Yule – 1˚ Capricorn

On or about December 21

Depth of Dark, Beginning of Winter
Fundamentally Concerned with identity
Analyzing Past Accomplishments and Projecting Future Desires
Setting aside all pains and re-assessing the Now
Honoring family, friends, and allies.

Yule – Correspondences

Colors – Red, Green, Gold, Silver
Gods – Holly King, Crone Aspect
Direction – North
Herbs – Holly, Mistletoe, Cinnamon, Apple, Cranberry, Bayberry
Magic – Prosperity, Success, Peace, Joy, Happiness, Family, Friend

Yule is when we are in the depth of dark. We are fundamentally focused on what the past year has brought us and how the new year will come into being. We are reaping the rewards of our successes and failures, and analyzing things that we need to do differently in the year to come.

We do not have to look into a mysterious past for the answers to this season. Santa Clause is a perfect representation of the Holly King, the Father God that is joyously rewarding us with the fruits of our labors from the previous year. Myths about how Santa Clause rewards good children, and brings bad children a bag of switches, or a lump of coal, are referring to you reaping the consequences of your actions. Even if you deserve nothing, the Holly King will bring you a little something to burn on the fire to keep you warm on the longest night of the year.

The Holly King/Santa Clause is the wise father. He is clothed in Red, Black, and White, the colors of Maiden, Mother and Crone. He is often shown with Holly leaves and berries, representing his role as Holly King. He is the old father who is giving way to the new young Oak King.

The God’s purpose is to manifest, or make material, the gifts the Goddess has for us, on the physical plane. Santa Clause delivers gifts. Santa Clause is the Holly King, and very much a pagan spiritual mystery, shrouded in commercialism. Other special pagan symbols are the star, the Christmas balls, which represent eternity, the evergreen tree, which represents the Goddess in her immortality, and the Yule Log.

The Pagan symbolism in Christmas abounds. It’s actually harder to find something that isn’t Pagan than to find something that is. Even Christmas carols have the meaning of the Winter Solstice in them.

The birth of Jesus, is a retelling of the birth of the Oak King. It is customary for Pagans to hold vigil all night at the Winter Solstice to await the rise of the new sun, and bless the birth of the Oak King. Christmas being celebrated several days after Yule, is a wonderful time to remember the Oak King, and shouldn’t be a source of stress with your Christian family members at all. Once you can see past what you have been told Christmas means to Christians, and begin to see the pagan roots of it all, you will be able to embrace Yule with all your usual family traditions, but see the meaning and depth behind all of them.

We are at this time in the dark half of the year, not yet born. In the great cycle of reincarnation we are at the depth of death. We are resting, waiting, contemplating, projecting. We have realized the benefits of merging with the all, and have come to miss our individuality. We begin to assess what we need to continue our evolutionary process and begin setting goals for the future year. Now is the time for serious inner reflection and goal setting. New calendars are purchased, and the ritual of transferring birthdays and important events should be accompanied with detailed goal setting for the coming year.

A wasted year represents a wasted incarnation, setting new years resolutions that you have no intentions of keeping are self-defeating and create negative karma. Your personal growth cycle begins here, and what you accomplish over the next year cycle will make a difference in your mortality, and karma. Great magic should be worked at this time to prepare for the seeds to be planted at Imbolc, through careful contemplation, consulting astrologers, spiritual advisors, and through dedicated prayer and meditation. How will you use the next year of your life? Will it be the wasted incarnation of an aimless wanderer or the conscious effort of an advanced soul?

Your ritual for Yule should include a decorated evergreen tree to represent the Goddess, a Santa Clause or Holly King representative, a gift to represent the fruits of your labor from the previous year, and a Yule Log.

In our group we perform a chalice ceremony, making several rounds of toasts honoring each other at this time of family. We express what we are grateful for from the previous year, what and we intend to accomplish in the coming year. We open our gifts and recognize the completion of the cycle from the previous year. Lastly, we pass the Yule Log around to unburden ourselves of any pains and attachments from any difficult trials that we may have encountered from the past year, and allow them to be burned away in the fire. This helps to release any negative karma, so that we may face the new year unencumbered with the burdens of the past.

Yule Ritual from '01

Cast, Call, Invoke

Raise Power – a somber cone of power around the HP and HPS performing the great rite.

Group chants – “Lugh, Pan, Belin, Herne, Cernunnos”

HPS–(Performing the great rite, Holds up chalice and speaks)

“In the beginning there was the Void.
The Black emptiness of the Goddess.
The simple creative essence.
She was the womb of space, were nothing,
Suddenly is a spark and becomes something
Without thought or form,
She was the expanse of the Universe.”

HP – (Inserts Athame into Chalice and speaks)

“Until … within her came the spark of thought,
Which grew into desire.
To grow, to create, to evolve.
That desire grew within the void of the Goddess Mother,
Until it became whole, and burst forth from the void, as light.” Quarters throw holly glitter

The HPS returns to the altar with the chalice.

HP – Stepping into the circle wearing all red –“My Children, now is the time when old things end and new things begin. Now is the time when we are rewarded for our past efforts with new gifts and talents, so that we will be prepared for the new journeys of the coming year. Your mother has weighed your deeds for the previous year, and blesses you with these gifts to aid you in your future challenges. These are a symbol of her love.” - Passes out Yule Gifts

HP Leads Chalice Ceremony*– First round to give thanks for previous year. Second round to express hopes and wishes for coming year.

HPS tells story of Demeter/Isis’ time of mourning on earth, and the mystery of immortality. Yule Log is blessed (each person unburdens themselves by giving that which has caused them pain and sorrow from the previous year to the Yule log to be transformed) and placed into the fire.

Food is blessed

Quarters are closed.

Circle is ended.

Feast Begins.

*A Chalice ceremony involves taking a chalice filled with wine and passing it deosil around the circle. Each member expresses themselves appropriately, takes a drink, and passes the Chalice to the next person. This continues until the chalice has completed the circle.