Honestly, I’m finding my head spinning with the fact that Yule is less than a week away. Wasn’t Samhain a few weeks ago?!? I thought that with the holiday so close on our heels I’d share some Yule info for those that might be in need of help with correspondences, recipes and the like to prepare for their rituals. I’ll be sharing a more informative post on the actual Sabbat shortly. I know normally I do it the other way around but I guess we’re doing things a little different today!

Yule Correspondences

Other names for the Sabbat: Yuletide, Midwinter, Alban Huan, Festival of Sol

Altar Decorations: Gold and Silver candles for the God and Goddess or Green and Red candles for the God and Goddess (respectively). Pine cones, evergreen sprigs, altar cloths in holiday colors, Yule logs, mistletoe and holly. Use a large wreath on your altar as a center piece and place your candles, offerings, etc within it.

Colors: red, green, white, gold, silver

Oils and Incense: cedar, cinnamon, pine, nutmeg, clove, frankincense, myrrh, ginger, bayberry, orange, sandalwood

Animals: Stag, white horse, white buffalo, wren, robin, squirrel

Herbs: sage, yarrow, moss, juniper berries, oak, pine, bay, saffron

Stones and Crystals: Ruby, garnet, bloodstone, tiger’s eye

Foods: Cranberries, various dried fruits, gingerbread, nuts, oranges, roasted meats, fruit cake, sugar cookies, mulled apple cider and mulled wines, chocolates

Trees and Flowers: Pine and evergreen trees, holly, oak, mistletoe and poinsettia

Magickal Work: During the Yule season work spells that deal with hopes, dreams, and plans for the future. This is a time for renewed hope for the future so working spells that will reinvigorate a project or a goal is ideal during this Sabbat. Spells for healing, especially healing of the earth, are also ideal now.

Consider holding your ritual at sunrise. While most people think of holding their rituals at night, Yule is an ideal time to get up early and hold your rituals at dawn. This is the time for singing back the sun to the earth so a sunrise or morning ritual is more appropriate for the occasion. Another idea is to hold a vigil through the night. This might be more appropriate within a group unless you comfortable with solitary vigils and journey work. In a group you can spend the night telling stories, sharing foods of the season, singing and chanting to the God for the sun’s return and even doing gift exchanges. In a solitary vigil it would be a good time for deep meditation, trance and journey work, chanting, giving gifts to the Gods, and doing solitary feasting. With these vigils you would want to begin in the evening and carry your ritual through to the morning, giving thanks and a welcoming return to the light at sunrise, and then you would end your ritual. Both experiences are amazing and carry deep resonance with this specific Sabbat.

Mood: trying to play catch-up!