A Witch for Every Season: Spells, Rituals, Festivals & Magic

By Rachel Patterson

Enjoy a Month-By-Month Journey of Seasonal Magic

Create your own year of celebrations, inspired by the seasons and a wide variety of festivities. Learn how to honour the energies of each month with spells, rituals, meditations, recipes, moon magic, altar decorating, and other activities. Going beyond traditional sabbats, this book introduces you to more than eighty events throughout the year, including those with Pagan, Christian, national, and local roots. Build a large bonfire for Beltane, cast a shell into the ocean on Tynwald Day, carve a beet for Punkie Night, and cook pancakes for Shrove Tuesday. Featuring celebrations like St. David's Day, Walpurgis Night, Summer Solstice, World Goddess Day, All Soul's Eve, and Saturnalia, this book ensures that you'll have a magical journey around the sun.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
• Release date: Nov 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9780738771625

Rachel Patterson

Rachel Patterson, also known as the "Kitchen Witch," is a High Priestess of the Kitchen Witch Coven and an Elder at the online Kitchen Witch School of Natural Witchcraft. She's the author of twenty books on Witchcraft, including Curative Magic and A Witch for Every Season. She is a regular contributor to Pagan Dawn magazine and Witchcraft & Wicca magazine as well as websites Patheos Pagan and Witches & Pagans. Rachel was added to the Watkins 'Spiritual 100 List' for 2023. She lives in Hampshire, England. Visit her at www.RachelPatterson.co.uk.

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About the Author

Rachel Patterson, also known as the Kitchen Witch, is a High Priestess of the Kitchen Witch Coven and an Elder at the online Kitchen Witch School of Natural Witchcraft. Rachel is a popular contributor to several magazines, including Pagan Dawn, Fate & Fortune, and Witchcraft & Wicca. You will also find her regular ramblings on her blog and YouTube channel. Her Craft is a combination of old religion Witchcraft, Wicca, wild Witchcraft, kitchen witchery, green witchery, and folk magic.

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Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Copyright Information

A Witch for Every Season: Spells, Rituals, Festivals & Magic © 2022 by Rachel Patterson.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any matter whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Publications, except in the form of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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First e-book edition © 2022

E-book ISBN: 9780738771625

Book design by Samantha Peterson

Cover design by Kevin R. Brown

Interior art by Llewellyn Art Department

Seasonal runes image on page 17 by Peter Patterson

Llewellyn Publications is an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

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Contents

Chapter One: What Is the Wheel of the Year?

Chapter Two: Finding Seasonal Correspondences

Spring

Chapter Three: March

Chapter Four: April

Chapter Five: May

Summer

Chapter Six: June

Chapter Seven: July

Chapter Eight: August

Autumn

Chapter Nine: September

Chapter Ten: October

Chapter Eleven: November

Winter

Chapter Twelve: December

Chapter Thirteen: January

Chapter Fourteen: February

Chapter Fifteen: Working with the Seasons

Conclusion: And So, to the Seasons’ End

Recommended Reading

Bibliography

Disclaimer

If you have ailments or mental health issues, get them diagnosed by a medical professional. If it is advised, work out a course of medication. This book does not in any way replace the need for proper medical treatment, including medication or therapy for mental health issues. Neither the author nor the publisher advocate for self-diagnosis. Always seek professional advice.

In the following pages you will find recommendations for the use of certain herbs, essential oils, incense blends, and ritual items. If you are allergic to any of these items, please refrain from use. Each body reacts differently to herbs, essential oils, and other items, so results may vary person to person.

Essential oils are potent; use care when handling them. Always dilute essential oils before placing them on your skin, and make sure to do a patch test on your skin before use. Perform your own research before using an essential oil.

Never self-medicate, even with herbal remedies. Herbal remedies can be extremely potent; some are toxic. Others can react with prescription or over-the-counter medications in adverse ways. Please do not ingest any herbs if you aren’t sure you have identified them correctly. If you are on medication or have health issues, please do not ingest any herbs without first consulting a qualified practitioner.

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Chapter One

What Is the Wheel

of the Year?

The Wheel of the Year is a term used for the Pagan annual cycle and celebrations of the earth’s seasons. It is marked by eight Sabbats, each celebrating the turning of the solar year and the changing of the seasons. It creates a never-ending cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

The eight Sabbats are divided into Lesser and Greater Sabbats. The Lesser Sabbats are the solstices and equinoxes. The modern names given in the Wiccan tradition are Ostara (spring equinox), Litha (summer solstice), Mabon (autumn equinox), and Yule (winter solstice).

The Lesser Sabbats form the quarter points of the year and when they are placed on the Wheel, they form a cross. The remaining four Sabbats—Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain—fall on cross-quarter days and are known as the Greater Sabbats or the Fire Festivals.

The idea of a Wheel of the Year was first put forward by the scholar Jacob Grimm in his work Teutonic Mythology, dated 1835 CE.¹ The modern Wheel of the Year was devised in the mid-twentieth century and has been attributed to Gerald Gardner, founder of modern Wicca, and Ross Nichols, who founded OBOD (Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids).² There is evidence that the ancient Celts celebrated some of the Wheel of the Year festivals, although they were probably called by other names that have been lost over time.

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Wheel of the Year

The modern wheel was originally based on the Celtic festivals covering Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, and Lughnasadh. The solstices and equinoxes were added, and some of them were even given new names in the 1970s, creating the Wheel of the Year we know now. The name Mabon was given to the autumn equinox in the 1970s by an author, Aidan Kelly, so it is not ancient.³

I believe you should call the Sabbats whatever feels right for you. If you want to rename them all completely, do it. If you want to use the Wiccan names, go for it. If you prefer to use the descriptive terms such as autumn equinox, then do that. This is about tailoring the year to suit you, so why shouldn’t you call the Sabbats whatever names resonate with you?

As I am not Wiccan, I tend to use the descriptive terms, because they suit me. For me, the Wheel of the Year has far more reach than just eight dates on the calendar. It covers the whole twelve months of the year. However, the eight Sabbats are a good starting point. The dates for the solstices and equinoxes are set by the position of the earth on its axis, and they can vary by up to three days each year.

The eight Sabbats and their dates are:

• Spring Equinox/Ostara: March 20–23

• Beltane: May 1

• Summer Solstice/Litha: June 20–22

• Lughnasadh (sometimes called Lammas): August 1

• Autumn Equinox/Mabon: September 20–23

• Samhain: October 31/November 1

• Winter Solstice/Yule: December 20–22

• Imbolc: February 2

The Wheel of the Year in the Southern Hemisphere

Of course, if you live in the Southern Hemisphere, the dates of the Sabbats are opposite to the Northern Hemisphere. I say opposite, but I am aware that it isn’t quite that simple, especially with changes in seasons from area to area and climate change. But as such, you may prefer to work with the energies according to the season, and the Sabbats would be shifted by six months to become:

• Lughnasadh (sometimes called Lammas): February 2

• Autumn Equinox/Mabon: March 20–23

• Samhain: May 1

• Winter Solstice/Yule: June 20–22

• Imbolc: August 1

• Spring Equinox/Ostara: September 20–23

• Beltane: October 31/November 1

• Summer Solstice/Litha: December 21–22

My Version of the Wheel

When I first began my Pagan journey, I was presented with the Wheel of the Year that it seemed most Pagans worked with. I learnt all the dates and correspondences, which took me ages, and I often forgot what was supposed to be where! But I duly decorated my altar for each Sabbat and did the ritual, although I am not sure how much I actually connected with each one. As my journey has deepened and the years have passed, I realised that the Wheel of the Year isn’t about dates on calendars; it’s more about connections. Mother Nature does not keep to a schedule, and perhaps more so in recent years; the seasons seem to be all over the place. The energies will also change depending on where you are in the world and how your seasons work.

The Wheel of the Year you are probably familiar with was created in England, so it follows the seasonal weather pattern of England, although even in our small country, the weather and temperatures vary from area to area. But not everyone in the world will be able to relate to these calendar dates and their meanings. Some places in the world have four definite seasons as we do in England; others don’t.

I urge you to bend the rules of the Wheel or even change them completely. Follow your local weather system and landscape. This is one of the reasons why I break down the year into months and why I extend the Sabbats over a series of weeks rather than just one or two days. (I’ll talk more about my personal Wheel of the Year in chapter 2.)

• Spring Equinox/Ostara: I like to start my celebrations for the spring equinox at the beginning of March, and they usually last until the middle of April.

• Beltane: For Beltane, my preparations begin mid-April, following on from the spring equinox and right through until about the third week of May.

• Summer Solstice/Litha: Summer solstice celebrations start in my house in the last week of May and run through the whole of June, often until mid-July.

• Lughnasadh (sometimes called Lammas): Once I finish with my summer solstice festivities, I begin setting up for Lughnasadh, usually from mid-July through the third week of August.

• Autumn Equinox/Mabon: In the last week of August, I start preparations for the autumn equinox and carry the celebration through until the end of September.

• Samhain: My Samhain celebrations fill the whole of October and the first week or two of November.

• Winter Solstice/Yule: Often beginning in the second week of December, my winter solstice festivities carry on through the rest of December and into the first week of January.

• Imbolc: I usually take a couple of weeks off at the beginning of January to clear space and take a breath. Then I prepare for Imbolc mid-January and run it through until the end of February.

Your path is your own; each person will walk it differently. The same applies to the Wheel of the Year: it must work for you and where you live. I wholeheartedly believe you should follow the Wheel in your own way. You can modify the Wheel depending on your culture and any celebrations in your area. I believe it is entirely possible—and, in fact, should be encouraged—to merge these together. Christmas is a good example. I celebrate with my non-Pagan family and just mix up the traditions. I do the same with those who follow another religion or are part of a specific culture; we take the practices and traditions and merge them. If you and your family are Christian or Jewish, for instance, meld those celebration dates and practices together with your Witchcraft or Pagan journey. Make it work for you. Create new ways to celebrate and bring in new family traditions. Or resurrect old ones.

Don’t do things if they don’t feel right to you. Don’t go through the motions just because everyone else is doing it. You shouldn’t feel the need to celebrate the first harvest on a certain date if it hasn’t happened in your area yet. And the harvests in your location will also be specific to produce, which might be wheat or barley, but it could also be mangoes or pineapples. (The latter is unheard of in the south of England, where I am!) Tailor your connection and celebrations to what is going on in your area. And if you miss a Sabbat? Don’t beat yourself up. You won’t be struck down by the gods—really, you won’t.

Make It Yours

There are many different Pagan pathways and traditions within. Each one has its own beliefs and guidelines. My own is that of a Pagan Kitchen Witch. I work with the old gods that hail from the land I live on. As such, I focus primarily on working with deities from ancient Britain, but you should work with gods or nature spirits that have meaning to you in your own journey. I don’t follow rules or guidelines laid out by others—I never have liked being told what to do! What I do is trust my own intuition and tune into the ebb and flow of Mother Nature and the landscape that surrounds me.

Whilst the Sabbats are a wonderful way to separate the year and give us a good excuse to celebrate, my purpose in this book is to show how you can make the year more personal to you and your own journey. Some of the ideas in this book are based on folk traditions, and others are linked to more recent suggestions. I don’t include lots of historical facts or details, but there are plenty of sources for those if that interests you. Instead, what I will do is take you on a journey through the year that is based on a strong connection to Mother Earth. I believe the key to riding the ebb and flow is to connect with the source.

Trust your intuition.

Connect with the land.

Celebrate and enjoy the journey.

Most importantly, make it your own!

I don’t want you to reinvent the Wheel … Actually, that’s exactly what I want you to do!

Tips for Working with the Wheel

The celebrations are yours to make as personal as you want. There are, of course, some traditional historical practices, but ultimately, this is your path. Always trust your intuition when working magic or choosing corresponding items. Your intuition won’t let you down.

There are lots of ways you can celebrate the Sabbats and work with the months, but I encourage you to connect with the energy of each season and allow its flow to carry you as you build your own ways of working with each one. The correspondences I have included within these pages relate to the plants and foods that are in season and/or that correspond to the magical energies of each month or Sabbat.

I connect to the magical energy of Mother Nature every morning. I do this when I let the dog out first thing. Whilst he is bounding around and sniffing every plant, stone, and corner of the garden, I take a moment to myself. I encourage you to take a step outside every day. Look at the plants around you; see the leaves and the flowers and the stage of life they are at. Look up to the sky. Feel the sun and the air on your skin. Note the clouds and their patterns. Listen to the birds and the sounds of life around you. Take a deep breath in and feel the energy of the moment. Sometimes when I am doing this, a word or a feeling will pop into my head. Occasionally, I even get a message about what magic to work or which tasks to take on that day. Most importantly, I am connecting with Mother Nature and the energy she provides, watching, looking, listening, and feeling the moment that nature is in. If you build a regular connection to Mother Nature, this will help you tune in to the turning of the Wheel and the seasons in your locality.

Get to know your area. Don’t just get to know your area in the ordinary sense of going for walks and finding out where everything is—really delve into the history. With so much information available at our fingertips, it is easy to source the history and folklore of any one place. Find out what has happened in your area over the past few centuries. What history does it hold? What folk stories or myths are associated with it?

Connect with the energy of the land that is below your feet. Interact with the ancestors that came before you. The Romans called it genius loci, which translates to spirit of place. Every location has the spirit or energy of the place, whether it is a field, a forest, a shopping mall, or a car park. Even modern buildings and spaces will have a spirit or an energy that you can connect with. It is a feeling, an energy, or perhaps an aura.

I am not talking ghosts or spirits of those long dead, but the energy of a place made up from memories of those that have been there before and the energy of the buildings or land itself. The energy is held within the buildings, the earth, and the space. Not only will it help you understand your local area, it will also help you feel comfortable, connected, and at home with the land. When I visit a place—or even when I am just in my own garden or house—

I connect with that energy. Open yourself up, use your senses, and feel the energy; talk to it. Remember that you don’t need to visit a famous sacred place to feel connected. Every place is sacred, and none more so than your own home and yard.

[contents]

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1. Mark, Wheel of the Year.

2. Damh the Bard, Wheel of the Year.

3. Kelly, About Naming Ostara, Litha, and Mabon.

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Chapter Two

Finding Seasonal

Correspondences

Each Sabbat has either a set date or one that varies by a day or two each year. Generally, we do tend to see them as only one day on the calendar. However, I like to work with them as a period of time. Using one of the most popular Sabbats as an example, Samhain is celebrated on October 31 each year, but most of us crack open the Halloween decorations a couple of weeks beforehand, sometimes more. There is a buildup of energy before the event and then a calming down of the energy afterward. For me, this kind of thing works for each Sabbat. Then each Sabbat flows nicely into the next one, with a handing over of the energies as the next one approaches. One of my lovely friends likens the energy of the Sabbats to the phases of the moon: the waxing phase is the weeks beforehand, the full energy on the calendar date of the Sabbat, and then the waning phase is the days afterward.

I like to break the Wheel down into months; each month has its own unique energy, so I work with that. Sometimes I work with the energy of each week or even each day as well. This book will give you prompts, tips, and suggestions for how to make those connections and celebrate the seasons, months, and Sabbats in your own way.

The most important part of this journey is the connection. By noticing what the weather and nature are doing, you form a bond. Make that connection with the land you live on. You are in tune and in touch with Mother Nature, and that is a true gift.

The Calendar

The 365-day calendar we are familiar with today wasn’t always the one people used. There have been quite a few adjustments along the way. Seemingly invented by those clever ancient Egyptians, the solar calendar was based on the seasonal year and the amount of time it took the earth to revolve around the sun, creating our 365 (and one-quarter) days each year. The months were based on the time it took the moon to complete its cycle (approximately twenty-nine-and-a-half days).

Unfortunately, this calendar didn’t account for that extra quarter day each year, so the calendar gradually drifted. This was rectified by adding an extra day every four years, now known as leap day, which takes place in February. This was the Julian calendar, brought in by Julius Caesar. However, the Julian calendar had 365.25 days, but the tropical year has 365.24219 days.⁴ This might not sound like a big deal, but by the 1550s the dates were off by about ten days. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII made a change to the calendar to restore the error, and this became known as the Gregorian calendar. Parts of Europe adopted this new calendar within a year, but others took a bit longer. Great Britain moved to the Gregorian calendar in 1752. Other countries took longer, and some didn’t change until the early 1920s.⁵

Some religions still use the Julian calendar for festivals and celebration dates. This does mean that some of our Pagan celebration dates are different in modern times than they were originally. This may explain some of the drift in seasons too. For instance, May Day was always marked by the flowering of the hawthorn. But with the shift in the calendar and the seasons, now the hawthorn often doesn’t flower until the middle of May. The difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars is currently thirteen days, the Gregorian being ahead of the Julian.⁶

Seasonal Connection

One of my great passions is eating seasonally. I believe that sourcing local and seasonal produce has so many benefits. Not only does it support local and independent suppliers and traders, but seasonal produce is much cheaper and tastes better. When produce is allowed to grow at its own pace in the right season rather than being forced to grow under artificial situations, it is in harmony with Mother Nature. Eating seasonally is good for your bank account and your taste buds, and it helps you connect with the seasons. It also helps the planet if you shop locally. Produce grown and sourced within your local area doesn’t involve transportation across the air or sea, which means less pollution.

Don’t forget that produce (and, indeed, all the ingredients in your kitchen cupboard) brings magical energy with it. I have included some suggestions within this book for seasonal magical ingredients. Use them in your cooking or baking. But also think outside the box and utilise them in your magical workings. Some ingredients don’t lend themselves very well to being added to spell pouches or witch bottles, but perhaps the leaves or seeds of the produce could be used instead. Don’t forget the juice! It can be added to witch bottles, used to anoint candles, or given as an offering. Maybe you could slice the fruit or vegetable and dry it out in the oven so you can use it ground or chopped in workings as well. Get creative.

And whilst we are talking about seasons, I have included some information about them too. I have worked with the meteorological seasons we have in England; yours may be different. If you find it too much to work with the energy of each month, or it just doesn’t resonate with you, then you could look at splitting the calendar year into four sections and working with each season instead. Obviously, tailor this to your local area and weather patterns, but I have given you some ideas that I’m hoping will inspire you.

Full Moon Names

Every month the full moon has a name that is associated with it. For example, there is the Wolf Moon, the Pink Moon, and the Harvest Moon. These names vary across the globe. The names were derived from where the people lived and what was happening in nature at the time. Although some folks only refer to the full moon name one day a month, the names traditionally apply to the entire month, not just the full moon phase. I have included some suggestions for each month, but I do recommend you seek out the local names for the moons in your area. It makes far more sense to use the moon name for your location.

If none of the names resonate with you, how about creating your own set of monthly moon names? Once you get to know the area, what nature is doing at the time, and how you work with the energy, you will be able to give each moon a perfect name that resonates with you and your pathway.

Recording Your Practices

If you like to use a journal, then this is the perfect way to keep track of the energy of each month. If you find journaling tedious (count me in that group), then you may prefer to keep a scrapbook or use an online version. Either way, it really can be useful to document the seasons. This can help you connect to the month, and it also gives you a record to look back on each year and notice any changes.

You don’t need to write an essay; just make a few notes each day or each week noting what the weather is like and what is happening in nature. You could take photographs and upload them online to keep a record of what you have seen. Just remember to note where and when. Or you can print out photos and stick them in a notebook with dates and places. If you are artsy, you could sketch images of plants, animals, and trees as they blossom and fruit. If videoing is your thing, how about keeping a video journal of your explorations? Remember to make a note of the energies you felt; this will help you connect with the flow of magic throughout the year.

Why not work out a list of your own correspondences for each month? I suggest the following headings as a guide:

• Moon Name: Give the month’s moon your own name based on what nature is doing in your area.

• Celebrations: What Sabbat falls in the month, and what local or national festivals or celebrations do you want to honour and include? How will you celebrate?

• Magical Energy: What magic will you work for each month?

• Plants and Flowers: What is growing in your garden? What about your area?

• Foods: What foods are in season?

• Crystals: What crystals do you associate with each month?

• Animals: What animals do you associate with each month, and/or what animals are active in your area at the time?

• Deity: What deities do you associate with each month?

• Altar Decorations: What items do you relate to each month? These could be natural or otherwise.

You could also create your own correspondences using meditation prompts or incense and oil blends.

Use It and Reuse It

I don’t believe that Witchcraft or working magic should cost a great deal of money. Most magical tools can be easily made, often with natural items gifted by Mother Nature. Charity/thrift stores are excellent places to source magical tools and items cheaply, and