and support her until she's able to choose her own path. We agreed that partaking in these holidays (and thereby having to explain the Christian undertones of them) just isn't in alignment with our values. After much consideration I've created a spiral that feels sacred for our family. One that places importance on the sabbats while remaining flexible, as well as incorporating the secular holidays into our calendar in a way that feels as aligned as possible. This way we get to celebrate the days of importance to us as a family unit and we're free to travel to see friends and family on the other holidays.

I invite you to cultivate your own Sacral Calendar - When do you view the beginning of the New Year? What holidays are of more importance to you and which ones can you simplify? What seasons or deities did your ancestors honor? Who do you honor? How does your chosen pantheon play into your annual festivities?

For inspiration, I've included my personal Sacral Calendar. Please know that this is not fully in practice and will surely evolve as my daughter gets older and can be more involved. I hope it helps you in crafting what works for your household.

SAMHAIN Oct. 31

Cross quarter day

Beginning of the Celtic New Year

Third harvest, nuts and berries

Rest and reflect on the past

Thinning of the veil - leave offerings to the Fair Folk and honor ancestors (share stories, special food, leave personal items on the altar, visit their grave)

Do shadow work/tarot/meditate

Dress up/bake/tell stories/nighttime walks

THANKSGIVING Nov. 25

Spend with family/friends

Make offerings to the land we live on

Donate to indigenous organizations

YULE Dec. 21

Winter solstice - Longest night of the year, shortest day

Ring bells to greet the solstice morning

Dinner at our home

Decorate the house and tree

Exchange presents

Bake cookies, watch movies, make ornaments

Make donations

CHRISTMAS Dec. 25

Spend with family/friends

NEW YEARS EVE Dec. 31

Clean the house/clear stagnant energy

Do a Year Ahead tarot spread

Calculate year card and birth-year card

Get dressed up, watch the ball drop, toast and watch fireworks at midnight

NEW YEARS DAY Jan. 1

Big breakfast

Invite in good energy - laugh, play games, listen to music

No laundry today

IMBOLC Feb. 1

Light lots of candles in the evening

Go on a nighttime candlelit walk in the woods

Make an altar for Bidgid/"Bride's Bed"

Leave clothes out for Bridgid to bless

Put out a bird feeder

Plan/order seeds for the garden

Leave out buttered bread for the Fair Folk

VALENTINE'S DAY Feb. 14

Decorate the house with lots of crafts

Make Valentine's with Fiona to give to family

Exchange presents

Special dinner, bake cookies

OSTARA Mar. 21

Spring Equinox - Day and night are equal with us tipping more into the light

Beginning of the zodiacal New Year

Spring greens dinner and tea

Decorate with bunnies, eggs + flowers

Dye eggs, consecrate them and eat them

Gift basket for Fiona

Egg hunt

Bury a raw egg by the front door for prosperity

Toss crushed egg shells into the garden

EASTER Apr. 17

Spend with family/friends

BELTANE May 1

Cross quarter day

Wash face in the morning dew which holds the Faeries' blessings

Have a bonfire

Create something (art, a poem, a story)

Go camping/sleep outside

Decorate a tree with ribbons with wishes written on them

Make flower crowns/flowers garland

MOTHER'S DAY May 8

MEMORIAL DAY May 30

Spend with family/friends

FATHER'S DAY June 19

LITHA June 21

Summer solstice - Longest day of the year, shortest night

Have a bonfire

Gather with the coven

Potluck with lots of wild food and flowers

Make protection pouches for the home and car

INDEPENDENCE DAY July 4

Spend with friends/family

LAMMAS Aug. 1

First harvest, grain

Dinner of grain dishes + bread

Give thanks, write down a gratitude list

Collect rainwater for ritual

Make a corn dolly for Imbolc

LABOR DAY Sept. 5

Spend with family/friends

MABON Sept. 21

Autumn equinox - Night and day are equal with us tipping more into the dark

Second harvest, fruit

Feast dinner

Finish lingering projects so winter can be a time of reflection and enjoyment

Create an outdoor shrine to give thanks for the bountiful season

Plant bulbs and make each one a wish or hope for the coming year

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References:

Grimoire for the Green Witch by Ann Moura

http://www.alaricalbertsson.com/

https://www.goddessandgreenman.co.uk/wheel-of-the-year

Circle Round by Starhawk, Diane Baker, Anne Hill

I share these teachings with the intention of deepening my own craft and educating others in the process. It is my hope to explain things easily and gently so you may add your magick to the world and make it a better place for all. I bow to those that have come before me and give thanks to the many resources and teachers that have shaped my practice. I want to specifically thank Alaric Albertsson for this inspiring practice. I am so humbled to be able to practice my craft openly each and every day.