Christian Witches, We Exist

This Pagan heritage is most obvious in the feasts and celebrations we both share.

The eight Witch Sabbats are closely linked both in date and intent to the feasts of the Christian calendar. This makes merging the two faiths extremely easy for someone who wishes to practice Christian Witchcraft. Practising Christian Witchcraft does not mean you have to merge all celebrations; you can choose to focus on the Pagan aspects or on the Christian ones, or you can choose to celebrate both! Let’s take a look at each one and discover the Christian Witch Wheel of the Year. You’ll find here each Sabbat listed with its Christian equivalent, along with the common themes they share. I’ve also included a ritual practice or tradition that can be used to build a celebration that truly honours both the Christian and Pagan aspect of the feast day.

Best night of the year. The date for Christmas was chosen by the roman Emperor Aurelian in the third century, to coincide with the feast of the Unconquered Sun. So, for both these feasts, we see a strong association with the power of the sun. Many pagan traditions were incorporated in the Christmas feast. Boniface introduced the Christmas tree, which was a Germanic tradition. Also, Santa Claus is an amalgamation of St. Nikolas and the god

Encouraging light in times of darkness. This light is represented in various ways: the unconquered sun, the star of Bethlehem, Jesus as the light of the world, or simply by the ritual use of candles.

There is no greater ritual than preparing a meal with the fruits of the harvest and giving thanks for all our blessings. That is communing with nature and the divine in the most fundamentally human way!

I am happy to say that the night still belongs to the Goddess. By night, one way, by day, another. It is the beauty of our spiritual path that we find such balance within it and around us. The days belong to the sun, the virile God in his countless manifestations. The nights belong to the Goddess, under the nightly orb, reminding us of the cyclical nature of our lives in her manifestation as maiden, mother, and crone. What beauty in this balance! By honouring both manifestations of the divine, we have come full circle in our celebration of life!

Blessed Be

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