A Feri Perspective on the Year Wheel
3/06

(disclaimer: The ideas, concepts and exercises presented herein are mine. They do not necessarily represent those of "all" Feri)

Unlike many pagan paths, Feri trad explores and embodies the ecstatic energies inherent in the Year Wheel as it presents itself in the moment. Ours is not a fertility tradition with mythologies tied to the agricultural cycles of the Land — although we enjoy that, too! Rather, we enter into the Reality of the Land. Instead of re-enacting various agriculturally based sacred stories, we seek to find our own primal, chthonic connection to the Cycles of Nature. I have found that through the alignment of my three souls, connecting to Earth and Sky while maintaining my stance as Center, that the magic of the Wheel can enter me even as I enter it.

First, it is important to embody the paradox of the Year Wheel—it is within us and we ride it. However, care must be taken not to martyr ourselves to the cycles of the Wheel. It is not required that we sacrifice ourselves or our relationships to it (or anything else, for that matter!). In reviewing our own lives—memories, events, favorite foods and family traditions—we will go far in our quest to understand our connectedness to the Wheel. We come to re-member our own sacred stories and embody, with consciousness and intention, our own mythology. Is there a time of year that carries danger into your life? Can you change your relationship to that? Is there a time that signals a rise in your sexual or creative energy? You may be surprised to learn it isn't Spring.

Next, connect with the land itself. Spend some time outside in nature. Even if you live in the city, you can do this exercise. Walk around outside. Pay attention to the quality of light. Feel the sun on your face, your hands, your shoulders. What colors are the people wearing? What are the animals up to? Breathe. Align your Souls. Connect yourself to Earth and Sky. Open your feet, your sex and your crown and breath in. Try to let go of your preconceived notions concerning the sabbat. For a few moments, release the stories of the beautiful Lady dressed in green and her union with the God. Just drop them like pebbles into a stream of clear water. Make a space for the story you are seeking to come in.

Now connect to the Earth—get down on all fours, or lie on your belly with your palms open against the earth. Press your face against the Earth. Take in her scent. Just as you would with a lover. Breathe in the life-force of the Earth. Open your pores. Open your Sex. Open your Senses. Remain open, as well, to the sky—solar and stellar.

What do you smell? How does your body respond? Are you aroused sexually? Tired? Energized? Discern the energy of the sabbat from the energy of the earth you are connected to. Does the lady come to you in a long green velvet gown? Or does she come in veils? What does she look like? Is she European, African, Native American, Asian, Hispanic? Is she young or old? Voluptuous or rail-thin? Is she even a "she?" Let the land speak to you. Let it tell you its story. Can you feel the earth arching up in longing to connect more fully with the sun? Or does it withdraw into itself, turning inward?

This is one exercise through which I connect to the Wheel. Over time, I have come to recognize certain outward signs that signify the arrival of the sabbat. The scent of the earth; the quality of light; the flowering of certain trees; the arrival of the geese; springtime fog; July’s mists rising from the damp; the subtle gold appearing amid the verdant green of summer; Queen Anne’s lace at the roadside; a certain descernable crispness in the air; the rising of the tides (when I lived near the sea) or the thawing of the brook down the hill. I do my sabbat-magic when the signs are right, not necessarily when the calendar tells me the sabbat has come.

Feri works the in-between spaces. While polarity does exist in the Universe, we work in the spaces of both/and. While there might be ribbons at Beltane, is there a Maypole? While the Horned God might be present, does he come as the Stag King or clad in layers of fuchsia tulle or painted blue and crowned in flowers? The Lady sometimes likes to dress in leather, wear high heels or carry a brief-case. Feri magic engages the whole spectrum of Sexuality. Our gods are straight and bisexual, female and male, transgendered and gay, lesbian and pansexual, vanilla and pornographic, kinky and shy.

"The Gods not only have sex, but are sex," (Victor Anderson). We are the Gods.

What is your story? What's your thing? How does the Land activate and energize your sexual nature? Are there times of the Year when you feel especially Butch? Are there times when the swing of your hips becomes easier, more sensual, more open? Do you experience times when you crave meat? Others when you prefer tender greens or even chocolate? When is it that your muscles tighten around the jaw or buttocks? When do you want more than anything to escape into sleep or dreamtime? Do you have periods when you can’t seem to pull yourself away from the kitchen? Others when you must give in to the desire to dance outside under the arc of heaven?

How does all of this affect your magic? If your natural tendency is to withdraw during the Springtime, it won't do you much good to try to do manifestation work then, will it? If Samhain is a time of deep creativity for you, does it make sense to try to force yourself into silence? What we are seeking is a marriage of sorts—between what our own natural rhythms dictate and what the energies of the Earth and Sky are bringing forth at anytime on the Wheel Year. This way, we both embody and ride the Wheel. This way, we both engage and become the Gods of our own mythology.

Happy Hunting.