Wrong not to celebrate the Sabbats/Esbats?

[Shadowsong]

I got to wondering now that Samhain/Halloween approaches if it's considered wrong... at least disrespectful... not to celebrate the Sabbats and Esbats? I just... I feel no real connection when it comes to celebrating them, if that makes sense... *shrugs* hope so anyways. I tried.

Shadow

[Gypsy flower]

of course you dont have to especilly not formal, but pay some respect to the spirits on the other side if you get a chance they can be a great benefit for you!:rolleyes:

[Willow Rosette]

I always have the urge to celebrate them but never the energy. Afterworking 10-12 hours a day and keeping up with a three year old there is just nothing left. I do think they understand. But at the same time I think my taking a moment to admire the full moon (which was so beautiful today) is celerating in its own way. I think as long as you accacnoladge them in some manner then all is good. (I hope)

p.s. sorry about the spelling, cant find spell check.

[Agaliha]

I got to wondering now that Samhain/Halloween approaches if it's considered wrong... at least disrespectful... not to celebrate the Sabbats and Esbats? I just... I feel no real connection when it comes to celebrating them, if that makes sense... *shrugs* hope so anyways. I tried.
Shadow

Actually I feel the same way.
I understand the lore, myths, corerspondences, reasons, history and meanings [do to my research and reading on each of them] of the Sabbats and Esbats...but whenever they come I just don't feel that spritual celebration feeling that I would expect I should. I often wondered it it was just me, but I guess it is not.
Some of it may be the fact that I grew up with beliefs that didn't require any observance of any type, no holidays or even a place to go to "worship" [there was no worship with those beliefs, but you know what I mean]. So it's just not something that I am used to or calls to me as something I should have to do in a faith.
I do honor and recognize the beauty of the Earth, of a full moon, of the seasons changing [especially Autumn-- my favorite!], of animals and things but I don't really do any rituals. I use to, a few times, and I have written my own but it's just....eh...it didn't feel like I thought it would.
I know there are some that say you have to honor the Sabbats and Esbats to be a Pagan or Wiccan or Witch or whatever. That's their opinion, not mine. So no, I do not think it is wrong. To me there is no right and wrong, there is no one way or one truth.

[Wiccamagikal]

I wish I had the time to do so, I work a lot, and am very limited to getting out to the forest, where I personally prefer to do most rituals because it just seems more ...relaxing and...connected to Mother Earth and the Green Man. I do at least "acknowledge" them in my mind. Like last night, I did not know it was a full moon because I've just been so busy latley..well I went outside in the garden to pick some flowers, and looked up and walla! She was beautiful eh? I read somewhere today, that the full moon is a good time to gather herbs as well - what a coincidence huh!

I feel bad sometimes when not being able to celebrate or give proper observance of the sabbats, but - I am sure they understand!
Blessed Be,

[Teresa]

My advice is do what feels right for yourself personally. If you do not feel the connection to do something then it isn't wrong.

[Shanti]

Follow your heart,,,your not wrong!!!

[LadyCelt]

I don't really know all the traditonal stuff but I"m trying to do my personal thing on each holiday. I went ot nature center for a walk on mabon. For Amhain, I may do a kinda dumb supper meets remebrence for my relatives and people, espeiclaly my grandma. Since she made pecan rolls i may burn a pecan candle etc.

[RubyRose]

I don't think it's disrespectful. I keep my rituals pretty simple anyway, because I just don't have the energy in the evening to do anything elaborate.

[Rosana]

Personally I don't celebrate Sabbats in typical meaning.

I perceive Sabbats as border dates which divide the year into 8 parts. I call them:

21st of December to 1st of February - Time of the Abundance
2nd of Feb to 20th of March - Time of the Love
21st of March to 30th of April - Time of the Beginnings
1st of May to 20th of June - Time of the Fertility
21st of June to 1st of August - Time of the Power
2nd of August to 22nd of Semptember - Time of the Harvest
23th of Semptember to 31st of October - Time of the Ending
1st of November to 20th of December - Time of the Parting

I also don't like Celtic names of the Sabbats. I like to use my own, like The Summer Flame, The Winter Night, The May Eve, The Spring Dawn (some of them are adapted from DragonLance novels, which I'm very fond of ;)). Sabbats are for me transitional dates between the cycles and I celebrate them (if I do) as such.

I was fed up looking at my pagan friends, dressing up and performing rituals only at Sabbats and then forgetting about the season, so I've came up with my own calendar. It allows me not to focus on 8 days in the whole year, but to live by the laws of the nature and the life cycle all the time. I write a breviary for every part of the year, with quotes, poems, activities, prayers and so on - it helps me to keep on track as well.

Of course, it's not wrong to celebrate Sabbats and only them - just for me it doesn't fit.

[Agaliha]

Wow, Rosana great idea you got there. I like it and it makes sense. In the future I think I will do something similar. Then it will have meaning for me and I will feel a connection to it and want to celebrate. :)

[Rosana]

I'm glad you like it :smoochypo Honestly, I was a bit afraid of posting such blasphemy :T

[Athene]

Hi,

What you celebrate or honour is partly due to your religion, your intuition and/or your tradition/culture.

For example, as I am Spanish/Italian, Samhain means nothing to me, nor does Mabon or Beltane.

Most traditional witches have no celebrations at all, but simply honour nature's changing seasons with a little special ritual, rite or just a special meal.

What you call 'esbats' are simply Full Moon rituals. Some religions or paths make a point of doing rituals at this time, many do not. Instead, the rising or setting sun my feel more significant to you, or the New Moon or rain. For example, if you lived somewhere with constant droughts, then honouring the rain or storms seems to be more in tune with Nature.

Aligning yourself with Nature is important, not specific celebrations. Some do this via ritual, but ritual is not usually the end goal but rather a means to an end - the connection. This connection can be formed without ritual or special dates.

If you want to align yourself with your ancestors, then celebrating or honouring their special/holy days is a very good way.

:)

[Shadowsong]

Thank you all!!! This is wonderful to hear how you incorporate the seasons/holidays into your practices.
For me... as a spiritual person who at the moment is blessed and fortunate to have to wonderful Deities in my life right now... it just got me thinking. I wouldn't normally celebrate the Sabbats but with Them in my life I began to wonder.
Thanks again all! :)

Shadow

[misty]

Follow your heart,,,your not wrong!!!

Once again, I agree with Shati :)

[MariThorn]

I agree with Belle Terre and Rosana amongst others, howdy Athene :clapping: didn't know you were here too . . . Those dates to me are the endings and beginnings of the next cycle. It aggrivates me that witches don't observe the entire season, but try to pack it all into one night. Even Christians have a Christmas and Easter Season . . . I observe the entire cycle and if we have time do something special on the actual holy day. For Samhain this year we will have our traditional dumb dinner . . . have jack o lantern's . . . and light the family altar candles. We also invite the good faeries in for Yule, as November 1st is the first day of that Season. I have found over the years that you need to make your own Path and follow your heart.

Have a Blessed Samhain by the Way . . . Or whatever name you want to call it! :apumpkin:

MariThorn

[Aidron]

Holidays and sabbats are synonymous, they are times of celebration (as are esbats among many practitioners). If you don't feel like celebrating, if the mood is not upon you and you have celebrated every year before hand or never at all, why bother? You're not in the mood to be celebratory, thus you will only be doing it half-heartedly and then you're just wasting your time when you could be doing something more sincere.

[Calen]

...but ritual is not usually the end goal but rather a means to an end - the connection. This connection can be formed without ritual or special dates

Couldn't agree more. I am aware of the sabbats, but only usually do something for three of them. I feel very connected to the passing of the seasons every day, and just don't seem to have it in me to do special things for all of them.

Do what you feel is right for you!:graduate:

[StarCraftLia]

.

[13thChylde]

Personally I don't celebrate Sabbats in typical meaning.

I perceive Sabbats as border dates which divide the year into 8 parts. I call them:

21st of December to 1st of February - Time of the Abundance
2nd of Feb to 20th of March - Time of the Love
21st of March to 30th of April - Time of the Beginnings
1st of May to 20th of June - Time of the Fertility
21st of June to 1st of August - Time of the Power
2nd of August to 22nd of Semptember - Time of the Harvest
23th of Semptember to 31st of October - Time of the Ending
1st of November to 20th of December - Time of the Parting

I also don't like Celtic names of the Sabbats. I like to use my own, like The Summer Flame, The Winter Night, The May Eve, The Spring Dawn (some of them are adapted from DragonLance novels, which I'm very fond of ;)). Sabbats are for me transitional dates between the cycles and I celebrate them (if I do) as such.

I was fed up looking at my People friends, dressing up and performing rituals only at Sabbats and then forgetting about the season, so I've came up with my own calendar. It allows me not to focus on 8 days in the whole year, but to live by the laws of the nature and the life cycle all the time. I write a breviary for every part of the year, with quotes, poems, activities, prayers and so on - it helps me to keep on track as well.

Of course, it's not wrong to celebrate Sabbats and only them - just for me it doesn't fit.

I really like the way you've made your calendar :smile:

I find it very hard to fit everything into one day....so much to do: cooking, ritual baths, burning incense, offerings, etc. I've always done a little each day around the Sabbat. I'm the same way with my family's birthdays -- we celebrate all week instead of one day only! :clapping:

[talamh]

I believe it is really important not to burden ourselves with any form of guilt for not observing ritual or anyone else's sense of what should be done. I spent years recovering from years of forced observence of Christian rituals which meant very little to me. In fact, the parts of them that meant anything at all turned out to be "borrowed" from paganism. Slowly I realized that the Christian Christ is another form of the sacrificing and renewing God mythology and the Goddess put on a blue robe and lived as Mary Madonna in order to be safe and to be there for those of us who eventually went looking for Her.

Ritual is living poetry. If it feels right then it probably is.I really hope people coming into an understanding of their beliefs are able to free themselves of the old burdens of obligation and cumpulsion that take away the magic from whatever form of belief. It can take a whole lot of time, energy and resources to put together a large ritual and it can be a very rewarding, learning and blessed time of personal growth and discovery. But if you're doing it because you feel you "have" to then it's quite possible you're missing the point.

A small personal and private ritual is just as much a ritual as a large planned and shared ritual. It's the connection that matters and that can be done lieing down in bed at the end of a long hard day as well as it can be done using beautiful robes and candles and a chalice and blade.