Winter Solstice - December 20th to 23rd

• Animals: Bears, Boars, Eagles, Kingfishers, Lapwings, Owls, Robins, Snow Geese, Squirrels, Stags, Sows, and Wrens.

• Colors: Blue, Gold, Green, Red, Silver, White, and Yellow.

• Deities:  All Newborn Gods, Apollo, Brigit, Demeter, Diana, The Divine Child, Gaea, The Great Mother, The Green Man, The Horned One, Isis, Mother Goddesses, The Oak King, Odin, Ra, Sun Gods, and Triple Goddesses.

• Flowers: Christmas Rose, Holly, Ivy, Mistletoe, and Poinsettias.

• Foods: Cookies and Caraway Cakes soaked in Cider, Eggnog, Fruits, Ginger Tea, Nuts, Pork Dishes, Turkey, Spiced Cider, and Wassail or Lamb's Wool (Ale, Sugar, Nutmeg, Roasted Apples).

• Herbs: Bayberry, Blessed Thistle, Evergreen, Frankincense, Laurel, and Sage

• Incense: Bayberry, Cedar, Cinnamon, and Pine.

• Spell-workings: Harmony, Increased Happiness, Love, and Peace.

• Stones: Bloodstone, Diamond, Emerald, Garnet, and Ruby.

• Symbolism: Introspect, The Longest Night of the Year, Planning for the Future, Rebirth of the Sun, and The Winter Solstice.

• Symbols: Baskets of Clove Studded Fruit, Bells, Christmas Cactus, Evergreen Boughs or Wreaths, Gold Pillar Candles, Holly, Mistletoe Hung in Doorways,  Poinsettias, A Simmering Pot of Wassail, Yule Log or Small Yule Log with 3 Candles.

• Trees: All Evergreens, Apple, Birch, Cedar, Chestnut, Fir, Holly, Juniper, Oak, Pine, and Yew.

• Special Activities: Burning the Yule log, Caroling, Decorating the Yule Tree, Exchanging of Presents, Honoring Kris Kringle the Germanic Pagan God of Yule, Kissing Under the Mistletoe, and Wassailing the Trees.

     Yule is celebrated at the Midwinter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. The word Yule comes from the Germanic “Jul” and means “Wheel.” Thought Yule, we celebrate winter and the rebirth of the Sun. During the time of Samhain, the Goddess followed the God into the Underworld and the Earth began its long winter slumber. As the Wheel turns to Yule, the Goddess is with child and gives birth to the tiny Oak King, God of the waxing Sun. The Old God or Holly King is defeated and returns to the Underworld to rest until Summer Solstice when he will again be reborn as Lord of the waning Sun.

     During Yule, we mourn the passing of the Old God who is the Lord of Winter. This ancient God has many names beside the Holly King, including Cernunnos, Odin, Harlequin, and of course Santa Claus. This God is portrayed as an old man, majestic and often jolly. Sometimes He is shown as a King in ermine-trimmed robes, other times He is shown as a Jester and called the King of Fools. The Old God is the Lord of Death and of the Spirit World and magic. He is the God of the forest, of animals, and of the hunt. Often, He is shown with antlers or horns.

     Yule is also a celebration of the birth of the Sun King and nature’s renewal. We practice sympathetic magic by lighting fires or candles to encourage the sun to grow stronger. This is a time of new beginnings both physically and spiritually, the wheel of the year has made a complete circle. The darkest night of winter is a good time for self-examination and discovering the “seeds” of spiritual growth or hindrance which are lying dormant within us. The Winter Solstice is the turning point in the natural cycle of the year, this darkest night in all the year is followed by a day that will dawn just a little earlier!

     Altars and ritual spaces decorations traditionally include evergreen wreaths and boughs, pinecones, red and green candles, pine-scented incense and essential oils of myrrh and frankincense. Peppermint leaf and mistletoe are the herbs of Yule. The color scheme of white and gold and Solar images are also very appropriate.