by 'Thenie

In the summer of 2003, a practitioner called 'Thenie posted two essays to alt.religion.wicca.moderated that offered something rare: a sustained, original argument for why the Wiccan Wheel of the Year falls where it does. Not a recitation of received tradition, but a practitioner's attempt to find the astronomical and astrological logic that underlies the eight-spoked calendar.

Most Wiccan writing on the sabbats is descriptive — what to do at Samhain, how to observe Imbolc. 'Thenie's essays are explanatory — they ask why the Major Sabbats fall where they do within the solar calendar, and find the answer in fixed-sign full moons. The argument that Beltane is set by the full moon in Scorpio, Imbolc by the full moon in Leo, connects Wiccan practice to a living astronomical reality rather than a fixed date on a Christian-derived calendar.

The two parts were posted on the same day, July 30, 2003. They are combined here into a single document. 'Thenie notes the material covers a surprising amount of ground in just two posts. The essays generated discussion but stand on their own as original practitioner scholarship — the kind of reasoning that made the best of the Wiccan Usenet newsgroups worth reading.

Part I — Elements and Qualities

Most people are familiar with the 12 signs of the zodiac (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, etc), and most know that each sign is associated with one of the four Elements (Fire, Earth, Air, and Water), hence a Leo being referred to as a Fire sign or Libra as an Air sign or Scorpio and Pisces getting along due to both being Water signs.

Most folks do not know that the signs occur in a set pattern in the four Elements, following the pattern of Fire, Earth, Air, Water, then repeating throughout the run: Aries/Fire, Taurus/Earth, Gemini/Air, Cancer/Water, Leo/Fire, Virgo/Earth, Libra/Air, Scorpio/Water, Sagittarius/Fire, Capricorn/Earth, Aquarius/Air, Pisces/Water.

Most people also don't know that there is a second repeating set pattern underlying the zodiac signs: the three Qualities of cardinal, fixed, and mutable. Aries/cardinal, Taurus/fixed, Gemini/mutable, Cancer/cardinal, Leo/fixed, Virgo/mutable, Libra/cardinal, Scorpio/fixed, Sagittarius/mutable, Capricorn/cardinal, Aquarius/fixed, Pisces/mutable.

Taken together, each zodiac sign occurs as the unique combination of an Element and a Quality (fixed Water is Scorpio, mutable Air is Gemini, etc).

Most here have worked with the Elements in ritual; the circle is usually set up acknowledging the Quarters, which corresponds with the Elements and certain rituals or spellwork use Elemental influences in the choice of materials used or actions taken. I assert ritual also incorporates Qualities in its function.

I won't delineate the energies of the four Elements as I expect that's a little too basic, but an introduction to the three Qualities would be useful, given that it's a foundation for my primary subject.

"Cardinal" is energy that is creative, active, ambitious, energetic. It is inspired by its environment and initiates action in response. Cardinal energy is happy to take on a new struggle, but may not have the wherewithal to carry it through, being more like a jump-start.

"Fixed" is energy that is intense and steady, stable. It is determined and dedicated to its goal, its purpose. Fixed energy is powerful and unwavering in its expression and tenacious in its intent. It precedes smoothly and inexorably to its desired end.

"Mutable" is energy that is flexible and adaptable, able to change as the situation requires or the individual desires. It demonstrates foresight and insight as it flows fluidly. It doesn't have much strength or staying power, tending to evaporate quickly.

The three Qualities are, as I see it, the very model of ritual function. The way ritual works is by raising power, applying that power to a purpose (even worship is a purpose), and grounding afterwards. "Cardinal" corresponds to raising power (initiation, energetic); "fixed" corresponds to applying the power (unfaltering and powerful; this is the action that occurs during the change in consciousness); "mutable" corresponds to the grounding that follows (adaptability; changing back to a mundane consciousness). One could argue that "mutable" also corresponds to the preparations for ritual, crossing that line into a different consciousness.

Part II — Lunations and the Solar Calendar

When most people these days consider regularly-occurring events, they usually refer to a calendar; to be more precise, a solar-based calendar. The assumption is usually made that natural events follow human-contrived methods of accounting time, that an annual event occurs on the same calendar date every year.

But even a "year" is not a neatly measured thing, the natural Sun "returning" to the same apparent position in the sky within a range rather than a precision point of time. It's why solstices and equinoxes (the minor Sabbats) change every year (though during one of two adjacent days on the solar calendar); the entry of the Sun into each of the zodiac signs has the same condition.

Astrology is very much aligned with the minor Sabbats. The solstices and equinoxes are figured by the Sun crossing into the cardinal signs (Aries/spring, Cancer/summer, Libra/autumn, Capricorn/winter). These are initiating points for the manifestation of the physical seasons. Incidentally, the astrological import of the Sun is that it addresses and impacts physical manifestation.

As I understand it, the Celtic view of things is that they have their beginnings in mystery, and begin as formless things in the dark, the way babies and seeds do. As such, the Celtic day originates at sunset the previous day and manifests at sunrise — which is where we get the concept of "eve," as in Christmas Eve, the "evening before." It is during the period between conception and birth that a thing can be most affected as to what it will be; the "eve" is the period that allows the most power to affect the day to come.

I believe this also has to do with the minor Sabbats, that they have a period prior to manifestation at the solstices and equinoxes where the season can be affected by consideration, by planning and by ritual. A season is about 13 weeks in length (52 weeks in a year divided by 4). The midpoint of the season would be the conception point of the season to follow. This corresponds to the approximate date of a Major Sabbat. It makes sense that the Celts would consider this the actual season's beginning, just as the day begins at sunset. It is evidenced by the summer solstice also being referred to as Mid-Summer (implying summer begins at Beltane).

But how to establish the actual dates of the Major Sabbats? Even the endpoints of the physical seasons shift slightly year-to-year. The "historic" dates seem to float between the end dates with wide variation. I think the answer is obvious: a lunar religion would require a lunar calendar. Look to the lunations.

As an astrologer for several decades, I have studied the lunations, particularly the signs the Moon inhabits at full and dark moons. I found a pattern, a set pattern that doesn't change, apart from the obvious fact that each month the full (and dark) moon advances to the next zodiac sign. The first full and dark moon of each physical season occurs in a cardinal sign, and the last full and dark moon occurs in a mutable sign. In between, there is a full and dark moon in a fixed sign. I believe the fixed full moon sets the date of the conception of the physical season to follow, and as such is the celestial event that establishes the Major Sabbats.

Imbolc is set by the full moon in Leo, honoring the independent Maiden, including the passionate and even warrior aspects. Beltane is set by the full moon in Scorpio, honoring the fertile Mother, including the intensity and transformative elements. Lughnasadh is set by the full moon in Aquarius, honoring the all-knowing Crone, as Ancestress and Witch, including issues of community and psychology. Samhain is an end and a beginning; the full moon in Taurus speaks to the endurance of the mundane world, but it also addresses the God/Consort/Son, given that He rises and falls and rises again through the grace of the Lady loving him, mourning him, and birthing him anew.

As a side note, personally I prefer to see the dark moon in Scorpio as the true Samhain for mystical reasons. The Moon is a feminine symbol in astrological terms. At Beltane the full moon is in Scorpio; during which the Goddess bedazzles and enthrals the God. The Sun is a masculine symbol in astrological terms. At Samhain the dark moon in Scorpio would be when the God enthrals the Goddess. The cosmology I ascribe to recognises that all things occur in a balance.

This progression of cardinal Moon to fixed Moon to mutable Moon also strikes me as Nature being inherently ritualistic, that the season manifests and begins to build energy, then peaks at a point that will be born out in the season to come, then grounds in preparation for the next season's manifestation.

I will also mention that often there is an "extra" moon during a year, either a full moon or a dark moon. This sets which moon leads in the set — whether the first moon in a season is full or dark. I'm still studying the significance of that at present.

Colophon

Written by 'Thenie and posted to alt.religion.wicca.moderated on July 30, 2003, in two parts. Part I: Message-ID [email protected]. Part II: Message-ID [email protected]. Combined here for ease of reading. The series title prefix "AB" suggests an intention to develop the argument further; these two posts are complete in themselves.

Preserved from the Usenet archive for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

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