Keeping Sabbat and EsbatWork Separate

Lots of Wiccans allow magical work to creep into their Sabbat rituals. Becareful with this. Sabbats are good for ritual drama and meditation upon theturning of the seasons, and attuning to the energy of the earth as it cyclesthrough its phases. In turn, an esbat is usually reserved for magical work.Spellcasting, scrying, divination, and other related practices come into useduring esbats.

An attunement can be done through a symbolic action to reflect the sabbattheme or the season. The line between that symbolic action and magical workblurs if the symbolic action becomes too complex. Think about oldersabbat-related symbolic actions. For example, Northern European people used toroll a burning wheel down a steep hill after sunset on Midsummer’s Day. Theaction reflected in miniature what was going on in the season: the bright,fiery sun had passed its zenith and was beginning to decline, and the dayswould grow shorter from that point onward. A sabbat is a time to interact withthe energy of the changing season.

Confusion can arise from the combination of the idea of a symbolic actionand the concept of a spell. A spell has a specific intent in response to aspecific need. Components are gathered to lend supportive energy to obtain agoal. The components are activated together with energy raised by thespellcaster, and then released toward the goal. A symbolic action, on the otherhand, is performed in sympathy with a greater event. Energy may be raisedthrough the symbolic action, but it is to contribute to the cycle as it shifts,or to enhance the attunement the Wiccan has with the macrocosm. The performanceof a sabbat ritual leaves the Wiccan energized and attuned, in harmony with thegreater scheme of things. No spell needs to be cast to achieve a goal, for thegoal is what the ritual itself already provides. Esbats are where we work forourselves; in a sabbat ritual, we work for nature and for the Divine.

Solitary Wicca For Life: Complete Guide to Mastering the Craft on Your Own

Arin Murphy-Hiscock