The Last Harvest. The Earth nods a sad farewell to the God. We know that He will once again be reborn of the Goddess and the cycle will continue. This is the time of reflection, the time to honor the Ancients who have gone on before us and the time of seeing/divination. As we contemplate the Wheel of the Year, we come to recognize our own part in the eternal cycle of Life. (www.witchvox.com)

Yule is the time of greatest darkness and the longest night of the year. Since the Sun is considered to represent the Male Divinity in many Pagan Traditions, this time is celebrated as the "return of the Sun God" where He is reborn of the Goddess. (www.witchvox.com)

The earliest whisperings of Springtide are heard now as the Goddess nurtures Her Young Son. As a time of the year associated with beginning growth, Imbolc is an initiatory period for many. Here we plant the "seeds" of our hopes and dreams for the coming summer months. (www.witchvox.com)

The first true day of Springtide. The days and nights are now equal in length as the Young God continues to mature and grow. We begin to see shoots of new growth and swelling buds on the trees. Energy is building as the days become warmer with promise. (www.witchvox.com)

The Land represented by the Goddess is now ripe and fertile and the Young God expresses His Love for Her. This is a time of joyous reveling as the first flowers of Summer are gathered in Their Honor. (www.witchvox.com)

Although modern Witches often refer to the holiday by the rather generic name of Midsummer's Eve, it is more probable that our Pagan ancestors of a few hundred years ago actually used the Christian name for the holiday, St. John's Eve. This is evident from the wealth of folklore that surrounds the summer solstice (i.e. that it is a night especially sacred to the faerie folk) but which is inevitably ascribed to 'St. John's Eve', with no mention of the sun's position. (Incidentally, the name 'Litha' for the holiday is a modern usage, possibly based on a Saxon word that means the opposite of Yule. Still, there is little historical justification for its use in this context.) But weren't our Pagan ancestors offended by the use of the name of a Christian saint for a pre-Christian holiday? (www.geocities.com/athens/forum/7280)

Falling midway between Summer Solstice and Autumnal Equinox is the cross-quarter holiday of Lammas/Lughnasadh, which is the first in the trilogy of harvest festivals; Lammas/Lughnasadh, Mabon and finally Samhain. It is the time when the days suddenly seem to shorten and the nights grow longer. (www.witchvox.com)

The Second or Continuing Harvest. Now, as at Ostara, the days and nights are equal once again. gardens are in full bloom and heavy with nature's bounty. There is a slight nip in the air already and preparations begin to prepare for the long cold months which are to come. (www.witchvox.com)