Writing a wheel song: Samhain
On our newest album, Seasons, we recorded a song I wrote called “We Turn the Wheel.” The song was to be a journey through the pagan calendar, including the festivals, sabbats and celebrations of the seasons. When I wrote the song, the first part that came to me was about Samhain, which some pagan folk see as the beginning of the year.
At Samhain we dance in the dark
At Samhain, we embrace the numinous
We fan the cauldron flames from a spark
At Samhain, we celebrate the dead.
I first heard the melody and the rhythm of the verse. Then I played with some lyrics describing what we Crow Women have done in Samhain ritual. The first line I came up with, though, was “At Samhain, we dance with the furniture!” That line fit the rhythm I was hearing in the second line, so it was a place holder for a while during the process, kind of like Paul McCartney’s “Scrambled Eggs” while he was writing “Yesterday.” We haven’t danced with the furniture yet, but there’s always next year!
Imbolc: Cross quarter
When it came to recording, we changed the beginning of the song so that Imbolc came first, since that is how we begin our year as a coven.
On Imbolc, we dress all in white
At Imbolc, we dedicate our energy
On Imbolc we join in sacred rite
To cleanse our souls and honor Goddess Brighid.
Imbolc really is our biggest celebration of the year, when we actually take a ritual bath and rededicate ourselves to our circle and to the goddess. We usually dedicate our personal practice for the year to a certain goddess or element, which we work with and then share with the circle. We celebrate after the ritual with red and white foods, and a green salad usually created by the new maiden.
Oestara: the Vernal Equinox
We often celebrate Ostara with a play about Persephone, and we try to have at least some of the ritual outside, so we can wake up Mother Gaia. We wear dark cloaks, which we take off to show our Spring finery at the pivotal point in the ritual. Then we parade across the ground with staves and rattles and chanting and dancing.
Oestara, we hail the coming dawn
And celebrate the Spring of life returning
We awaken the Earth we dance upon
And frolic with the animals and trees
Beltane cross quarter: Connecting the old and the new
At Beltane, we have often celebrated at a regional festival, complete with Maypole and King and Queen. Beltane and its related festivities are still celebrated by many peoples around the world. I was raised in a very traditional Christian community, but even we danced the maypole when I was young! I love the memory and it’s exciting for me to keep the tradition going, since most of the pagan traditions were not known to me until I was an adult. Sometimes we have a Bale Fire, and sometimes we use non-flammable fire stand-ins, but we love to leap the fire together!
At Beltane we crown the Queen and King
At Beltane we celebrate fertility
Holding hands, we leap the fire ring
To honor sacred Beltane bonds we forge.
Litha: the Summer Solstice
Our midsummer celebration of the longest day is not to be missed! For many years we have celebrated Litha in the woods, sometimes with a fire, and always with a wreath we decorate with flowers and greenery. One of our favorite settings is in a field of lupine. We take a photo of each of us looking out through the wreath and leave the wreath hanging in a tree after our celebrations. In the song I imagined us sleeping out in the woods all night.
At Litha the sun shines high and bright
Midsummer we celebrate our beauty
We sing until the shortest night
And sleep in a bed of sweetest flowers.
Lughnasa: cross quarter
Lughnasa, or Lamas, is the first harvest, and one of my favorite times of the year. I am at home in the garden, and loving the smells and tastes of Gaia’s bounty. Our circle celebrated last year with a picnic on my deck, and sang of our gratitude for the love and beauty we shared.
At Lughnasa’s first harvest we sing praise
For the bounty and the beauty of our mother’s love
We feel the waning of the days
Begin to lead us back to dark again
Mabon: Autumn equinox
The days are getting shorter, as we move towards the full harvest feast on Mabon. The first chill of fall comes, to ripen the fruits and vegetables and urge us to prepare for the dark time. Many of us celebrate this sabbat at a regional festival as well. It’s a beautiful time to be in community on the land.
At Mabon the harvest now is full
At Mabon we gather to the fireside
We feel the turning and the pull
Of another year’s ending and beginning
Around the wheel: Samhain cross quarter
Next comes Samhain, which I started the blog with. When I was a child I visualized the year as a big U. It had a jump between December and January. Now it is a wheel, and there really is no ending or beginning in a circle! Maybe that’s why pagan folk have many different views of when the year “starts”.
And the wheel turns as the wind blows and the river flows to the sea.
Yule: the winter solstice
Anyway the song, as we recorded it, ends with Yule. We often have an open ritual at Yule, with friends and family joining us to sing, decorate the Yule log, and exchange gifts.
It is helpful to many I know to have this lovely Solstice celebration of the returning of the light to counteract the stress and consumerism of Christmas.
When Yule comes we gaze at the fire
At Yuletide we tell the old stories
We sing Yuletide carols with the choir
At Yuletide we celebrate rebirth.
Here’s to a beautiful new year for all of you, dear readers, no matter when or how you celebrate it.