Yule 08

I had such a moving experience at Shadow Grove for this sabbat that I scarcely know where to begin to talk about it. I supposed the beginning is the best place!

The evening started with hors d'oeuvres and some sabbat-appropriate crafting. We made corn garlands and coated pine cones with peanut butter and seeds so the critters of the forest could have something to eat during this time when this area is quite barren.

After dusk, we gathered in the lower room of the house for a run-down of the ritual and to get started. Down an immense flight of stairs that descends into the forest, there is a path that wraps around a gathering place and over a little creek to the ritual circle. Grove rituals usually start at that water crossing, where participants and smudged and cleansed and sent into the circle. This ritual was working a little differently.

Pre-ritual cleansing took place in the house. We each took an unlit candle with us and gathered on the deck. In a dark procession, we descended the sixty-step flight of frozen stairs to the ritual circle.

The theme of Yule is bringing back the light. After the longest night, the sun will slowly begin to take hold again, until it dominates the skies in the summer. For this ritual, we called on the sun, represented in fire, to bring back the light and fill our cold world with the blessings of its bounty. We took a flame from the ritual fire and, as we dismissed the quarters, lit our candles around the circle on that one flame. The procession then went back over the creek and up the breath-taking stairs, bringing back the light from where we started in darkness. It was, by far, the most beautiful Yule celebration I have ever been a part of or witnessed.

After that, we feasted, laughed, fellowshipped, and chose random names for our gift exchange. You may recall my crafting from my November esbat; the gift I made was a Chilean three-legged pig. They're usually made from pottery and exchanged between friends as a token of goodwill and luck. My little pig was crocheted in Yule colors of red, white, and green. The recipient, an extremely kind and loving person who makes a delectable beer bread said it made him smile every time he looked at it. This, of course, made me quite happy. My gift was a beautiful dream catcher made by the High Priestess' son. He is an extremely creative young man, and it just so happened that I needed a new dream catcher. As moving as the ritual was, it was also amazing to take part in this little Grove tradition. It seemed like gifts went to the person who needed them most.

The tradition of exchanging gifts at this time is centuries old. Early people would share what they had in abundance with their neighbors. This was usually crops or meat, or useful things like wool. Nothing was wasted and everyone had what they needed to get them through this time of year when things do not grow. We are blessed in this day and age to have stores that carry such necessities even in the bleak of winter, but the tradition lives on. Maybe none of us really needed any of those little trinkets, but you could tell they were all made with love and warm intentions, and we all do need that.

I hope you, gentle readers, had the brightest of bright Yules.

Bright Yule!

The solstices and equinoxes can sometimes be hard to plan. The dates change every year, you see, but as long as your ritual takes place somewhat nearby, it makes little difference what day it happens. It just so happens that the solstice will begin in less than half an hour; the official start is 0108 today.

The Yule ritual celebrates the re-birth of the sun god. To the ancient peoples, it probably did seem like the sun was dying in winter, until it suddenly started growing again. There is a reason why so many light and birth festivals occur during this time of year.

My ritual was simply a celebration. With my Yule log burning in the fireplace, I set my altar before it. In the center, I placed my altar cloth. This was my very first one, that has a pentacle, a special rune, and symbols for the four directions embroidered on it in spring colors. The symbols for the directions did not line up for this purpose, so I folded them out of the way. My Yule log served to represent fire in the south well enough. To the east, I set an incense burner, and lit the stick from the Yule log. It was interesting to watch the smoke from my incense go right up the flue. In the west was a silver chalice with water. This is also where I placed my wand on its stand, as I knew I would be facing south for most of this and I am right handed. In the front was a small glass holder with three pieces of moonstone to represent earth. Those pieces have an ironic significance that I may explain later.

I cast my circle and called the quarters. Then I lit a black candle from the Yule log and placed it in a holder on the pentacle. This candle symbolizes the end of the sun's travels. When it had burnt out, I threw the wax stub on to the Yule log. The log burned with new life, a representation of the new length of daylight to come. I contemplated this dark time, and the things I need to leave behind to move into the light of the coming season as the log burned.

When it had reduced itself to a pile of glowing coals, I dismissed the quarters and opened my circle. The water was offered to the Earth in libation. When the morning comes, I will clear my altar and light a single gold candle to represent the return of the sun. Sometime during the course of the day, I will collect the ashes from my Yule log for later use. (Among other things, they are said to be quite magickal!)

I hope this Yule found everyone warm and ready to rejoice with the soon return of spring.