Welcome to the mid-point of the Wheel of the Year, when the energies of nature are at their peak. Is it just me, or does everything feel a lot more hectic than usual at this time of year?

Maybe I notice the intensity more because in Somerset at this time of year, almost everyone is gearing up for Glastonbury Festival in some way. It seems to touch all our lives – whether we’re attending or working.

If you celebrate, we wish you a blessed Solstice. At the very least, when the Wheel starts to turn again, I hope we can take a collective pause to appreciate this beautiful, sunny season.

For us at The Middlewick, it’s the one time of the year – apart from Christmas Day and New Year’s Day – when our opening hours are disrupted. Glastonbury itself does become a bit of a ghost town during the festival weekend (the festival is in our neighbouring village of Pilton), but local people are busier than ever. And normal service in our thriving little town resumes very quickly.

Summer Solstice crystal grid for harnessing joy (created by Sunny, one of our wonderful Spa therapists).

Why celebrate the Wheel of the Year?

“We look to the landscape and the seasons as a metaphor for our lives, and we do that by following the Wheel of the Year… It makes sense for these times in which we live.”

Eimear Burke, Druid, OBOD Chief and Seanchaí (traditional storyteller), on the Irish with Mollie podcast

It’s a deep human need to mark the passing of time, and I find honouring the seasons to be a grounding practice that keeps me connected to the land.

One of my favourite things about the Wheel of the Year is that it gives us an opportunity to tune into and honour the natural rhythms of nature and harness them to help shape our lives. Each of the 8 festivals of the Wheel of the Year – the Sabbats – can provide a focus that helps us align our intentions and actions with the changing seasons. Each gives us a chance to reflect on our progress – what we’ve learned so far and where we’re headed.

How to celebrate the Wheel of the Year

Your own practice will likely be as unique as your fingerprint, and how you choose to celebrate is up to you, but those who venerate nature often do so through rituals, recipes, and drinks that remind us of the season, as well as walks on the land and visits to sacred sites.

Food and drink connects us with the land, the seasons and each other. Every culture and tradition has its own calendar of celebratory days – usually involving some sort of feast. In Somerset, apples, cider and mead are often present at our feasts.

Decorating your altar, house (or even yourself) with colours and symbols associated with this time of year is another way to celebrate and connect with the current season. Think holly and ivy at Winter Solstice and tulips for Ostara.

We have so many beautiful sacred sites nearby – from Glastonbury Tor to Stanton Drew and Avebury stone circle. There’s no better (or simpler) way to celebrate the Wheel of the Year than a visit to your favourite parts of the local landscape.

When does the Wheel of the Year start?

This is a matter of opinion – there’s no right or wrong way to celebrate the Wheel of the Year. Some consider Samhain to be the start of the New Year. You could argue that it’s at Winter Solstice, when the days begin to lengthen. To me, the land – and therefore the energy of nature – is still dormant well into winter. I don’t think the wheel truly begins to turn until February 1st.

In Irish and Scottish mythology, the maiden goddess Brigid dons her green cloak and battles the wise crone of winter, the Cailleach, at this time. The ground rumbles under Brigid’s feet, and nature starts to bloom.

The 8 Sabbats

Imbolc (around the 1st February)

Imbolc is around 6 weeks after Winter Solstice. The days become noticeably longer and those who celebrate will usually do so by lighting candles to welcome the returning light, eating seasonal foods and having a spring-clean.

Intentions for Imbolc: Align your goals and aspirations with the first stirrings of spring. Imbolc is a time for new beginnings, setting intentions for the coming year, and inviting good things in. Release anything that no longer serves you and focus on your bright future.

Spring Equinox (around the 20th March)

Nature is beginning to wake up, and as it does, our intentions start to bloom.

Intentions for Spring Equinox: Sow the seeds of your goals for the year and make sure to nourish your hopes and dreams. Water those seeds! Ostara is a light time full of hope and potential. It’s the official start of spring – a light, bright, creative time.

Beltane (around the 1st May)

This fire festival is a fertile, playful date for your calendar and one of the busiest times in Glastonbury, with a maypole procession on the day itself and a dragon procession on the closest Saturday to May 1st.

Intentions for Beltane: Your plans will be well and truly underway – enjoy life and keep going!

Summer Solstice (around the 21st June)

At the longest day and shortest night of the year, the energies of nature are at their peak.

Intentions for the Summer Solstice: Focus on abundance, joy, love, and connection with loved ones – particularly outdoors. From here the days slowly get shorter, making it a good time to address anything you need to start to release.

Lughnasadh (around the 1st August)

Welcome to the first harvest festival of the year. Named after Lugh, the Celtic sun god of great skill in all kinds of crafts, this is a time of feasting and thanksgiving.

Intentions for Lughnasadh: Check in with yourself and your progress. Are you progressing as you intended? What skills have you developed?

Autumn Equinox (around the 22nd September)

Day and night are of equal length, making this an ideal time to take stock of your progress and bring all aspects of your life into balance. This is also a harvest festival.

Intentions for Autumn Equinox: What seeds (intentions, changes, plans, goals) did you plant earlier in the year, and have they come to fruition?

Samhain (around the 31st October)

One of the peak times of the year for magic, Samhain is the last harvest festival of the year.

Intentions for Samhain: Now, when the veil between worlds is thin and the mystical feels closer than ever, we honour our ancestors and the spirits of the land.

Winter Solstice (around the 21st December)

The shortest day and longest night of the year marks the end of the descent into darkness and the beginning of the return of the light as the days begin to get longer.

Intentions for Winter Solstice: Each day from now until Summer Solstice is blessed with more light. The year is reborn. What in your life needs to be transformed?