Wheel of the Year: Living the Magical Life

by Pauline Campanelli, Dan Campanelli (Illustrator)

Discover the ancient lore, household techniques, and spiritual wisdom that will help turn every day into a time of magic, respect for all, and love of the Goddess, when you get Wheel of the Year by Pauline Campanelli.

Wheel of the Year takes you on a month-by-month journey of discovery through seasonal aspects of Paganism practiced both in recent and ancient times. Just look at a few of the things shared in this gentle, loving book:

For December: The Magic of Mistletoe; The Ritual Burning of the Yule Log; Magical Uses of Ashes from the Yule Fire; A Ritual for Cutting Sacred Fir; The Pagan Symbolism of Santa Claus. For March: Nine Magical Woods for the Beltane Fire; Psychic Skills for Working Magic; Making and Using the Magic (Black) Mirror; Telepathy; The Ouija Board; A Ritual for Opening the Heart Chakra. For May: Seeing Faeries; A May Wine Ritual; Symbolism of the Maypole; Sacred Marriages; Hawthorn Protection Amulet. For August: Celebration of the Grain Harvest; Ritual for Baking Sacred Bread; Making an Onion Charm; Magical Symbolism of Garlic; Natural Dyes and Inks. For October: Apple Traditions; A Hazelnut Charm; The Man in Black; Ritual Costuming and Mask Making; Divination for Samhain. This is only a small amount of the lore and a few of the many activities you will learn for each of these five months, in Wheel of the Year. The other seven months of the year are covered in depth, too, and each chapter has beautiful illustrations by Dan Campanelli.

Whether you live in a city, suburb, or farm and whether you live by yourself, with a partner, or with a family, Wheel of the Year will reintroduce you to the magic that is all around you.

Genres: Paganism, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Wicca, Witchcraft, Religion, Witches

159 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 1988

Reviews

[Ilyssa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. I really did. And then I read this sentence in the first section on December (p.13, for those who want to see this for themselves): "...Athena, as one of the three Fates, is one aspect of the Triple Goddess."

No. Just, no. Gonna write this one off as a loss and read something else, because I don't know how the you-know-what I'm going to trust anything else she writes is accurate after that.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly decent beginners look at the Pagan Wheel of the Year/ 8 Holidays of the Pagan year.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is arranged by months of the year, full of information about seasonal changes, gardening, crafting, etc. It's a quaint book, full of what seems an older school type of paganism, but still informative and useful.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

For nearly every spiritual person, there seems to be an experience or a person or a book that brings your path to life and shows you how to live and breathe it day to day. For me, this book was that life-changing experience. I refer to it often for creative inspiration. I like that each chapter ties in with the one before and after it. The continuity of the year is really focused on and explored throughout the book and you don't get the impression that one month or season abruptly ends when the next begins. This book gives detailed and useful suggestions of activities and crafts for the Sabbats.
If one can have a favorite Sabbat, Samhain is one of mine, although not for excitement that is part of the mundane world of Halloween. Certainly the thrill of Halloween never seems to dim for me, but as to many Pagans, Samhain marks a time of transition and remembrance. It is the pivotal point in the year – for many Pagans, it is the New Year, although in some traditions, Samhain celebrates the end of the old year, with a period of rest until Yule, the rebirth of the Sun and the beginning of the new year. For me, it is perhaps the holiest of the Sabbats, and one devoted, in my tradition, entirely to the God. It is the time of the Wild Hunt, when the Lord of the Sun becomes the Lord of the Dead through his own willing sacrifice and leads the Hunt, as He is the Hunted: He was the wheat that we harvested at Lughnassadh, and the grape from which we pressed the wine at Mabon, and now He is the beast of the wood and farmyard that we will slaughter in the Blood Moon of October. At Samhain the earth welcomes Him to His other kingdom, to reign until He is reborn at Yule. It is one of the two times in the year when the veils between the worlds are at their most transparent, and the time when we remember our dead, those who have passed to the Summerlands. It is thus a time of joy and sorrow, and to me is the time that reflects most fully the night side of Paganism, as its spring counterpart, Beltane, reflects the day. The dark soul of Samhain is as solemn and reflective as Beltane’s light spirit is wildly raucous. Sitting down with this book on a chilly October evening is really like sitting down to a big dish of your favorite comfort food. And food is generously sprinkled through the book: in addition to lore and tradition, there are recipes, along with the reasons that they might be served. There are also tables and diagrams, showing the natural dyes derived from plants, the meanings and correspondences of runes, quilt designs, and more. Campanelli includes charms and small rituals for health and protection, and her inclusion of the relationships of the lunar cycles to seasonal occupations (the Planting Moon, the Harvest Moon, the Nutting Moon, when hazelnuts are gathered and livestock is gelded) provide some valuable insights for those wishing to give a particular direction to their Esbat celebrations. This is not, however, a basic book on Witchcraft – it is a book meant for those who are practicing Witches, whether they call their path Wicca or some other form of Paganism. She does not give details of appropriate rituals for Esbats and Sabbats. She does, of course, discuss the Sabbats, drawing in a wealth of history and lore that can only make them richer for celebrants. Campanelli’s understanding of the relationship between gravity and play in Pagan beliefs is witnessed especially by her discussion of Samhain/Halloween.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

and so my search for an academic book on wheel of the year continues

[David]

All of their books are nice. The artwork here invokes a cozy witch's cottage feel. I think the author is honestly conveying what they really believe and practice, which is always nice. It doesn't give you a lot of information that you can't find elsewhere these days, but does so in a nice way. Every month you can turn to it for something new to do and think about. I'm fairly critical of anything coming from Llewellyn's Practical Magick Series, but I'd still recommend this to any would be believers.

[Melanie Rippon · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only criticism of this is that it focuses almost entirely on North America, though that is understandable as this reads very much as a personal account of how the Campanellis live their magickal year. People outside the USA would need to read/study further for information pertinent to their area. Also if you want to dig deeper into Pagan/Wiccan history. That said, this book includes interesting history & folklore, craft (& Craft) ideas, and you get a real feel for the seasons progressing which I guess is the main point. Overall an enjoyable & informative read.

[Maurean · Rating 2 out of 5]

4/28/08 Recently received this as a Random Act of Bookcrossing Kindness, and have just begun to read it; starting, obviously, with "May" (pg.74-81)

"May" speaks of May Day'; faeries; Beltane fires; the Maypole traditions; the Sacred Marriage
All things you would expect; not much "new" information, but interesting bits of traditions and some chants/blessings for the season.

[Sian Lile-Pastore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book all about the seasons with lots about food and cooking as well as little bits of magic.
The drawings (done by the author's husband- aw) are kinda rubbish but charming, and the black and white photos are so dark and of such bad quality that it's hard to see what they are meant to be - all adds to the charm though huh?

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

How some of our traditions evolved. The Easter bunny, and the Easter egg, for instance, are actually derived from ancient symbols of rebirth and fertility. Wheel of the Year can be read simply for its information, without fearing that it will undermine your religion.

[Castiron · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an interesting book, though it suffers from a frequent problem of nature-oriented pagan books: assuming that the climate of where the authors live is the same as the reader's. Not an easy way around that, though.

[Nicole Diamond · Rating 3 out of 5]

If it has one star I liked it a lot
If it has two stars I liked it a lot and would recommend it
If it has three stars I really really liked it a lot
If it has four stars I insist you read it
If it has five stars it was life changing

['Nathan Burgoine · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favourites of pagan reading, this is a wonderful complement to "Ancient Ways," and similarly presented: from the December (Yule) right round to November again.

Great book for those looking to keep a bit of pagan in their day-to-day.

[Joy Wolff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an old 1970's book. I liked it because of it's history and research into old ancient pagan and ancient customs, that we now, in the USA, use as our "Holidays". Very interesting book. Some good rituals for moon cycles, etc. also.

[Willa Guadalupe Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

When someone tells me they are interested in witchcraft or Paganism this is the first book I reccommend.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars because it has spinning in it! talks of the 3 fates, and I have that tapestry in my weaving room. simple explanations

[Nikki Ashendorf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has really helped me in creating fun and creative rituals for my circle.

[Shahna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just realized I was nine when I first read this. wow.
This is one of my favourites.

[Lota Carolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book with all my heart.

[Whitnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for beginning. A fair amount of interesting information.

[Erin Regneri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, practical information for any Pagan of any persuasion. I read it monthly all year long, it never fails to be insightful.

[Carissa Goble · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book wasn't exactly what I expected it to be. I expected it to be more focused on the specific holidays within the Wheel of the Year and while those were included, so were a lot of broader subjects loosely correlated with different parts of the year making this feel more like a flittering about what a year in a witch's life may look like instead of a deep dive into the holidays themselves.

That said there was a lot of information about various wiccan/pagan/etc. traditions and the roots of where those traditions came from and how they were shaped through time and coming into contact with other religions.

There was an entire section on basket weaving, the different types of traditional ornaments, wedding rituals/symbolism, and how to build your psychic journey. None of this is more than a toe dip into each subject, but it does give you an idea of where you may want to crawl next in your own spiritual journey.

I enjoyed this book for what it was. And I will likely listen again from time to time to help me resonate with the passing of time. As I do feel it helps you feel the rhythm of what life could be.

[Delia Tannino · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have been into paganism for a while and you’re searching for inputs about how to make your practice more regular and/or more attuned with the rhythm of nature, this will be a light, pleasant and very likely useful reading.
On the other hand, if you’re new to paganism and are searching for information, you might want to look for it elsewhere, because this book is in fact often imprecise at best. A couple of examples are given by the author claiming that Fenrir would swallow the world during Ragnarök (actually he causes the end of the world by swallowing the Sun and the Moon, but he does not swallow the world), and insisting on a supposed crucifixion of Odin (analogies can easily be found between Odin’s death and Jesus’ crucifixion, but there’s no such thing as Odin’s crucifixion). Also, please do not take the use of ouija boards as lightly as it is here suggested.
About the audiobook version available on Audible: I loved the voice of the narrator and she did a great job: a perfect rhythm and enthusiasm are skillfully combined in her reading.

[Silas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this as a free audiobook, because it was about to expire, mostly. As someone who started reading pagan books beginning in the late '90s, this had a certain nostalgia, and reminded me of many of the books I read early on, not the least because of the continuance of various factual errors that were common back then (though some were unique to this book, as well). The book takes a month-by-month look at various seasonal celebration ideas (though some of them are a tad forced). I appreciate the format, and there are some fun ideas here, though since the author lives in New Jersey, and I live in North Carolina, several things happen at quite different times of year (or not quite at all). As an audiobook, it's a sort of smear of nostalgia and ideas, and I enjoyed it for that and as an example of how someone might try to live with the seasons where they live. It's not a be-all and end-all, but it's nice, particularly if you can notice the errors and set them aside.

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book. It breaks down the year, month by month, and covers ancient traditions, religious rituals, country folklore, and ties it to the "new religion". All and all it's a very well researched book that has a lot of information.

The difficult part for me, is that it's more of a reference book. There are so many tidbits of great info, but it would be like picking up a text book and reading it straight out. Now that I finished it, it's hard for me to remember all the details from the first month covered.

I would recommend taking notes, or reading for the month coming up and trying to incorporate more of the ideas into your life and celebration of nature, the seasons, and holidays.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like how the writer has organised this work. They go through the year month by month and go into a lot of detail. I really enjoyed the history of Christmas Trees. And the symbolism of birds was also interesting.

I listened to the audio version of this book. The narration fitted the style of the book. The was an almost musical quality to it very soothing.

[Tina Romanelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book covered the wheel by month, including sabbats and esbats. Though the book is a bit older, I appreciated that the author and husband practice/d in western New Jersey. The American context was useful. The book was also well-researched and lyrical.

[Britt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting, but it had some interesting information.

I have a different cover of the book, which shows the wheel of the year and the 8 sabbats, so I was expecting more in-depth information about that.

[Denielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book many years ago. A good, easy read. If you want information on celebrating the old ways throughout the year this is still a great plethora of information.

[Wyatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good
Informational
But more wicca than I had hoped