It's Lammas. What's Lammas? I'm A Shite Witch.

No, I'm not.

But I don't keep track of the Sabbats...and so I am often caught by witchy friends saying, "Happy Mabon/Imbolc/Beltane, etc".  So, I say that I'm a shitty witch.  I know the equinoxes and the solstices, and I track the phases of the moon, because I feel her shifts.  I feel when a planet is in retrograde, and I feel when certain planets move through the zodiac in my birth chart, because I've tuned in to myself, somewhat.  

I've always been terrible for dates, though.

So, here's a quick review of the Wiccan Wheel of the Year, and why I don't remember any of it.

This is the simplest one I found with dates.

They can look like this.

Shitty Witch Breakdown:

The wheel is split into 8 annual events.  

4 of them, we commonly know as "the first day of spring/summer/fall/winter".  These are the equinoxes and solstices.

Ostara - Spring or Vernal Equinox

Litha - Summer Solstice

Mabon - Fall or Autumnal Equinox

Yule - Winter Solstice

The other 4, observe the stages of the growing season.

Imbolc/Candlemas - February 2nd, marks the beginning of spring (not in Winnipeg, though).  This is a time to start sowing the crops you hope to harvest later in the year.

Beltane/Walpurgis - April 30 to May 1, is a fertility festival that marks the beginning of summer.  A lot of sex happens, in hopes that the Green God and the Goddess will bestow blessings for a fruitful crop.

Lammas/Lughnassad - August 1, marks the beginning of the harvest season.  My mother starts harvesting beans and cabbage.  It is the season of my favourite soups.

Samhain/Hallowe'en - October 31, the end of the harvest season; this event marks the beginning of the dark season, when Gaia sleeps and restores, in preparation for Imbolc and Ostara.

So, why don't I pay more attention and observe all of these? 

Admittedly, it's because I can't pronounce them.  I'm kidding, mostly.  But these are Gaelic names.  In fact, the wheel is predominantly used in Gaelic traditions, and is often referred to as the "Wiccan Wheel of the Year".  I don't practice Wicca, so I simply don't absorb the traditions and edicts that it dictates.

In fact, I don't particularly follow any tradition.  I am a witch in my bones.  I do what comes to me organically, and I most often cannot put a name on it.  Sometimes (most often) I will use fire.  Sometimes I will use a spell jar.  I collect graveyard dirt, and animal skeletons.  I pay homage to Satan, Lucifer, Lilith...but also to Santa Muerte, and any number of energies that I have not learned names for.  I call on the energy of the universe, often.  I don't, however, consider myself a Satanic witch (though I consider myself a Satanist - of the atheistic TST variety), nor do I practice Santeria.  

Me.

I don't keep spellbooks or grimoires.  I used to have a lot of books,  but I got rid of them because they didn't speak to me anymore.  I let "vibes" lead me, and since I've ditched "ritual" and gone with my gut, I have not faltered a single time.  

Do the witches in those old tales from the old countries have a specific path?  No...not really.  They live in cottages in the woods, and they just are.  They are just "witches".

I have always been drawn to the image of the Gypsy.  Growing up, it was my go-to Hallowe'en costume...because I always had the stuff to put it together.  In my closet.  Any day, I could throw together a wild skirt, a few scarves, some big jewelry, and play divination.  Palm reader.  Card reader.  Scryer.  Bring me your money, I'll tell you your future.

I have a crystal ball, though I don't use it for divination.

There is no one way to be a witch.  You can express your gifts in whatever way you can use them most effectively.

So, if you like rules and ritual, there are options.  I don't care for all that, myself.  If you're of that feeling, then you can just do your own thing.  Make your practice your own. It's called "craft" for a reason. 

Shots fired.

And so, a Happy Lammas to you.  Go pick some zucchini, and light a fire.  The next Sabbat is Mabon; fall will be here, soon.

Hail yourselves!

S