SABBATH SERIES: YULE/WINTER SOLSTICE
Well, my witchy delights, our favorite series is back again, a chance to talk all things sabbath and celebration! And come on, who doesn’t need a little hope during these dark days? I know I do. We’ve made it through a the trying month of November. A month that tests our ability to keep hope alive, stay inspired, and see the light at the end of the tunnel. Although it doesn’t hold the darkest day of the year within its cycle, it certainly presents that darker days are ahead (daylight hours speaking). And with the sad realization of the political climate of the world turning to heaviness, it only makes these darkening days feel even darker. But don’t fret! For something special is just around the corner.
Yuletide blessings, my sweet darklings! Welcome to a very special Sabbath Series all about Yule, also known as The Winter Solstice. Many people, witches included, are made to feel that December belongs to the ‘religious folks’, the Christians. It’s understandable to feel this way since mainstream media mainly caters to Christian holidays. However, December is a really dark, and spooky time of year. Since the Summer Solstice the nights have been growing longer, but by Yule, The Winter Solstice, the darkness reaches it’s peak. This is a reminder to slow down, accept the darkness around us and also within us. This is a cycle that leads to death- Yule is the death of the nature, an eternal (or prolonged) sleep/hibernation. It is something to be honored, for we cannot appreciate the light without it.
You Thought It Was Jesus, But It Was Actually a Witch
Decorating the Tree
Across the world pagans were known to decorate their homes and holy spaces with pine, evergreen, and other coniferous trees. Its significance was to bring fertility, new life, and the renewal of light, as well as everlasting light. Trees weren’t always cut down and taken indoors in order to be decorated or honored, on the contrary it was seen as honoring the Gods of the Solstice by leaving the living trees where they stand and bring honor by adorning them with fruits, symbols, and trinkets that associated with their Gods, Goddesses and other Deities. In Pagan traditions/scriptures trees are seen as ancient and wise entities. By chopping them down, it is viewed by some to take away the wisdom of the tree, and the connection it has to the rest of the earth, and ethereal realms. Of course there is much debate on this subject amongst pagans/witches.
Yuletide Log ; Your Wood Choice can Bring in Different Things. Burn Wisely!
The Yule Log is a symbol of the light returning, and the days growing longer with each new day. When we light the candles of the log, or simply set it ablaze, it is the marking of the final day of darkness. Tradition goes that once it’s lit, you cannot put it out, it must dwindle on its own. Of course with the modern world limitations we have now, it is ok to douse it each night before bed and relight it the next day. It is also tradition to save a piece of the Yule log to carry with you into the new year and save to burn with the following years Yule log, this is said to bring good luck and abundance into the new year with you.
Some options for different wood to burn and what they mean:
Oak: this is directly associated to the Oak King, who is the bringer of light and the winner of the battle that takes place on Winter Solstice. This encourages hope, protection, warmth, strength, and good luck.
Birch: renewal and purification, this was largely used but the Germans during this time of year. It drives out evil, keeping those who burn it saved while embarking the dark says of Winter. It is also used to call in new beginnings and growth within the new chapter that awaits you.
Cherry: representing the natural cycles of life and death, this type of wood was made popular by the French. If you’re looking to call in new love, fertility, or connection to femininity, I highly recommend Cherry wood for your Yule Log this year.
Ghost Stories & Ebenezer Scrooge
For many people telling ghost stories in was a common occurrence in childhood. However, not many had the experience of endulging in such stories surrounding the winter solstice. It’s the “most wonderful time of the year” why would anyone be afraid? There’s a large, jolly man who comes down the chimney and brings you gifts in exchange for milk and cookies! However the true history of Winter Solstice is one of darkness, fear, and attempting not to be or feel alone. Yule pays homage to the dark, and acknowledges how the days grow shorter and nights grow longer. The dark nights can leave people feeling isolated, especially back in neopagan times when there were no phones or computers to stay connected. Loneliness was a very internal struggle, but communities would gather around fire, and share ghost stories to give name to that fear, that sense of loneliness, to connect with one another through hardship. Charles Dickens developed the story of Scrooge for this very reason, to create connection for many, and put name to that gnawing fear of loneliness (which is really what Scrooge was experiencing).
Kitchen Witchcraft
With the cold season officially upon us, now is the time to pull out the ancestral recipes for soups, stews, bread rolls, hot dishes, mulled wine, mead, and great grans hot chocolate moonshine! This season is not exclusive to kitchen witchery, this is a form of witchcraft you can practice all year round…but in my opinion, the best cooking is the kind that takes place in winter. I couldn’t necessarily tell you what it is, but the warmth and comfort a big bowl of thick stew, chunks of potato and carrot filling your belly after a cold and stressful day.
For those who don’t feel confident in their cooking abilities, you’re not alone. I thought I hated cooking for the longest time, but I just didn’t know how to do it. I was used to frozen bagged food, or boxed dishes that had the directions written on the package, and all the ingredients needed. I didn’t have to think, but I also didn’t feel the magick that preparing a home cooked meal provides. Every herb and spice has a magickal property, and upon learning this knowledge you can use your intention to enhance it’s abilities to provide you with whatever amplification you need (courage, happiness, abundance/magnetism, confidence, libido). I read one of the most simple, and enchanting suggestions in Grimoire Girls by Hilarie Burton Morgan, to summarize, she explains that by passing each ingredient through your hands, you are imbuing them with your essence, your dna, your magick. How empowering is that!? Gives the saying ‘food is healing’ a new meaning doesn’t it?
Deities of the Winter Cold
Cailleach
In Scotland known as the Queen of Winter, Cailleach is a ‘hag’ described as an unsightly woman with mangled teeth and matted hair. Her emphasis can be lost by breaking down her description- most elder women in Lore are described in this way. Thanks Patriarchy! But Cailleach is a Goddess who shows up around Samhain and remains until Beltane. If she had a Coven I wouldn’t doubt Hekate, Persephone, and The Morrighan would be amongst her flock. She is the bringer of darkness through her connection to storms, and the decay of nature as it’s meant to with the changing of season. She is also considered a protector of animals- if I can take a leap and assume that is a big part of her appearance in the coming of darker days, to make sure all the animals are preparing and protected for a long hibernation. You can call upon her when working with animals, especially those who are depressed or experiencing mental distress. In terms of honoring her for her services, use animal totems, especially wolves and deer/stags.
The Holly King
You’ve heard me mention the Holly King in many of our previous articles. Not to be confused with The Oak King, his counterpart. The Holly King is the ruler of death and darker days in NeoPagan Lore. His rise begins after the Summer Solstice, as the days begin to grow shorter and the nights start to grow longer. His significance is that of bringing the changes of our way of living as the season transition. His counter part, The Oak King, has equal importance but he is the bringer of light, life, and brighter days to come. In a constant struggle these two battle it out twice a year. Different texts argue when; either during the solstices, or the equinoxes. Either way, it is an inevitable cyclical battle. The Holly King, who is describes as a woodland Santa Clause, is considered the ‘wiser’ of the two, and with this wisdom comes a slower more observant pace- which is what is asked of us during the winter season. You can honor him by taking breaths during a busy day, and calming your nervous system. You can also give thanks to The Holly King by adorning yourself with a crown made of holly, making a fire in the snow, and prancing around it!…to each there own.
Frigga
The Christians have Jesus, but the Norse folk have Frigga and Baldur. Again, another ancient Lore that is skeptically similar to that of a christian myth. Anywho, Frigga had a son. Baldur, and like any mother she did her best to protect him at all costs. One day, her son was to leave, and she went to all the plants and animals pleading with them not to harm her son. Unfortunately there was a plant she missed, mistletoe. Baldur was shot by an enemy with an arrow that was dipped in the juice of mistletoe berries, killing him. When Frigga discovered him, she cried so much that the berries turned white. She kissed her son, thinking it was to be the last time. Through his mothers love, and the magick of her tears, he regained his strength and his life. You can thank this Norse Goddess for the use of Mistletoe during the Yuletide season. Upon his resurrection she declared Holly be seen as a plant of love not death. When one kisses their partner, or a stranger, under the mistletoe it is said to ignite a renewal of love, or a new love to begin.
Odin as Santa Klaus
Norse Pagans speak on Odin as their original Santa Clause, maybe even the O.G Santa. Yes, we can clearly see the physical similarities, especially with the image below, but how about the tools Odin used? His mystical abilities and how they translate to that of our Modern Kris Kringle? Odin was honored for many reasons; wisdom, death/war, magic and mysticism. He was/is seen as the ‘AllFather’, easily compared to God in Christian Faiths, or Allah in Muslim Faiths. Similarly to how children send Santa letters in hopes to manifest their wildest dreams, people of all ages ‘prayed’ to Odin asking for guidance, miracles, calling in a new life. Interestingly enough, Odin did give gifts to his followers if they acted on his behalf (usually mischievous acts). Those eight reindeer Santa uses to pull his sleigh? Odin rides an eight legged steed…interesting comparison isn’t it? Especially since Odin is an ancient deity in Norse Mythology, and Santa Clause is a modern mystic. The similarities are undeniable, and another example of how capitalism and christianity steal ancient practices, especially neopagan practices, and repackage them as their own. I highly recommend doing your own deep dive into Father Yule, and make the decision for yourself. Over on The Wicked Griffen, you can find a much more in depth dive into this belief. I can’t recommend them enough, especially if you’re looking to add Norse traditions into your craft.
Odin - Artwork from The Wicked Griffin Website
Creatures of the Cold Who Thrive in the Frost…and May Want to Eat You
Jack Frost
My childhood crush of course was a sprite. Charming, mischievous, bringer of snow? Sign. Me. Up. His story has many adaptations; some he has wings, others he’s able to magically flit from place to place. Some depict him as a villain killing nature, and anything that doesn’t heed his bringing of winter. Others describe his neutral nature, it’s a job and someones got to do it! Jack Frost is the mystical being responsible for bringing frost, ice, snow, and those decorative designs you wake up to upon your window pane. His energy is more of a trickster than anything else, and in many children’s cartoons/books he entices them outside into the mayhem of seasonal changes…in the end he returns them to their rightful places, even if it is with a little chuckle.
Krampus
You can thank the many clans, cultures, and mountaineers of the European Alps for the Lore of Krampus. If you are unfamiliar with this devil-like monster, allow me to shed some light. Krampus is the counter part to St. Nicholas (as some know Santa to be derived from). His lore is of christian mythical story telling- if there is a hero, there must be a villain. Telling children that St. Nick has a naughty list, didn’t seem to be enough to keep the children in line. So, Krampus was born. The legend goes that if a child acts up, not only will St. Nick pass them by, not only will they only receive coal, but they won’t even have time to complain because Krampus will snatch them up, stick them in his sack, and take them far away to be tortured, drowned, and even eaten. Santa, the good guy that he is, didn’t want the blood on his hands, so it’s said that he travels with Krampus and uses his Naughty List to advise Krampus where to go to pick up the undeserving children. There are amazing Krampus Marches all across Europe during the winter season- I highly recommend googling or TikToking some videos.
Mari Lwyd
As a child you may have had, or a knew a sibling that had, a “hobby horse”, a stick you ride with a horse head on the end. Mari Lwyd is similar in that is a horses skull on the end of a pole, however its purpose is entirely different, and much more frightening in appearance. The Skull is mounted onto a tall poll (usually over 6 feet), with a white sheet, as if to hide its ‘body’ with ribbons cascading down from the top of its head, and some even have makeup dressed upon the skull. In the South of Whales, taking us back hundreds of years, Men would travel from house to house wassailing and carrying Mari Lwyd. They would park themselves outside of a home and begin to sing, asking to be allowed entry for food and drink. The homeowners would be familiar with this tradition, and sing back denying them entry. This could go on for several minutes until they were granted entry and provided gifts that filled the belly. Although this custom has died down quite a bit, as most people don’t like t have strangers in their homes, it is that deserves mentioning as a more spooky element to the winter season and traditions.
Irina Iriser - Pexels
Choose Your Own Adventure: Yuletide Activities
It’s not only through connection to spirit that we can be filled with the energy of Yule. In the breakdown below you’ll find some options to inspire your environment, friends, yourself, and maybe an elf or two to be overcome by the joyous warmth of this dark, and frigid season.
Decorate a Tree - Yes the Pagans did it first!!
Brew Mulled Wine or Hot Cocoa
Make a Simmer Pot - use some herbs, fruits, and flowers from the list below
Share Spooky Stories
Light the Yuletide Log - Honor the flame every day
Gather some friends and go wassailing
Craft your own decorations/ornaments using natural items - oranges, cranberries, nuts, popcorn, wood, greenery…
Gift Exchanges - for a more traditional touch, make a pact to share DIY gifts only
Honoring the Winter Solstice: Bringing the Light Through the Long Darkness
Adding to your alter, workspace, or outdoor gathering spot will help to keep the joy and light burning wherever you go. It can be easy to fall into the trap of darkness, but that’s not what Yule is all about! So utilize these options below to ignite your space with hope.
Creatures: Reindeer, Snow Bunnies, Yeti, Northern Cardinal, Arctic Fox
Colors: Crimson Red, Evergreen, White, Ice Blue
Food items: Cranberries, Chestnuts, Mulled Wine, Hot Chocolate, Roasts, Chunky Stews
Stockings, Red Ribbons, Garland, Stars
Elves, Winter Gnomes, Nisse, Snow Sprites
Crystals: Ruby, Emerald, Clear Quartz, Coal, Snowflake Obsidian
Flowers & Herbs: Mistletoe, Pine, Poinsettias, Pinecones, Magnolia leaves,
Until next time, stay spooky darklings xx
