Heathens and the Wheel of the Year




Since it will be Lammas in a few days, It got me thinking about the Wheel of the Year. Any pagan is probably familiar with the Wheel of the Year, which is basically a representation of the yearly calendar and the main pagan festivals or holidays. It most usually appears as something like this:

But what about heathen holidays? Most of the Wheel of the Year is based upon other European pagan cultures, such as the Celts, rather than the Norse cultures. So do heathens follow the Wheel of the Year?

Well, in my experience, some do. Some who come to heathenry from other pagan traditions or from Wicca itself are simply most comfortable with the symbolism and set up of the traditional wheel of the Year calender. Personally, I see nothing wrong with that. I think one of the main reasons that the Wheel of the Year is so popular among pagans is that it is relevant to any earth based tradition. It reflects what we see in the cycles of the year. Also, many popular pagan traditions can claim some influence in the cultural history of these festival days or holidays of the past. Which makes the Wheel of the Year even more universal.

But personally, I still wonder about following the Wheel of the Year as a heathen. Is it true to my Gods as well? Is there another calender, another system that is more relevant to me and other heathen folk? I did a bit of research and found that the answer is not simple, and opinions vary.
I found one interpretation of a possible heathen calender while searching for images on google, but no other information about it.
On the Temple of the Heathen Gods website, this is what is stated about heathen festivals in their FAQ section about heathenism in general...

"Different Heathen communities and individuals celebrate different cycles of seasonal holidays based on their cultural affiliations, local traditions, and relationships with particular gods. There is no fixed calendar of Heathen festival dates.

Some examples of commonly held Heathen festivals are Winter Nights - usually celebrated in October or November, Yule - a twelve day festival that begins around the time of the winter solstice, Ostara - a festival for the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre in the spring, Midsummer - held on the longest day of the year in June, Freyfaxi - a harvest festival held most often in August."

Much like the heathen gods website, many of the others that I looked at had the same basic ideas about the Wheel of the Year. Festivals, instead of being set for the entirety of the tradition, are better suited when they become an effort for individual communities, and are tailored to the cycles of nature in the community or region itself, as well as for the benefit of the people. The concepts of kin, and frith, are the overriding focus of the feasts and festivals. As heathens we have the ability to tailor our own religious calender to fit the needs of the people themselves. What exists is simply a basic outline of a few important festivals throughout certain times of the year supplemented by much feast and festival that is designed to benefit the people, their specific gods, their personal needs, and the needs of the community and the land itself, and honoring of our ancestors.

I see the value in this approach as well as in a traditional calender. Being a heathen, I think we have the freedom to choose what fits best within our own lives, family, and community. I do not feel it makes one "less heathen" if we choose to follow the pagan wheel, so long as it is what speaks to us and fits the needs of our community. I do not feel it makes one less tolerant if we as heathens decide to forgo the Wheel of the Year and stick to the few traditional festivals who have been documented in the history of Norse culture. What is important is that these holidays and festivals serve a real purpose in empowering the people within our circles, empowering the land and the spirits which dwell there, and giving honor to our ancestors and to the Gods.
Personally, I think I prefer a blending of the two. I like the Wheel of the Year because it contains a holiday on a regular basis, which gives me a focus and reminds me often of the cycles of life itself. I also like to incorporate the more traditional Norse elements to those which coincide with the other pagan festivals. I like the structure of the wheel, yet with a heathen spin if you will.
For those interested in a more blended wheel, here is a possible outline of festival days according to the traditional eight fold cycle of the wheel. This was taken from the article here:


The Charming of the Plow/Disting /Solmonað* (February)

Summer Finding/ Eostre/Hreðmonað* (March)

Walburga/May Day (May)

Midsummer/Summer Solstice (June)

Freyfaxi/Thing’s Tide (August)

Harvest/Háligmonaþ* (September)

Winter Finding/Winter Nights (October)

Yuletide (Jul, Jól) (December)

(* Represents the names of the Anglo-Saxon celebrations mentioned by Bede in his work ‘The Reckoning of Time’ (Latin: De temporum ratione) dated 725.)

I think it is time I get to work figuring out my own wheel of the year! LOL

Love and Light

Cena



Comments

  1. TitusLJul 27, 2011, 3:41:00 AM

    Great Post thank you,
    thought you might like my Lammas Wickerman machinima film,
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORqpwf0dpSs
    Bright Blessings,
    Elf ~

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nico Jul 27, 2011, 1:08:00 PM

    Glad you enjoyed and I will have to check that out. =)

    ReplyDelete
  3. FrecklesJul 31, 2011, 12:24:00 PM

    I've read this twice now and I think it's a great post, so I decided to leave some feedback ;)

    I read this the second time after the midsummer ritual I was a part of yesterday. Sure, Lammas is today for most Wiccans/Pagans. Yesterday's ritual was a midsummer ritual and we honored the God/desses of the sun. To me this felt right. It still feels too early to me to start prepping for the harvest. While we honored no one god in particular, my mind was focused on Sunna. I feel, that in a community as small as the one I'm a part of, that it is ok to be a part of the celebrations on the "pagan wheel" so to speak. When I do go to pagan gatherings like the one yesterday my mind is still focused on *my* Gods and no others. Part of me feels guilty for honoring our Gods in mixed company, but part of me feels a sense of relief. At least I'm honoring them, right? I think it's safe to incorporate both the Pagan holidays and the Norse holidays together, but at the same time remember to keep them separate in mind.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nico Jul 31, 2011, 7:51:00 PM

    I think I would probably agree with you Freckles, though I personally am a solitary and have not participated in any rituals with others since becoming a heathen. For me I simply try to see if I feel these festivals have relevance to my own gods. If they do, that is what I focus on. Other holidays I simply let them pass by if I feel they arent relevant to my gods.

    ReplyDelete

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