“The Wheel of Change represents the balance of life, death, and birth which are all intertwined and could not exist without one another. The eight days on the wheel mark pre-Christian traditions of seasonal festivals, or ‘Sabbaths,’ as celebrated by the practitioners of Sabbatic Ritual. The word Sabbath comes from the Greek word ‘sabbatu,’ meaning ‘to rest.’ Satanism draws its ritual practices from many different sources such as Qabalastic Magic, but also within this text the revolutions of the Earth, and heathen influences such as the Celtic and Norse practiced included their use of Runic symbols, etc.
These are divided into the Greater and Lesser Sabbaths known respectively as the cross quarter and quarter holidays. Quarter holidays designate the seasons and are those which fall in the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions for the Solstices and Equinoxes, and the Cross Quarters are those Sabbaths which fall between the Quarters.
The seasons of the year – Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter are the result of the Earth’s tilted axis (tilted from perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic by 23.45 degrees) and annual rotation around the sun, causing different areas of the Earth’s surface to face the Sun at different times of the year.
The solstices are days when the sun reaches its farthest northern and southern declinations. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, December 21, marking the beginning of Winter. The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year and occurs on June 21, marking the beginning of Summer.
Equinoxes are holidays in which day and night are of equal duration. The two yearly equinoxes occur when the Sun crosses the celestial equator. The Spring equinoz occurs on March 21, and marks the beginning of the Season of Spring; the Autumn Equinox occurs on September 21, which is the beginning of Fall.
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Celebrating these times is an ancient tradition that will keep you in rhythm with both the passing of time and the formula of change that sprang forth life to the Earth upon which you dwell.”
– K. Whalen, The Book of the Circle