The Wheel of the Year

Why mark ‘pagan’ festivals – a personal perspective.

It seems I’ve been trying to make sense of the world and my place in it my entire life, more than most. In this quest I have researched and investigated many religions and spiritual practices. All hold a kernel of truth that resonates for me but invariably there was something missing.

I turned to academic and clinical disciples such as philosophy, psychology and psychiatry looking for answers and found interesting snippets and insights but nothing that helped me to orientate myself.

Meanwhile, for as long as I can remember, Nature has been my sanctuary giving me a sense of security, familiarity, belonging and containment. The traditions and teachings of those still living in reverence and balance with the natural world therefore especially resonated with me. In particular, the teachings of the Four Directions, which are almost universal although differ in detail depending on where they originate, resonated powerfully with me. North, South, East, West all have corresponding elements and life stages forming a cycle of birth, growth, maturity and death. We can orientate ourselves in this cycle to give perspective and an oversight of where we are, both physically and psychologically. This makes sense to me and anchors me.

Similarly with the celestial festivals honouring different archetypal and tangible aspects of nature and the seasons through time. There is a cycle and a pattern in nature and that cycle and pattern is also in me as I am part of nature. By honouring and consciously celebrating these events I am connecting and anchoring myself in the rhythms of nature and also in my own psychological and spiritual rhythms and cycles. There are many different interpretations and ‘flavours’ of these festivals. I chose to mark the solstices, equinoxes and four cross-quarter festivals in between, more or less in keeping with modern pagan and norse practices.

There are other ways and everyone must find and work with whatever speaks to them. This is what is meaningful to me and I want to share these celebrations with others for whom they are meaningful.

Image: Midnightblueowl, Wheel of the Year, CC BY-SA 3.0