Adjusting the Wheel of the Year

[@karimegan6391]

I’ve recently noticed that the wheel of the year is traditionally very focused around getting through the winter and celebrating summer. As someone who lives in Australia in a high risk bushfire area, it feels like the opposite is true here. Just trying to get through the summer and hope for no bad fires, but in winter we can relax and not worry about them. Just my personal relationship with the seasons which I find interesting, and I will probably adjust my wheel of the year to reflect that too.

[@christinegraham2579]

Yes, I understand that. I live in South Central Texas. We’ve been in droughts off & on for years. Summer for us starts as early as Ostara in March! And our Winters are really only about 2 weeks long. Lol! Even a centimeter of snowfall will close down the entire City! Although, Winter of 2021 was particularly cruel. We had snowfall ranging from 10 centimeters up to 30 centimeters. The City was all but shut down for 2 weeks! I’m from Iowa, so I knew how to adapt to truly heavy snowfalls.

[@CleaSelene]

Similar thought here - no natural disasters here in summer, luckily, all the best to folks in areas like yours! - but my body *hates* temperatures above 25C and my mind doesn't handle crowds of people roaming about very well either. Plus work-wise June & August are my worst months. So definitely, summer is the time in which I need to hide and survive and winter is the season to enjoy.

[@poisonivory6017]

This is exactly how I feel and I’m glad someone else could articulate it

[@kyliegonzalez8289]

It's very much the same in the Inland Northwest. Washington air full of smoke this time if year and the winter snow feels cleansing.

[@katiemercury]

@@karimegan6391 same in the American South and Southwest! Summer is absolutely brutal and I actually experience SAD in the summer rather than the typical "winter blues"

[@mayathebraveofkitwanga448]

Dear HearthWitch, thank you for amazing Wheel of the Year video. I'm a wiccan green witch from the West of Ukraine. I live on a hill of Carpathian Mountains. I looove Wheel of the Year❤ It makes the most perfect sence where I live. Our house is surrounded by the woods, and it is cold here from September up till May. Preparing for winter is a major part of the year here. Wiccan holidays pretty much depict the Nature around us. So I love it. I celebrate every single one and it is a delight to observe the slightest changes in nature's cycles. Birds live in every corner of our house, in winter wild animals come here from the woods. We also feed the squirrel in our orchard😊❤ Send you lots of love from Ukraine❤❤❤ Blessed be, sister❤❤❤❤ May your days be joyful and your nights be peaceful❤

[@nickigreenwood]

I’m not Wiccan but I celebrate the Wheel because it keeps my finger on the pulse of the natural world and its yearly changes. It helps me appreciate winter, which has always been a hard season for me to enjoy. I do now! 💚✨

[@AdyGrafovna]

I found a wooden wheel of the year at a garage sale a long time ago, bought it, and decided feasts were a perfect way to celebrate. I was afraid to research it, because it felt right and I didn’t want to change that. Now I won’t! I will keep enjoying the energy of each season my own little way. The hope and hard work of spring, the joy and love of summer, the reflection and gratitude of fall, the rest and dreaming of winter… they each have special energies and I love making special meals for each one!

[@katiemercury]

I love this! For years, I have adjusted my celebrations because I was taught that the Wheel of the Year is meant to reflect the actual reality of what is happening in the earth around us wherever we are, not simply calendar dates! In the American South, many of us hide from the heat of the summer and come out in the colder seasons. I know I definitely do!

[@xenocrates2559]

Some years ago I moved from a forest area to the desert. I had always been attracted to the desert and knew friends in that area, and I finally moved there. This effected my celebrations in unexpected ways. The main shift for me, I think, was a shift from celebrating the four seasons to celebrating the solar cycle. Deserts have seasons, but they differ from forest seasons both in kind and timing. But I began to feel the solar cycle itself as the center of these celebrations and because the sun is a huge presence in the desert, this worked. I'm simply celebrating the solar cycle with friends, usually in a very simple way like silently watching the sunrise on those days and then sharing a meal. // Thanks for posting this thoughtful video.

[@Rmystixmarshall]

I live in New Zealand in the southern hemisphere. We have a celebration around the Winter solstice called Matariki, the Maori New Year. This is a shifting celebration. It is when Matariki - the Pleiades can be seen in the sky. We fest, remember our ancestors and people who have past on, we sing, we get together, there can be fire involved. It it quiet the joyous celebration.

[@DevonExplorer]

Wow, that sounds really lovely. I hope you have a fabulous Matariki this year. :)

[@desiknowsbest7777]

Thank you for sharing that!

[@claremiller9979]

Wonderful!

[@heatherblank8098]

ThiS is beautiful!

[@erikbetancourt7194]

Wife and i celebrate most, but summer and winter solstice are celebrated with passion. Our most is "Halloween" being the most celebrated and our new year. We both take our yearly vacation the week before and after Halloween.

[@jea7362]

In eastern Canada, Imbolc didn't make much sense so I replaced it by a winter celebration. Nature is beautiful in winter and it's a good reminder to spend time outside. Also great against seasonal depression ! The symbolism of Imbolc is pushed to the spring equinox just in time for the trees waking up and the start of maple season

[@ceres090]

Even though its not part of my tradition, I celebrate the wheel of the year because it helps me keep track of time. I have a rough relationship with time and even find watches intimidating, but counting time via seasonal changes takes a lot of pressure off for me. It also helps me be more aware of my surroundings and appreciate them more. I now do almost everything in my life on a seasonal basis, and its gone a long way to improve my quality of life overall.

[@lilypotter9476]

That is fascinating. I don’t like to be ruled by the clock. I would like to give your way a try. ☮️

[@midwestbramble6435]

I’m in America. For Imbolc I celebrate Groundhogs Day instead. We have local May Day festivals around Beltane. Our state fair is in August which more aligns with old school Lughnasadh (there’s also a sweet corn festival and a powwow put on by the local native Americans where they invite the communities near them to celebrate as well). Halloween is still big here and close to my heart. Then I do the solstices and equinoxes. I also celebrate local flora and fauna things by renaming the moons. March is sugar moon for the maple sap harvest for maple syrup (called sugaring); there’s also a maple syrup festival around the spring equinox. August is the cicada moon because they’re the loudest then.

[@saylremi]

This is an awesome way to do it!

[@Khontis]

To share a bit of "Did you know that" the concept of Groundhogs day is actually based from Imbolg. The idea was if it was clear and sunny and you saw badgers/bears it was going to be a very cold winter. We don't have many badgers in America but beavers come out around the same time hence the point of using them instead

[@midwestbramble6435]

@ yeah I know.

[@VELOciraptor95]

I feel like here in the Caribbean we just have summer season and hurricane season 😅

[@claremiller9979]

I enjoy seeing all the comments here of others who use the wheel celebrations to mark the passing of time through the year - when I started doing that, I found I now pay so much more attention to the little changes in weather, plants, energy of the world etc than I used to. Being in Australia meant I did have to fully reconfigure everything, which I think is just a good practice because it puts you in tune with where you are, physically and spiritually. Samhain down here is right near my birthday so I get to celebrate two ways. Christmas is Litha so celebrating looks really different here to the northern hemisphere. Spring is currently in the process of springing right now and I felt compelled to do an Imbolc related sweeping of our front porch one day. Go with your heart ❤️😊

[@MasterPoucksBestMan]

I also celebrate the Celtic cross quarters as seasons. Using a symbol of a square intertwined with a circle, one of it's meanings is that the points of the square are the solstices and equinoxes, while the curve of the circle between each point of the square represents the cross quarters, as they are so moveable and reliant on the actual seasonal changes.

[@pamelalawrence4854]

Thank you for this (new to me) way of thinking about the “wheel” of the year. I find your explanation of the circle intertwined with a square much more relevant to how I experience the sabbats than just a circle. I wish I could find a good graphic like this.

[@HennaHuu]

I celebrate the equinoxes, solstices and samhain ('kekri' is the local version of that celebration) with the international online coven I belong to. The other celebrations of the Wheel of the Year I don't really connect to. I live in Finland so spring, for instance, doesn't really start until late April or early May. I connect with the seasonal energies relevant to my practice. :)

[@rebjones1000]

I think you should post the kind of content that you like to make. ✨I think the mix of long and short is nice 👍

[@theplushfrog]

I came across a practice where they celebrated the wheel of the year as an ebb and flow of energy, more than seasons. The winter being a time when (for them) magic seems to turn more inward and family/ancestor focused, but summer was a time when magic turned more outward towards the physical. For example, they would have imbolc as a time to say goodnight to their ancestors as spring approached and they found their ancestors would become harder to contact in spring and summer. Sometimes even saying goodbye if an ancestor decided to become reborn during that time. I found that idea much more compelling considering how much of the sabbats are focused on farming in Europe--something I definitely do not do. I've been trying to follow and understand the ebb and flow of energy in my area and in myself to find what works for me and what (and when) I wish to celebrate.

[@dsum6377]

I think regional celebrations are lovely and a way to keep local traditions alive. It's also fantastic to travel and possibly encounter new wheel of the year celebrations. Personally I don't believe witchcraft is meant to be a giant monolith. I'm currently working on learning more about regional celebrations where I live and ideally would like to base celebrations around native herbs/flowers, animals, weather and water etc. It certainly will help me feel connected to the land where I'm living.

[@lindsayjeanae]

Oh, something else to consider - these celebrations were moved around after the calendars were changed. So, going by the lunar cycles, or the length of the days for the solstices, for your area, seems more accurate. In this way, it can put you more in tune with your local area, rather than following the calendar date.

[@m.m.6670]

Yes, so true! In my culture (the Baltics) a lot of these yearly festivals depended on specifically New Moons and Full Moons instead of fixed dates. Midwinter (which, I guess, could correspond to Imbolc in some ways) was always celebrated on a New Moon, for example.

[@EmilyVanDerHell]

I agree with you completely! You don’t HAVE to is a very important message. 🍀 I personally don’t like summer so Litha is a festival I don’t like to celebrate. I do use the solar energy in my workings for darker days, but don’t do more. My favorite festivals are the harvest festivals and the spring festivals. 🖤🍀 I live in Germany so the wheel of the year fits with the seasons. 🌾

[@jadelee6363]

I live in US and celebrate ground hog day rather than imbolc. I also celebrate the new year on winter solstice, and it makes more sense to me to start the year with the start of longer days.

[@hivemindgoblin8540]

As time goes on I find myself celebrating a specific Mabon less, and adopting traditions from a festival local to me from that time period more- as my own celebration of the turn to fall. I didn’t grow up with Mabon, but I grew up with my towns Apple Festival. A time in September to pick apples, bake apple crisp and pies and apple butter, come together with family, play fair games and card games and go on walks in nature among crops and fields, go to petting zoos and animal shows and connect with the animals… now that I’ve moved away I find I miss that more-so than much anything else, and I gravitate more towards those traditions than a traditional Mabon.

[@ravenwillowhart4501]

I live in the US and grew up in the state of Kansas. In that state, autumn is never in September. Fall/Autumn weather doesn't start until early October. It wasn't until I moved to Colorado and was living at 7500 feet above sea level that September became a Fall month. It was there though, that for my first Beltane - it snowed. I'm now living a bit lower in elevation and the seasons do line up fairly well with the Wheel. By Samhain here, you feel the cold breath of Winter teasing you. Although, there are times we get snow storms on that day. What I've surmised over the years is that the Wheel is very much based on an agrarian life. Farmers on all continents needed to know when the days were going to be longer and shorter. They need to know when the ground has thawed (if not in a tropical area) and is ready for planting. Harvest can also be a bit problematic. In the middle of the US, the states that harvest hard, red, winter wheat are Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, parts of Texas, and Colorado. This grain ripens in Kansas in JUNE and is harvested. However, spring wheat, is probably what was planted in places that had shorter growing seasons in the summer. Spring wheat is planted and harvested in the state of Washington and that harvest happens in August. Apples are another crop that ripens and is harvested throughout the summer and fall, not just the fall. For me apples always equal abundance and they are centered in a lot of my feast foods no matter the time of year. Squashes will ripen in fall, usually, but there are summer squashes as well as winter ones. Corn, right now, is just ripening in the states that produce it. after corn, the type you eat, there will be other grains we use for livestock, like milo, planted to ripen sometime this fall. Just my take on things. But it makes sense for me since I did grow up in a farming community.

[@kyrra1666]

I live in the Arizona desert- we have hot and not as hot for seasons. I usually try to do the quarter days but won’t do the others except for Samhain. Right now I’m looking into making my own wheel of the year to make my practice my own

[@maggiemacneill6265]

I was about to comment that for California! While it can get cold in the winter, it's hot from March to November. No real Autumn or Spring.

[@PerpetualRain]

Similar here in the San Francisco Bay Area, except it's always cool here (between 50 - 70F/10 - 20C). It's often challenging to determine what seasonal changes to celebrate, when there isn't much that changes season to season!

[@leonoraauren5571]

I highly recomend to try replacing the "in between" festivals with the changes of zodiac signs. It was really such an interesting experience for me.

[@Timetraveler1111MN]

Halloween- Samhain and alll souls day, get extra special,yet more Halloween vibes on 30-31 st, the ancestors photos and offerings to them, my cat that passed on 11-1 -2nd, yet my husband and I take off working 10-31 ❤❤for meditation, a nature hike, cooking usually in crockpot. We prepare the alter-fireplace mantle. Candies and writings. How about others.

[@lindsayjeanae]

Yeah, I agree 100% with this assessment of adapting the Wheel to your area and life. We are in Southern California, and, although I feel Autumn on its way in my bones by the start of August, it's definitely not reflected in the weather around me for weeks or months. So, I've compromised a little bit and keep the decor more relaxed, and instead of celebrating Lughnasadh on August 1st, I will celebrate it according to the August Full Moon, which is the 19th.

[@satori2890]

Yeah it was just as odd doing everything but Samhain in New Orleans.

[@juliannacapinera4296]

I live in the northeastern US, and our weather patterns can have so many wild swings back and forth that I have had years of not being into the Sabbats at all because the typical/expected weather isn't consistent or doesn't happen at all. I'm more into showing gratitude, and listening for guidance, for each new season at this point. Samhain is really the only Sabbat that I go all out for each year as it is 🧡🍁🍂🖤

[@dragonwatter]

great video. thank you for making it. from the prospective of a non practitioner. Somone body created theses celebrations all that time ago, their nothing saying you can't create your own way to celebrate the season in your area that resonates with you, assuming your tradition allows it. if anything i would think that would show even more gratitude,

[@charlesalwyn3486]

I have a lot of fun adapting the wheel of the year to the Sonoran Desert here in Phoenix. I use the wheel to help me stay present in my daily life and so I always take notes on what is going on around me every six weeks and I see the seasonal shifts. For example, the saguaros begin to bloom and the fruit bats begin to feed during Beltane season. It’s fun and also empowering to adapt the festivals to your world. I also own an amazing series of oracle cards built around the wheel of the year…the last deck for Ostara will be out next February and they help me stay present in the season too!

[@allie9855]

The only points on the wheel of the year that I really celebrate consistently are Summer and Winter Solstice, Beltane and Samhain. But all of the others don't really resonate with me or don't feel timed right for where I live. I'm trying to remember that that is okay! Great video!! And thank you!

[@hadarovadia3869]

There's a jewish holiday called tu bishvat ( the fifteenth of the fifth month on the Hebrew calendar), and it is celebrated around the same time as imbolc. On that holiday, we celebrate the rebirth of the trees ( it is also called the birthday of the trees and nature's new years). It is extra special to me because I was born on that holiday and feel very connected to nature... so this year, I celebrated imbolc on the same day as tu bishvat ( they were about a week apart) so I could embrace both my beliefs and heritage

[@witchNwand]

That's what i love about witchcraft, it's sooo relaxed, it's sooo layed back, it couldn't give a f#!k 😅

[@lorwynmoontide]

I live in eastern Missouri and the only harvest stuff right now is mostly veggies and some fruit, so Lammas feels really weird to me. I know it's first harvest but i see it depicted as fall. Hard to feel that way when it was nearly 40C outside! Id have to move my celebration of it to September

[@MoonTea-jf6ic]

I celebrate the solstices and equinoxes.

[@eveywrens]

Hi Hearth, I appreciate both shorter and longer videos. The information you share is always valuable, no fluff. And the time frame always seems to fit the content. The longer videos cover the nuance of practice which is important to me. As astronomical events, I find it easier to keep track of and observe the solstices and equinoxes. And, I love the fall and celebrating Samhain and Halloween. As for rest of the wheel of the year, observances are more about sharing the communal energy with other practitioners around the world and across time. Thanks for another great video.

[@amakin8806]

Thanks for this! As someone who moved to the Southern Hemisphere and deeply misses all four season around the time im used to. Celebrating Sabbets which I love has made things really hard. Winter here isnt really winter to me. Maybe its time to throw in the towel and make a new wheel for myself ❤

[@MelissaLoy-j5j]

I’ve been watching you for years. I don’t usually comment. I just want to say I really enjoy your videos, especially this one. I just wanted to say hey, as a silent watcher.

[@Timetraveler1111MN]

☘️ I’m celebrating Irish Fair- festival in Minneapolis Minnesota it’s huge, outdoors on Mississippi River, it’s amazing all going on.

[@scottthomas3792]

Here ( Kentucky), there are four very distinct seasons, and this suits me just fine. Each season has its own type of beauty. ..I like the educational videos...

[@LHA_1978]

Thank you for this! I respect others who wish to celebrate, and find each of the holidays fascinating, but I have a hard enough time with the regular holidays of the year - Christmas, Halloween, birthdays - so adding 8 new ones (even if they coincide with more common ones) is....not easy. Especially here in centraly Alabama (Southern US), where about 75-90% of the year is just battling the heat and humidity. :/ Sometimes we get a Fall and Winter......sometimes we don't. And for true winter weather, we may get a week or two of it, then it's back to battling the heat. I'd *love* to live somewhere with longer Autumn and Winter! But, well, these things happen. lol I like these shorter videos! It's hard for me to sit still and listen to anything for longer than this, so these are definitely better for my attention span! lol

[@woolfairy1]

This was such a timely and welcome video. Thank you! I’m in the process of shifting to the holidays that actually resonate with me and this was an enormous help in doing that.

[@TracyD2]

Where I live on the north east of the United States I have noticed the seasons have shifted. I noticed that for quite a few years now.

[@PyewacketsHaint]

I celebrate the seasons and their flow more than a specific day.

[@joewalkowich9870]

This was something that needed to be said, as I believe that many folks starting out can feel pressured to try to fit all the festivals into their schedules and end up just going through the motions. I love the educational videos. They remind me of orange haired Hearth. 😀

[@jamietalee9655]

I LOVE your educational content! It's superb. However long you want to talk we'll all be here. Best wishes!

[@artawhirler]

I live in a part of the US where the seasons and the Sabbats really do make sense, most of the time. But the only ones I really care about are the Solstices and Equinoxes. Even then, I don't make altars and decorate my home (most elderly hermits like me probably don't!! 😅). Instead I just quietly meditate on the change that is happening. As for your videos - I think this one is a good length, but if you feel that a particular topic deserves a longer discussion, I will be happy to watch that as well. I love your channel! 🙂

[@malachyte_art]

I can definitely appreciate this shorter length of video. Sometimes I want to dive into furthering my practice, but I don't have the time or energy of a full 30-50 minute video. I also really needed this reminder (again) about not needing to stick to each and every Sabbat. It's so hard to stop feeling like you have to celebrate in very specific ways!

[@DevonExplorer]

I am so glad that you talked about this, Hearth. I too began with Wicca but as a solitary practitioner I gradually found my own path and the Sabbats dropped off somewhat. I do make a big thing out of Yule, though, as it's really important to me and also Midsummer, which is just totally magical - although not so much this year with the cold rainy weather, lol - and I always make a little bouquet made from the best produce (tomato and runner bean shoots) and the prettiest flowers on Lammas day, which I hang above a sun plaque in my living room for the year to show gratitude. And that's about it. :) Oh, and I enjoy both the styles and lengths of your videos. It's nice to have subjects like todays; I really enjoyed it.

[@DevonExplorer]

I also forgot to say that I've kept a seasonal wreath in my kitchen for many years, which I gradually change as the seasons change. This year I changed it to Autumn on the day of the Autumn Equinox to mark the day and strung it with tiny star fairy lights and a sleeping fox pendant, which was both fun to do and also helped in my return to celebrating more. :)

[@samhainbeltane27]

Además sucede que con los cambios de temperatura a nivel mundial, siento que las estaciones se han dividido en dos. La aparentemente frío y la muyyyy cálida. Por lo cual, estoy pensando en mudarme a un lugar dónde las temperaturas no sean tan elevadas y los cambios de estaciones sean realmente visibles. Más hacia el Sur de Argentina, por ejemplo. En la Provincia de Tierra del Fuego. Saludos desde la ciudad de Campana, Provincia de Buenos Aires. 🩵

[@StephanieRubletz]

Thanks for this video, it's something that I have had to spend some time figuring out for myself. I live in Alberta Canada, so while anything on the wheel to do with general seasons and daylight works, the plants, fruits and crops are a bit off. What works for me is keeping the wheel of the year the same, but I celebrate by acknowledging and giving thanks for what is happening in my area. For example apples might hit my altar later than some folks, but they get there when it makes sense for my area and it doesn't hinder the celebration.

[@johnrichardcleland4493]

Educational or magical Your vlogs have inspired me to look at my practice as my practice. You make it very clear that there is no right or wrong way of doing things and to feel free about what you do as an individual. Thank you for taking the time and research to supply excellent information to your followers.

[@NeloBladeOfRanni]

I try to celebrate the wheel of the year as someone whos a wiccan BUT i wont beat myself up if i dont feel like celebrating a sabbat. The one exception to this however is samhain as Halloween has always been one of my favourite holidays so il always do something to celebrate that even if its just lightning a candle for the ancestors. While im not a traditional wiccan by any means (i have never been coven initiated) my own personal practice is a mix of Heketean witch craft and Wicca (since i mainly worship Hekate even tho i do still honour the horned god i just dont worship a specific god deity). Because of this my path even tho it has a very heavy Wiccan influence and basis in Wicca i actually dont celebrate the full moon esbat super heavily and instead do my big moon rituals on the dark moon since the dark moon is heavily connected to Hekate. Ive also started exploring green witch craft and mixing that into my practice. While i do try to follow the rule of 3 and live by the spirit of the wiccan rede strangely for a Wiccan i dont treat the harm none rule as a absolute i am willing to perform baneful magic if necessary. Sorry for this long babble of a comment 😂

[@MAJA98610]

Wow thank you for sharing this information, I for one only do a few wheel dates, because I travel so much. thank you.

[@GramaSagefeather]

I pretty much do what I feel like doing all the time. Every day is a magical adventure ❤

[@shadowdancer9830]

I applaud the use of follow your own path. There are things we do now in lieu of more heinous traditional rituals done on those holidays. Such as, I present honey wheat cakes, nuts and seeds with flowers on my spring holiday, which I do as my sacrificial offering on my backyard alter. I know some friends who love deep connecting rituals that can get elaborate. For me it's was like attending a 4hr mass. I love her dearly, but a bit too much as I get older... LoL

[@xander-lulu]

I love that this video is here! I live in Arizona where it nears 120 degrees Fahrenheit (around 45-50 degrees Celsius, I want to say) and only to about 33(1 or smth) at the very lowest. We also have a monsoon season with huge dust clouds, heavy rain, wind and lightning that is not accounted for in the wiccan wheel of the year that, for my practice and my life, holds great importance. December is cooler, and actually comfortable during the day with temperatures being around 25-30 degrees Celsius (I'm making my best guess with that one) and it stays that way until around January and February where it gets insanely cold (for an Arizonan)

[@serenitysnow8625]

Great video. I was just thinking how I had adapt the wheel for me. I am planning on celebrating the seasons.

[@samhainbeltane27]

Buen día, por aquí en Argentina. Soy una persona a la que le gusta la historia, y cómo se relacionan las festividades con los contextos históricos. Y también, me pregunto cómo adaptar las celebraciones al lugar dónde vivo, relacionando las festividades locales, y sus similitudes. Por ejemplo, en Argentina, Imbolc coincide con el día de la Pachamama, que es.el 1 y 2 de Agosto, aproximadamente. Y tiene un significado parecido al de Imbolc. Por lo cual, es muy interesante observar, que a lo largo de la Historia, las culturas agrícolas, han celebrado los cambios de estaciones, de manera similar, acorde a lo que observaban a su alrededor, de la manera en la que interactuaban con la naturaleza. Así es cómo me gusta celebrar a mí, acorde a los cambios de la naturaleza y a los ciclos solares y lunares. Muchas gracias por tu maravilloso contenido, siempre se aprende algo nuevo cada día. Que tengas un día maravilloso 💜

[@stacid-v2e]

I tend to recognize (alter, rituals, etc) the solstices and equinox and acknowledge (smile and wave) the others. Those tend to sneak up on me except Samhain and I used to feel guilty if I missed them and wasn't able to prepare. It has taken a lot of "self-talk" to get into my head and heart that this is MY practice.

[@bronwenellis7493]

I live in South Africa, southern hemisphere, so I celebrate everything with a 6 month difference. All the pagans and witches here do. I personally do not celebrate Mid Summer and Lithe. I hate the heat at that time of year and am just trying to get through it. I just want to celebrate commercial Christmas and enjoy time with my family. I love that I can have Christmas twice a year. Another thing to consider is some of the plants, trees and animals tied up in these celebrations just do not grow here, like holly at Yule or bunnies at Ostara. we do not really get hares here that much, but what is significant for spring here is whale migrations along the coast of Cape Town, and I will do a ritual around that. Whales and dolphins are way more significant that bunnies. I see the sabbaths as a way of being more connected and in touch with nature so that defiantly means adapting to what is really present where you live.

[@AiriAnew]

I never felt in sync with The Wheel of the Year. Well... I like your point of view of this topic. Well... I'm always reminded that the best thing to do is: take what you need (what you feel is applicable) and leave the rest. Great content. 👏

[@DannyGoLively]

I've never really "celebrated" the Sabbats, but I do notice when the day comes, like, "Hey, it's Lughnasadh today. Cool!" But I'm like that with my birthday too. The Wheel of the Year just keeps trudging along in the background. I pay much more attention to the cycle of the Moon and focus my craft around its phases.

[@AK-uy2et]

Ahhh what a good timing for good video. This year me and my husband are just got in "red traffic light" wave, i.e. We are working shifts and missing out every sabbath and "traditional" celebration dates! Thanks for reassuring that we can just celebrate another date.

[@celticbabs3105]

Thank you for this. As a new witch, I was feeling pressured to celebrate each point on the wheel and it was stressing me out. I can relax now and only celebrate the ones that mean something to me specifically like Samhain and Yule.

[@stephanieheadrick849]

I've always felt odd celebrating some of them on the dates that all the books say, so this is extremely validating. Thank you!

[@positiveenergywithcrystals]

I've recently started working with The Wheel of the Year more regularly. I've started small though. The thought of coming up with 8 celebrations right away was overwhelming. Some of them right now I just acknowledge it is that season and others I've come up with small things to do. Mabon is one I'm not sure I'll ever really have a tradition for other than acknowledging it because I just feel exhausted and not motivated around that time of year. Lol

[@anzib3271]

I am from Finland, where we have traditionally had our own pre-christian pagan seasonal celebrations. Without showing any disrespect to wiccan or Celtic traditions, I feel like they are cultural imports that do not resonate with Finnish traditions. I have been more interested in researching old Finnish celebrations as I feel like they resonate with me more.

[@Caro_dies_a_lot]

Wow this was very relevant for me. I’ve been thinking about this for a bit now. As someone who isn’t very good with nature, harvests festivals never resonated with me. Thanks so much for the video!

[@xuxagirl87]

Loved this!

[@hannahsemple]

In my personal practice I change the names of the full moons to reflect the nature around me. At one time February I named as the snow moon because this was when it snowed. Now I don’t call it snow moon because we haven’t had snow in my area for a few years now. As for the wheel, the change of season comes when I can smell and sense it intuitively

[@paddric9346]

I've always liked your educational stuff. I still go back to your 101 videos when brushing up on techniques, or just feeling nostalgic. You were one of my first "teachers". Thanks, Hearth....for everything 🤘

[@jurilmoone]

I love how you say "year" as jöö. Jöös and jöös and jöös!! :) ❤

[@lindapeacerider407]

I love all of your content, both short and long. Thank you from South Texas, USA. ❤ 🧙‍♀️ 🪄 🔮

[@MoGlisse]

I'm really happy that you did a shorter video, I have 2 very young kids (3 soon) and I never have time to watch your videos despite the fact that I really like the content that you create. So I'm really liking the shorter videos I was really happy to stumble upon this one I hope you'll do some more !

[@Ellempeh]

I really enjoyed this video! I live in the Middle of Europe, so I am also fortunate enough that the seasons mostly align with the Wheel of the Year, but I also tend to celebrate the Sabbaths more like Seasons and not just on singular dates. However, on Samhain and Beltane I always have two days of celebrating respectively - since I celebrate the 31.10-1.11 (Samhain and All Hallows‘ Day and then the 30.4.-1.5. (Walpurgisnacht and Beltane)

[@faithcrisis2138]

I live in the southern United States, so I use the seasons as either a time to prepare for the upcoming changes that will eventually comes with the season

[@ClaireGreen-wd2gm]

I live in Tennessee. The poplar trees are turning yellow and leaves falling not from Fall but heat and not enough rain.

[@mrkultra1655]

Thank you Hearth. I hope that YOU are staying safe where you are. I know what’s been going on in your country, and I know that you can’t say anything, and please don’t. I can’t even wrap my head around that whole Section 5 thing, it is absolutely atrocious. I saw the speech that your PM just put out, absolutely shameful. Please be careful, you are a shining light amid the creeping darkness. Love you 🥰

[@nospoonsolutions]

I’ve been adjusting my celebrations to astronomical focal points of solstices and equinoxes, and quarter days being in a tight timing (exactly in the middle), and usually it’s somehow 3-7 days later then the calendar celebration. I’ve been writing a newsletter about following the energies of the Wheel for 2 years now, and my theory stands still))) Also that’s totally weird to celebrate the “celtic” Wheel in Thailand, for example. Technically it’s still northern hemisphere, but the nature around you, seasons, all that - doesn’t have much sense honetly ❤ thank you for your videos!

[@HeliPalviainen]

I really love learning new things, viewpoints and ideas! I began following you first for your sabbath videos and stayed for the other knowledge you taught us and the way you did it: you are simply very easy to follow, you are understandable, likable and credible. I've liked all your videos, as they always give me new ideas, information and inspiration, but would not mind at all if there is still more you could actually teach us via these more condensed talks. So they are welcomed back: but either way, you remain one of my favourites. Blessed be

[@catchinghorses]

Thank you!! Yes, Minnesota can be a bit…late in celebrating spring 😂

[@kittyflint705]

I don't really feel that much impact from the seasons on my life, so it has been quite hard to figure out how to adept some kind of cyclic celebrations into my practice. I'm still working it out. I personally have noticed that the 31st of october and the 30th of april resonate with me a lot. And the last days of the year after the winter solstice. I love the way that those anual celebrations provide structure and thereby help me navigate time and change a lot better but I'm still working out what kind of structure works for me. I love the input in this video! It helps to remind myself that I should go for my own way of organising my year. I would love a deep dive into different possibilities of celebrating the changes in a year if you are able and comfortable to do so, just to hear another perspective. Also, I liked the shorter form. I love your long videos (they don't FEEL long at all) but I don't always have the time to watch them and sometimes feel a little overwhelmed by so much information. If I could chose I would really love some shorter videos like this one to give a basic understanding combined with longer ones to get more nuanced 😁

[@aliciahammond7912]

I definitely enjoy this kind of educational content, and I find the nuanced knowledge very useful. I personally don't "celebrate" the sabbath seasons because I don't have a religious bone in my body, but I DO however like to use the wiccan calendar as a guide to assist me with "grounding" into the season to help me get out of my head and feel what's right for me and how I resonate and connect with nature. I mostly just hang out with nature when I can. I live with chronic illness, so it's impractical for me to go by rules. I focus mainly on grounding and a lot of rest, so I do workings when the time is right. I instinctually don't like the Christian sabbaths like ostara exactly as you said, I usually feel extra depressed around these times, and I believe it's residual energy of past genocides, but that's just me. I also live in Canada, so our transitional seasons are similar to England's but can be all over the place between fall and spring. You never know what you're going to get.

[@wickedelfaba]

Here in Southern CA we have fire season during our harvest festivals. And maybe a week of Autum feeling weather before winter.

[@gusg.5916]

Thanks, Hearth, for a throwback style (short video). I think I speak for many people here whether your videos are short or long....just keep them coming.😊

[@nergk]

God, I love your voice. the way you speak brings true peace

[@WishfulThinkingArt]

Since I’m so new to the craft, I’m not entirely sure which of the sabbats I connect the most with. I did light a candle for the summer solstice and made special baked goods for the previous sabbat (the one at the beginning of August), but I don’t do anything HUGE for them. I think it’s because they sneak up on me and I’m so new that I haven’t committed their names or their celebrations to memory yet.

[@LouValcourt]

I live on the Canadian prairies and we have winter for 5 months. I’ve adjusted Imbolc to be a mid winter feast and Ostara as the end of winter and the promise of spring coming soon. Luckily the rest of them line up for me.

[@meloncreampuffs]

I love the longer videos :)

[@allexandruned.3666]

Fun fact... Gerald Gardner initially observed only for sabbats ( the bigger ones : Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane and Lughnasah) . He added the lesser ones ( the solstices and equinoxes to the weel because he wanted to meet more ofthen with his coven .

[@MonotheisticPagan]

I love the educational content of this channel, longer or shorter.

[@ace-zq8pm]

Samhain the high sabbat

[@kimberlysnowyowl7871]

Awesome video! 🤩 I really love your short videos just as much as the longer ones. This one hit me with nostalgia of the time when I first stumbled upon you online. 🥰

[@AaronKing-yz1bd]

Blessed be Lady Hearth. Much love and light to you always. Huge fan. Many blessings upon you. 🌹🧙‍♀️✌️

[@pamelasavage5157]

And keep the knowledge and book reviews and your favorites and recommendations coming ✨️

[@irenearboli]

All your videos are grate, long or short, the way you explain things is amazing! Greatings from México!

[@kawaiibread]

this was very inspiring, thank you!

[@elizabethhauff-wr5jn]

I enjoy the lengthy videos, but o also like the shorter info videos. Thank you, I look forward to your next vlog ❤❤❤

[@DanaBeaufait]

Love the shorter format (long time video lurker) I also think there are some good bits in here that could be shorts too! This chat about detangling shame in our personnel practices is so on point. I like to watch nature for my cues but I’ve always lived in the northern hemisphere and in seasonal conditions. Seeing everyone’s perspective on this is really cool. Thanks for inspiring open minded practices.

[@margaretwhite961]

I've been using Time and Date to get a more accurate time for equinox, seasonal celebrations, and Full Moon times for my particular (or nearest to) location. Also, I celebrate most other Sabbats closer to the New or Full Moon, than to the dates themselves. Except Oct 31.