CYCLE OF THE EIGHT SABBATS

Selected Correspondences, as used by VisionWeavers Coven

Compiled by Larry Cornett

 

                                                                                                                                                               

                  Solar              Vegetative         Goddess             God                Year's Selected Ritual

Sabbat          Force              Force              Force               Force              Symbol                          Lifecycle          Themes                         __    

 

Imbolc            Baby Sun,          Life spark,        Inspiration,        Bring skill,       Bridgid's Birth Initiation, Naming

                  Increasing light   Germination        Bridgit             Lugh               Bed, Start a purpose growing,

                  Peak cold          begins                                                     Lamb, Gaelic fire festival-feast

                                                                                                Candle of flame and waxing light

 

Vernal Equinox    Balance of         Sprouting          Maiden comes        Return of          Seeds, Child Welcome nature spirits,

                  Light & Dark       Budding            from underworld/    Green Man          Narcissus, Charge seeds, decorate/charge

                                                        awakes to meet                          Crocus eggs, Celebrate Spring,

                                                        young lover                             Symbolic Breaking of Bonds

 

Beltane           Strongly           Flowering          Fertility,          Return of          Maypole, Sexual Maypole dance, Nature

                  increasing                            Maiden comes of     Summer Gods,       Penis Maturity spirit work, Aid in

                  light,                                Age,                 Fertility,         regeneration of Earth,

                  Balanced heat                         Sexual,             Sexual             Love & caring, Feed each other

                                                        Marriage            Marriage           Handfastings, Choose May Queen

                                                                                                & King

 

Summer Solstice   Peak light         Growth             Full adult          Sun King           Sun, Parent Nurture crops, Appreciate

                  Darkness to come                      Mother aspect       embraces Goddess   Fairies Nature, Celebrate nature's

                                                                             of Summer so       sacrifice & renewal, Make

                                                                             strongly that is   changes and adjustments

                                                                             reborn as God

                                                                             of Waning Year

 

Lammas            Declining light    First Harvest      Leadership,         Teaching,          Make corn Children up Bless first fruits, Weeding prior

                  Peak heat          Prep for rest of   Goddess becomes     Green Man in       dolly and about, to next harvest, Bless tools,

                                     Harvest            reaper              Full Adulthood     Attain Invoke skill, knowledge &

                                                                                                Maturity healing, Initiations. Brewing,

                                                                                                Sacred cooking fires, Competitive

                                                                                                Games, party for Nature Spirits

 

Autumn Equinox    Balance of         Primary Harvest    Goddess mature,     Underworld         Sickle Middle Age, Going away party for Green Man

                  light & dark                          Underworld          Gods return        Children    Celebrate harvest, Earth healing,

                                                        Goddess return                          weaned      Charge seed for next year's crop

                                                                                               

Samhain           Strongly           Last Harvest       Goddess as          God as             Pumpkin, Crone, Spirit world contact, Festival

                  falling light      Falling leaves,    Crone                Gatekeeper         Pomegranate, Elder, of life and death, Celebrate

                  Balanced heat      Transition                                                 Apple Universal harvest completed, Divination,

                                                                                                Knowledge Past-life regression,

                                                                                                pomegranate/apple mystery

                                                                            

Winter Solstice   Death/birth Sun    Hibernation        Goddess gives       Sun God Reborn     Yule Log, Conception, Gift giving, Rituals to help

                  peak darkness,     Dormancy           birth to Sun God                        Evergreen Time in good causes charity, Solar beacon cone of

                  Promise of Light                                                              tree, Summerland Saturnalia, Magical

                                                                                                Holly, Ivy,    oaths, Go through portal, Give

                                                                                                Mistletoe, birth to new projects, Mythraic

                                                                                                Oranges ritual, Kindle Yule log

                                                                                                                                                               

 

     TYPICAL GENERAL VISIONWEAVERS RITUAL FORMAT

 

Prepare Main Ritual Space

 

Welcome & Explanation

 

Quiet Time, while participants attune to nature spirits in individual power spots (when outdoors)

 

Procession & Chant

 

Purify & Establish Main Ritual Space <casting circle in the process>

 

Personal Purification

 

Tree Meditation

 

Name Chant (everyone intones name, and people intone it back, sending good energy)

 

Call Quarters (Candles and Pentagrams inside, rattle, invoke, whistle outdoors) 

 

Invocation/praise of the God & Goddesses

 

Presentation of Focus

 

Main Work (Connect with target, raise energy, send to target while visualizing objective achieved; or Shamanic journey;  or Drawing Down the Moon;  etc.)

 

Grounding

 

Cakes & Wine

 

Thank Goddess & God

 

Close Quarters

 

   Group Hug & Formal Closing

                    CYCLE OF THE EIGHT SABBATS

                         by Larry Cornett

2450 W. 6 St, Apt. Up S., Cleveland, OH  44113 (216) 583-0007 lcornett@en.com

 

The following table is designed to aid in the process of selecting themes and correspondences for use in Sabbat rituals.  …..

 

Reasons for celebrating Sabbats and Esbats, both serious and humorously given, include:

       •      Reflecting the cycles of nature in one's life

       •      Bringing into focus the theme of that part of the year

       •      Sensitizing one to the cycles of nature

       •      Creating a healthy Pagan reality

       •      Turning the wheel of the year

       •      Symbolic communication

       •      Celebration

       •      Keeping parties well spaced

       •      A good excuse to kill or elevate a God

       •      Dealing with less ideological and spoilable events than something based on some famous person

       •      Great excuse to burn candles

       •      The Ancients did it

       •      Participation in a tradition that brings people together and holds a Pagan identity

       •      A way to connect with one's roots

       •      A reminder of the Earth as a living being

       •      Working with a natural flow of nature that can be used to empower magic

 

The cycles shown on the table are for the Mid-Atlantic area, although they are very similar in Ohio and much of the Midwest.  In parts of the Southern Hemisphere, the cycles are reversed (calendar wise); and in the Tropics and many other parts of the world, different correspondences and/or timing would be needed to cover rainy season/dry season weather cycles, etc.