Blessings of Yule and the Winter Solstice! While today we experience the longest period of darkness, we must remember that today is also the day that we prepare for the return of our Sun God. As we turn the Wheel of the Year today we will find that our days, once again, begin to lengthen as the strength of our Sun God grows and we are able to enjoy his light a bit longer. It’s the perfect night to celebrate the darkness of the night, and use this time to pause and reflect upon days gone by, while understanding that the light is returning to us bringing us energy of growth and new beginnings in our lives.
Today we also celebrate our Winter Solstice, the beginning of winter and for many of us that means getting ready for some colder days and snow that may be headed our way. While I enjoy snow around the holidays I’m usually quite ready to move on from it as soon as we reach the first day of January. While it can be pretty and there really is something to be said for those quiet nights of snow, especially when the Moon lights it up, I still prefer when we can have our gardens back and I can spend time by my pond. Here in New England we haven’t had much for snow this year yet. We had a bit of snow on Thanksgiving. Funny enough that seems to be almost an annual tradition here to get a dusting right around Thanksgiving. While I always have hopes of a white Christmas, that’s not in the cards for my town this Christmas.
Today is also Yule! Yule is one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world. So many different traditions are being passed down each year through families and I find them all so much fun to learn about. Some that I am familiar with are the hanging of dried apples and oranges as they represent the sun and help to bring that energy towards us. Holly and Ivy were used as decorations to help attract Nature Sprites or spirits to come and join in the celebrations. You may find that a sprig of Holly was kept near the door to welcome holiday guests and bring them a bit of good fortune. Bay leaves were burned to bring prosperity in the coming months. This is also the night that the Yule Log was typically burned as well. The Yule log was supposed to be a log from your own property or a gift from someone. It was meant to burn on the Solstice night and then smolder for 12 days. A more modern tradition involves adding three candles to the Yule log in celebration. As a witch I like to choose a log that has the wood that has the magickal properties that I wish to draw in the coming year. You can also hang branches with ribbons on them that have the magickal properties you wish to draw towards you.
While Samhain is the time that we often celebrate our Ancestors, I find this is often an important time of year to honor their memories and welcome their spirit as well. I can feel their energy around us and honestly some times I can feel it stronger now than I can at Samhain. I believe this is because at this time of year we often engage in traditions that have been passed down through our families like hanging certain decorations, making certain recipes or even lighting candles in memories of loved ones who may not be with us. Each year I make sure to do at least one thing that honors my loved ones on the other side. If often winds up being a lot more. I find that I often wind up teaching my children a lot about their elders that walked before them around this time of the year.
No matter how you choose to celebrate I wish all of you the most wonderful holiday season, filled with health, love, joy and happiness. Be open to the ways that others celebrate as well. There are so many things that we can learn from each other.
I hope that you all have a Blessed Yule!
Much Love and Many Blessings,
Jasmeine Moonsong
P.S. If you haven’t ordered a Yule reading yet they are still on the shop! I have several of them for you to choose from. I also have a few Yule Tarot Messages available to be delivered today.
Blessings for Yule and the Winter Solstice
