Southern Hemisphere- Seasonal or Traditional?

[springsgrace]

Since the southern hemisphere's seasons are the opposite of the north's, when should we celebrate the sabbats? I consider myself a non-deity-centred wiccan, so I feel that the cycles of the seasons are the most relevant indications of when to celebrate which. It would seem strange to celebrate a plentiful harvest as you sow the seeds.
However, for deity-centred wicca, is there a tendency to celebrate along with the northern hemisphere? I say this out of curiosity because of the God and Goddess' cycle of life. If you believe there is one set of deities, then is there only one cyle? Which cycle is the "right" one? Or is this all just a metaphor for the state of the Earth?
Please, share your thoughts.

[SnowCat]

I asked that same question a month ago. It seems to be very much a matter of personal choice.

Snow

[Siona]

It's definitely a personal choice. If you're looking to connect with your local land, flipping them to match the seasons makes sense.

I say this out of curiosity because of the God and Goddess' cycle of life. If you believe there is one set of deities, then is there only one cyle? Which cycle is the "right" one? Or is this all just a metaphor for the state of the Earth?

I don't personally follow this system, but the people I know who do follow it definitely take it as a metaphor, rather than literal events that the Goddess and God go through. I'm not sure I've met anyone who takes it more as a literal series of events like that, but there are probably some people who do believe that.

The one person I've met who didn't switch the holidays did so because she had European ancestry, and felt not flipping them was a way to honor her ancestors and connect to their homeland.

[Ethereal Moon Rose]

This is something I'm struggling with at the moment. I'm not actively raising my kids as Pagans per se, nor am I raising them as Christians, but we do honour the seasonal changes.

We just celebrated the Autumn Equinox. Easter is tomorrow and I can't bring myself to take away that holiday from my kids even though it's a Christian holiday. It isn't 'real' Ostara here season-wise until September.

I guess I can categorize the two Ostaras as the kids and mine. The kids being the traditional date (easter bunnies, hot cross buns, egg hunts... ect... this is what Easter is all about to them) and mine being in September (celebrating the changing seasons, welcoming spring, ect...)

See my dilemma?

[Lord_of_Nightmares]

https://www.tumblr.com/search/southern% ... re%20pagan

I always find the S. Hemisphere pagans to be very knowledgeable on Tumblr.

[Ethereal Moon Rose]

Thanks I will check it out

[Becks]

Yup, it's more about our links to the global and commercial society. So you get two of everything....
I have friends in Australia and NZ. This sounds like a harder thing to deal with when the more commercialized major holidays come up. Pain in the butt. Sounds like you're pretty sorted though.

[Ethereal Moon Rose]

It is a pain, but not much I can do about it. Whilst they are still young I'll keep doing 'my' holidays and 'their' holidays. When they are older I will probably educate them on Pagan holidays/seasons/nothern/southern hemisphere differences

[Myrth]

So, I'm not Wiccan. Thus, my answer is from an eclectic perspective. I celebrate the seasons as they are HERE, where I live. I celebrate them in my own way. The "traditional" wheel of the year and interpretations do not fit my North American Midwestern climate. And, since I live in the country, surrounded by farm land, I cannot celebrate the end of harvest and death of the year when many crops are yet to be harvested, for example. It just feels silly to me, because if I open my eyes, the reality of my world and my place in it does not fit with the wheel of the year mythos. So, I scrapped all of that. I follow the natural rhythms of my own environment. But everyone feels differently about it. I think it is reasonable to say this:

There is no one true path, no right way or wrong way; there is only your path.

[Ethereal Moon Rose]

I'm not Wiccan either. You are right. I'll keep doing what works for my family and I.

[merwitch]

Was just about to post a similar question, as I'm in the State of Victoria, AU.

I tend to think it seems "right" (whatever that means!) to go by what season it is -- seems odd celebrating rebirth, growth and Spring when all the leaves are falling!

Thanks for your thoughts, guys.

[Saturnessa]

Here where I live (S. Hemisphere btw) some people celebrate what is called a "mixed wheel". They flip the solstices and equinoxes to fit our local seasons, but keep the Greater Sabbats (Samhain, Lughnasadh, Imbolc and Beltane) according to the traditional N. Hemisphere wheel, as to go with the "egregore".

Me... I am confused about the Wheel, even after so many years practising. The Wheel Of The Year is extremely North-Centric, fixed in Western Euro-American symbolism that does not make sense here where I live.

It baffles me that even nowadays, Pagan and Wiccan writers talk about the seasons and changes in nature as if they were "universal", when half of the planet is different.

Currently, I only celebrate solstice & equinoxes, which are visible here where I live. I do miss the other four Sabbats, but I feel like an impostor celebrating Beltane when even here they have begun to sell Halloween stuff (we didn't have Halloween when I was a kid). It has a colonial quality that doesn't gel with my spirituality.

I may have to end up creating my own Wheel, I guess.

[SpiritTalker]

This is just for reference, so I can get my northern head around the southern calendar. I used the standard northern agricultural customs, but these would need adjusting to the agriculture of your own area & when the crops come in. The European calendar doesn't fit my location either, so I adapt. Calendars are just guidelines.

Samhain - 15° Taurus - May 1 - Honoring Ancestors & Elders of one's tradition
Yule - Winter Solstice - Jun 21 - Rebirth of Sun, day overcomes night
Imbolc - 15° Leo - Aug 1 - Initiation, (re-) Dedication
Eostara - Spring Equinox - Sep 21 - New beginnings
Beltane - 15° Scorpio - Oct 31 - Fertility of Earth, life
Litha - Summer Solstice - Dec 21 - Life in transition, longest day, night overcomes day
Lammas - 15° Aquarius - Feb 2 - 1st harvest, abundance, sacrifice Corn God
Mabon - Autumn Equinox - Mar 21- 2nd harvest, Descent of the Goddess