The Wheel of the Year (Wicca 101 - Lecture Notes‪)‬

From the beginning of time the seasons of the year have affected our planet and the life forms on it.

As human kind became less nomadic and more hunter/gathers we began to learn and work with the seasons. We planted in the early Spring, tended our crops through Summer, reaped our crops in the Autumn, and struggled to survive the Winter. We called upon the Gods throughout the growing season to help us to have a bountiful harvest. We called upon them again in the Winter to guide us through the darkness.

Although our personal survival is no longer bound as closely to the land, the seasons still affect us. Winter is a dark and isolated time when many people become depressed and let go of this life. Spring makes us itch for freedom and we play hooky from other responsibilities to revel in the joy of new energy. Summer makes us lazy and content. We want to go out and take a nap in the grass while the warm breezes caress us. Autumn brings us back to our hearth fires and home and we begin nesting for Winter.

This cycle continues year after year. The Wiccan’s name for this cycle of the seasons is The Wheel of the Year.