WHEEL OF THE YEAR
Eight gateways mark the solar year — four cardinal turning points where seasons change, and four cross-quarter thresholds midway between them.Cardinal Gateways
The solstices and equinoxes — when the Sun reaches 0° of a cardinal sign, marking the astronomical start of each season.Cross-Quarter Days
Ancient fire festivals at the midpoints — when the Sun reaches 15° of a fixed sign, marking the peak of each season.Understanding the Wheel
The Wheel of the Year is an ancient framework for tracking the solar cycle. While modern calendars mark seasons by dates, the wheel follows the Sun's actual position in the zodiac.
Cardinal Gateways occur when the Sun enters Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn at 0° — the moments of maximum change. These are the equinoxes and solstices, when day and night reach balance or their extremes.
Cross-Quarter Days occur when the Sun reaches 15° of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, or Aquarius — the peak of each season. These ancient festivals (Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, Samhain) mark thresholds between the visible and invisible worlds.
WavePoint calculates these dates using precise astronomical data, so they may differ from traditional calendar dates by a day or two.