Tag: Yule log

MAKE A YULE LOG

MAKE A YULE LOG

To make a Yule Log, simply choose a dried piece of oak and decorate with burnable ribbons, evergreens, holly, and mistletoe. To make a Yule Log with candles (suitable for indoor observances when a fireplace is not available), you will need a round log at least thirteen inches long and five inches thick. Flatten the bottom of the log with a saw (preferably a power saw) by trimming off an inch or two so the log will sit without wobbling. Next determine where the three candle holes should be drilled along the top of the log. They should be evenly spaced. The size of the holes will be determined by the size candles you are using. Drill the holes 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch to accommodate the candles.

The log with candles may be painted or sprayed with varnish or shellac to keep it from drying out. When the varnish is dry, insert candles and decorate it with holly, evergreens, and mistletoe. Candles may be green, red, and silver or white to represent the Oak King, the Holly King, and the Goddess; or white, red, and black to represent the Triple Goddess.

Yule Log Magick

Yule Log Magick

The yule log is a remnant of the bonfires that the European pagans would set ablaze at the time of winter solstice. These bonfires symbolized the return of the Sun.

An oak log, plus a fireplace or bonfire area is needed for this form of celebration. The oak log should be very dry so that it will blaze well. On the night of Yule, carve a symbol of your hopes for the coming year into the log. Burn the log to release it’s power. It can be decorated with burnable red ribbons of natural fiber and dried holly leaves. In the fireplace or bonfire area, dried kindling should be set to facilitate the burning of the log.The Yule log can be made of any wood (Oak is traditional). Each releases its own kind of magick.

Ash –brings protection, prosperity, and health

Aspen– invokes understanding of the grand design

Birch– signifies new beginnings

Holly– inspires visions and reveals past lives

Oak– brings healing, strength, and wisdom

Pine– signifies prosperity and growth

Willow– invokes the Goddess to achieve desires

The burning of the Yule Log can easily become a family tradition. Begin by having parent(s) or some other family member describe the tradition of the Yule Log. The tale of the Oak King and Holly King from Celtic mythology can be shared as a story, or can be summarized with a statement that the Oak represents the waxing solar year, Winter Solstice to Summer Solstice, and the Holly represents the waning solar year, Summer Solstice to Winter Solstice.

Lights are extinguished as much as possible. The family is quiet together in the darkness. Family members quietly contemplate the change in the solar year. Each in her/his own way contemplates the past calendar year, the challenges as well as the good times.

Then the Yule Log fire is lit. As it begins to burn, each family member throws in one or more dried holly sprigs and says farewell to the old calendar year. Farewells can take the form of thanksgiving and appreciation and/or a banishment of old habits or personal pains.

Once the Yule Log itself starts blazing, then the facilitator invites family members to contemplate the year ahead and the power of possibilities. Each member then throws in an oak twig or acorn into the fire to represent the year ahead, and calls out a resolution and/or a hope.

Families using a Yule Log with candles each family member can write a bad habit and/or a wish for the upcoming year on a slip of paper and burn it in the candle flame.

When this process is done, the family sings a song together. The traditional carol, “Deck the Halls,” is good because it mentions the Solstice, the change in the solar year, and the Yule Log.

Let the Yule Log burn down to a few chunks of charred wood and ashes (or candles burn down). Following an ancient tradition, save remnants of the fire and use them to start the Yule Log fire the following year.

THE YULE LOG

THE YULE LOG

The Yule Log, an ancient symbol of the season, came to us from the Celts. The log, a phallic symbol, is usually cut from an Oak tree, symbolic of the god. The entire log was decorated with holly, mistletoe, and evergreens to represent the intertwining of the god and goddess who are reunited on this Sabbat. The log was burned in the hearth or fireplace. Modern pagans also have the option of using pieces of oak small enough to be burned in the cauldron.

In modern times, another tradition has emerged since not everyone has fireplaces. Three holes are bored in the top of the log for three candles, representing the goddess in her three aspects — maiden, mother, and crone. Normally these candles are white, red, and black in honor of this triple aspect. This log may be reused year after year, with the candles changed each year.

An ancient rhyme of unknown origin reflects the importance of the Yule Log on this Sabbat:

May the log burn,
May the wheel turn,
May evil spurn,
May the Sun return.

The ashes of the yule log or spent wax from candles are tied up in a cloth for the entire year as a charm for protection, fertility, strength, and health.

How to Make a Yule Log

How to Make a Yule Log

By , About.com Guide

 

As the Wheel of the Year turns once more, the days get shorter, the skies become gray, and it seems as though the sun is dying. In this time of darkness, we pause on the Solstice (usually around December 21st, although not always on the same date) and realize that something wonderful is happening.

On Yule, the sun stops its decline into the south. For a few days, it seems as though it’s rising in exactly the same place… and then the amazing, the wonderful, the miraculous happens. The light begins to return.

The sun begins its journey back to the north, and once again we are reminded that we have something worth celebrating.  In families of all different spiritual paths, the return of the light is celebrated, with Menorahs, Kwanzaa candles, bonfires, and brightly lit Christmas trees. On Yule, many Pagan and Wiccan families celebrate the return of the sun by adding light into their homes. One of our family’s favorite traditions – and one that children can do easily – is to make a Yule log for a family-sized celebration.

A holiday celebration that began in Norway, on the night of the winter solstice it was common to hoist a giant log onto the hearth to celebrate the return of the sun each year. The Norsemen believed that the sun was a giant wheel of fire which rolled away from the earth, and then began rolling back again on the winter solstice.

As Christianity spread through Europe, the tradition became part of Christmas Eve festivities. The father or master of the house would sprinkle the log with libations of mead, oil or salt. Once the log was burned in the hearth, the ashes were scattered about the house to protect the family within from hostile spirits.

Because each type of wood is associated with various magickal and spiritual properties, logs from different types of trees might be burned to get a variety of effects. Aspen is the wood of choice for spiritual understanding, while the mighty oak is symbolic of strength and wisdom. A family hoping for a year of prosperity might burn a log of pine, while a couple hoping to be blessed with fertility would drag a bough of birch to their hearth.

In our house, we usually make our Yule log out of pine, but you can make yours of any type of wood you choose. You can select one based on its magickal properties, or you can just use whatever’s handy. To make a basic Yule log, you will need the following:

  • A log about 14 – 18” long
  • Pinecones
  • Dried berries, such as cranberries
  • Cuttings of mistletoe, holly, pine needles, and ivy
  • Feathers and cinnamon sticks
  • Some festive ribbon – use paper or cloth ribbon, not the synthetic or wire-lined type
  • A hot glue gun

 

All of these – except for the ribbon and the hot glue gun — are things you and your children can gather outside.  You might wish to start collecting them earlier in the year, and saving them.  Encourage your children to only pick up items they find on the ground, and not to take any cuttings from live plants.

Begin by wrapping the log loosely with the ribbon. Leave enough space that you can insert your branches, cuttings and feathers under the ribbon. In our house, we place five feathers on our Yule log – one for each member of the family. Once you’ve gotten your branches and cuttings in place, begin gluing on the pinecones, cinnamon sticks and berries. Add as much or as little as you like. Remember to keep the hot glue gun away from small children.

Once you’ve decorated your Yule log, the question arises of what to do with it. For starters, use it as a centerpiece for your holiday table. A Yule log looks lovely on a table surrounded by candles and holiday greenery.

Another way to use your Yule log is to burn it as our ancestors did so many centuries ago. In our family, before we burn our log we each write down a wish on a piece of paper, and then insert it into the ribbons. It’s our wish for the upcoming year, and we keep it to ourselves in hopes that it will come true.

If you have a fireplace, you can certainly burn your Yule log in it, but we prefer to do ours outside. We have a fire pit in the back yard, and on the night of the winter solstice, we gather out there with blankets, mittens, and mugs full of warm drinks as we burn our log. While we watch the flames consume it, we discuss how thankful we are for the good things that have come our way this year, and how we hope for abundance, good health, and happiness in the next.

 

About.com Guide

 

About.com: 12 Days of Yule Devotionals (Day 5)

About.com

 

Day 5: A Prayer for the Beginning of Winter                              
Patti Wigington
From Patti Wigington, your Guide to Paganism /Wicca                                                                           
Take a moment to honor the changes of the season — even if it’s cold and windy! Despite the fact that it’s dark and gloomy, this is a necessary part of the ongoing cycle of life, death and rebirth. As you meditate upon this devotional, consider the benefits to the long, cold nights to come.
 

A Prayer for the Beginning of Winter                            

In early winter, we can see the skies becoming overcast, and smell fresh snow in the air. Take a few minutes to think about the fact that even if the skies are cold and dark, it’s only temporary.


See the gray skies overhead, preparing the way

for the darkness soon to come.

See the gray skies overhead, preparing the way,

for the world to go cold and lifeless.

See the gray skies overhead, preparing the way

for the longest night of the year.

See the gray skies overhead, preparing the way

for the sun to one day return, bringing with it light.

 

Additional Reading                            

With the darker weeks of the year, people often find themselves stressed out and even depressed, despite the fact that Yule should be a time of joy. Learn how to recognize the signs of holiday burnout, and find out how you can prevent it from getting the best of you! Dealing with Stress at Yule
 

Tomorrow: Sunset Prayer                            

                                        This email is written by:                                                                      Patti Wigington                                                          Paganism / Wicca Guide                                        

About.com: 12 Days of Yule Devotionals (Day 2)

About.com
Day 2: A Sunrise Prayer for Yule                              
Patti Wigington
From Patti Wigington, your Guide to Paganism /Wicca                                                                           
Need a prayer for sunrise on Yule? Here’s one that celebrates the return of the sun at the winter solstice!
A Sunrise Prayer for Yule                            

Yule is the time when the sun begins its long journey back to earth. Take a moment today to reflect on the warnth of the sun, and how fortunate we are to see it begin its return.


The sun returns! The light returns!

The earth begins to warm once more!

The time of darkness has passed,

and a path of light begins the new day.

Welcome, welcome, the heat of the sun,

blessing us all with its rays.

Additional Reading                            

After you’ve watched the sun rise on the morning of Yule, spend some time with family, and share a bountiful breakfast together with one of these Sunshine Skillets.
Tomorrow: A Prayer to the Winter Goddess                            

                                        This email is written by:                                                                      Patti Wigington                                                          Paganism / Wicca Guide                                        

Nine Sisters Chant

Nine Sisters Chant

 
To be recite nine times over a wound, tumor, or infection three times a day for twenty-one days (or less, should the wound close quickly). This Anglo-Saxon leechbook chant can also be used repetitively to remove evil from the home as the household is sprinkled with holy water and censed with a burning banishment herb, such as sage.
 
Nine were Noththe’s sisters.
Then the nine became eight
and the eight became seven
and the seven became six
and the six became five
and the five became four
and the four became three
and the three became two
and the two became one
and the one became none
 
Follow by drawing the equal-armed cross in the air and saying “It is so.”

Yule – December 20th-23rd

Yule – December 20th-23rd

1. Return of the Sun God. As the solstice approaches, the return of Spring and Nature’s bounty cannot be too far off. It is difficult to belief that earlier people’s were uncertain about continued cycles, but there was not the scientific basis we have today. This was the height of Mid-Winter, and it was evident that there would be sufficient food, or that they would have to do with less until the Spring brought hunting and agriculture.

2. The longest night was also a mystical event. There is a strong tradition for staying awake all through Solstice night and holding vigil that the dawn might arrive. These can be powerful rituals. This was a time when the Goddess Hecate was considered strong, and her magickal world controlled the lives of those caught in heavy winter, and putting all their hopes and energies into surviving until the next season. Deaths were common, and the Lord of the Underworld was seen as real and near.

3. In contemporary culture, we are not at risk from the lack of Harvest and we focus on this solstice as the Day the Great Mother gives birth to the Sun. This is the culmination of the cycle of life and sexuality that began last May at the Beltaine festivities, and now the young God comes forth to begin the cycle anew.

4. Celtic Festival of Alban Arthan. Druidic festival. When the chief druid cut the sacred mistletoe from the Oak. (ABC of Witchcraft).

5. The Romans celebrated the Solstice with the Festival of Saturnalia, giving presents and social distinctions were erased. Masters served servants a feast. Riotous fun and merriment. This event celebrates an inversion of tradition.

6. Saxons celebrated the feast of Yule with blazing fires in the form of a Yule Log, one of the only remnants passed down to present day. They saved a piece of the Yule log from the current year to kindle the next Yule blaze.

Winter Solstice Celebrations Around The World – Beiwe Festival


Winter Comments & Graphics

Beiwe Festival

 (Sámi of Northern Fennoscandia)

 

The Saami, indigenous people of Finland, Sweden and Norway, worship Beiwe, the sun-goddess of fertility and sanity. She travels through the sky in a structure made of reindeer bones with her daughter, Beiwe-Neia, to herald back the greenery on which the reindeer feed. On the winter solstice, her worshipers sacrifice white female animals, and thread the meat onto sticks which they bend into rings and tie with bright ribbons. They also cover their doorposts with butter so Beiwe can eat it and begin her journey once again.

 
~Magickal Graphics~

Happy Winter Solstice & A Blessed Yule To You All!

Yule Comments & Graphics 

Wishing You and Yours a Very Happy Winter Solstice and a Very Blessed Yule!

 

Yuletide Cheer

(poem by: Isha ArrowHawk )

The chill breath of winter touches us,
As blankets of snow cover the ground.
With the glow of moonlight upon them,
Its like diamond sparkles all around.

 

Inside the room is cozy and warm,
The scent of evergreen wafts from the fire.
Surrounded with love and family,
I’ve got all that I could desire.

 

Sleigh bells jingle from the front porch,
As my coveners decorate outside.
They’ve no need of blankets,
They have the warmth of love inside.

 

In my home we all gather round,
And with Pagan carols our voices ring.
Then we settle down to enjoy the tale,
Of the Oaken Lord and the Holly King.

 

For our holiday is quite different,
Than the cowan Christmas night.
We cast our Circle, join together,
And welcome the return of Light.

 

Then we sit and share the feast,
As we pass bread and wine around.
As blessings from mingled voices…
“Never hunger,” “Never thirst” abound.

 

All too soon the rite is ended,
And we greet the newborn day.
As we clasp hands together,
This wish we send your way….

 

It’s no matter your tradition,
Be you family, friend, or guest.
We wish you joy and peace,
And may your Yule be Blessed!!

 

“On the first day of winter,
the earth awakens to the cold touch of itself.
Snow knows no other recourse except
this falling, this sudden letting go
over the small gnomed bushes, all the emptying trees.
Snow puts beauty back into the withered and malnourished,
into the death-wish of nature and the deliberate way
winter insists on nothing less than deference.
waiting all its life, snow says, “Let me cover you.”
– Laura Lush, The First Day of Winter

  ~Magickal Graphics~

Thirteen Yuletide Celebrations

Thirteen Yuletide Celebrations

by Heather Evenstar Osterman

 

How do you compete with Christianity’s biggest holiday? You don’t have to! Most traditional Christmas customs originated from pagan practices. In fact, nearly every culture in some way celebrates the Sun/Son God at this time of year. You can reclaim Yule as your family’s heritage; pass down your family’s traditional recipes. If you figure out how to avoid the rampant commercialism, let me know.

Yule (also Yuletide or Alban Arthan) is celebrated on the Winter Solstice, December 22ndthis year. It is the longest night of the year, when the Goddess gives birth to the new sun and nights begin to grow shorter again. We are reminded that even in the darkest hour, there is a ray of hope. This is a time of dreams and wonder. We honor our children and our inner child. There are so many wonderful traditions to choose from. Here are some ideas to try this Yule:

  1. String chains of popcorn and drape them around trees and bushes. Hang honey popcorn balls outside your windows and watch the wild birds feast.
  2. Create a wreath out of pine boughs, holly, and sun symbols to hang on your door.
  3. Make a special red candle to light at sunset on Yule evening and keep vigil through the night. Stay up with older children to keep the Goddess company while she labors to give birth to the new Sun. Put younger ones to bed to dream the sun into being.
  4. Gather your family on a hilltop in the area where you live and watch the sunrise on Yule morning. Sing, cheer, and have a breakfast feast in the Sun God’s honor.
  5. As a family, make new ornaments to add to the tree each year. Give extras to friends who come to visit.
  6. Make an Advent calendar, counting down the days until the Solstice. Make a chain of paper links or small packages filled with tiny treats.
  7. Bake sugar cookies shaped like suns and decorate them. Or, make a birthday cake for the sun and throw a birthday party!
  8. Instead of letting Yule cards be a chore, get the whole family in on the act! Design your own Yule cards to send to friends and family. Make it a family project to sign and address them.
  9. Decorate a Yule log — Go out and find a special log (oak is traditional) and festoon it with holly, rosemary, ribbons, or whatever suits your fancy. Attach slips of paper with your wishes on them. Use this log to start your fire. If you don’t have a fireplace in which to burn the Yule log, drill holes and put candles in it. You can save part of your Yule tree for next year’s Yule log.
  10. Donate food to a local food bank, serve dinner at a soup kitchen, or spend time at a nursing home.
  11. Reenact the battle between the Oak King (life and rebirth) and the Holly King (darkness and death). Make swords out of wrapping paper tubes and shields out of cardboard. Hint: the Oak King wins this time.
  12. Uphold the tradition of wassailing by passing around mulled cider and singing songs. You could sing traditional carols (“Joy to the World”) or new ones (the Beatle’s “Here Comes the Sun”).
  13. Kiss under the mistletoe!

Heather Osterman is the Family Services Coordinator for the Aquarian Tabernacle Church. For more information on pagan oriented activities and events for children and families please contact her at ATCchild@AOL.com or ATC at (360) 793-1945 between 9a.m. and 9p.m.

Correspondences for Yule

Yule Correspondences & Tidbits

 

 

Other Names:
Jul (“wheel”, Old Norse), Saturnalia(Rome ~December 17 & 18), Yuletide(Teutonic), Midwinter, Fionn’s Day, Alban Arthuan, Christmas (Christian~December 25), Xmas, Festival of Sol, Solar/Secular/Pagan New Year

Animals/Mythical beings:
yule goat (nordic), reindeer stag, squirrels, yule cat, Sacred White Buffalo, Kallikantzaroi-ugly chaos monsters(greek), trolls, phoenix, yule elf, jule gnome, squirrels, wren/robin

Gemstones:
cat’s eye, ruby, diamond, garnet, bloodstone

Incense/Oils:
bayberry, cedar, ginger, cinnamon, pine, rosemary, frankincense, myrrh, nutmeg, wintergreen, saffron

Colors:
gold, silver, red, green, white

Tools,Symbols, & Decorations:
bayberry candles, evergreens, holly, mistletoe, poinsettia,mistletoe, lights, gifts, Yule log, Yule tree. spinning wheels, wreaths, bells, mother & child images

Goddesses:
Great Mother, Befana (strega), Holda (teutonic), Isis(egyptian), Triple Goddess, Mary(christian), Tonazin(mexican), Lucina(roman), St. Lucy (swedish),Bona Dea (roman), Mother Earth, Eve(Hebrew), Ops(roman Holy Mother), the Snow Queen, Hertha (German), Frey (Norse)

Gods:
Sun Child, Saturn(rome), Cronos (Greek), Horus/Ra(egyptian), Jesus(christian-gnostic), Mithras(persian), Balder(Norse), Santa Claus/Odin(teutonic), Holly King, Sol Invicta, Janus(God of Beginnings), Marduk (Babylonian)Old Man Winter

Essence:
honor, rebirth, transformation, light out of darkness, creative inspiration, the mysteries, new life, regeneration, inner renewal, reflection/introspection

Dynamics/Meaning:
death of the Holly (winter) King; reign of the Oak (summer) King), begin the ordeal of the Green Man, death & rebirth of the Sun God; night of greatest lunar imbalance; sun�s rebirth; shortest day of year

Purpose:
honor the Triple Goddess, welcome the Sun Child

Rituals/Magicks:
personal renewal, world peace, honoring family & friends, Festival of light, meditation

Customs:
lights, gift-exchanging, singing, feasting, resolutions, new fires kindled, strengthening family & friend bonds, generosity, yule log, hanging mistletoe, apple wassailing, burning candles, Yule tree decorating; kissing under mistletoe; needfire at dawn vigil; bell ringing/sleigh-bells; father yule

Foods:
nuts, apple, pear, caraway cakes soaked with cider, pork, orange, hibiscus or ginger tea, roasted turkey, nuts, fruitcake, dried fruit, cookies, eggnog, mulled wine

Herbs:
blessed thistle, evergreen, moss, oak, sage, bay, bayberry, cedar, pine, frankincense, ginger, holly, ivy, juniper, mistletoe, myrrh, pinecones, rosemary, chamomile, cinnamon, valarion, yarrow

Element:
earth

Threshold:dawn

Wishing You & Yours A Very Blessed Yule!

I wish each and everyone of you a Very Happy & Blessed Yule!

 
The Wheel turns quickly,
The Sun now returns,
Let us rejoice in His return!

 

Dear Father, your warmth is returning as
you wake from your sleep! I rejoice as the
days get longer and the nights shorter,
and I love you dearly.
 
 
 
Dear Mother, thank you for watching
over me as my father slept; continue to
guide me in wisdom and love all winter
long.

So Mote It Be.

Yule: Fertility and Ghosts

Yule: Fertility and Ghosts

At the winter solstice, Scandinavians worshipped Frey, god of fertility; further south, the Angli celebrated

December 24 as New Year’s Eve, called Modranecht (mother night), a vigil also connected with fertility rites.

In general, the traditional Yule (from the Norse Iul, meaning wheel) was a feast devoted to fertility and the

ancestors, which passed on to Christmas fecund and ghostly traditions. The Christmas roast pig is kissing cousin
to julgalti, the pig offered to Frey for fertility in the coming year, according to Funk and Wagnall’s. Hence the apple

in its mouth. Similarly, Yule was a time to charm grain and fruit to grow thick. Traditional Scots kept the

Corn Maiden from harvest till Yule and then distributed her to the cattle, according to the Farrars. The Germans

scattered the ashes of the Yule log on the fields for fertility, or kept its last charred pieces to bind in the last

sheaf of the coming harvest. The French retained apiece of Yule log through the year to protect the house

against fire and lightning, to ensure bountiful crops and the easy birth of calves. The solstice was also a weather

predictor, according to Funk and Wagnall’s. In more recent tradition, a white Christmas is said to mean a prosperous
New Year, while a green, cloudy or hot Christmas fills the churchyard.

 

Yule is a time for spirits. European tradition, transferred to the Christian holiday, held that each house should

be clean and prepared for Christmas before the household went to church, so the spirits could inspect it.

Spirits likewise stayed for Christmas dinner. In Sweden, householders set a special table for them. European

folk beliefs say that someone who sits under a pine tree on Christmas Eve can hear the sound of angels —

but death will soon follow. Death also awaits one who hears farm animals converse in the barn that night.

A person born on Christmas can see spirits. Dreams on the Northern Modranecht were believed to foretell
the coming year, according to Nigel Pennick in The Pagan Book of Days.

 

 

 Excerpted From Reclaiming the Winter Solstice by Melanie Fire Salamander

Daily Feng Shui Tip for December 20

Tuesday, December 20, 2011
 

According to most traditional or customary holiday calendars, this is the day that we are advised to start burning the Yule log. This log represents the ancient energies of rebirth while also symbolizing the return of another solstice and, of course, the Sun. According to ages old customs, we are encouraged to start that fire at dusk in order to welcome shining light into our own lives that will last the whole of the coming year. If burning a log isn’t feasible for you, then at least light the way for a fortune-filled year with a red, orange or yellow candle. Use a sharp object to carve an image of the Sun into the side of the candle and get clear on your wishes for the coming year. Create an intention about what areas of your life you’d like to see more enlightened, or where you would like to experience a rebirth, and then, burn, baby, burn!

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com

Twas the Night Before Yule

Yule Comments & Graphics

Twas the Night Before Yule

 

Posted byPatrick McCleary

 

This is a delightful poem by Richard De Angelis, that I found again after hearing it years ago in ritual. Hope you all like it as much as I did.

‘Twas the night before Yule, when all ‘cross the heath,
not a being was stirring; Pagan, faerie, or beast.
Wassail was left out & the alter adorned,
to rejoice that the Sun King would soon be reborn.

The children lay sleeping by the warmth of the hearth,
their dreams filled with visions of belov’d Mother Earth.
M’lady & I beneath blankets piled deep,
had just settled down to our own Solstice sleep.

Then a noise in the night that would leave us no peace,
Awakened us both to the honking of geese.
Eager to see such a boisterous flock,
When we raced to the window, our mouths dropped in shock!

On the west wind flew a gaggle of geese white & gray,
With Frau Holda behind them in her giftladen dray.
The figure on her broomstick in the north sky made it clear,
La Befana was approaching to bestow Yuletide cheer.

From the south came a comet more bright than the moon,
And we knew that Lucia would be with us soon.
As these spirits sailed earthward o’er hilltops & trees,
Frau Holda serenaded her feathery steeds:

“Fly Isolde! Fly Tristan! Fly Odin & Freya!
Fly Morgaine! Fly Merlin! Fly Uranus & Gaea!
“May the God & the Goddess inside you soar,
From the clouds in the heavens to yon cottage door.”

As soft & silent as snowflakes they fell:
Their arrival announced by a faint chiming bell.
They landed like angels, their bodies aglow.
Their feet left no marks in the new fallen snow.

Before we could ponder what next lay in store,
There came a slow creaking from our threshold door.
We crept from our bedroom & were spellbound to see
…There in our parlor stood the Yule Trinity!

Lucia, the Maiden, with her head wreathed in flame,
Shown with the radiance for which she was named.
The Lightbringer’ s eyes held the joy of a child,
And she spoke with a voice that was gentle, yet wild:

“May the warmth of this household ne’er fade away.”
Then she lit our Yule log which still burns to this day.
Frau Holda in her down cloak stood regal & tall;
The Matron of Solstice, the Mother of all.

Under her gaze we felt safe & secure.
Her voice was commanding, yet almost demure:
“May the love of this family enrich young & old.”
And from the folds of her cloak showered coins of pure gold.

Le Befana wore a kerchief on her silvery hair;
The veil of the Crone who has secrets to share.
In her eyes gleamed a wisdom only gained by spent youth.
Her voice was a whisper but her words rung with truth:

“May health, glad tidings, and peace fill these rooms.”
And she banished misfortune with a sweep of her broom.
They then left a gift by each sleeping child’s head,
Took a drink of our wassail, and away they sped.

While we watched them fly off through the night sky we laughed,
At the wondrous magick we had found in the Craft
As they departed, the spirits decreed
Merry Yule To You All & May All Blessed Be! 

 Pagan Dad  

~Magickal Graphics~ 

Gift at Yule Ritual Work

Gift at Yule

by Lady MoonWolfe
revised 2004

Close your eyes and relax
Breathe deeply.
Let your breathing become slow, deep, easy. Relax and continue breathing deeply and gently, breathe in and exhale and as we exhale we enter the time of the greatest darkness.
It is the time of the longest night, the dark of the cold universe between the stars and planets, the dark of the sea, and the dark of the womb.

Wrap this darkness gently about you like a comfortable blanket. Float gently now in its depths.
As you open your eyes you see a path in front of you, laid in cobble stones, topped with silver glitter.
It is dark, and though it is dark, you realize that which surrounds you is not the empty, but like the womb, full of life. Fill the energy of the dark.
As you look at the outline of the forest of trees, you notice that the path is lined with oaks, firs and pines. Each one decorated with mistletoe, wreaths, and candy canes.

It is dark in front of you, and as you begin your journey down the path, taking your first step upon the cobble stones you can feel the chill wind blowing. You can feel the ground hard and cold beneath your feet. Continuing walking one step in front of the other, one by one until you have reached the end of the path and are standing within a mighty forest
You look up and see the stars, but there is no Moon. Patiently you wait. You hear a sound behind you, and turn to look over your shoulder

You now realize that you are standing upon the edge of a clearing; as its center burns a fire, and an old man is seated before it. He is wearing tattered animal skins, and has long ragged hair which blows about in the wind. On the far side of the clearing you see the mouth of a cave, and standing before it is the mighty figure of the Horned God.

You turn back around and look through the trees, looking towards the eastern horizon, for tonight is the longest night. The dark time before the Sun is reborn at the Winter Solstice, and you wait patiently for the first rays of the newborn Sun. You noticed that the fire has changed into a single Oak tree, standing tall, and decorated with all the trimmings. As you step forward you feel the increase in the love and warmth around you and within you, and notice that the energy within gives birth to the smallest spark imaginable, the spark of life.
See that spark now as it glows, watch that spark now, and watch it grows. Glowing brighter and brighter, it grows into a flame. As you look at the flame, its light fills you with warmth and love

As you feel increased love and warmth within you, the intensity of the flame slowly diminishes and as it does, in its place, slowly is the outline of a present. This gift becomes more solid, until you can see its form clearly and see that it is wrapped in a glistening filament of light. This gift has your name on it, inscribed in the glistening material. Look at your present, what color is your name written in? What shape is it? How big is it? What color is it’s wrappings?
Experience it fully. Accept it. Accept your gift with joy. Feel the heart warm with the love with which this gift is given to you.

And now, from your heart, send out gratitude for this gift; send out thanks for this gift to the Goddess, to our Great Mother, to the Universe. To the Goddess who is the Universe, both the dark and the light. Send out your thanks for this gift. Now if you wish, find a place to keep this gift, a place to put this gift, so you can keep it with you during our ritual now and if you wish take it with you when you leave the circle.

As you stand you can fill the soft, wet touch of the first fallen snow across your cheeks. Winter grips the land as a cold wind blows through the forest. You walk away from the clearing, and as you leave the forest, you turn and see that it is no more than a shadow behind you. Before you, is a world which you know well, it is the world in which we live, and now it is time to return.
The Other world is real, and you may return at any time. Life will not fail, the Sun will return again, remembering your gift given to you. You continue to walk, bringing your special gift with you, be fully present in our circle, Move your body , open your eyes, and come back to this place and time..

MoonWolfe is 52 years young. I am a registered Healer of the Art of Reiki. I am currently working on saving the dolphins in captivity. I drum to heal Mother Earth.

The Yule Log

The Yule Log

by Lila

The tradition of the Yule logs dates back millennia. The origin of the word Yule seems to originate from the Anglo Saxon word for sun and light. People used to burn a yule log on the Winter Solstice in December. The Winter Solstice is the day of the year with the shortest amount of daylight. Yule is celebrated by fire, which provides a dual role of warmth and keeping evil spirits away. Many people thought that evil spirits were more likely to wander the earth on the longest night of the year. All night bonfires and hearth fires kept evil at bay and provided gathering places for folks to share feasts and stories.

Winter Solstice marks the sun’s victory over darkness; the days would now grow longer. The cinders from the burnt log were thought to protect homes from lightning and the evil powers of the devil. The ashes were also sprinkled on the surrounding fields to ensure good luck for the coming year’s harvest. The largest remaining part of the log was kept safe to kindle next year’s fire.

The Yule log has waned in popularity with the advent of electric heaters and wood stoves. With no access to a hearth, fireplace or fire pit, modern folks are losing a sacred tradition. Today, we may still partake of the Yule Log tradition by creating a smaller version as a table ornament, embellished with greenery and candles, or the popular Yule log cake. As we eat a slice, we can imagine taking in the protective properties of the log.

Many enjoy the practice of lighting the Yule Log. If you choose to burn one, select a log and carve or chalk upon it a figure of the Sun (a rayed disc) or the Horned God (a horned circle). Set it alight in the fireplace at dusk, on Yule. This is a graphic representation of the rebirth of the God within the sacred fire of the Mother Goddess. As the log burns, visualize the Sun shining within it and think of the coming warmer days. Traditionally, a portion of the Yule Log is saved to be used in lighting next year’s log. This piece is kept throughout the year to protect the home.

Whether you are burning a log or creating a centrepiece, different woods may be used to produce different effects:
Aspen: invokes understanding of the grand design
Birch: signifies new beginnings
Holly: inspires visions and reveals past lives
Oak: brings healing, strength, and wisdom, symbol of the Oak king, the New year
Pine: signifies prosperity and growth
Willow: invokes the Goddess to achieve desires
Decorate your log with the any of the following items:
bright green needles of fir represents the birth of the new year
dark green needles of yew represent death of the waning year
vines of ivy or birch branches represent the Goddess
sprigs of holly with red berries represent the Holly king of the dying year
As you light the Yule log chant the following:

As the yule log is kindled
so is the new year begun
as it has been down through the ages
an unending cycle of birth, death, and rebirth
every ending is a new beginning
May the Yule log burn
May all good enter here
May there be wheat for bread
and vats full of wine
(or may we never hunger may we never thirst)

When the log has almost completely burned, collect a small piece of the Yule log (dip in a bucket of water to ensure it is completely out) wrap carefully and keep somewhere in the home for safety and protection.

collect some of the cold ashes and store in a glass bottle. The ash can be used for spells of protection and amulets. The remainder of the Yule ash can be scattered over fields or gardens to ensure fertility in the spring.

Pauline Campanelli; Wheel of the Year

Lila is an initiate in The Sacred Three Goddess school. She lives on a mountain in beautiful British Columbia with her husband, four cats, two ferrets and other varied critters of nature. She spends her time communing with the Faerie folk and long walks by the river.

The Winter Solstice – Yule Lore

The Winter Solstice – Yule Lore

The date varies from December 20 to December 23 depending on the year in the Gregorian calendar. Yule is also known as the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere and the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere due to the seasonal differences.Yule, (pronounced EWE-elle) is when the dark half of the year relinquishes to the light half. Starting the next morning at sunrise, the sun climbs just a little higher and stays a little longer in the sky each day. Known as Solstice Night, or the longest night of the year, the sun’s “rebirth” was celebrated with much joy. On this night, our ancestors celebrated the rebirth of the Oak King, the Sun King, the Giver of Life that warmed the frozen Earth. From this day forward, the days would become longer.

Bonfires were lit in the fields, and crops and trees were “wassailed” with toasts of spiced cider. Children were escorted from house to house with gifts of clove spiked apples and oranges which were laid in baskets of evergreen boughs and wheat stalks dusted with flour. The apples and oranges represented the sun. The boughs were symbolic of immortality (evergreens were sacred to the Celts because they did not “die” thereby representing the eternal aspect of the Divine). The wheat stalks portrayed the harvest, and the flour was accomplishment of triumph, light, and life. Holly and ivy not only decorated the outside, but also the inside of homes, in hopes Nature Sprites would come and join the celebration. A sprig of Holly was kept near the door all year long as a constant invitation for good fortune to visit tthe residents. Mistletoe was also hung as decoration. It represented the seed of the Divine, and at Midwinter, the Druids would travel deep into the forest to harvest it.

The ceremonial Yule log was the highlight of the Solstice festival. In accordance to tradition, the log must either have been harvested from the householder’s land, or given as a gift… it must never have been bought. Once dragged into the house and placed in the fireplace it was decorated in seasonal greenery, doused with cider or ale, and dusted with flour before set ablaze by a piece of last years log, (held onto for just this purpose). The log would burn throughout the night, then smolder for 12 days after before being ceremonially put out. Ash is the traditional wood of the Yule log. It is the sacred world tree of the Teutons, known as Yggdrasil. An herb of the Sun, Ash brings light into the hearth at the Solstice.

A different type of Yule log, and perhaps one more suitable for modern practitioners would be the type that is used as a base to hold three candles. Find a smaller branch of oak or pine, and flatten one side so it sets upright. Drill three holes in the top side to hold red, green, and white (season), green, gold, and black (the Sun God), or white, red, and black (the Great Goddess). Continue to decorate with greenery, red and gold bows, rosebuds, cloves, and dust with flour.

Many customs created around Yule are identified with Christmas today. If you decorate your home with a Yule tree, holly or candles, you are following some of these old traditions. The Yule log, (usually made from a piece of wood saved from the previous year) is burned in the fire to symbolize the Newborn Sun/Son.

Deities of Yule: All Newborn Gods, Sun Gods, Mother Goddesses, and Triple Goddesses. The best known would be the Dagda, and Brighid, the daughter of the Dagda. Brighid taught the smiths the arts of fire tending and the secrets of metal work. Brighid’s flame, like the flame of the new light, pierces the darkness of the spirit and mind, while the Dagda’s cauldron assures that Nature will always provide for all the children.

Symbolism of Yule:
Rebirth of the Sun, The longest night of the year, The Winter Solstice, Introspect, Planning for the Future.

Symbols of Yule:
Yule log, or small Yule log with 3 candles, evergreen boughs or wreaths, holly, mistletoe hung in doorways, gold pillar candles, baskets of clove studded fruit, a simmering pot of wassail, poinsettias, christmas cactus.

Herbs of Yule:
Bayberry, blessed thistle, evergreen, frankincense holly, laurel, mistletoe, oak, pine, sage, yellow cedar.

Foods of Yule:
Cookies and caraway cakes soaked in cider, fruits, nuts, pork dishes, turkey, eggnog, ginger tea, spiced cider, wassail, or lamb’s wool (ale, sugar, nutmeg, roasted apples).

Incense of Yule:
Pine, cedar, bayberry, cinnamon.

Colors of Yule:
Red, green, gold, white, silver, yellow, orange.

Stones of Yule:
Rubies, bloodstones, garnets, emeralds, diamonds.

Activities of Yule:
Caroling, wassailing the trees, burning the Yule log, decorating the Yule tree, exchanging of presents, kissing under the mistletoe, honoring Kriss Kringle the Germanic Pagan God of Yule

Spellworkings of Yule:
Peace, harmony, love, and increased happiness.

Deities of Yule:
Goddesses-Brighid, Isis, Demeter, Gaea, Diana, The Great Mother. Gods-Apollo, Ra, Odin, Lugh, The Oak King, The Horned One, The Green Man, The Divine Child, Mabon.

 

–Adapted by Akasha Ap Emrys For all her friends and those of like mind–
Akasha, Herne and The Celtic Connection wicca.com.

Welcome To The WOTC’s Annual Yule Edition (Part 2)

Yule Comments & Graphics
Welcome To  The WOTC’s Annual Yule Edition(Part 2) We hope you enjoy our first installment of this year’s Yule Edition. Today’s issue will also be packed with more articles, recipes, spells, graphics and lots of useful information you can use. We hope you enjoy it and again….. 

 

Blessed Yule To You!  
Yule Comments & Graphics


Yule Comments & Graphics


Yule Comments & Graphics


Yule Comments & Graphics


Yule Comments & Graphics


Yule Comments & Graphics


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~Magickal Graphics~