The YuleSpirit
Yule is the beginning of the wheel. The Sun God is reborn, son of the Goddess. The days grow longer as the God grows stronger.
This festival is also known as Winter Rite, Midwinter, Winter Solstice. It usually takes place between Dec 20-23, the longest night of the year. The Goddess gives birth to her child, the sun, soon to be lover, and father to the child in the next cycle.
It's a time of sharing, giving gifts, and welcoming the light, by remembering the gifts of darkness.
Preparing Your Altar
Decorate circle with holly, mistletoe, ivy, pine, pine cones, a Yule Log, and place ash twigs in the cauldron (to burn for prosperity).
Yule Activities
Sing pagan solstice carols.
Decorate the Yule tree.
For personalized wrapping papers, cut a pattern on a halved potato, then dip it into tempera paint and on to plain wrapping tissue paper.
For prosperity, burn ash wood.
Yule blessings: wreath on the door, mistletoe indoors, food and clothing donations, sunflower seeds outside for birds, ring the bell to greet the Solstice Morn, and perform magick for a peaceful planet.
Gather up Yule greens after 12th night and save. At Imbolg, burn the greens to banish winter and usher in spring.
Make and burn a Yule Log.
Bake a Yule Log Cake.
Wassailing
Wassailing means "to wish health to" one's apple trees, in the hope that they will bear well. In addition, drums, bells, whistles etc. were used either to scare off evil spirits, or to wake the tree up; a libation of cider or ale was poured over the roots, and bread that had soaked in the 'wassailing' bowl was placed in the branches - an offering back to the tree.
* Wassail: 2 cups cranberry juice, 1/4 cup grenadine, 1 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup rum (optional).
Yule Fire Spell
On the darkest night of the year, gather together three dried leaves of holly and pulverize them into powder. On a clean, four-inch by four-inch piece of paper, write a single word in red ink that represents what quality you would like to be born within yourself along with the newborn Yule Sun.
Sprinkle the holly powder into the center of the paper, twist the whole thing closed with the holly powder inside. Light the wick of a red candle, and from this flame, light the holly-filled paper on fire. As it burns, see your wish fulfilled. The spell is done.
Traditional Herbs - Bay, Bayberry, Blessed Thistle, Cedar, Juniper, Mistletoe, Moss, Sage, Oak, Chamomile, Evergreen, Frankincense, Holly , Pinecones, and Rosemary.
Traditional Incense - Pine, Bayberry, Rosemary, and Cedar.
Candle Colors - Gold, Green, Red, Silver, and White.
Magickal Stones - Clear Quartz, Jet, Ruby, Diamond, Garnet, Alexandrite, Kunzite, Citrine, Green Tourmaline, Blue Topaz, and Pearls.
'Sound of Silence'
Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence
Thank you to "Just another Pagan blog" for this informative info!
These are just some things that I will be doing to celebrate this beautiful time of year. If you have any other ideas, or stories please feel free to leave a comment.
Blessed Be
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