Despite what appears to be a wealth of information available on
neo-Pagan traditions, one section of the community seems to be grossly
under-represented and that is those of us who reside in the Southern Hemisphere
– South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, to name but three countries. The
majority of authors residing in the Northern Hemisphere seem to have little knowledge
of the differences between the hemispheres. And if such a difference is
acknowledged, it is usually limited to only the Sabbats. It is no wonder that
endless debates occur on how to "do things" south of the equator.
There are at least four major differences between the
Hemispheres. The first is the obvious six-month difference in the seasons. When
it is Midsummer in the Northern Hemisphere, we in the South are celebrating
Midwinter. The dates, in general, of the Southern Sabbats are:
Samhain – 1 May
Midwinter Solstice
(Yule) – 20 - 23 June
Imbolc - 1 August
Spring or Vernal
Equinox (Ostara) – 20 - 23 September
Beltane – 31 October
Midsummer Solstice
(Litha) – 20 - 23 December
Lammas - 2 February
Autumn Equinox (Mabon) –
20 - 23 March
If we use the astrological signs in which the Sun moves into to
determine each Sabbat date as opposed to actual calendar dates, then this too
is changed by six months:
Samhain - 15⁰ Taurus
Midwinter Solstice - 0⁰ Cancer
Imbolc - 15⁰ Leo
Spring Equinox - 0⁰ Libra
Beltane - 15⁰ Scorpio
Midsummer Solstice - 0⁰ Capricorn
Lammas - 15⁰ Aquarius
Autumn Equinox - 0⁰ Aries
This means that Northern Hemisphere-based festivals appear
largely out of place in the Southern Hemisphere. However, there are specific
events that do align - in particular specific Southern Hemisphere-based public
holidays.
The next major difference between the Hemispheres is the
direction in which the Sun moves across the sky. As in the Northern Hemisphere,
the Sun still rises in the East and sets in the West, however on its journey
across the sky in the Southern Hemisphere, it travels via the North because of
the tilt of the Earth's axis. For this reason, most Pagans in the Southern
Hemisphere cast their circles in this direction, via the North or in an
anti-clockwise direction.
A further observance is that the energy flow of the Earth
between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres is also reversed. Prior to
spending time in England I was told to observe the direction in which the water
drained down the plughole. In the Northern Hemisphere, energy moves in a
clockwise direction, whereas in the Southern Hemisphere, it is anti-clockwise.
If we take the above information into consideration when placing
the elements around our magickal circle, it then seems logical for the
placement of Fire to be in the North, while Earth is placed in the South.
A number of traditional Crafters who continue to place their
altars in the North because according to their tradition (despite it being
Northern Hemispheric-based) this is the "dark quarter." One reasoning
behind this is that on the astral the directional placements of the elements do
not matter. If this is the case, then when I operate between the worlds, it
should not matter if my physical altar and circle casting reflects the land in
which I reside. Surely, if the founders of Earth-based traditions such as the
Craft and Wicca (for example, Gerald Gardner, Alex Sanders or even Aleister
Crowley) were based, or had spent some time, in the Southern Hemisphere, would
they not have taken the differences into consideration?
Another difference between the hemispheres, which is often
overlooked, is the direction in which the crescents of the Waxing and Waning
Moons point. In the Southern Hemisphere, the Waxing Moon in the sky actually
points to the right, while the Waning Moon points to the left. Therefore the
symbol of the Triple Moon Goddess (the maiden, mother and crone) reflects an
introverted appearance opposed to the extroverted appearance in the Northern
Hemisphere. But there are times where the Moon decides to really throw the
spanner into the works and the Waxing Moon can be observed lying on her back
pointing upwards, and the corresponding Waning Moon pointing downwards.
For us Southern Pagan practitioners, there is more to take into
consideration when we work our magick and our circles than simply swapping the
Sabbat dates around. And with the varying opinions and reasons behind even
basic circle casting, it is little wonder newcomers to the various Pagan
traditions in the Southern Hemisphere find it all very confusing.
"Place
a silver coin on the front porch before midnight. Then on New Year's Day
retrieve the coin and throughout the entire year, know money is sure to arrive
when it is desired."
