Wheel of the Year – Live in connection with nature ✶
While our calendar is structured in the traditional Gregorian way, starting in January and ending in December, there are also other ways to view the course of the year:
Our ancestors lived cyclically with nature, something we have largely forgotten today, but which we can greatly benefit from re-introducing. When you live more in tune with the natural cycle of the year, you can reduce stress and become more grounded. By observing and interacting with nature, we can create a deeper connection and feel part of something bigger.
Cultivating this connectedness is also linked to a life with less anxiety, less expectation, and greater joy.
Living with nature can be both looking at the movements of the planets and the phases of the moon, and looking at the more earthly aspects such as the seasons, herbs, crystals and your own personal cycle.
These traditions are still deeply rooted in our culture today. Just look at the days of the week:
Monday: Moon Day (Moon)
Tuesday: Taurus' day (Mars)
Wednesday: Odin's Day (Mercury)
Thursday: Thor's Day (Jupiter)
Friday: Freya's (Friggs) day (Venus)
Saturday: Laundry Day (Saturn)
Sunday: Day of the Sun (The Sun)
The pagan wheel of the year and crystals that match it
The Wheel of the Year provides the framework for the events that occur in each season; events that we often celebrate, but which may have been given a Christian name over time. You can read about each of these events in the months they occur, where you will also find inspiration for how you can mark the holiday and thus come into deeper contact with nature and your ancestors – and with yourself:
Imbolc (February 2)
Light Festival. Midway between the winter solstice and the spring solstice. Nature awakens around us. A good time to spring clean and plan the garden year. Use the energy to manifest.
Spirit Quartz
Reduces fear and gently and lovingly helps you through life. Each little tip sends out vibrations, making it extremely effective. Helps you create flow and see the beautiful things in life.
Amazonite
The stone of hope. Radiates and represents love, and promotes kindness. It calms anxious thoughts and is linked to healing unpleasant experiences. Helps you connect to the feminine, so you can more easily create care for yourself and others.
Azurite
Very spiritual crystal that guides you to a greater understanding of the spiritual world and your own intuition. It makes you clearer in speech so you can live your own truth. It helps you embrace your inner child and heal emotional trauma.
Spring Equinox (March 21)
Day and night are equal in length, the energies of nature are in balance. Everything sprouts and is proof of the cycle of life. It is a good time to initiate new projects and let the fertile energy guide. It is a festive celebration of Mother Earth's life, light and fertility.
Read more about the spring equinox and get ideas for rituals here.
Lepidolite
Emits calm vibrations, giving you security and a feeling that everything will be okay. It creates emotional stability and inner peace. It is especially good during periods of great change, where it strengthens you to stand strong in yourself.
Celestite
High spiritual vibration, and is known to bring you into contact with the spiritual world. It creates inner balance and clarity, and helps you accept that everything happens for a good reason and therefore makes sense.
Sunflower
Creates sunshine within you. Girasol is known to give you deep inner insight and create understanding of universal connections. It strengthens your communication skills and improves your relationships.
Walpurgis Eve (April 30)
Previously, Valborg Eve was a spring festival; a celebration of light. This holiday celebrates love, passion and sexuality and a fire was lit, which was called Valborg Blas. The Maypole is also a nice way to mark the holiday. Valborg Eve is an ideal way to create contact with the spiritual world.
Carnelian
Strengthens your self-esteem and helps you to speak nicely and appreciatively to and about yourself. Carnelian gives you strength and courage, and helps you make decisions. It promotes your life-giving sexual energies, which bring desire and energy to all aspects of your life.
Onyx
A very protective crystal that gives strength and courage, and shields the wearer from danger and evil. It will help you get deeper into touch with your intuition and your inner power. Onyx promotes your empathic sense.
Pyrite
Is a very powerful crystal that creates strength, energy, creativity and resilience, while making you brave and open to new perspectives. It shields from negative energies and increases optimism and enthusiasm.
Midsummer/Summer Solstice (June 21)
Read more about Midsummer and get ideas for rituals here.
The longest day of the year, the shortest night of the year. The light, the warmth and nature merge together, the energy is uplifting, active and rich. Walk barefoot on the grass and cultivate movement through long walks, dance or yoga. Light candles or a bonfire, and write gratitude lists. Enjoy seeing how what you have sown unfolds – both physically and figuratively.
Kyanite
Constantly clean energy, and strengthens your communication skills. Helps you express yourself in a proper and respectful way. It is especially good to have in social contexts. Removes anger and aggression and promotes a sense of understanding and humanity.
Larimar
The stone for clear communication, and is known to facilitate and promote good, healthy conversations from the heart. Heals both physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. Is especially known to remove blockages in your upper body and have a calming effect on stress.
Blue Calcite
Encourages you to be present in the moment. Blue Calcite has a very gentle energy, and it brings peace and tranquility. It strengthens you to stand up for yourself and speak your mind. It is a joy-creator and lifts the energy in a room.
Harvest Festival (August 1)
Also called Lughnasadh or Lammas. We give thanks for the cornucopia of crops nature provides us with before we face the dark times. The harvest festival is a great time to prepare mentally and physically for the coming season, and save seeds for spring to come again. It is about enjoying life and the gifts that have been given to us.
Orange Calcite
Energy and joy creator. It lifts the energy in a room and helps connect us more deeply with our emotional intelligence so that we can better take care of ourselves and others. Orange Calcite lifts you and helps you overcome resistance.
Sunstone
Emits warm energy that is known to bring joy, lightness and abundance. It brings good luck and fortune to the wearer. Sunstone helps you pursue your dreams while promoting self-love and optimism.
Peridot
Peridot creates compassion, charity and empathy. It is known to be a powerful healing crystal. It has a very high vibrational frequency and works very potently and intensely. It brings happiness, joy and prosperity to all of life: both on a materialistic level and spiritually.
Autumnal Equinox (September 21)
Read more about the autumnal equinox and get ideas for rituals here.
Day and night are once again in balance. The autumnal equinox marks the end of the harvest, and it is a time to give thanks for all that has been given to us. The autumnal equinox is a good time to pickle, stew and brew, as well as to set your intentions for the coming period based on the natural cycle of nature which now asks us to slow down and retreat.
Green Aventurine
Is known as the "gambler's stone" because it increases your luck in gambling and manifests prosperity and success. Represents love and ease, and stimulates the feeling of what we desire, so it is easier for us to manifest it.
Moldavite
Is a transformation crystal that promotes your development and helps you peel away what is not beneficial to you. It will surround you with protective energies and self-healing, as well as providing a life-giving flow.
Rock crystal
Said to bring the energy of the stars into the soul and give you clarity and wisdom. Rock crystal provides overview and balance. It is a "master healer", and can heal everything and replace all other crystals.
All Saints' Day (October 31)
Better known as Halloween or Samhain, which has been used in many cultures for centuries as a memorial festival for the dead. Darkness is upon us, and nature has gone into hibernation. All Hallows' Eve calls for mystery, rituals, socializing, fun and magic - and it is a wonderful evening to honor those who have passed on. Reflection and contemplation in the form of journaling and a meditation practice are perfect for this holiday.
Chrysoprase
The stone of joy. Symbolizes joy, action, happiness and prosperity. Attracts abundance, money and prosperity. It is a particularly good support when starting new projects. Known to heal your inner child and release emotional experiences.
Emerald
A crystal of truth that helps you see things exactly as they are. Helps you open your heart chakra so you can receive the love you deserve. Emerald increases patience and awareness.
Rhodonite
Helps you to get exactly the love you need and to find balance and peace within yourself. It strengthens and grounds your emotional side and cleanses emotional tensions. Helps you to build your self-love.
Yule/Christmas (December 21)
Midwinter Festival. The light returns and we celebrate the energizing power of the sun. Use this time to take stock of the year that has passed, be grateful for what is, and set new goals for the year ahead.
Prehnite
Purity and love. It helps you see the best in your fellow human beings and make the best of every situation. It creates trust in your inner, innate intuition, so that you stand robustly in life.
Epidote
Helps us get back to nature and reminds us of the power we are all made of. It emits grounding, calming energies and helps us shed the negative thoughts and energies we surround ourselves with.
Charoite
Gives you an inner feeling of harmony and that everything is exactly as it should be. It has a purifying effect on both soul and mind, and enhances healing powers. It stimulates both creative energies and your inner reflection.
