When it comes to the Neo-Pagan Wheel of the Year there is one tiny element that often sparks debate and can not seem to be agreed upon; what means what. Okay, that's vague, I know. What I am referring to specifically is the debate on what means what; is the Spring Equinox the First of Spring or Mid-Spring? Is the Summer Solstice the Start of Summer or Midsummer? I have written about this before, there is a whole blog about how Lammas does not represent the First of Autumn for all pagans on this site, but I have been given a reason to dredge up this topic once again, this time regarding the Spring Equinox.
For myself and the witches that follow my tradition, we view the Spring Equinox as the beginning of Spring. I am well aware that for many people and traditions the Equinox is mid-spring and the start of spring is celebrated on Imbolc. For whatever reason viewing the Sabbats in that manner works for them, whether it is because that is how their tradition honors the Sabbats or because they live in a region where the warm weather comes early I don't particularly care. It's their practice and they can do what they want with it (kind of the whole point of this blog, really).
For us here in NE Ohio Imbolc is very much NOT the start of Spring. February typically starts some of the worst snow we get during the season and I personally believe (as I have mentioned before) that it is important to work within the natural cycles of the land you live on, to honor the genius loci of your region, rather than try to fit your practices into a mold that just doesn't work. I simply can not honor the start of spring when it is 10 degrees outside and I am buried under a metric fuck-ton of snow.
As for why I now trot this subject out again...well, I was scrolling through the Book of Faces yesterday and I stumbled across a post by a well respected member of the pagan community. Someone one might refer to as a "Pagan Elder". This individual is known for their works on the Sabbats and, admittedly, was the source for much of my early knowledge on the pagan Sabbats before I decided to go "rogue" (really it's not all that drastic) and do it my own way. In other words this is an individual I respect..usually (and it is for that reason that I have chosen not to include their name).
On this day...not so much. What this person posted was basically a chastisement for pagans that view the Spring Equinox as the Start of Spring when EVERYONE KNOWS it is Mid-Spring and damn uneducated pagans keep getting it wrong! This alone was enough to annoy me but then I started reading the comments on this thread.
Lord love a duck NEVER READ THE COMMENTS!
I was ready to cut a bitch by the time I was done. Post after post praising this individual for his comments and bemoaning the state of the pagan community that any of us dumb fucks actually observe it as the start of spring! One poster even made the comment "I just smile arrogantly and walk away"....say what? This is cause for being arrogant and condescending? Personally I think not and I'll tell you why...
BECAUSE YOUR WAY IS NOT THE ONLY WAY!
I think that is a simple enough concept for even the dumbest of us to grasp.
Now this person practices a tradition of Celtic paganism so it makes total sense to me that they observe the Equinox as Mid-Spring. I also see why some people living down south or out west might view it in the same manner. That's cool, do you boo. If it feels good, if it makes sense, do that shit. But don't turn around and treat me like an idiot, or even worse, like a "fake" pagan, because I believe otherwise. Especially when you have a big voice in the pagan community. You are only perpetuating the kind of bullshit that causes division within our community and fuels arguments about who is a "real witch" and who isn't.
Shouldn't we be beyond that crap by now?
I do so hope homeboy enjoyed "Mid-Spring" because I had no qualms about celebrating the First of Spring and will continue to do so because I live in NE Ohio and that is what makes sense for me and my tradition and anyone that doesn't like it can suck my Sabbat.
*Originally posted on March 23rd, 2018 on my now defunct WordPress site.
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