The Earth Holidays, or Sabbats
Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn…birth, growth, fading, death. The Wheel turns, on and on. Ideas are born; projects are consummated; plans prove impractical and die. We fall in love; we suffer loss; we consummate relationships; we give birth; we grow old; we decay. The Sabbats are the eight points at which we connect the inner and the outer cycles; the interstices where the seasonal, the celestial, the communal, the creative, and the personal all meet. As we enact each drama in its time, we transform ourselves. We are renewed; we are reborn even as we decay and die. We are not separate from each other, from the broader world around us; we are one with the Goddess, with the God. As the Cone of Power rises, as the season changes, we arouse the power from within, the power to heal, the power to change our society, the power to renew the earth.
- Starhawk, The Spiral Dance
It is estimated that the eight Sabbats are earth holidays observed all over the world for at least 12,000 years. Originally these fire festivals were agricultural dates to mark planting, tending, harvesting and storing. The word “sabbat” comes from a Greek word meaning “to rest,” so these are celebrations of life, renewal, and change. The eight solar sabbats represent the turning of the Wheel of the Year and honor phases in the ongoing life cycle, forever turning, returning to beginning and starting anew.
At UUCL we honor these ancient traditions of our ancestors, holding four major rituals to mark seasons’ arrival and passing with music, meditation, storytelling, dance, readings, and chants within a sacred circle. We honor our connections to Mother Earth and invite all UUCL members and friends to participate.
The Web and Wheel celebrations for 2011-12 are as follows:
- Fall Equinox:
Sunday, September 25, 2011, 11:45 a.m., UUCL Sanctuary - Winter Solstice Services:
Tuesday, December 20, 2011, 7:30 p.m., and Wednesday, December 21, 2011, 7:30 p.m., Tickets required; contact the church office. - Spring Equinox:
Sunday, March 18, 2012, 7:30 p.m., UUCL Founders’ Hall - Summer Solstice/Church Picnic Sunday:
Sunday, June 17, 2012, 10:30 a.m., Lancaster County Park
The Web and the Wheel
The Web and the Wheel is a task force of the UUCL Worship Team and consists of men and women committed to planning and sponsoring earth holiday rituals, or Sabbats, at least quarterly. The Web refers to the Unitarian Universalist principle of interconnectedness and interdependence of all earthly beings. The Wheel symbolizes the calendar year as a circle of energy and change. These two icons stand to remind us that our lives are not isolated or static but constantly cycling on a journey.
