The Wiccan calendar wheel, also known as the Wheel of the Year, is a key concept in Wicca and other nature-based spiritual traditions. It represents the cycle of the seasons and the agricultural and celestial events that mark the passage of time. The calendar wheel is divided into eight major holidays, also known as sabbats, which are celebrated throughout the year. The first sabbat on the Wiccan calendar wheel is called Samhain, which takes place on October 31st. It is considered the Wiccan New Year and is a time to honor and connect with ancestors and loved ones who have passed away. The veil between the physical and spiritual worlds is believed to be the thinnest during this time.
Wiccan Goddesses
and Pagan Goddess Names
A great many of our Wiccan Goddesses and Gods in fact come from the Roman/Greek pantheon.
It's ironic that a religion like Wicca, whose forerunner was destroyed by the Romans, has claimed the conquerors' gods for itself.
Nonetheless, the Roman pantheon fills out the family of divinities quite well. Probably because the Romans borrowed so many deities from other cultures too.
And since the Romans were technically pagans too, I guess it makes some sense.
We also take many Pagan Goddess names from the Celtic and the Egyptian religions.
In fact, we tend to gather Wiccan Gods and Goddesses from around the world. There are 2 reasons for this . . .
- Somewhere in the world there is a Deity for every occasion that could arise, and
- Many of us try explicitly to be inclusive, and honour the Deities of many cultures.
Now, having said all that in a previous article about there being "no specific Wicca Goddesses and Gods," there are certain deities who are more commonly invited into Wiccan Circles.
The veil between the physical and spiritual worlds is believed to be the thinnest during this time. Following Samhain is Yule, the winter solstice festival, which usually falls around December 21st. It celebrates the rebirth of the Sun and the return of longer days.
List of Wiccan Goddesses
Here is a list of some of the most common pagan Goddess names. I've been in Circles that have invoked each of this Wiccan Goddesses at one time or another, so I know they are actively used in Wiccan Goddess worship.
Akhilandeshvari — Hindu Goddess Never-Not-Broken
Amaterasu — Japanese sun Goddess
Annapurna — Hindu Goddess of Food and Nourishment
Aphrodite / Venus — Greek Goddess of love and beauty
Artemis / Diana — Greek/Roman Goddess of the hunt, virginity, and childbirth, twin sister of Apollo, and an Olympian, often associated with the moon
Astarte — Phoenician Goddess of fertility, sexuality, and war
Athena — Greek Goddess of wisdom, defensive and strategic wars
Bast — Egyptian solar and war Goddess (in the form of a cat)
Baubo — Greek Goddess of mirth, jests, and bawdy humour. A bawdy body goddess, sexuality and play (in an adult sense) and ribald humour, the power of life (in a manifest sense) and procreation and enjoying — even flaunting — flirtation and sexuality. Also the one who teasingly, laughingly tempted Amaterasu out of her cave — ie, brings us out of intellect and isolation into our physical selves and connection. (At least, this is how I understand her.) The Goddess of Having A Good Time!
Brighid — Celtic Goddess of poetry, healing, and crafts (especially smith-work), holy wells and eternal flames
Cerridwen — Celtic Goddess of transformation, of the cauldron of inspiration, of prophecy
Cybele — Greek Earth Mother
Danu — Irish Mother Goddess
Demeter — Greek Goddess of the harvest and of grain, mother of Persephone
Durga — Hindu Great Goddess, Divine Mother
Eos — Greek Goddess of the dawn
Ereshkigal — Mesopotamian Goddess of Darkness, Death, and Gloom
Flora — Roman Goddess of flowers
Fortuna — Roman Goddess of fortune
Freya or Freyja — Norse Goddess of fertility, sexual liberty, abundance, and war
Frigg — Norse Goddess of marriage, household management, and love, Queen of Heaven, and wife of Odin
Gaia / Earth Mother — The Greek Goddess Gaia is the primordial Goddess of earth, mother and grandmother of the first generation of Titans
Hathor — Egyptian Goddess of the Milky Way, Mother Goddess, Goddess of childbirth and death
Hecate — Greek Goddess of witchcraft and magick, crossroads, and the harvest moon
Hestia — Greek Goddess of the hearth and domestic life
Hel — Norse Goddess daughter of Loki and the giantess Angrboda, Queen of the Dead
Hera — Roman Goddess of the Hearth, of women, and of marriage
Inanna — Sumerian Goddess of sexual love, fertility, and warfare
Isis — Egyptian Mother Goddess, matron of nature and magick, Goddess of creativity and the underdog
Ishtar — Mesopotamian Goddess of sexual love, fertility, and war
Juno — Roman Queen of Heaven, Queen of the Gods. Juno is the Goddess of marriage and childbirth, home and family. (This is why June, named for this Goddess, is considered the most auspicious month for weddings.) Juno guards the family's wealth and the nation's finances. Invite Her in, when asking for help manifesting greater abundance for your family. The peacock is Her special animal and symbol. to honour Her, offer a pink rose.
Kali — Hindu Goddess of Time and Death, slayer of demons, protectress (as Kali Ma: Divine Mother Goddess)
Kore — Greek Maiden Goddess of bountiful Earth (See also Persephone)
Kuan Yin , Kwan Yin Ma , Quan Yin — Chinese Goddess of Mercy and Compassion
Lakshmi — Hindu Goddess of Wealth and Fertility (Goddess as Mother/Sustainer)
Lalita — Hindu Goddess of Beauty
Luna — Roman Goddess of the Moon
Ma'at — Egyptian Goddess, personified concept of truth, balance, justice, and order
Mary — Mother Goddess, Queen of Heaven, Goddess of Femininity
Maya — Hindu Goddess of Illusion and Mystery
Minerva — Roman Goddess of wisdom and war
Morrigan — Celtic war Goddess
Nut — Egyptian Goddess of heaven and the sky and all celestial bodies
Parvati — Hindu Divine Mother, the embodiment of the total energy in the universe, Goddess of Power and Might
Pele — Hawai'ian volcano Goddess, Destroyer and Creatrix
Persephone — Greek Goddess daughter of Demeter, Queen of the Underworld, also a grain-Goddess, Maiden Goddess
Radha — Hindu Divine Mother
Rhiannon — Celtic Goddess of the moon
Rosmurta — Celtic/Roman Goddess of abundance. She is also the Goddess of Business Success.
Saraswati — Hindu Goddess of Knowledge, the Arts, Mathematics, Education, and cosmic Wisdom (Creatrix)
Sedna — Inuit Goddess of the Sea and Queen of the Underworld
Selene — Greek Goddess of Moon
Shakti — Hindu primordial cosmic energy, Great Divine Mother
Shekina — Hebrew Goddess of compassion in its purest form (feminine aspect of God)
Sita — Hindu Goddess representing perfect womanhood
Sol — Norse Sun Goddess
Sophia — Greek Goddess of wisdom
Spider Woman — Teotihuacan Great Goddess (Creatrix)
Tara — Hindu, Mother Goddess, the absolute, unquenchable hunger that propels all life.
Tara, Green — Buddhist female Buddha, Tibetan Buddhism of compassion, liberation, success. Compassionate Buddha of enlightened activity
Tara, White — Buddhist Goddess known for compassion, long life, healing and serenity; also known as The Wish-fulfilling Wheel, or Cintachakra
Tara, Red — fierceness, magnetizing all good things
Tara, Black — power
Tara, Yellow — wealth and prosperity
Tara, Blue — transmutation of anger
Tiamat — Mesopotamian dragon Goddess, embodiment of primordial chaos (the Velvet Dark)
Uma — Hindu Goddess of power, the personification of light and beauty, embodying great beauty and divine wisdom
Vesta — Roman Goddess of the hearth
Voluptas — Roman Goddess of pleasure
Yemaya — Yoruban Mother Goddess, Goddess of the Ocean
White Buffalo Calf Woman — Lakota Goddess
To access info on more Pagan Goddess names from various cultures, see A Small Dictionary of Pagan Gods & Goddesses.
Yule is a time of introspection, gratitude, and renewal. Imbolc is the next sabbat on the calendar wheel, occurring around February 1st. It marks the beginning of spring and the time when the first signs of new life emerge. Imbolc is associated with cleansing, purifying, and preparing for new beginnings. Ostara, also known as the spring equinox, falls around March 21st. It symbolizes the balance between light and darkness as the day and night become equal in length. This sabbat celebrates fertility, growth, and the awakening of nature. Beltane, celebrated on May 1st, is a sabbat that represents the peak of spring and the beginning of summer. It is a time for celebrating fertility, love, and the union of the divine masculine and feminine energies. Bonfires are traditionally lit during this festival. Midsummer, also known as Litha or the summer solstice, occurs around June 21st. It is the longest day of the year when the Sun is at its highest point. Midsummer is a time for celebrating abundance, joy, and the fullness of life. Lammas, also called Lughnasadh, takes place on August 1st. As the first harvest festival, it celebrates the bounty of the earth and the abundance of the crops. Lammas is associated with gratitude, sharing, and the cycle of life and death. The final sabbat on the Wiccan calendar wheel is Mabon, the autumn equinox, which falls around September 21st. It marks the second harvest festival and represents the balance between light and darkness as the days become shorter. Mabon is a time for gratitude, reflection, and preparing for the coming winter. Overall, the Wiccan calendar wheel provides a cyclical framework for Wiccans to connect with nature, honor the seasons, and celebrate the cycles of life and death. Each sabbat represents a unique aspect of the natural world and offers an opportunity for ritual, meditation, and spiritual growth..
Reviews for "Living in Harmony with the Wiccan Calendar"
1. Emma - 2 stars - The "Wicca calendar wheel" was a letdown for me. The content felt very surface-level and lacked depth. It didn't provide any real guidance or in-depth information on Wiccan practices. I was hoping for more detailed explanations of the different sabbats, rituals, and correspondences, but it fell short. The illustrations were also underwhelming and did not add much value to the overall experience. I would not recommend this calendar to someone looking for a comprehensive resource on Wicca.
2. Liam - 1 star - I found the "Wicca calendar wheel" to be quite disappointing. The information provided was extremely basic and did not cover the important aspects of Wiccan spirituality. It felt like a cash grab, rather than a genuine attempt to educate and inform. The artwork, while visually appealing, did not make up for the lack of substance in the content. Overall, I would suggest looking for other resources if you're serious about learning and practicing Wicca.
3. Sophia - 2 stars - As someone who has been practicing Wicca for a while, I was hoping for a more advanced and insightful calendar. Unfortunately, the "Wicca calendar wheel" failed to deliver. The information it provided was repetitive and lacked depth. It felt like a watered-down version of Wiccan practices, which can be found in abundance online for free. The illustrations were the only redeeming factor, but they were not enough to justify the purchase. I would advise newcomers to Wicca to seek out more comprehensive resources to learn and grow from.