YULE (C. DEC 21)
by Voice of The Mountain
Winter Solstice, or Yule, is where the God theme is reversed from the Summer Solstice. The Holly King, symbolizing the Waning Year, is slain by the Oak King, symbolizing the Waxing Year. At the same time, the Goddess, as the "leprous white lady", gives birth to her son/lover who will re-fertilize her Earth body and bring back light and warmth. Birth/Death is a common theme at this time of year, even with the Christians. This is the time of year for the Christmas Nativity for the Christians, celebrated at the same time as many pagan festivals of birth/death since AD 273. The Christians wisely brought their own nativity celebration in line as one of the many methods of integrating the pagan festivals into their calendar. In their beliefs, Christ's birth is the triumph over his God/Father's arch-enemy Satan. Similarly, the Egyptians had another death/birth at this time of year. Osiris was killed by Set, and returns with his wife Isis' help as she gives birth to his son/self Horus, who in turn drives Set away. The European tradition of killing a wren by the robin redbreast is symbolic as well. The wren represents the waning year and the robin the waxing year.
B. THE ALTAR AND CIRCLE
1. ALTAR IS ADORNED WITH EVERGREENS SUCH AS PINE, ROSEMARY, BAY, JUNIPER AND CEDAR. ALSO DRIED LEAVES. HOLLY, MISTLETOE, IVY.
2. EVERGREENS MARK THE CIRCLE. If you are blessed as I am with many evergreens available, I usually spend a day giving them a good trim and using the cuttings throughout the house. Making a garland is easy, requiring only rope, florist's wire, and lots of patience. Just overlap the cuttings on the rope one at a time, and wire it on. Often, those places that sell Christmas trees by the side of the road will give you their cuttings for free or for a very cheap price.
3. CAULDRON- READY TO BE LIT WITH EITHER A RED CANDLE OR A BONFIRE IN THE SOUTH QUADRANT OF CIRCLE
4. CANDLE COLORS- RED, GREEN, WHITE, GOLD, PURPLE, ALL OF WHICH HONOR THE GODS.
5. ALTAR CLOTH CAN BE PURPLE, RED, GREEN, GOLD, WHITE, OR ANY OTHER SEASONAL MOTIF, SUCH AS POINSETTIAS, HOLLY, SNOW SCENES, ETC. REMEMBER THAT SANTA CLAUS WAS ORIGINALLY A PAGAN GOD FIGURE, SO DON'T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT INDULGING THE CHILDREN AND INCLUDING A FATHER CHRISTMAS (MAKE THAT FATHER YULE) IN YOUR MOTIFS. If you are feeling like crafting something, run down to the fabric store and buy a yard or two of fabric, "stitch witch" fusible webbing, and some gold fabric paint. Hem the fabric using the fusible webbing and enhance the motif on it with gold (or other appropriate color) paint.
C. RITUALS
1. CELEBRATE YULE JUST BEFORE DAWN, AND WATCH THE SUN RISE AS A FITTING FINALE.
2. LIGHT FIRES OR CANDLES TO WELCOME THE SUN'S RETURNING LIGHT. Remember, your altar has been dark since Samhain in recognition of the season that the God has been travelling the UnderWorld.
3. HAVE A YULE TREE (PREFERRABLY A LIVING ONE FOR LATER PLANTING)
4. DECORATIONS FOR YULE TREE- STRINGS OF DRIED ROSEBUDS AND CINNAMON STICKS, POPCORN, CRANBERRIES FOR GARLAND. BAGS OF FRAGRANT SPICES TO HANG ON TREE, QUARTZ CRYSTALS WRAPPED WITH SHINY WIRE TO HANG. APPLES, ORANGES, AND LEMONS (PERHAPS STUDDED WITH CLOVES AND ROLLED IN CINNAMON). Pagan symbols abound at this season of the year. All those fruit ones like red apples, gold grapes, etc are just super.
5. YULE LOG- THIS IS A GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION OF THE REBIRTH OF THE GOD WITHIN THE SACRED FIRE OF THE MOTHER GODDESS. TRADITIONALLY OF OAK OR PINE, DECORATE WITH SPRAYS OF FIR, YEW, IVY, AND SPRIGS OF HOLLY. CARVE OR CHALK A FIGURE OF THE SUN(SUCH AS A RAYED DISC) OR THE GOD (A HORNED CIRCLE OR A FIGURE OF A MAN) WITH THE BOLLINE (WHITE-HANDLED "WORKING" KNIFE OF WITCHES) AND SET IT ALIGHT IN THE FIREPLACE AS DUSK ON YULE. SAVE SOME OF THE ASHES AS A PROTECTIVE CHARM, AS WELL AS A PEICE TO KINDLE NEXT YEAR'S LOG, SYMBOLIZING THE CONTINUITY OF ITS PROTECTIONS. THERE IS A CHANT IN "WHEEL OF THE YEAR", P.7; BY P. CAMPANELLI WHICH IS A GOOD MODEL TO WORK FROM. Decorating the Yule Log: Whip melted paraffin with a hand beater until fluffy but spreadable. Use this as the glue to secure fir and cedar boughs, pine cones, mistletoe, rosemary, holly, or other greens. Ribbons and other burnable decorations are also good. Just make sure there will be no poisonous gases emitted. If you don't have a fireplace, don't despair! You too can have a Yule log. Just secure candles to the top and burn it symbolically. You can carve Sun symbols in the candles and decorate the log same as anyone else.
6. FOODS- NUTS, FRUITS SUCH AS APPLES, PEARS, CARAWAY CAKES SOAKED IN CIDER, AND PORK ARE TRADITIONAL. Many of the traditional Christmas "goodies" are actually borrowed directly from Pagan tradition so you need not lose your favorite cookie recipes just make the cookie cutter a Pagan symbol. Feel free to enjoy that Yuletide ham, cranberry sauce, and all the trimmings. You 've been doing the right thing all along without knowing the why.
7. DRINKS- WASSAIL; LAMBSWOOL, HIBISCUS OR GINGER TEA. Mulled Cider and Wine work well, as well as all the traditional beverages like Eggnog. Eggs are a god-symbol, and if you spike your eggnog, are you not adding fire? :) Mulled wine or wassail simmering in a crock pot adds a wonderful smell to any Yule celebration.
8. PROVIDE SHORT TAPER CANDLES FOR EACH COVENER. TAPERS ARE LIT BY EACH COVENER AND THROWN INTO THE CAULDRON TO HELP THE GOD BEGIN LIFE AND LIGHT AGAIN.
9. MAKE COOKIES AND CONFECTIONS TO INSURE SWEETNESS FOR THE COMING YEAR. Many of the cookie cutters have symbology to us as easily as the Christians, like the star, St. Nick, bells and candy canes. I haunted flea markets and garage sales to find all sorts of cookie cutters last summer. There are even cookies sold in rolls in the refrigerated section of the grocery store with Yule trees already in them! What a time-saver! I just slice and bake.
10. MAKE MISTLETOE AMULET POUCHES. WITHOUT BERRIES FOR PROTECTION, WITH BERRIES FOR FERTILITY. Fertility can be any creative activity and not just for "breeding". Mistletoe is available everywhere. In my neighborhood, kids run around selling bunches cheaply.
11. LIGHT PREPARED NEW CANDLES TO SYMBOLIZE THE NEW LIGHT RETURNING. THE CANDLES CAN BE USED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR IN THE SOUTH QUADRANT OF YOUR CIRCLE. BEFORE CIRCLE, CONSECRATE NEW CANDLES FOR USE DURING THE YEAR. This is an activity I recommend highly to be shared by the entire coven during this time of year, to make candles. Set out the coffee and mulled cider and invite a few friends over for a candle-making party. Combine this with a pot-luck tree-decorating party and you are sure to have enough for everyone to do.
12. BURN A BAYBERRY CANDLE DOWN TO THE SOCKET ON YULE AS A CHARM TO ENSURE GROWTH AND PROSPERITY FOR THE NEW YEAR. TO ENCHANT IT, ANNOINT IN MAGNETIC OIL AND INSCRIBE THE MONEY/PROSPERITY RUNE INTO THE WAX.
SYMBOLISM
1. THE GODDESS GIVES BIRTH TO A SON AT YULE. THE GODDESS RESTS AFTER HER DELIVERY.
2. WINTER SOLSTICE IS THE DARKEST DAY OF THE YEAR.
3. THE SUN IS REBORN AT THIS TIME OF YEAR. WICCANS CELEBRATE THE RETURN OF LIGHT.
4. THE ULTIMATE PRODUCT OF DEATH IS REBIRTH, Symbolized by the evergreen tree, which never dies.
This seasonal article by Voice of The Mountain may be freely distributed provided that the following conditions are met:
(1) No fee is charged for its use and distribution and no commercial use is made of it;
(2) This files is not changed or edited in any way without the author's permission;
(3) This notice is not removed. An article may be distributed separately provided that this notice is repeated at the beginning of each. This version is current as of 10/31/98.