Rose Ariadne's Chitchcraft Blog

Dear Friends,

Yule is the beginning of the Wheel of the Year and occurs between December 20th and 23rd. This sabbat is the rebirth of light. It is the longest night of the year, and the Goddess gives birth to the Sun God. The hope for a new light is reborn.

Yule is a time of awakening to new goals and leaving old regrets behind. Yule coincides closely with the Christmas celebration. Christmas was once a movable feast celebrated many different times during the year. The Pope Julius I made the choice of December 25 in the fourth century AD because this coincided with the pagan rituals of Winter Solstice, or Return of the Sun. The intent was to replace the pagan celebration with the Christian one.

The Winter Solstice has been celebrated for millennia by cultures and religions all over the world. Many modern pagan religions are descended in spirit from the ancient pre-Christian religions of Europe and the British Isles, and honor the divine as manifest in nature, the turning of the seasons, and the powerfully cyclical nature of life.

We have a fabulous Yule celebration each year. To me, this is one of the most enjoyable Sabbats. The world as a whole is in the holiday spirit. Our circle holds a special ritual that is festive and fun. It is followed by great themed food and a lot of merriment.

Here is a reading from our Yule celebration. This can be used at the beginning of the Yule circle or as a reading apart from the ritual.

This is the night of the Solstice, the longest night of the year. Now darkness triumphs, yet gives way and changes into light. The breath of Nature is suspended: all waits while within the Cauldron, the Dark King is transformed into the infant light. We watch for the coming of Dawn, when the great Mother again gives birth to the Divine child Sun, who is bringer of hope and the promise of summer. This is the stillness behind motion, when time itself stops; the center, which is also the circumference of all. We are awake in the Night. We turn the Wheel to bring the Light. We call the sun from the womb of night.

You can make your Yule celebration special with themed food and incense blends.
The following Yule incense is from Scott Cunningham. My family looks forward to its scent each year.
Yule Incense
Recipe by Scott Cunningham
2 parts Frankincense
2 parts Pine needles or resin
1 part Cedar
1 part Juniper berries
Mix and smolder at Wiccan rites on Yule (on or around December 21st), or during the winter months to cleanse the home and to attune with the forces of nature amid the cold days and nights.

You can have a full-blown ritual for Yule with your circle, but I also find it important to have a special individual meditation ceremony for yourself. This can help to center you during the busy holiday season, and help you get into touch with the spirits of the season. For this ceremony, decorate the altar with holly, mistletoe, evergreen, pinecones, ivy, berries, ribbons, and whatever else feels right. Having a Yule Tree nearby the altar will add a lot to the ritual.

Start your ritual as you normally would, and then begin mediation. Say the following out loud and then spend a few moments contemplating these words: “The old solar year has run its course and completed its cycle. So too have some of our habits or traits completed their cycles and outlived their usefulness. This is a time for shedding that which is no longer needed.”
“As the old year dies away
so to will these old ways will fade into memory.”
“In the beginning we came from the darkness of the womb.
There we were created, nourished
and prepared for our birth into the light.
Within us, we still carry that fertile darkness.
There we hold the seeds of hopes and dreams to come.
There we nourish are hopes for love, joy and peace for all.
We shield these tender roots until they are strong enough to come forth and flourish in the light.”
Yuletide greetings to you all!

Brightest Blessing,

Rose Ariadne, Your Warm And Caring “Resident Witch In Charge”