Celtic wheel of the year

 When Carina announced she was going to do a Celtic Wheel of the Year I was keen to sign up, to be fair I would do almost anything she puts out, I love her designs and she is all round wonderful. I was also intrigued by the concept of a wheel of the year embroidery. One upshot of the pandemic was an awakening of the interest in Phenology (most definately NOT phrenology, this is the study of the seasons)

I have more or less kept up in real time and really loving it, I thought i would write it up with my thoughts on what each season had meant for me this year.

This is my final wheel!

First up was Winter Soltice, Yule, at samhain we honour, celebrate and welcome the descent into and return of the dark, the beginning of the new year, acknowledging that all beginnings emerge from the dark. At the winter solstice we reach the depth of that darkness and the longest night of the year, darkness has reached its peak.

For me this was so true the winter solstice was the darkest point of last year and this year. Work was truly awful, christmas was dreadful, it was indeed the darkest point of this past 12 months.

Next up was Imbolc, Candlemas, still cold and hard but some brightness peaks through. All is expectant, there is the promise of growth, hidden potential, life force stirring,  earth awakening. Again how apt, in work i had broken the news to my boss, plans and seeds were being laid and the potential of my retirement was burgeoning.

Ostara spring equinox, spring peaking through colour starts to appear. The date of this is well placed for me, on the 21st March the metaphorical grounds were cleared and colour did start to peep through. A point of perfect balance, day and nights are of equal length. It is time of the hopes of Imbolc to become action and they did they really did.

Beltane, Beltane honours life. It represents the peak of Spring and the beginning of summer. Earth energies are at their strongest and most active. All of life is bursting with potential. And it was it really was! In this period I had my retirement Gartmore, what a special weekend that was, it showed to me the potential for going forward, I announced my retirement. Beltane was so full of life.

Litha, summer solstice is a time of joy and celebration, of expansiveness and the celebration of achievements. Yet within this climax is the whisper and promise of a return to the Dark. This was so true, June and July really were full of celebration, muted and in anticipation but yes, we had the barbeque with chums which was utterly fantastic and lots more besides.

 Lammas is the celebration of this first, Grain Harvest, a time for gathering in and giving thanks for abundance. It is also the great festival of Lugh, or Lug, the great Celtic Sun King and God of Light. August is His sacred month when He initiated great festivities in honour of His mother, Tailtiu. Feasting, market fairs, games and bonfire celebrations were the order of the day. And I did harvest, I had the biggest harvest ever, I harvested the last 40 years of pension! and boy did I celebrate, there was the FOQ, all the retirement dos, I was exhausted and burned out but I still had the best time because i deserved it, I sowed the seeds 40 years ago with my first paycheque and now I am reaping the rewards.

Autumn equinox- Mabon This festival is now named after the the God of Welsh mythology, Mabon. He is the Child of Light and the son of the Earth Mother Goddess, Modron. In truth, there is little evidence that Mabon was celebrated in Celtic countries and the term Mabon was applied as recently as the 1970s.

Here is another point of perfect balance on the journey through the Wheel of the Year, its counterpart being Ostara or the Spring Equinox. Night and day are again of equal length and in perfect equilibrium. But we are again on the cusp of transition and from now the year now begins to wane and from this moment darkness begins to defeat the light. The cycle of the natural world is moving towards completion, the Sun's power is waning and from now on the nights grow longer and the days are are shorter and cooler. The sap of trees returns back to their roots deep in the earth, changing the green of summer to the fire of autumn, to the flaming reds, oranges and golds. We are returning to the dark from whence we came. So Mabon is a celebration and also a time of rest after the labour of harvest. In terms of life path it is the moment of reaping what you have sown, time to look at the hopes and aspirations of Imbolc and Ostara and reflect on how they have manifested. It is time to complete projects, to clear out and let go that which is no longer wanted or needed as we prepare for descent, so that the winter can offer a time for reflection and peace. And it is time to plant seeds of new ideas and hopes which will lie dormant but nourished in the dark, until the return of Spring.

Oh my goodness how appropriate is the above (the majority of the text on the seasons is from - https://www.goddessandgreenman.com/) I am now beginning to celebrate but also rest after harvesting from the last 40 years, I have literally been clearing out everything both physical and mental which is no longer needed. There are still some corners to be swept but I am planting the seeds of ideas and hope for next year. 

Last but very definitely not least is Samhain. Now comes the moment of death – not eternal darkness, but what is essential to balance life. Also known as All Souls Night, Samhain is the third and final harvest festival, symbolising the end of the cycle of birth and growth.It’s when the world becomes quiet, when plant matter fades away and dies off… only to be reborn in the coming months. What makes Samhain so magical is this idea of rebirth after death: though the festival marks the old year coming to an end, a new year is already dawning on the horizon – and with it, a renewed sense of hope. As well as reflecting on the past and dreaming of new beginnings, this is the moment to honour our ancestors and those we have lost. In ancient lore, Samhain is when the veils between our world and the next are at their thinnest – so surround yourself with photos of your loved ones as you remember them, talk about them and draw them closer to you.

Oh my how very very pertinent. I loved stitching samahin, the thistles were a joy to make

Carina also included a center motif. Well you know me! I'm a completitst so had to do it!

So much of my stitching this year has had very personal relevance , this probably more than most, thank you Carina!