For those of you who celebrare The Sabbats

[inkywitch]

Why do you celebrate the Sabbats?
How, and for what purpose?
How does it tie in with your path?
If you only celebrate some of the Sabbats, which ones and why just those?

I'd especially like to hear from non-Wiccans and people who do not have ties to Celtic practices, but of course, all answer are welcomed!

[inkywitch]

BUMP! C'mon guys. I know you all have opinions to share with me! You can't resist!

[moonmorgan]

Why do you celebrate the Sabbats?

To honour nature's cycles and the God and Goddess (yes I"m Wiccan)

How, and for what purpose?

What purpose is the same as why and so is answered in the first question. I must admit I don't celebrate as much as I'd like to right now but I'm working on it. I usually decorate my altar with the colours and symbols of the sabbat a few weeks before. I do a meditation a few days before so remind me of the season and what I'm celebrating. The evening of I do a ritual. It's usually of my own creation, either completly or a few different rituals I've found, put together and altered.

How does it tie in with your path?

Well the Wiccan path is well known, but if you want more explanation I could give you one.

If you only celebrate some of the Sabbats, which ones and why just those?

I celebrate all 8. However I also celebrate other holidays like Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day. Mother's Day, Father's Day, Canada Day, Thanksgiving, Rememberance Day, Hanukah and Christmas. Some are purely secular and fun and some are because of my family that celebrates.

[Siqoni]

Why do you celebrate the Sabbats?

To honour nature's cycles and the God and Goddess (yes I"m Wiccan)

How, and for what purpose?

What purpose is the same as why and so is answered in the first question. I must admit I don't celebrate as much as I'd like to right now but I'm working on it. I usually decorate my altar with the colours and symbols of the sabbat a few weeks before. I do a meditation a few days before so remind me of the season and what I'm celebrating. The evening of I do a ritual. It's usually of my own creation, either completly or a few different rituals I've found, put together and altered.

How does it tie in with your path?

Well the Wiccan path is well known, but if you want more explanation I could give you one.

If you only celebrate some of the Sabbats, which ones and why just those?

I celebrate all 8. However I also celebrate other holidays like Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day. Mother's Day, Father's Day, Canada Day, Thanksgiving, Rememberance Day, Hanukah and Christmas. Some are purely secular and fun and some are because of my family that celebrates.

Yeah... PRetty much the same for me. xD

[Lolair]

For me personally the main festivals I celebrate are Beltane, Midsummer, Samhain and Yule. The equinoxes and solstices have an importance to me, but I do not celebrate them as Wiccan-styled sabbats.

Community-wise the group I am in celebrates the eight sabbats in the wheel of the year, but this group is very diverse with members ranging from Thelemites & Wiccans to Druids and Hellenists. One sabbat will be a feast of Apollo and the next will be Thelemic midsummer ritual on the beach... I love the diversity as I get to experience the rituals and practices of so many paths. The experiences I've had with my group are some of my most cherished memories. Despite this I hope to eventually find or form a group that shares similar views of my beliefs and form of witchcraft.

[inkywitch]

Thanks for the replies so far guys. *bumps*

C'mon I know there are plenty more opinionated MWer out there that can add to this thread!

[Crysiira]

Why do you celebrate the Sabbats?

I celebrate them as a celebration of nature, more than anything. I don't really honor gods or goddesses or things like that.

How, and for what purpose?

For what purpose? That's the same as the "why" above. How do I celebrate? Nothing too elaborate, as I'm solitary. I light candles, listen to music that gets me in the mood, spend as much time in nature as possible, even do some cooking or baking, perhaps do a ritual to focus my energies on a particular thing. Note that I said my energies, as in my own; I don't ask gods or goddesses for help with anything or really honor them in any other way. I just celebrate nature and being alive. I also celebrate by spending time writing thoughts in my "book of shadows."

How does it tie in with your path?

Well, I don't really have a specific path. As I often state, I find labels very limiting, but if I had to stick one on myself, I'd say I'm an Eclectic Celtic-inspired Green Kitchen Witch. Spending time in nature ties in with the green part; doing some baking/cooking ties in with the kitchen part. The energy ritual falls under the witch part, I think. I guess everything else falls under the eclectic part? I'm not sure. I just do what feels right.

If you only celebrate some of the Sabbats, which ones and why just those?

I'm Celtic-inspired, as I say, but still, ones like Imbolc and Lughnassah aren't hugely important to me. Mostly I celebrate Beltane, Midsummer, Samhain, and Yule, as someone else stated before. I'm not sure why, but those feel more important to me. Really, though, I don't follow a set schedule or anything. If I feel like celebrating on a nice day, even if it isn't close to any holiday, I'll do it. If I don't feel like it on the actual holiday, I won't. I guess, really, I just go with how I feel. That may be strange to people who are more ceremonial or ritualistic, but I just follow a looser idea, I just take things as they come. It feels right to me and it goes with my life better. But that's just me...

[peggyelizabeth]

Why do you celebrate the Sabbats?
I celebrate them to remind me ot the time of the year, it helps me to focus on what is important right now and what's amazing in the world/universe.

How, and for what purpose?
I eat special foods, light candles, try to spend some time outside, decorate my home and walk my labyrinth. It helps me center myself within a circular time frame, "to everything, there is a season"

How does it tie in with your path?
As a panentheist, Sabbats are days that allow me to tap into the energy that's all around me, more than I do in a regular day. They are reflective days and days for celebrating.

If you only celebrate some of the Sabbats, which ones and why just those?
Some I celebrate more than others, because of family traditions, but I do celebrate them all in some way. The last year I've started paying more attention to those that I perviously ignored.

[KylalaKitty]

I'm not wiccan, just pagan, so I mostly only celebrate the equinoxes and solstices and Halloween/Samhain.

[StephanieAine]

Can a Celtic Christian play, too, or is this the "witches and pagans only" playground?
Well, I guess I'll go ahead and answer - and if I'm screwing the thread up, I'm sure I'll end up with Detention and a scary visit to Principal Mol's office <g>

Why do you celebrate the Sabbats? I don't celebrate anything called a Sabbat. The word *closest* would be "Sabbath" which refers to the sanctified time created by God in the book of Genesis. But I know that, to pagans, the term refers to 'the wheel of the year' - and their eight festivals.

I stick to the older version of the calendar which emphasizes not eight but four festivals (Samhain, Imbolc, Bealtaine, Lughnasadh/Lunasa) which mark the seasons in three-month portions and contain various holy days/times in Christian teaching and Jewish teaching.

I wouldn't say that I "celebrate" the four festivals so much as I acknowledge them and recognize the way God arranges the earth to sustain itself and provide for the needs of humans, animals, and plant life.

How, and for what purpose? Scriptural teachings, various parables as taught by Jesus, and various Psalms and Proverbs help to shed light on the meanings and lessons that can be gleaned from paying attention to Creation's changes through the year, just as Creation's changes can point to certain facets of our own lives. Viewed together, it's much easier to see how Scripture works as a "workbook" or "handbook" for daily living and not just as a textbook. We are part of the seasonal changes because everything changes and grows. I believe that all of these things are important to remember if a Christian intends to live their faith fully in daily life.

To acknowledge, learn from, or simply enjoy a seasonal festival doesn't require anything snazzy or complicated in Celtic Christian thought; for one thing, although the first day (evening prior to) the new season is the festival date observed as a holy day - we're only *beginning* that particular phase of the year. Each one gives us three months to notice the changes Creation goes through! But I do think it's fun to make the first day special - maybe lighting extra candles at the hearth and making a special dinner?


How does it tie in with your path?I think my answers above sort of answer that question... except that I don't really have a "path." As a Celtic Christian, I'm still "just a Christian" - so rather than having a path, what I have is a relationship... meaning a relationship with Jesus as my Savior.

If you only celebrate some of the Sabbats, which ones and why just those?
I wrote about the four seasonal festivals I acknowledge above, so I won't repeat all of it here <s>.

I hope that answered the questions clearly enough, and I hope that some find it interesting for comparison's sake!

[Windsmith]

I celebrate the "usual" 8 Sabbats plus a few other days (Perihelion and Aphelion being the most prominent). As a pantheist, I could celebrate any holidays I wanted - or none at all - but the Wheel of the Year gives me a vibrant framework that connects me to the many different energies of a changing year.

On the Solstices and Equinoxes I celebrate natural cycles that would happen whether humans were around or not. On the cross-quarter days, I celebrate ways that we as humans interact with the world around us: endings, death, and decay and Samhain; art at Imbolc; fertility and birth at Beltane; harvest at Lughnasadh.

I celebrate each Sabbat differently each time it rolls around, so there really isn't a specific "how." I spend time outside for each one, but that's about the only thing that's consistent.

[inkywitch]

I'm not wiccan, just pagan, so I mostly only celebrate the equinoxes and solstices and Halloween/Samhain.

Care to answer the other questions and elaborate? :idea:

[inkywitch]

Can a Celtic Christian play, too, or is this the "witches and pagans only" playground?
Well, I guess I'll go ahead and answer - and if I'm screwing the thread up, I'm sure I'll end up with Detention and a scary visit to Principal Mol's office <g>

I don't celebrate anything called a Sabbat. The word *closest* would be "Sabbath" which refers to the sanctified time created by God in the book of Genesis. But I know that, to pagans, the term refers to 'the wheel of the year' - and their eight festivals.

I stick to the older version of the calendar which emphasizes not eight but four festivals (Samhain, Imbolc, Bealtaine, Lughnasadh/Lunasa) which mark the seasons in three-month portions and contain various holy days/times in Christian teaching and Jewish teaching.

I wouldn't say that I "celebrate" the four festivals so much as I acknowledge them and recognize the way God arranges the earth to sustain itself and provide for the needs of humans, animals, and plant life.

Scriptural teachings, various parables as taught by Jesus, and various Psalms and Proverbs help to shed light on the meanings and lessons that can be gleaned from paying attention to Creation's changes through the year, just as Creation's changes can point to certain facets of our own lives. Viewed together, it's much easier to see how Scripture works as a "workbook" or "handbook" for daily living and not just as a textbook. We are part of the seasonal changes because everything changes and grows. I believe that all of these things are important to remember if a Christian intends to live their faith fully in daily life.

To acknowledge, learn from, or simply enjoy a seasonal festival doesn't require anything snazzy or complicated in Celtic Christian thought; for one thing, although the first day (evening prior to) the new season is the festival date observed as a holy day - we're only *beginning* that particular phase of the year. Each one gives us three months to notice the changes Creation goes through! But I do think it's fun to make the first day special - maybe lighting extra candles at the hearth and making a special dinner?


I think my answers above sort of answer that question... except that I don't really have a "path." As a Celtic Christian, I'm still "just a Christian" - so rather than having a path, what I have is a relationship... meaning a relationship with Jesus as my Savior.

I wrote about the four seasonal festivals I acknowledge above, so I won't repeat all of it here <s>.

I hope that answered the questions clearly enough, and I hope that some find it interesting for comparison's sake!

Thank you very much :D It was very interesting (and wonderful) to hear your perspective also, StephanieAine.

And thank you Windsmith! I'm was interested to hear some pantheist's views!

[EvieLee]

Why do you celebrate the Sabbats?
How, and for what purpose?
How does it tie in with your path?
If you only celebrate some of the Sabbats, which ones and why just those?

At the mo, I don't celebrate the sabbats. However, that because I'm studying the patterns in my local environment to better familiarise myself with them. I'm not Wiccan, so I don't adhere to the traditional Wheel of the Year myth, nor the Dianic version. I'm spending a year just observing how things work so that next year I can have a rough idea what happens when (altough, as you know, Australia's climate is pretty changable at the mo).

I feel that the sabbats are an integral part of my path as I'm in a "getting back to nature" kind of phase where I'm sick of walking around in a daze all the time. Celebrating the sabbats should make me more aware of the the changes that occur throughout the year (not just the obvious ones like hot to cold).

I probably won't celebrate all eight as I'll be designing my own arrangments - there could be more, there could be less. At present, I'm leaning towards celebrating the beginning of the seasons ie first heat wave of summer, the start of the cold nights of autumn, first cold rain and first flowerings. *shrugs* Our climate changes from year to year and so will my sabbat observances.

[inkywitch]

Why do you celebrate the Sabbats?
How, and for what purpose?
How does it tie in with your path?
If you only celebrate some of the Sabbats, which ones and why just those?

At the mo, I don't celebrate the sabbats. However, that because I'm studying the patterns in my local environment to better familiarise myself with them. I'm not Wiccan, so I don't adhere to the traditional Wheel of the Year myth, nor the Dianic version. I'm spending a year just observing how things work so that next year I can have a rough idea what happens when (altough, as you know, Australia's climate is pretty changable at the mo).

I feel that the sabbats are an integral part of my path as I'm in a "getting back to nature" kind of phase where I'm sick of walking around in a daze all the time. Celebrating the sabbats should make me more aware of the the changes that occur throughout the year (not just the obvious ones like hot to cold).

I probably won't celebrate all eight as I'll be designing my own arrangments - there could be more, there could be less. At present, I'm leaning towards celebrating the beginning of the seasons ie first heat wave of summer, the start of the cold nights of autumn, first cold rain and first flowerings. *shrugs* Our climate changes from year to year and so will my sabbat observances.

Yeah, I know what you mean about sporadic weather here... global warming sucks.

I personally don't really celebrate the Sabbats in the traditional way. I tend to use them as a time to focus intently and set aside specially time for myself to do this.

On the Solstices and Equinoxes raise energy and feed it to the earth for healing and observe the season. I also spend it focusing on myself, my life and where I am, where I would like to be and begin to make changes to stay on track with my goals (hehe, I change like the seasons :P).

I spend Samhain as a rememberance for my ancestors, loved ones lost, the Anzacs (since Anzac day is so close) and a time of introspection. Though I don't really think of it as traditional celtic or wiccan Samhain.

I think Beltaine (or a birth/fertility celebration) is important, but I haven't incorporated this into my personal Wheel yet.

I celebrate the day my partner and I began dating, and if we marry, I'll celebrate that instead. I celebrate birthdays. Births. Deaths. I even will celebrate the birthday of my dread-babies!

As I begin to grow my own food, collect eggs from my chickens and live off the land more I think perhaps I will be able to connect more to the seasons as they will be more present and integrated into my life. At the moment, I feel much like an outside observing.

[EvieLee]

At the moment, I feel much like an outside observing.

Ditto. Tis why I'm taking time out. Unfortunately chickens don't particularly take well to a yard with barely enough room for a hills hoist. lol. Well, if they do, then I don't. :nuhuh: