The Winter Solstice festival is known as Yule in many circles, the root of this word in Old Norse means wheel & it represents the lowest point of the wheel of the year… when waning becomes waxing. This is the time when Mother Night encircles the Sun in her loving arms for the longest time during his cycle, & she returns him to us renewed & full of hope. As the Sun cycle waxes new, I will be spending 12 days in celebration of the returning light with candles lit, fires burning, feasting, story telling, baking & camping out in the living room with my children working dream incubation spells. Here are some ideas for your Winter Solstice celebrations…
Incense Blend…
I will be filling my home with this wonderful blend for the whole festival time to keep my spirit adrift & to open my heart & blood to the potential of this time.
Juniper berries
Frankincense resin
Damiana leaves
Dragon’s Blood resin
Cinnamon bark
Dream Incubation…
This is great to do with children to honour this time of year. We place mattresses in the living area so that all of our heads are angled to a central point & set up this spell in the middle.
As the Sun sets on the longest night, write or draw your wishes on a piece of paper. Fold it once, set it at the head of your bed & place a stone on top of it (we use smokey quartz or moonstone). In the center of these wishes place a bowl of sacred water (or water from a natural source, or filtered tap water at the very least) with lavender flowers in it.
Before you go to sleep, take turns whispering your wishes into the bowl of water & as you rise in the morning, discuss your dreams from the night before & how they may be clues for making your wishes come true.
After your Winter Solstice celebrations, return the water & lavender to nature, bury your wishes under a tree & carry your stones with you or keep them under your pillow.
And from the inspiring Michelle Duke-
Yule Log…
The longest night is a wonderful time to go deep within, to reflect, to enter the womb of creation. Seek out those parts of yourself that have been long forgotten, lost, unloved, & prepare to reawaken them from their slumber.
Gather together- Corn Husk, Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Nutmeg, Sandalwood, Frankincense, Orange rind
Fill the corn husk with the herbs & any other symbolic things that you would like to burn, for example written words or hair. Wrap twine around it to create a log shape. Toss the Yule Log into your Winter Solstice fire or burn as a smudge for your home.
)O(