The Sabbats - HaSabbatot

ה' באב תשס״ט
Lughnasadh 6

The mystery of sabbat sabbatot and the high holy days emerge from the Divine Feminine.

Sabbatu, Women's Magic and Sacred Time

The word sabbat (שבת) is derived from the Babylonian word sabbatu, meaning 'heart's rest' and refers to the bleeding (menstrual) time when women's Goddess magic was particularly potent. In Hebrew tradition, Goddess is called the shabbat queen. The Hebrew letter ש can be vocalized as either 's' (שׂ) or 'sh' (שׁ). In Hebrew, the plural of sabbat/shabbat is sabbatot/shabbatot (שבתות). Interestingly, sabbatu spelled in Hebrew is שבתו. Ending with the Hebrew letter of connection, namely vav (ו), sabbatu itself carries and connects together all the sabbatot.

Lunar Sabbats and Earth Shabbats, Power Points of Feminine Power in Time

In ancient times, Babylonians called the four quarter days of the lunar cycle - the new, first, full and last quarter, one of which occurred about every seven days - sabbats. The modern weekly shabbat day of rest is fixed at every seven days. The sabbatot focus otherworldly (lunar-stellar) time, the shabbatot focus earthly time.

Stellar Sabbats, Points and Apices of Feminine Power in Time on the Earth

Through the feminine power of the lunar cycle, the masculine solar cycle of the year was designated and astrologically brought into alignment with the four feminine quarter days of the natural stellar cycle - the solstices and the equinoxes - the oldest holy days known to humanity. Ancient ritual observances of the quarter days can be found worldwide, from the ancient pyramids of Egypt to the cliff-wall dwellings of the Anasazi. The quarter days of the stellar cycle are the 'Lesser Sabbats' or 'Low Holy Days' of Witchcraft. The Lesser Sabbats are Ostara (spring equinox), Litha (summer solstice), Mabon (autumn equinox) and Yule (winter solstice).

The solstices and equinoxes are times of longest and shortest nights and of longest and shortest days of the year. While these days are days of imbalance in the masculine solar cycle, they are days of feminine lunar power.

The days of balance (equinimity) in the solar cycle are days in the masculine solar cycle between the powerful lunar points of the quarter days and form apices of feminine power between the feminine lunar power points - these are the cross-quarter days of the stellar cycle brought down to earth as 'earthly power points' for women's magic. The cross-quarter days of the stellar cycle are the 'Greater Sabbats' or 'High Holy Days' of Witchcraft. The Greater Sabbats are Imbolc (between Yule and Ostara), Beltane (between Ostara and Litha), Lughnasadh (between Litha and Mabon) and Samhain (between Mabon and Yule).

The Greater Sabbat of Lughnasadh is upcoming on the horizon here in the northern hemisphere of the earth. Lughnasash is traditionally observed on August 1, and astrologically observed this year on August 6-7. The Greater Sabbat of Imbolc is upcoming for those located in the southern hemisphere of the earth.

May all our שבתות be blessed with revealed good! So mote it be! אמן