The Wheel of the Year marks eight seasonal observances. Dates can shift slightly each year and by hemisphere. Follow your local season and personal rhythm first.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the Sabbats invert (e.g., Yule near June Solstice). Use what matches your local season.
Deep rest and the spark of returning light. Honor endurance, kinship, and small warmths.
Light a single candle in the dark. Speak one present-tense line for what you’re nurturing through winter.
First thaw, cleansing, and consecration. A good time to refresh wards and tools.
Wash hands in warm water with salt. Dry with a clean cloth and state a clear, short commitment for the season.
Balance of light and dark. Seed-time for beginnings, tidying, and gentle expansion.
Write one seed intention on card or bay leaf; place near a sprouting plant; speak balance over it.
Fertility, joy, connection, and protective fire. Threshold work and vows.
Tie a ribbon to a branch while naming a joyful vow. Remove at season’s end with gratitude.
Peak light, vitality, and blessing. Celebrate gains and set gentle guardrails against burnout.
Charge water in sunlight (briefly) with a gratitude line; use to anoint doorframes or tools.
First harvest; skill, craft, and offering. Your path’s first fruits.
Bake or break bread; speak what you’re grateful for and what you will share from your abundance.
Second harvest and balance. Accounting, rebalancing, and preparation for the inward turn.
List three things to keep, three to release, and one boundary to strengthen. Seal with tea or apple slice.
Final harvest; ancestors and thresholds. Quiet remembrance and careful gateways.
Set a small ancestor place with water and a candle. Speak names or qualities you honor, then close respectfully.