The Wheel of the Year
Eight stations mark the year: four solar hinges — the two solstices and the two equinoxes — and between them four seasonal fires. Together they form a ring that turns beneath our feet and above our heads, older than any of the names we've given it.
- 01
Samhain
31 October — 1 November · the thinningThe year turns inward. The veil between the living and the honoured dead grows soft as spun wool.
- 02
Yule
20 — 23 December · the return of the sunThe longest night. From here, the light begins its return — imperceptibly, then with certainty.
- 03
Imbolc
1 — 2 February · the first stirringUnder the crust of winter, the ewes are in milk. The land is not yet awake, but it is dreaming.
- 04
Ostara
20 — 23 March · the balanceDay and night stand equal for a breath, and then the light tips forward.
- 05
Beltane
30 April — 1 May · the wild joyThe land is in bloom and unashamed of it. Fires are lit, thresholds crossed, promises made under hawthorn.
- 06
Litha
20 — 23 June · the long lightThe sun stands at its northernmost throw. The land is at full green and the herbs are at their peak.
- 07
Lughnasadh
Now1 August · the first sheafThe first grain is cut. The year begins to give back what it was asked for at Beltane.
- 08
Mabon
20 — 23 September · the second balanceDay and night stand equal again — and this time the dark is winning.
At Aethelred, each object is set into its own place on the wheel. As the year turns, the objects tied to the season come forward; the others rest until their moment comes round again.