For those of us who identify as pagan, animist, or just live in awe of nature, we know that singing is a profound part of ritual and tradition: It connects us more deeply to the sacred, restores our relationship to ancestral practices, and strengthens our kinship with land and people.

This class will deepen your relationship with the sacred cycle of the year through songs & folklore that you can make a part of your rituals and communal celebrations.

How the Course Works

In this course, we meet over zoom once a week for 8 weeks (plus an intro week) to learn a variety of songs that bring us into deeper connection with the 8 holidays of the Wheel of the Year, with a focus on traditions from Scotland, England and Ireland. A few days before each virtual session, you’ll receive “song bundles” of recordings, historical notes and karaoke tracks for each week’s holiday theme. Then, in our virtual session, we'll learn approximately three holiday-themed songs using sing-and-repeat methods. Along the way, we'll touch on the historic beliefs and rituals of these holidays. Our repertoire will typically include a mix of rounds, layered songs, chants, and verse-chorus songs. In the spirit of animacy, we’ll take the time to thank the songs after we sing them. 

After the 8-week series is over, you’ll receive 8 bonus bundles for each holiday (up until April 2026). You’ll also have access to four live review sessions throughout the year to explore some of the songs we’ve learned as each new season arrives (see the full schedule below).

A subscription option is also available, which allows for students to access the song & bonus bundles, but not the live sessions. 

"I love the way Saro teaches. This class is so grounded in historical reference and transparent about how and where we fill in the gaps. This has helped fill the deep longing in me for practicing intentionally in my ancestral ways and not through a guessing game or appropriation. "

- Sky Lockhart

Schedule

You can choose to join one of two virtual cohorts.

Cohort 1: Thursdays, 12:30-2:30pm EDT/ 9:30-11:30am PT/5:30-7:30pm GMT

Cohort 2: Thursdays, 6:30-8:30pm EDT/3:30-5:30pm PT/11:30-1:30am GMT

Dates

֎ April 17th: Intro Session + Setting Sacred Space

֎ April 24th: Bealtaine

֎ May 1st: Midsummer/Summer Solstice

֎ May 8th: Lughnasadh

֎ May 15th: Harvest Home/Fall Equinox

֎ May 22nd: Samhain

֎ May 29th: Yule/Winter Solstice

֎ June 5th: Imbolc 

֎ June 12th: Ostara/Spring Equinox

Review Sessions 2025-2026

All review sessions take place on Thursdays, from 12:30-2:30pm EDT/9:30-11:30am PT/5:30-7:30pm GMT

֎ June 6th: Midsummer + Lughnasadh

֎ September 4th: Harvest Home + Samhain

֎ December 4th: Yule + Imbolc

֎ March 5th: Spring Equinox + Bealtaine

**All virtual sessions will be recorded and shared with students.**

What the Course Will Sound Like

The songs in this class offer a fun, dynamic menu that blends old and new traditions to create a fresh but storied sound. Drawing from a wide range of historical and contemporary songs, we will explore rounds, chants and layered songs created by Saro Lynch-Thomason and other lauded song leaders as well as traditional folk songs. We’ll be focused on topics of polytheism, seasonal change, & folk magic as they relate to the Wheel of the Year traditions, touching on everything from Celtic beliefs of the afterlife, agricultural cycles, Irish plant magic, Anglo-Saxon charms, medieval festivals and much more.

Sample some songs, or listen to "Enter the Summer" below

֎ Sacred Space Song by Saro

֎ King Orfeo

֎ Lugh of the Long Arm

*A Note About Learning Over Zoom*

Learning songs over Zoom comes with its own rewards and challenges. As a participant learning songs in the live sessions, you’ll be muted while learning the songs. This means you will be able to hear yourself and Saro— but you will not be able to hear other attendees singing, nor will they hear you (if we were all unmuted, the audio lag time would create a chaotic sound experience!). However, during class sessions we will get to spend time unmuted and talking to each other.

"Singing the Wheel of the Year has been even more of a blessing than I could've expected. I always feel more connected to…my better self, the natural world, and the mysterious divine after every session. I can't recommend it enough!"

-Autumn Skerlec

There is no better time than now to root into the practices that have sustained countless generations through periods of turmoil and uncertainty: our songs can form bonds with the land and the deities that keep us well and connected.

Cost and Payment Plans

The base price for this course is $544. If you feel able, you are encouraged to pay any of the higher sliding scale rates. Purchasing the course at a higher rate will help Saro offer more scholarships to potential students.

Base Price (One Time Payment): $544 (+fees)

Base Price Payment Plan: 3 Payments of $185 (+fees)

Sliding Scale Option 1 (One Time Payment): $644 (+fees)

Sliding Scale Option 2 (One Time Payment): $844 (+fees)

Subscription Option

Not sure you can commit to the class times? Want to learn at your own pace? Why not become a subscriber instead? 

Subscribers receive the weekly drops of each holiday song bundle from April 17th thru June 12th + the bonus bundles but do not attend the live sessions. Subscribers will also receive discounts to the four seasonal review sessions.

Subscription Payment Plan: 3 Payments or $115 (+fees)

Refund policy for all class purchases: Refunds minus a $50 fee will be available until April 25th, after which point no refunds will be issued. By making any purchase to this class, you agree to the refund policy.

Scholarships

Full scholarships are no longer available for this course. However some partial scholarships are available. You can write to [email protected] to inquire.

Do you have more questions? Check our our Course Ideology and FAQs below!

Click on a payment option below to register for this course!

VIRTUAL COHORT 1 REGISTRATION

VIRTUAL COHORT 2 REGISTRATION

"Saro…is serious about her skill but also light and funny. She…has an incredible voice that I can’t tire of….We have a diverse group and she is able to focus and communicate and teach to all our different skill sets. I was a teacher for many years, she is excellent."

- Kimberly Joyce

Course Ideology

We each have our own pagan path. Read more to see if this class aligns with your practice!

In this course…

֎ We believe in reverence for the natural world: This course is animist, that is, we understand the world and its many aspects as alive and worthy of reverence and respect.

֎ We honor and recognize the layered legacy of each song, and take time to thank the creators and carriers of the song, as well as the song itself, after singing it.  In the spirit of animacy, we recognize songs as living beings and we also celebrate the peoples and cultures that brought these songs into the world.

֎ Ancestral practices and experiences deserve to be seen in all of their nuance and complexity. Most people have complex lineages, with some ancestral practices worth repeating and some worth leaving behind. We can look with a discerning eye at ancient practices and choose to accept, reject and adapt practices as they seem right to us. No practice need be repeated for the sake of itself. 

֎ For white people, connecting to European ancestral folkways can help to foster a sense of place and belonging, and encourage respect for other cultures. Connecting to European ancestral folkways can help to heal the wounds caused by white supremacy culture that have purposefully shut out a sense of belonging to culture and place. Connecting to these practices can also help white folks approach other cultures with less appropriation and more appreciation and nuance. 

֎ Connecting to European pagan practice should happen with an awareness of and respect for Native presence and lifeways. Many of us will be participating in the class in the unceded and/or occupied territories of Native peoples. In this class, we will practice land acknowledgements and be supplied with a resource guide on topics concerning cultural appreciation and appropriation in modern paganism.

What this course is not:

A complete course on Celtic culture or pagan European history. This class is not meant to provide a thorough overview of European or Celtic folk traditions. However, you are going to learn a LOT! This class delves into what is known historically about the holidays and how they were observed in parts of Scotland, England and Ireland. We touch on everything from authentic Celtic traditions, Brythonic deities, Irish plant magic, Anglo-Saxon folk charms, medieval festivals and much more! You will also be supplied with resources to do further research on holiday traditions.

A secular experience. You do not need to worship or even believe in the existence of any deities to attend this class, but you do need to attend with respect to other people’s experiences, and be aware that we will be singing to or of deities and animist forces during the course. All of these beings will be spoken of with respect, gratitude and adoration. These deities include the Irish deities Brigit and Lugh, amongst others.  

A mystery school, coven or particular pagan discipline. This class does not follow a specific pagan faith path or discipline such as Wicca, Heathenry, or Asatru. Instead, this class is broadly animist while honoring the celebrations of the holidays as they’ve appeared in several traditions and in neopagan contexts.

FAQ

Q: What if I don’t really think I’m pagan?

A: This class is for anyone who operates with a basic awe for the earth, and respects other folks’ spiritual paths. You don’t have to believe in the deities we sing to, or in some of the traditions we talk about, as long as you’re comfortable being in an openly pagan space and being kind and curious towards your fellow participants. This class is for all kinds of folks- animists, Wiccans, folks with earth-based spiritualities, folks excited about grounding in their ancestral folkways, folks who want to sing and chant, and folks who want to share these songs in their communities. 

Q: How many songs will we learn for each holiday?

A: We will learn about three songs for each holiday, plus you’ll receive a bonus song as each holiday approaches throughout the year. 

Q: What if I think I don’t have a nice voice or that I “can’t sing?” 

A: All of us are meant to sing, and all voices are welcome in this class! In this class, singing is first and foremost about community and expression of the divine, not how we sound or perceive that we sound. However, this is not a class on vocal instruction so students should generally feel confident carrying a tune or singing without instrumental backup. 

Q: Will we receive sheet music or chord charts for the songs?

A: No. In this course we will be learning songs using sing-and-repeat methods, recordings and lyric sheets. We will not be engaging with sheet music or chord charts. 

Q: What traditions does this course draw from?

A:The Wheel of the Year is syncretic: it’s a blending of old and new traditions. Some parts of the Wheel are very ancient (think Irish holidays like Imbolc or Bealtaine), while other holidays have become more prominent in recent decades (like the Spring Equinox). Our songs and rituals will reflect both the historic and contemporary ways that these holidays have been appreciated, primarily in historic English, Scottish and Irish folk practices. 

Q: Will we be learning songs in Gaelic? 

A: We will learn some songs that have phrases or choruses in Irish Gaelic and Scots Gaelic. We will also learn some songs in Old English and Middle English!

Q: Is this course affirming of nonbinary, gender expansive and other trans identities?

A: Yes. This course is designed to be inclusive for nonbinary, gender expansive and trans attendees. Some neopagan traditions emphasize the binary of the god and the goddess. In this class, we’ll acknowledge these beliefs, but we will generally be approaching paganism through a polytheistic lens, where there is room for all deities and an awareness that many European deities switched gender and expressed in a variety of ways.

Q: I’m a solo practitioner and don’t plan to sing with others. Many of the songs in your class are meant to be sung as rounds or layers. Will there be songs I can sing as an individual?

A: There will be several folk songs and chants that you can sing as an individual. However, a great number of the songs are designed for group singing, so folks who are excited to share these songs communally may benefit the most from this class. 

Q: How much time will this course take up each week?

A: We’ll spend two hours together each week in our virtual sessions. If you choose to listen to the songs and read the liner note essays for each holiday ahead of class, this will add an additional 1- 2 hours per week.

Q: What if I can’t commit to all of the virtual sessions?

A: All of the virtual sessions will be recorded and made available to students for perpetuity! You can use these recordings to learn the songs or engage with ritual at your own pace. A subscription option, in which you can get access to the song materials but not attend any live sessions, is also available.

Q: What if I get overwhelmed or have trouble completing the course when it’s active? 

A: All song recordings and lyrics will be available to students forever. You can learn at your own pace and review material whenever you want. All virtual sessions will be recorded and can be reviewed at your leisure. 

Do you have more questions? Email Saro at [email protected]