My Calendrical Overview

This is the complete personal holiday cycle I've developed for myself. As someone who has formulated their practice on a Traditional NeoWiccan foundation (a la the Farrars, Fitch, Cunningham, and so on) first and foremost, some of these terms for different groups within the Ritual Cycle of holidays are very clearly derived from said sources. Much of the use, however, has been modified to suit the unique Gnosis of my practice as it has evolved to include my ancestral syncretism, and more, over the last two years of its development.

Many results of my practice come from multifaceted spirit led attempts at syncretizing and synthesizing these different cultural, familial, ancestral, and other additions on top of the foundation of Traditional NeoWicca to which I belong. For that reason they are not entirely the same, though they stem from that foundation. Reading through any materials here requires this be kept in mind- but especially when approaching any usage of familiar terms in case their meaning has changed within this context.

Quarter / CrossQuarter: The Solstices & Equinoxes

Also called the Solstices and Equinoxes, these are four celestial Lunar-Solar alignment points which occur naturally throughout the year; traditionally they make up the main Sabbats of the standard Traditional Wiccan, Transitional Wiccan, and NeoWiccan 'Wheel of the Year':

The Vernal Equinox, Tekufat Nisan, or Ostara (aprx. March 21st); the Summer Solstice, Tekufat Tammuz, or Litha (aprx. June 21st); the Autumnal Equinox, Tekufat Tishrei, or Mabon (aprx. September 21st); and the Winter Solstice, Tekufat Tevet, or Yule (aprx. December 21st).

In my own practice, however, these are not "the Sabbats" at all- nor do I use the common names for them ... Instead, at these points the Great Divine Unified is ritually saluted as the ultimate Universal force of Creation that they are, in acknowledgement of the great energy It expended to make the Earth and the Universe.

It is a time to reflect on how how the Great Divine exists within everything, and everything exist according to their cycle; that these Quarters and CrossQuarters sit at the center of the Earth Cycle- and so too does the Great Divine sit at the center of the Universe as the supreme and eternal source of all of Creation- a force without whom the Earth Cycle would not even exist in the first place.

Thus the Quarters and CrossQuarters are the times at which I recognize and celebrate this position through the ritual recitation of 100 Blessings meant to express how grateful I am for both this cycle, and for all of creation itself (and HaShem, by proxy).

Sabbat: The New Moon

In my practice the "True Sabbats" are twelve active Solar focused festivals held throughout the year on each month's New, or absent, Moon- starting with the liturgical New Year.

Green ⁿᵉʷ Moon (March, or "Welcoming Spring"); Flower ⁿᵉʷ Moon (April, or "MidSpring"); Seed ⁿᵉʷ Moon (May, or "Spring's End"); Prairie ⁿᵉʷ Moon (June, or "Welcoming Summer"); Fire ⁿᵉʷ Moon (July, or "MidSummer"); Fruit ⁿᵉʷ Moon (August, or "Summer's End"); Harvest ⁿᵉʷ Moon (September, or "Welcoming Autumn"); Blood ⁿᵉʷ Moon (October, or "MidAutumn); Nut ⁿᵉʷ Moon (November, or "Autumn's End"); Bone ⁿᵉʷ Moon (December, or "Welcoming Winter"); Cold ⁿᵉʷ Moon (January, or "MidWiner"); and finally, the Snow ⁿᵉʷ Moon (February, or "Winter's End").

Each of these twelve festivals ritually celebrates a different aspect of the natural and cultivated Earth Cycle through Divine Mythos which has been gnostically revealed. This Divine mythos itself is rooted in the Post-Edenic agrestal and agrarian aspects of the Lord (Adam) and the Lady (Chava), consubstantially divided from the Great Divine (HaShem) and made terrestrial as the First Ancestors of Humanity.

Originally these were also superimposed over the Wiccan and NeoWiccan "Wheel of the Year" in order to have some sort of pseudo-structure and baseline for comparison and formation. They have since then been heavily broadened and modified as divination, gnostic revelation, syncretism, and further study and experimentation has occurred. As it currently stands now, the calendar is neither related to the Neopagan "Wheel of the Year" as a whole, nor to any other holidays or holiday cycles.

Esbat: The Full Moon

Where traditional Esbats in the various Wiccan denominations are typically monthly meetings between Covens, which are set aside for the common worship of the Divine ... In my own practice there are twelve resting Lunar focused feasts celebrated throughout the year- each being held on the Full Moon of the month, in the same way that Sabbats are held once every New Moon. Likewise, they take the same Lunar names as the Sabbats.

Seed ᶠᵘˡˡ Moon for May; the Prairie ᶠᵘˡˡ Moon for June; the Bone ᶠᵘˡˡ Moon for December; and so on.

Because each of us contains within us a spark of the Great Divine we must ensure that we not only care for ourselves, but also regularly look within and ensure that we maintain our spiritual attunement with that Spark. This is necessary in order to effectively participate in acts of worship and creation ... Thus the Esbats honor the Divine as centered within the Body, Mind, and Spirit, with the intent of ritually cleansing, healing, and nourishing the three, and realigning them with the True Will and Divine Self Internal.

Milk Moon: The Repeating Full or New Moon

Also called Repeating Moons, Milk Moons are the extra New or Full Moon which occurs in a month- whichever of the two occurs within a month first. Because of its connection to the Lunar forces, and its variable nature, this event is similar to Esbats in purpose but focuses on the outward Divine and its worship.

Because of their rarity, the Milk Moons are set aside for the deep spiritual cleansing and purification of the soul; the making of reparatory offerings to HaShem, the Ancestors, and one's Spiritual Court; and the re-righting and re-alignment of the inner Spirit with the Great Divine, and one's spiritual purpose as one who Keeps the Faith ... Additional steps are also taken to cleanse and purify both the Home and ritual Temple (should the later be kept), and the rededication of them to the purpose of proper worship.

Agrestal / Agrarian: The Floating Holidays

Sometimes referred to as floating holidays, these are lesser celebrations which focus on a variety of natural and seasonally oriented themes of personal interest and significance.

These celebrations are connected to various elements of the Earth, Humanity, and the Earth Cycle. They have no connection to, nor bearing on, the greater religious practice and the divine mythos of the Sabbats, however. But they may supplement the greater purpose and mythos and rituals of the Ritual Cycle in some instances.

Ancestral: The Disparate Holidays

Ancestral holidays seem to be discordant with the rest of the calendar- and if you look closely, they rarely seem to reflect the actual practices and intent of their counterparts. These are amalgamations that have been adopted into my practice, in some form or another- and specifically in a way that won't violate or clash with my practice- in honor of my German, Mormon, and Ukrainian ancestors.