Sometimes when the Sabbats roll around we find ourselves in a bit of a pickle.  We might not have the time or even opportunity to attend a community ritual or gathering.  We may not know how to celebrate it on our own.  And if you’re new to earth-based spirituality or Paganism and you haven’t observed the Sabbats yet, you might it can be a little bit intimidating at first. Yule is one of the Sabbats that a lot of people will start their observations with because it has a lot of familiar elements; and rightly so since many other celebrations, like Christmas, have a big basis in the winter solstice traditions of various parts of Europe.  

 

[fontpress type=”webfonts” name=”Coming Soon” size=”16px” lh=”18px” color=”#005224″]What is Yule?  {the “nutshell” version}[/fontpress] Yule is the celebration of the winter solstice. This is the time when the earth’s axis is has the earth tilted as far away from the sun as possible. It’s important to note that this doesn’t happen at the same time for the whole world. When the Northern Hemisphere is tilted farthest away from the sun and experiencing Yule, the Southern Hemisphere is being pushed closer to the sun, making this time of year Litha, or Summer Solstice for them. So while in the US is celebrating Yule during the shortest day and longest night of the year our Aussie brothers and sisters “down under” will be experiencing the longest day and shortest night of the year and celebrating Litha or Midsummer, the summer solstice.

 

[fontpress type=”webfonts” name=”Coming Soon” size=”16px” lh=”18px” color=”#005224″]Reflections and Magick at Yule[/fontpress] During Yule we stop to reflect on a few different things. With this being the dark time of the year we tend to spend more time indoors, more time doing things on our own and being focused on solitary pursuits.  This makes us naturally a bit more introverted and reflective on a personal level.

We take time to honor the God who is reborn at this Sabbat. The God comes back, reborn as the Child of Light, bringing with him the returning light of the sun (i.e. son).  We give thanks to the Goddess for carrying the God through his journey of rebirth in the Underworld and giving birth to him.  From this night forth, the sun gets stronger and the days get longer.  At first only by milliseconds that we don’t even notice, but we are moving back toward the sun from this point on.

Some of the magick that we commonly work during the Yule Sabbat include spells for renewal and rebirth, spells to help bring hope into our lives, and spells for cleansing. This can also be a good time for spells for love, especially spells of familial love such as healing rifts with mothers.

 

[fontpress type=”webfonts” name=”Coming Soon” size=”16px” lh=”18px” color=”#005224″]3 Simple Ways to Celebrate Yule[/fontpress] Celebrating Yule, or any Sabbat, can be very simple. Keep in mind, magick and honoring the Gods at a Sabbat doesn’t need to be elaborate.  It only need to be honest, heartfelt, and full of clear intent. If in your heart you are truly grateful for the return of the light, the coming spring, and truly desire hope and renewal for your life in the New Year, then even the simplest act along with that intent is all you need.

 

~ Hold a Sunrise Ritual ~
We often make a habit of working rituals at night. This can be because of our busy daytime schedules, making it hard to do ritual doing the day, or because many people work alongside the moon and prefer to do their work when the moon is visible. Try something different this Yule, something that really falls in line with the purpose of the Sabbat; a sunrise ritual! Find a place outside {or inside if the weather where you are is too bad for you to be outdoors} where you can watch the sun come up. Prepare yourself a chalice of orange juice that has been blessed and as the sun comes up toast the God’s return.  Recite prayers, incantations or chants for the Young Lord or for hope for the New Year. If there is something that you are in need of set your intention and send heartfelt prayers out into the Universe.  Drink from your chalice but save some to take outside and pour on the earth as an offering to the God.

 

~ Have an All Night Ritual ~
This is something that you can do on your own or you can do this along with the Sunrise Ritual by performing this small rite on the night before the solstice. At night after the sun has gone down, gather together a gold or yellow candle {or white if this is all you have handy, large glass encased candles work best for this} as well as some Yule themed incense.  If you have a window where you can see the sun rise through, work there. Place your candle on the window sill or on a safe surface in front of the window. Light the candle and spend the time during the night in vigil awaiting the God’s rebirth. During this time you can do journey work and meditations focusing on your own rebirth if this is something that you need. If you need to make a fresh start on something in your life, like your spiritual practice, you can use this as a time to do journey work to go to the Underworld, visit with the Goddess to speak with her about your what you can do as part of your rebirth process, and then experience the process of rebirth with the God when the sun rises. You can definitely take this concept and run with it to fit your needs, but at its core this is a ritual of honoring the process of labor that the Goddess goes through to give birth to the God.

 

~ Have a Simple, Family Friendly, Yule Ritual  ~
Something that is very simple and easy to do is create a small Yule altar and make an offering to the God and Goddess. This is also a great thing that you can do if you have children who you would like to introduce to earth-based practices because it has similar tones to things leaving cookies for Santa.  What are we really doing as kids when we leave cookie and milk for Santa? We’re leaving an offering of cakes and ale to the spirit of giving that is embodies by the mythical figure of Santa and in return we receive generosity and abundance through gifts {which just happen to take a physical form rather than a spiritual form}. Lay out an altar cloth on your chosen surface and gather three candles, one white, one red and one green. Place the red candle on the left for the Goddess, the green candle to the right for the God and the white candle in the center for unity and hope to light the way for the God’s return. Place a chalice of mulled wine or cider on the altar along with a plate of nuts or sugar cookies. Take a little time to meditate on the meaning of Yule and the winter season, thinking about what you hope to see be reborn in your life right now.  Take time to also send some prayers of hope out into the world as well.  Light you candles going from left to right; light the red one thanking the Goddess for keeping the God safe through his transformation and carrying him back to us. Light the white candle to light the path for the God. Then light the green one to welcome the God back as the Child of Light. As you light these candles you can use different chants or speak words either prepared or in the moment from the heart. You can chant, drum, use a rattle, or do something else that will help you to call or sing back the God. When you feel his return offer up and partake of the cake and ale, leaving some on the altar for the God and Goddess.

[fontpress type=”webfonts” name=”Coming Soon” size=”16px” lh=”18px” color=”#005224″]Want to dig deeper into Yule?

Get my latest ebook “Yule: The Festival of Light and Rebirth”![/fontpress]

Yule is one of the most exciting, festive, and joyous times of the year.  We know it by so many different names through so many different lenses, but they all tie back to practices in Europe including Rome and Scandinavia. By learning more about the history of Yule and the origins and original intent behind these traditions you’ll add more meaning to your holiday!

• Discover the path of how the holiday tree went from an outdoor offering to a brightly lit and decorated indoor tradition
• Learn about how the Yule Log came to be and how the tradition has evolved
• Find out what a Catholic Bishop and Odin all have in common with Santa Claus
• Get ideas for how to create your own Yule and winter celebrations and traditions based on the intentions of the original winter celebrations of rebirth and the sun
• You’ll also get spells, blessing rituals, instructions for creating spiritual and magickal decorations
• Included are two complete and different Yule rituals that you can perform as either a solitary or with others
• And a small worksheet and journal section helps you to connect to the winter season both spiritually and in a mundane sense, giving you ways to plan out your winter season and find clarity and focus for the coming year.

[fontpress type=”webfonts” name=”Coming Soon” size=”26px” lh=”28px” color=”#005224″]Learn More Here!

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