Recently, I sat down to contemplate all the wheels I could come up with to design a comprehensive Great Wheel to help provide some clarity to my ritual work. Beginning with a perfect 90-degree cross as the center, I added concentric rings and began filling in wheels of the zodiac, the wheel of the year, portions of the year belonging to Lord or Lady, the Seelie and Unseelie Courts of the fairy realms, the positions of the Sun, etc. I noticed that the lesser sabbats, Oestara, Litha, Mabon and Yule, correspond exactly to the Sun's transition into the four astrological signs of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn respectively. However, our cross-quarter sabbats, Beltaine, Lughnassadh, Samhain and Imbolc didn't fall as neatly. Well, why is that?
Tradition places the cross-quarters at February 2, May 1, August 1 and October 31. These are fairly convenient dates to use because each falls near the beginning or end of the month and they mostly correspond with major holiday celebrations held at those times by the general (nonpagan) population. It only makes sense to continue using these traditional dates and let the collective energy of everyone around us boost the intensity of our sabbat rites. What's wrong with that?
Nothing, really. Tradition and the social feelings around us hold very special places in our religious practices. However, recognizing the transition of the Sun is just as important, particularly since much of what we practice is an earth- based spirituality. If we recognize the cross-quarters for what they are, they mark the exact central point in the Sun's progress through a season. Each season is bracketed by an equinox and a solstice, and each season consists of exactly three signs. The cross-quarter sabbats should fall exactly on the fifteenth degree of the second sign in the season. For winter that's Aquarius; spring, Taurus; summer, Leo; fall, Scorpio. Below is the recalculation of the lesser sabbats based on the ephemeris for 2002 and 2003. Times are an approximation.
Lammas: Noon August
7, 2002: Sun 15 degrees in Leo.
Samhain: Midmorning
November 7, 2002: Sun 15 degrees in Scorpio.
Imbolc: Late evening
February 4, 2003: Sun 15 degrees in Aquarius.
Beltaine: Noon May
5, 2003: Sun 15 degrees in Taurus.
There are significant differences between the traditional and the recalculated dates of Lammas and Samhain; approximately a week difference in fact. Beltaine is only about four days different, and Imbolc wavers between being one or two days different.
In recognizing the transition of the Sun and the changing of the seasons with the fire festivals, we mark the transition points in the life cycle mythology of the God and the Goddess. The cross-quarter sabbats recognize the height of each season: the fullest, strongest moment in the life of that season. But, our traditions have fallen out of sync with the astrologically accurate time when that power point occurs. How can we recognize the true height of the season when we're ahead of the mark?
Much of the literature on neo-pagan tradition focuses on the spirit or intent of the ritual as being an important factor, perhaps the most important factor. True, our collective spirit at work in our rituals is indeed a very powerful force, but timing is not a secondary attribute. Consider the following for a moment. We hold the lesser sabbats on the days of solstices and equinoxes, recognizing the transition of the Sun and the length of day and night. We also recognize the phase of the Moon in the esbats, particularly the full Moon phase. If we take the care to perform our rites in conjunction with these astrological aspects, why should we overlook the cross-quarters? Are the greater sabbats somehow less important? Since we consider Samhain to be the beginning of the year, is it proper to give short shrift to that very important sabbat by performing the rites a full week ahead of when the true astronomical transition occurs? I say no.
Deciding on a time for ritual work is never an easy thing to do, and the force of tradition is strong. But by recalibrating our ritual schedule, we will have a more evenly structured wheel of the year. If we bring these stray spokes back into alignment, we may feel a greater balance in our own lives as the wheel turns,and we may experience in our rites the greater force of the Sun as it reaches its high position in the zodiac. Why not discuss the possibilities at your next meeting? Your group could hold double rites or even a weeklong celebration to recognize the progression. Just remember the next time you celebrate Samhain that the Sun still has a while to go before it truly begins to fall into the darkness of winter.
Eric Riley is a self-initiated student of the Gods and Goddesses and an avid reader of esoteric literary works.