Curious Christian

Reflections on culture, nature, and spirituality from a Christian perspective

The wheel of the year and the tree of life

Published by

Matt Stone

2010-10-23

Yesterday, in introducing the book, Encountering New Religious Movements and the Thin Places missional worship experiment, reference was made to a collaborative project “in designing an artistic reinterpretation of the sabbats that visually portrays Christ’s mission.”

Well, here’s the actual artwork.

You’ll find more, including the explanation at The Wheel and the Tree, the online version of the project.

In retrospect, having used this at Winter Magic Festivals and the like, I don’t think it worked as well as we’d hoped (the tarot cards were far more effective as a communication tool IMO) but I learned a lot from the project, so in that respect I think it was very valuable.

Oh, and just for a treat before I move onto the questions, here’s some art you won’t find on the official website. An earlier draft and other experimental designs.

Tags Pagan, Seasons

5 responses to “The wheel of the year and the tree of life”

Matt Stone

2010-10-23

Oh, for those who aren’t familiar with the symbolism, you’ll find the elements of air, earth, fire and water centred on Jesus in both of the images.

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Steve Hayes

2010-10-25

Why is it the wrong way round? Imbolc is where Samhain should be, etc.

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Matt Stone

2010-10-25

Not sure what you mean. There are plenty of examples with that configuration. Eg http://www.cybercauldron.co.uk/the-wheel-of-the-year/
http://picsdigger.com/keyword/wheel%20of%20the%20year/

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Steve Hayes

2010-10-28

My mental picture of the wheel of the year goes anticlockwise, with December at the top, January to the left of it, and so on.
Maybe it’s because I live in the southern hemisphere, where sundials go anticlockwise, or maybe it’s because I’m lefthanded. But I find it exceedingly odd to see March where September should be, and vice Versal.

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Matt Stone

2010-10-28

Well, I’ve seen a whole book on the challenges Wiccans face in translating their path to the Southern Hemisphere. For instance, should they be celebrating Samhain on October 31, with the rest of the worldwide Pagan movement, or Beltane as would seem more appropriate for the Southern Hemisphere given the emphasis on seasonal sensitivity? I’ve seen Wiccans do both.

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