The sinister aspect of Saturn; the winter solstice; the death of the old year and birth of the new, dies natalis solis invicti, the birthday of the unconquerable sun; the passage from chaos to cosmos; the suspension of time.
The dead return during the twelve nights of the duration of Saturnalia.
It is also the time of the sacrifice of the old king, or his scapegoat, as waning fertility, and instigating the enthronement of the new king as virility.
The twelve days of chaos symbolize the patter of the coming months of the year.
The period of chaos is governed by the Lord of Misrule, or the King of the Bean and the Queen of the Pea.
Transvestism is a feature of the time of chaos in Saturnalia, orgies carnivals, etc. and signifies a form of return to chaos.
Babylon held the twelve days of duel between Chaos and Cosmos; in Christianity these are the Twelve Days of Christmas.
The holiday season offers dishes that warm the body and comfort the soul. At the Winter Solstice the focus is on rich, hearty, and nurturing. The season celebrates displays and masterful cooking through roasted dishes, slow cooked stews, bright salads with pops of fruity flavor, and sweets that double as delicious gifts. Seasonal fruits and vegetables include beets, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Citrus Fruits, Cranberries, dates, escarole, fennel, horseradish, kale, parsnips, pears, persimmons, pomegranate, radishes, sweet potatoes, and winter squash.
At this time of the year I like to honor the traditions and the foods that my family cooked. I love the nostalgic feeling of creating recipes that my parents had at Christmastime, so you may find recipes inspired by that. Do you have a dish that reminds you of the winter season and December holidays? Is there something you traditionally make for your Yule or Winter Solstice celebrations that I didn’t put on this list? Please let me know and I will add it!
Main Courses
The main courses of the winter holidays are warm and inviting for a full table of friends and family. Common main courses are rich, filling, and lavish – classic main courses include roasted or baked bird, hearty beef dishes, pot roasts, and meat pies.
There is nothing like a rich and hearty soup to warm you up during the winter season. Soups that kick up their spice game are a great feature at the Winter Solstice.
There are many traditional breads baked at this time of year all around the world – some favorites are featured in this list below, along with flavors perfect for the holidays.
Sweets flavored with nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, or peppermint work out perfectly for Yule. Other classic sweet treats for Yule include traditional holiday cookies like shortbread, snowball, caraway, or ginger snaps. Pears and oranges are also a nice touch to a dessert at Yule.
Nothing says “Happy Holidays” quite like a warm and rich drink curled up in front of the fire. Yule and the Winter Solstice feature beverages that warm the soul and bring cheer to hearts.
Three weeks into December already! Where has the time gone?
This was a very low spoons week for me, which you’ll see reflected in this update. I hope everyone is taking at least a little inspiration from my Winter Witchery Challenge!
December 15th: Spirit sensing. I didn’t get much for sensing my spirits individually, but did notice their energies as a whole. I made the mistake of lying down…
with yule coming around the corner and the days feeling darker and darker, i created this spread. to not only get a grasp on the year/myself as a whole but to see my growth and progress, and maybe see what changes i could make! i hope you all enjoy and get something out of this. it’s my first spread ive made haha so pls be gentle aha :,) blessed be
1.) star - what has my life looked like this year?
i threw this in here just to get an overall picture of what things in your life have looked like without any bias. cards tell us how it is, so this ones to get a pure idea of yourself this year!
2.) branches - what are my greatest strengths?
what are things admirable about yourself? being aware of strengths in your life is so important, just knowing and confirming you yield some can apply some confidence!
3.) needles - what is one of my greatest weaknesses?
what is something that’s been holding you back this year? sometimes it’s hard to come to terms with and recognize things like this, hence why i included it in this spread.
4.) pine cone(s) - how can i make positive changes in the future?
how can you assure you’re staying on the right path? with the dark half of the year i feel not taking care of yourself and seasonal depression come knocking easier than we’d all prefer. this card is around to push you towards a good and positive path!
5.) trunk - what should i pay attention to in order to stay moving in a good direction?
how can you follow the light half of the year on a positive note? more sunshine is coming, this card is here to assure that more positive and kind things come to you!
After so many of you enjoyed the post about low-energy ways to celebrate Samhain, it is time to share some ideas on how to celebrate Yule without too big of an effort. 2020 was a hard year and everyone deals differently with handling the crazy stuff this year threw at us. You are valid and your faith isn’t less important or less worthy because you can not spend the energy you might want to on the celebration of the solstice. A blessed Yule to all of you!
-As an easy charm for good luck: Tie some tiny bells to a ribbon and wind it around the handle of your door. Who ever enters will be cleansed of their negative energies and the sound of bells will invite prosperity and luck inside your home.
-Treat yourself to some sweets. Doesn’t matter if self-baked or store-bought, we’re talking of all the delicious treats of the season full ofcinnamon (protection, luck), vanilla (friendship, passion), cloves (beauty, love) and ginger (energy, success). Yes, please!
- Give thanks and give back. You don’t need to volunteer for days to show your gratitude. Feed some birds, donate a bit to your local shelter if you have the money, small gestures matter!
- Who needs a big Yule tree? Get yourself some twigs (please don’t just break them off) from anevergreen and place them on your windowsill or inside a pretty vase.
- Solstices are turning points, times of change. Make a list (written or mental) and remember all the things you are grateful for that happened this year. Also note things that you want the new cycle to bring to your life. Keep the list close during the time of the solstice and burn/bury them at the end of The Twelve Nights.
- No energy to decorate your altar? Decorate yourself. Wear green, red, gold or silver colors and jewelry with rubies, garnet, jade, agate or rose quartz.
Have a blessed Yule and feel free to reblog and add to the list!
Kurenti in Slovenia Dondolashi in Croatia Bushari in Baranja Koledari in Serbia Kukeri in Bulgaria Mechkari in Macedonia Kolednicy in Poland Kolyadniki in Ukraine Okrutniki in Russia
Important part of the Slavic winter solstice celebration were masked processions. Younger men, clothed in animal fur, carrying horns and bells would march from village to village throughout the region, making an extraordinary amount of noise, fueled in part by the wine provided by the locals. Their primary task is to scare away evil spirits, and bring fertility to household. In this zoomorphic costumes they would represent ancestors, who came from otherworld to celebrate beginning of the new cycle with the living. In the time of winter solstice cult of ancestors and cult of vegetation are heavily intertwined.
Ooooh, we love this! There are veeeery similar costumes, characters and celebrations that still survive in very different zones of Europe, that are clearly remains of a very ancient and common religion or rite.
See how similar masked characters we have in Euskal Herria:
In mainland Greece, too, we have similar “monsters” and rituals in various areas!
Sometimes the bride (usually played by a man) is abducted and it’s said to be a remnant of a re-enactment of the abduction of the goddess Persephone by Hades.
In other areas, the Dionysiac character of the festival is accentuated by the presence of a man who pretends to be the god of wine, vegetation, happiness, Dionysos.
Here’s the super adorable wreath I made for our door for solstice
It’s got a lot of plant friends from the land included… Two types of pine, holly, juniper, goldenrod, rabbit tobacco, white vervain, and privet. Plus a deer antler from one of the roadkill deer we’ve picked up and eaten this fall.
Made beeswax candles with one landmate late on solstice eve, after a several hour song jam with another (working on ‘O death’ from Songcatcher). Such a beautiful, delicious, nourishing treasure of a night. These candle babies got infused with cottonwood resin & rolled in yarrow flowers, rosemary, juniper, & cottonwood buds. Most are for gifting, but we’re also slowly moving toward no-electric-light in the main house.
After being on the move for a season, and before that living somewhere I didn’t intend to stay, it feels intensely good to have a holiday with friends on land that I can actually feel connection to. The cottonwood buds are a sweet tie to friends on the west coast, and the yarrow, rosemary, and juniper are big local allies in boundary holding and protection. The wax came from local bees. I love feeling the interweaving of plants and other beings that feeds into my life & prayers, knowing that the nectar of local flowers colored the wax, that the resin from the cottonwood made sticky a friend’s fingers a continent away. Knowing that miles of flight over the blue ridge mountains made the wax possible, that all those visions and moments and reaching toward the sun get twined together to help me remember how to grow brighter with the season and take rest as it comes, how to surround myself with strong, supple edges. We’re crafting new traditions here in the wake of turbulent family histories and with the scraps of community we can knit together safely, & it is such a fucking blessing.
Gather small tools for a mini ritual kit if you’re going to be away from home this season.
Cleanse your house with Yulecentric scents like citrus fruits, frankincense, pine needles, cedar, sandalwood, juniper berries, etc…
Craft a wreath and weave your intent into it.
Tis’ the season of flu and colds; brush up on your herbal remedy knowledge.
Consider making a special Yule dinner for a pet (before giving them ANY food they don’t usually have, ensure to research whether it is safe for them to eat.
Explore the world of clay crafts; make decorations with protective intent, carve sigils into them.
If you don’t have clay at hand, salt dough is the next best thing. Explore creating ornaments with herbs baked into them for extra magical zing.
Consider environmentally friendly routes of doing your wrapping this year. I’ve often wrapped a gift within another gift. (for example, wrapping an ornament up in a blanket)
If you can’t afford to donate to homeless shelters or any charity of your choice, do volunteer work. Nonprofit organizations are always short-staffed this season.
Create new traditions. Tell stories, insist on weird party games before opening gifts. It’s the small things that your family will remember fondly for years to come.
If you are alone this season, don’t isolate yourself any more than you need to. Look out for events going on in your area. Have a good phone call with a friend. Settle down and watch your favourite film. There’s no reason to force yourself to wallow.
Hotlines are there for a reason. If you need to, use them.
Get your research game on; learn the history of Yule!
Don’t stop there. Search the winter traditions of all cultures and faiths. They can inspire you with new ideas for your own practice.
Practise an old tradition you wouldn’t usually have considered.
Mourn the loss of the sun on the longest day… yet celebrate too, as he returns sooner than you think :)
Yule is a great time to pay homage to work with earth and fire alongside each other in balance. If you’re lacking a meaningful connection to either of these signs, now is the time to make that bond!
Pay homage to the tale of the Holly King and the Oak King by hanging both above your fireplace.
CHRISTMAS SPELL. Steep mistletoe berries, to the number of nine, in a mixture of ale, wine, vinegar and honey; take them on going to bed, and you will dream of your future lot. A storm in this dream is very bad; it is most likely you will then marry a sailor, who will suffer shipwreck at sea; but to see either sun, moon or stars, is an excellent presage; so are flowers; but a coffin is an index of a disappointment in love. -The Witches’ Dream Book
THE WITCHES’ CHAIN. Let three young women join in making a long chain, about a yard will do, of Christmas juniper, and mistletoe berries; and at the end of every link put an oak acorn. Exactly before midnight let them assemble in a room by themselves, where no one can disturb them; leave a window open, and take the key out of the key-hole and hang it over the chimney-piece; have a good fire, and place in the midst of it a long thinnish log of wood, well sprinkled with oil, salt and fresh mould; then wrap the chain around it, each maiden having an equal share in the business; then sit down, and on her left knee let each maiden have a prayer book, opened at the matrimonial service. Just as the last acorn is burned, the future husband will cross the room; each one will see her own proper spouse, but he will be invisible to the rest of the wakeful virgins. Those that are not to wed will see a coffin, or some misshapen form, cross the room. Go to bed instantly, and you will all have remarkable dreams. This must be done either on a Wednesday or Friday night, but no other. -The Witches’ Dream Book
FIRST FOOT. Our Scottish seers place implicit confidence in the “ First Foot” of a Christmas morn, which is that of the first person who crosses the threshold ; if this is a male, they prophesy “ good fortune all the year round : ” if a female, they predict evil. -Raphael’s Witch
THE RYE CHARM. If you would have bread and cake in plenty during the whole year, hang a full sheaf of rye and a full sheaf of wheat upon a pole outside the door, on Christmas morning, so that the birds may come and feed from it. -The Golden Wheel Dream-book and Fortune-teller
MIRROR. By gazing fixedly in a mirror on Christmas eve at midnight, you will see appearing in the glass the outlines of the leading events to occur to you during the coming year. - The Great Dream Book
THE ART OF SPEAKING WITH THE DEAD. For this operation it is necessary to attend midnight mass at Christmas and at midnight precisely to have a conversation with the inhabitants of the other world and at the moment that the Priest lifts the Host, bow down and with a frank and severe voice say “Esurgent mortuit et ac me veniut.” As soon as you have pronounced these six words it is necessary to go to the cemetery and at the first tomb that meets your eye offer this prayer:
“Infernal powers, you who bring the turbid in the universe, abandon your obscure dwelling and retire to the other side of the River Styx.” Then remain there for a moment of silence. “If you have your power, he or she that interests me, I supplicate you in the name of the King of Kings to make him appear before me at the hour and moment that I will indicate to you.”
After this ceremony, which is indispensable to carry out, take a fistful of earth and spread it as one sows grain in a field, saying in a low voice: “He who is in dust awake from his tomb and leave his ashes and answer the questions that I pose him in the name of the Father of all men.”
Then bend a knee to the ground, turning your eyes to the East and when you see that the doors of the Sun are going to open, arm yourself with the two bones of the dead man that you will put in a cross of Saint Andrew. Then throw them at the first temple or church that offers itself to your eyes. Having well-executed the aforesaid, set out in a western direction and when you have taken 5,900 steps, lay yourself down to sleep on the ground in an elongated position, holding the palms of your hand against your thighs, and your eyes to the sky towards the Moon and in this position, call he or she whom you wish to see, when you see the specter appear, solicit their presence with the following words “Ego sum te peto, et videre queo.” After these words, your eyes will be satisfied to see the object that dearest to you and give you the most pleasurable delight.
When you have obtained from the shadow which you have Invoked, that which you believe to be to your satisfaction, send it away in this manner: “Return to the kingdom of the elect, I am content with you and your presence.” Then picking yourself up, return to the same tomb where you made the first prayer above which you need to make a cross with the end of your blade which you will be holding in your left hand.The reader should not neglect any of the prescribed ceremonies otherwise he could incur some risk. - The Grand Grimoire
THE DISPOSITION OF THE TWELVE DAYS FROM CHRISTMAS, KNOWN BY THE SHINING OF THE SUN. On Christmas day, if the Sun shineth the whole day, it betokeneth a peaceable year. If it shine the 2nd. day gold will be bard to come by, and the corn much set by. If it shine the 3d. day, great errors shall be among church-men. If it shine on the 4th. day, then must weak children suffer much pain. If it shine on the 5th. day then both the winter fruits and herbs, and fruits of the garden prosper well. If it shine on the 6th, day, there shall be great-plenty of the fruits of the gardens, with all other fruits. If it shine on the 7th. day, it betokeneth hunger and scarceness both of man’s food, and also of beasts ; for victuals shall be dear, with wine and corn. If it shine on the 8th. day, it shall be good for fishermen that year, and fortunate. [This text seems to skip the 9th day] If it shine on the 10th. day, there shall be much evil weather that year. If it shine on the 11th. day, there shall be much misty weather that year, and also commonly dearth. If it shine on the 12th. day, then followeth that year much war, debate, and strife., - The Instructing Gypsy
The Winter Solstice and longest night of the year. Yule is a Sabbat for celebrating the Oak King’s rebirth, transformation, reflection, and mysteries. Gift exchanges, feasting, and wreath making are common ways to celebrate. Kiss under the mistletoe for good luck.
Popular Symbols for this holiday are mistletoe, poinsettia, wreaths, bells, holly, evergreens, reindeer, and a Yule Log.
Color Associations - Red, Green, White, Blue, Yellow
Tarot Cards associated with Yule are The Sun and Judgement.
Crystals to use on your altar or for spells on this holiday could be Bloodstone, Emerald, Quartz, Garnet, Peridot, Tiger’s Eye, Ruby, Topaz, Rose Quartz, Diamond.
Animal energies to channel could include bears, reindeer,
Spells good to perform on this holiday are those for New Starts, Blessings, Peace, Harmony, Luck, Wealth, Love, Happiness
Activities to help get in the Yule spirit and celebrate are participating in a gift exchange, caroling, decorating the yule tree and burning the yule log, kissing under the mistletoe for luck. Baking, cooking, and feasting with friends and family are great activities. Hand making decorations for the tree or even a wreath. Wassailing the trees.
December 20-23
