THE WHEEL OF THE YEAR
For quick reference, here is the Wheel of the Year showing the Sabbats, where they sit in the Zodiac, as well as the quadrants of waxing and waning light and dark.
SABBAT NOTES
1) Solar Festivals – while the Wheel of the Year honours both the God and the Goddess, the Sabbats are ultimately solar celebrations. They follow the path of the sun – the God – and how that journey is expressed and experienced on earth – the Goddess. The solar energies lead and the earthly energies respond. The God is born, lives, and dies, where the Goddess is eternal.
2) Celebrations – the Sabbats are sacred celebrations. They are a time for rituals, gathering, and honouring the Wheel of the Year. They are not the time for spellwork. Small alignment and sympathetic workings are fine but actual spellwork should be done at the Esbats.
3) Designations – I use the terms Fundamental and Culmination to categorize the Sabbats, along with their correct Quarter or Cross-Quarter Day designation. I find the more common descriptions of Major/Greater and Minor/Lesser problematic in their implied judgment of these sacred days.
Fundamental Sabbat (Quarter Day)
Solstices & Equinoxes: Yule, Ostara, Litha, Mabon
Fundamental Sabbats occur at the cardinal points, transitioning from one quadrant of the Wheel to another. They herald the modern seasons.
Energies are raw and directed. They transition and initiate.
Fundamental Sabbat celebrations should happen AFTER energies have begun.
Culmination Sabbat (Cross-Quarter Day)
Imbolg, Beltaine, Lughnasadh, Samhain
Culmination Sabbats occur at the peak of the season, at 15º of their respective signs.
Energies are contained and sustained. They concentrate.
Culmination Sabbat celebrations should happen up to just BEFORE the energies peak.