Wheel of the Year

So, I have been thinking about the Wiccan Wheel of the Year. I like the Sabbats that Wiccans observe, as they mark important times in the functioning of the year, such as marking the equinoxes, for instance. Casual observation leads an observer to note that the Sabbats are divided into two categories: the equinoxes and solstices, and the others. I looked further into this and applied some knowledge gleaned from meditation.

If one looks closely at the story of the year as told through the relationship of the god and goddess, one realizes that different aspects come into focus at different points throughout the story. In particular, the god and goddess switch between two themes: at one Sabbat, they are deities of the fields and woodlands, while in the next they are solar deities, symbolized by the sun and moon.

Combining these two observances led me to realize that the switch happens at every other Sabbat, so that the first category (equinoxes and solstices) tell the story of a pair of solar deities, while the second category tells the story of earth-based deities that rule plant and animal life. Each set of Sabbats roughly corresponds to one of the four great stages of life: birth, life/marriage, decline, and death. Applied to an agricultural lifestyle, this would be planting, growing, harvesting, and waiting / planning.

When I have done some further meditation on this, I will post my ideas.