Design your own ritual to welcome the Mother Goddess and birth of the fledgling God, and the increasing light as the sun returns. Think of your directions, questions and needs and focus on them.
A traditional Yule pastime: Making wreaths to decorate the home. These wreaths represent the wheel of the year and the new beginning of the circle of light. Use pine cones, to represent the male deity and part of the evergreen trees that are popular this type of year. Combine this with representations of the goddess, such as apples or other fruit. Tie them together around the wreath to represent the union of god and goddess throughout the whell of the yeal and the circle of life.
Other traditional activities include decorating a yule tree, storytelling, 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.
Sun plants like mistletoe, balsam, and fir, and also any dried herbs from Summer, are predominant this time of year because they contain light and warmth. On Yule, when witches decorate their houses, they do so from the doorway inward, this inviting the light inside. We adorn doorways and mantles with evergreen boughs and bunches of dried summer herbs. Our ancient ancestors brought an evergreen tree inside to mystically ensure there would be light all year round. The evergreen retains sunlight, staying green all year, and reminds us that life is forever present and renewable.
Foods in tune with this day (linking your meals with the seasons is a fine method of attuning with nature) include poultry, dried fruit, egg nog, pork, beans.
Candles are red, green, white, gold, silver
Incenses to be used alone or in combinations include bayberry, pine, spruce, pine, spice, cedar, cinnamon.
Plants and herbs are holly, mistletoe, pine cones, pine needles, oak leaves, Yule log ashes, fir, birch, hazel bark, sandalwood, ivy, comfrey, elder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, chamomile, sunflower, frankincense, myrrh, wintergreen, apple leaf, dried apple. Any dried herbs from summer or everygreen plants represent the sun and are a good way to celebrate this time of year.
Stones to use include clear quartz, bloodstone, jet, ruby, diamond, garnet, green tourmaline, topaz, pearls
Animals and mythical beasts for this time of year are stags, squirrels, wren, robin, pheonix, trolls.
Altars can be decorated with holly, mistletoe, ivy, pine, pine cones, a Yule Log, and place ash twigs in the cauldron (to burn for prosperity).
Goddesses honored at this time concern spinning goddesses and mothers. Eve, Fortuna, Frey, Gaia, Hannah, Heket, Pandora, Virgin Mary.
Gods honored at this time include Re-born Sun Gods. Apollo, Braggi, Helios, Jesus, Lugh, Odin, Ra, Saturn.
Chakra is the
The element is Earth.
The direction is North.
Zodiac sign is Capricorn.
Gather up Yule greens after 12th night and save. At Imbolg, burn the
greens to banish winter and usher in spring.
Midwinter Night's Eve: Yule
by Gwydion Cinhil Kirontin
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