Chalice Well Wheel of the Year
Chalice Well welcomes pilgrims and visitors of all spiritual paths, faiths and beliefs. In its activities and events, the Trust seeks to facilitate a connection between people, nature and the spirit of this special place.
That people gather together in a beautiful garden, allows a shared acknowledgement of the sacred and divine that transcends borders and differences.
We follow the cycle of the year under the unity theme of ‘Many Paths | One Source’ by holding gatherings at the well head and in the gardens. These regular gatherings open up connections with the source and with nature and with each other.
That people gather together, not in a formalised building or structure for worship, but in a beautiful garden allows acknowledgement of the sacred and divine that transcends borders and differences.
in a day | in a year | in a life
conception | creation | regeneration
midnight | 12 am
The space between the ending and the beginning. A still point which contains not the absence but the presence of life. In the dreaming, life considers the regeneration and conception of itself.
birth | new born | first stirring
dawning | 3 am
Born from winter dreaming, life stirs and the first tender shoots emerge from the earth. As the wheel turns, we feel the promise of the spring and the dawning of a new beginning.
early childhood | experience | greening
awakening | 6 am
The sun rises due east and sets due west, there is equal day and equal night. The earth greens, the sap rises and the leaves burst their buds in verdant response. This is a time of awakening, experiencing life with youthful vigour and childish delight.
adolescence | consciousness | flowering
morning | 9 am
Morning has broken and Nature is blooming and flowering as we enter the season of summer. The earth is fertile and dancing the dance of creation. In the human cycle this time aligns with adolescence, the desire for self-determination and a comprehension of potential.
mid-life | exploration | fullness
midday | 12 pm
The longest day, a mid-point, where the sun stands still upon the horizon. This marks the height of summer and the solar principle in its full radiance while the earth too is reaching fullness. On the map of human existence, mid-life is a time of self-exploration, consideration, choice, rejection and deciding which road to take.
maturity | purpose | fruition
afternoon | 3 pm
A time of ripening and the gathering of the first fruits. In life maturity brings a sense of purpose, the opportunity to begin to enjoy the fruits of life’s labours.
old age | contribution | harvest
twilight | 6 pm
The sun rises due east and sets due west and the light is equal to the dark. We begin to move into the twilight of the year. A time for harvest and making contribution.
death | departure | resting
night | 9 pm
The light is departing and nature is shedding. Life prepares to release and let go into a time of rest, stillness and dreaming.