The Wheel of The Year: A Beginner's Guide to Celebrating the Traditional Pagan Festivals of the Seasons

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Bradbury, Scott (1995). "Julian's Pagan Revival and the Decline of Blood Sacrifice". Phoenix. 49 (4 (Winter)): 331–356. doi: 10.2307/1088885. JSTOR 1088885. Lughnasadh, also known as Lammas, is celebrated on August 1st in the Northern Hemisphere. This pagan holiday takes its name from the Celtic god Lugh, who's associated with the harvest. Falling at the midpoint between the summer solstice and the autumn equinox, Lughnasadh marks the first harvest of the year. Yule is the modern version of the Old English words ġēol or ġēohol and ġēola or ġēoli, with the former indicating the 12-day festival of “Yule” (later: “Christmastide”) and the latter indicating the month of “Yule”, whereby ǣrra ġēola referred to the period before the Yule festival (December) and æftera ġēola referred to the period after Yule (January). Starhawk (1999). The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess: 20th Anniversary Edition. San Francisco: HarperOne. pp. 197–213. ISBN 9780062516329.

Lughnasadh – Ozark Pagan Mamma. (2015). Retrieved 6 August 2020, from https://tressabelle.wordpress.com/tag/lughnasadh/ Diversity: Paganism is highly diverse, with numerous traditions, belief systems, and practices. Some of the well-known pagan paths include Wicca, Druidry, Asatru (Norse paganism), Hellenism (Greek paganism), and various forms of Celtic, Slavic, and Native American-inspired paganism, among others. Beltane's significance lies in its focus on life's abundance and the renewal of the land. Pagans celebrate the Earth's fertility, the blooming of flowers, the return of butterflies and the ripening of crops, embracing the season of growth and vitality.Crossroads, W. (2015). Lammas: Where Did It Come From?. Retrieved 6 August 2020, from https://www.patheos.com/blogs/energymagic/2015/07/lammas-where-did-it-come-from/ The Wheel of the Year is a physical representation of the eight pagan festivals that celebrate nature’s life cycles. These eight Sabbats include four solar events — two solstices and two equinoxes — and four cross-quarter events. But how did this calendar come about in the first place? The Origin of the Wheel of the Year Calendar Artist: Johanna Polle Lughnasadh marks the midpoint between summer and fall, and is the first harvest festival of the year. It’s a time for harvesting grains, giving thanks for the growth that has happened, and to enjoy the warmth and light that is still to come. Like the spring equinox, Mabon is a time to celebrate balance but also abundance, as the second harvest comes in. Some people call it the Wiccan Thanksgiving as it encourages reflection, gratitude, and sacrifice (in the form of charity). So I’ve begun to place less importance on them and have chosen to work with the wheel of the year instead.

Nature-Based Spirituality: Pagans view nature as sacred and deeply interconnected with spiritual life. They celebrate natural cycles, such as the changing of seasons, and find divine inspiration in the natural world. Sermon, Richard (3 April 2022). "Eostre and the Matronae Austriahenae". Folklore. 133 (2): 139–157. doi: 10.1080/0015587X.2021.1959143. ISSN 0015-587X. S2CID 249536135.Much of what we know about the holiday and its associated goddess comes from Saint Bede, a monk from Wearmouth-Jarrow in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria who died May 26, 735 AD. If you choose to celebrate the festivals on the Wiccan calendar, how you choose to do so is up to you. If you’re part of a coven, you and your fellow witches may have follow certain rituals and customs connected to the holiday. If you are a solitary practitioner, take the time to learn about each Sabbat and learn about the colors, foods, and decorations associated with each. samhain | Origin and meaning of samhain by Online Etymology Dictionary. (2020). Retrieved 5 August 2020, from https://www.etymonline.com/word/samhain

lammas | Origin and meaning of lammas by Online Etymology Dictionary. (2020). Retrieved 6 August 2020, from https://www.etymonline.com/word/lammas a b Zell-Ravenheart, Oberon; Zell-Ravenheart, Morning Glory (2006). "Book III: Wheel of the Year". In Kirsten Dalley and Artemisia (ed.). Creating Circles & Ceremonies: Rituals for All Seasons And Reasons. Book-Mart Press. p.192. ISBN 1-56414-864-5. The significance of Litha lies in its connection to the power of the sun and the energy of life. Pagans rejoice in the abundance of the Earth, the blossoming of flowers, and the ripening of fruits and crops. It's a time to honor the fertility of the land and the growth of nature.

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Joanne Pearson (2002). A Popular Dictionary of Paganism. London: Taylor & Francis Ltd. p.80. ISBN 9780700715916.

At dawn on the longest day, at Stonehenge, the two stones which are located outside of the main circle, called the Heel Stone and the Slaughter Stone (now prone), channel the sun in alignment and the first rays hit the centre of the circle. Lughnasadha b Gagarin, Michael (2010). "S". The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome: Volume 1. Oxford University Press. p.231. ISBN 978-0-19517-072-6. Beltane is first mentioned in a glossary attributed toCormac, bishop of Cashel and king of Munster, who was killed in 908. Cormac describes how cattle were driven between two bonfires on Beltane as a magical means of protecting them from disease before they were led into summer pastures—a custom still observed in Irelandin the 19th century. Other festivities included Maypole dances and cutting of green boughs and flowers. Lyle, Emily (2008). "Time and the Indo-European Gods in the Slavic Context" (PDF). Studia Mythologica Slavica. 11: 115–126. doi: 10.3986/sms.v11i0.1691.