Forum | Solitarts: How Do You Celebrate Sabats

Hello folks, hope you are all well.

Recently here in Australia it was Lammas however I've always had trouble figuring how to go about celebrating sabats. I'm a solitary by necessity, also I am not out of the closet to my family or friends. I wrote about this recently on my Blog of Shadows in which I said

I must admit, however, that I still feel a little unsure of what to do on the various sabats. Being solitary there is no one to turn to or follow the lead of. All the various activites I've read of sound great in the context of a gathering, but for a solitary practitioner – especially one such as myself who lives with family and has not yet come out of the closet and is not yet ready to – they seem somewhat impractical. 

So, my question is, how do any of you who are solitary celebrate the sabats? Do you go all out or do you have have a "quiet one?"

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Joe, I totally know what you mean. I've always been solitary and never yet found time to make it to some of the open group rituals in the area for the sabbats, so I struggle both with figuring out what to do and with allowing myself the time to do it in. (When you can't expect to be let out of class for a holiday…well, it's hard to find the time.) One thing I've come to accept over time is that part of the point of being solitary is you don't have to do something huge for every sabbat. Just because you're the only one celebrating doesn't mean you have to be priest or priestess for a coven of one; you can honor the gods with food and drink and meditation.

Which is what I usually end up doing; I'll make a special meal and dedicate it to the gods of whatever seems appropriate for the season. When there's overlap with a Christian or secular holiday, I'll talk with friends or family who are sympathetic and we might skew our celebrations in a slightly more Pagan-friendly direction. (Even when they're not…big family Christmas parties are what Solstice celebrations are all about.) I've also developed traditions that aren't really ritual-based but are meaningful for me to do at the same time each year. For Imbolg I keep a flame going for a day or two (and this year a couple of other people from our local Pagan moot are joining me, and between us we hope to keep it going for nineteen days). For the Winter Solstice I sit up all night and greet the sun. For Lugnasadh…well, I've blogged about my issues with Lugnasadh. (I know I have, but I can't find the post right now, I'm sorry. Let's just say…a holiday named after "the one who does it all" has not been good to me.)