The Wiccan Wheel of the Year is an important concept in the Wiccan religion, which is a modern pagan, witchcraft tradition. The Wheel of the Year represents the annual cycle of seasons and the corresponding rituals and celebrations that Wiccans observe. There are eight key points on the Wiccan Wheel of the Year, which are also known as Sabbats. These include the Winter Solstice or Yule, Imbolc, the Spring Equinox or Ostara, Beltane, the Summer Solstice or Litha, Lammas or Lughnasadh, the Autumn Equinox or Mabon, and Samhain. Each of these points represents a significant moment in the natural cycle of life and is associated with specific themes and symbols. These themes and symbols are often depicted through images, which vary depending on the individual celebration.
Maureen Lee Lenker is a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly with over seven years of experience in the entertainment industry. An award-winning journalist, she's written for Turner Classic Movies, Ms. Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, and more. She's worked at EW for six years covering film, TV, theater, music, and books. The author of EW's quarterly romance review column, "Hot Stuff," Maureen holds Master's degrees from both the University of Southern California and the University of Oxford. Her debut novel, It Happened One Fight, is now available. Follow her for all things related to classic Hollywood, musicals, the romance genre, and Bruce Springsteen.
The question of whether witches actually lose their powers when they fall in love is up for debate, but what isn t is that this is a funny movie showcasing some legendary performances including one by a Siamese cat. What can I say about this classic 90s series from The WB except that it has everything any lover of witchy goodness could ask for, including a Victorian mansion in San Francisco, no less , hot angels and demons, and even Shannen Doherty, hot off her success in Beverly Hills 90210.
These themes and symbols are often depicted through images, which vary depending on the individual celebration. For example, Yule is often associated with evergreen trees, wreaths, and candles, representing warmth and light during the darkest time of the year. Imbolc may incorporate images of candles, snowdrops, and Brigid's cross, symbolizing purification and the return of light.
‘American Horror Story: Coven,’ ‘Witches of East End’ cast their spell on TV viewers
$(document).ready(function() mc_embed_gallery = new MCGallery( url : “http://photos.mercurynews.com/2013/10/21/casting-a-spell-witches-on-tv/”,
captionHeight : “85px”,
parentContainer: “mc-embed-container”
>);
>);
When Jessica Lange, who plays a “Supreme” witch on “American Horror Story: Coven,” butts heads with her estranged daughter (Sarah Paulson), she does what any snarky mom with mystical abilities would do: She issues a threat.
“Don’t make me drop a house on you,” she hisses.
Ah, there’s nothing like a blast of wry witch humor to keep viewers spellbound.
Get used to it. This fall has become the season of the witch on television, and not just for Halloween. Magical sorceresses and she-devils are everywhere, from the latest version of Ryan Murphy’s “AHS” scarefest on FX, to the new Lifetime series, “Witches of East End.”
Witches also play prominent roles on “The Originals,” where they’re waging war with vampires. There’s a Salem-era witch on the breakout hit “Sleepy Hollow,” and this weekend, Catherine Bell brings her charm to the latest installment of Hallmark’s “The Good Witch” movie series. There’s even a new “Sabrina” cartoon for the kiddies on the Hub network.
So why the sudden uptick of toil and trouble? These days, viewers are obsessed with supernatural shenanigans in general, explains Julie D. O’Reilly, author of “Bewitched Again: Supernaturally Powerful Women on Television, 1996-2011.” And it just makes sense that witches get their moment in the spotlight.
“The genre goes through cycles,” she says. “We’ve obviously gone through an extensive vampire cycle, and we’re not out of it yet. We’ve had some werewolves and zombies and some reinvention with those characters. Now we’re finally getting back around to witches.”
Tim Minear, an executive producer for “Coven,” thinks audiences are drawn to witches in much the same way they’re attracted to superheroes.
“On some level, we wish we had superpowers,” he says. “And like with, say, ‘The X-Men,’ everyone can relate to feeling like an outsider, and we all have a longing for a family or a tribe. Add some special power into that mix and you’ve got something.”
Witches on the small screen are nothing new, of course. Ever since Samantha Stephens began twitching her nose and making life difficult for a couple of mortal Darrins, numerous female spell-casters have come and gone, from the quirky Sabrina Spellman (“Sabrina, the Teenage Witch”), to the increasingly dark and powerful Willow (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) and the Halliwell sisters of “Charmed,” right up through the witches who haunt “True Blood,” “The Vampire Diaries” and other shows.
For O’Reilly, Elizabeth Montgomery’s Samantha of “Bewitched” fame is still the leader of the pack.
“She was TV’s first featured female character with powers, and she remains the archetype for all the witches who have followed,” she says. “Even though the show was campy and corny, it was ahead of its time in that it depicted her as the strong one and Darrin as the bumbling one. She was the backbone of the family in a lot of ways. She had the power in the relationship and was the one who made things happen.”
With casts dominated by women of various ages, “Coven” and “East End” continue that feminist bent, but they do so in dramatically different ways. “Coven” is intense, scary and occasionally disturbing. “East End,” based on a best-selling novel by Melissa de la Cruz, is relatively light and romantic, with some occasional shudders tossed in.
Both shows, however, avoid depicting witches as what de la Cruz describes as the “hag with the poison apple.”
“You don’t see any old ladies living alone with cats,” she says. “These witches are much sexier.”
Set in a secluded Long Island town, “East End” centers on the adventures of a mother (Julia Ormond) and her two adult daughters (Rachel Boston and Jenna Dewan-Tatum) — both of whom are just discovering they possess witchy powers because mom had chosen to keep that little secret from them. Now that a sinister shape-shifter has arrived to terrorize them, the siblings must band together and learn their craft at a highly accelerated pace.
De la Cruz, who spent much of her career writing about teen characters, says “East End” represented a chance to combine her love of the supernatural with a desire to focus on strong women in a family setting.
“I wanted to make a statement about female power and sisterhood and motherhood,” she says. “But then I had to decide what and who they are. Witches, of course. … Broomsticks and potions and curses and magic spells? What’s not to like?”
“Coven,” meanwhile, is set in New Orleans and weaves a complex tale about supernaturally gifted debutantes at a finishing school for witches. How gifted? One young student, played by Taissa Farmiga, can actually kill men simply by having sex with them.
In this crazy-scary world, which also features Kathy Bates and Angela Bassett as devilish dames, witches are facing extinction, thanks in part to escalating attacks on their kind. Lange plays Fiona, an all-powerful sorceress who steels her girls for battle.
“When witches don’t fight, we burn,” she insists.
“Coven,” explains Minear, represented a chance to take the “AHS” anthology series in a wildly different direction.
“In the previous two seasons, we were finding a strong, almost feminist, undercurrent to a lot of what we were doing. … (And) going back to even something like the original ‘Halloween,’ with Jamie Lee Curtis, modern horror is often about female power fighting back. That, along with the astonishing women we’d collected, made it seem perfect.”
And downright bewitching.
Witches on the small screen are nothing new, of course. Ever since Samantha Stephens began twitching her nose and making life difficult for a couple of mortal Darrins, numerous female spell-casters have come and gone, from the quirky Sabrina Spellman (“Sabrina, the Teenage Witch”), to the increasingly dark and powerful Willow (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) and the Halliwell sisters of “Charmed,” right up through the witches who haunt “True Blood,” “The Vampire Diaries” and other shows.
Ostara, celebrated during the Spring Equinox, may feature images of eggs, rabbits, and flowers to symbolize fertility, rebirth, and growth. Beltane, commonly associated with May Day, is often depicted through images of bonfires, the Maypole, and flowers, representing passion and the union of masculine and feminine energies. Litha, celebrated during the Summer Solstice, may incorporate images of bonfires, sunflowers, and the sun, symbolizing abundance, energy, and vitality. Lammas or Lughnasadh, observed in early August, is often represented by images of grain, bread, and harvest, symbolizing abundance and gratitude for the Earth's bounty. Mabon, celebrated during the Autumn Equinox, may feature images of apples, pumpkins, and autumn foliage, representing the harvest's culmination and the balance between light and dark. Finally, Samhain, which falls on October 31st, is associated with images of jack-o'-lanterns, skulls, and ancestral altars, symbolizing death, remembrance, and the thinning veil between the living and the dead. These images play an essential role in Wiccan rituals and celebrations, helping to connect practitioners with the spiritual meanings and energies associated with each point on the Wheel of the Year. They serve as visual reminders of the natural cycles and the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth, which are central concepts in Wiccan belief. Overall, the images associated with the Wiccan Wheel of the Year provide a visual representation of the different energies and themes that Wiccans honor and celebrate throughout the year. By incorporating these images into their rituals and practices, Wiccans can deepen their connection with nature, symbolize their intentions, and align themselves with the cycles of the Earth and the divine..
Reviews for "Exploring the symbolism of Imbolc in the Wiccan wheel of the year."
1. Julia - 2/5 - While I appreciate the effort put into creating the "Wiccan wheel of the year images," I found them to be quite lacking in quality and creativity. The images were poorly drawn and the colors used were dull and unappealing. Additionally, the symbolism used in the images was unclear and confusing, making it hard to understand the intended meaning behind each image. Overall, I was disappointed with the visual representation of the Wiccan holidays and would not recommend these images to others.
2. Mark - 1/5 - I was highly disappointed with the "Wiccan wheel of the year images." The artwork was amateurish at best, and the overall design of the images felt unprofessional and lackluster. The colors used were dull and uninspiring, and the images didn't capture the essence of the Wiccan holidays they were supposed to represent. I was expecting something more visually appealing and aesthetically pleasing, but unfortunately, these images fell far short of my expectations. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone looking for quality Wiccan imagery.
3. Sarah - 2/5 - As someone who appreciates the artistry and beauty of Wiccan symbolism, I was disappointed with the "Wiccan wheel of the year images." The images felt rushed and hastily put together, lacking the intricate details and enchanting imagery that often accompanies Wiccan artwork. The colors used were not vibrant enough to capture the essence of the holidays they represented, and the overall design felt generic and uninspiring. I believe there are much better resources available for those seeking visually stunning Wiccan imagery.
4. Michael - 2/5 - I found the "Wiccan wheel of the year images" to be underwhelming and lacking in artistic quality. The images were simplistic and lacked depth and detail. Furthermore, the symbolism used in these images was not integrated well, and they failed to convey the true essence of the Wiccan celebrations they were meant to represent. I expected more craftsmanship and creativity in the artwork and was disappointed with the overall result. I wouldn't recommend these images for anyone seeking visually striking and meaningful representations of the Wiccan wheel of the year.