Winter Solstice
Yule 2003
Casting and Consecrating the circle:
HPS:
Bless the Salt, holding it up, Say: "Oh creature of Earth, in this scared space. We bless you in the name of Fortuna and Janus."
Bless the Water, holding it up, Say: "Oh
creature of the Sea, in this scared space, We bless you in the name of Gaia and
Lugh"
Add the salt to the water.
HP:
Light the Incense. Holding it up, Say: "Oh
creatures of Air and Fire, in this scared space, We bless you in the name of
Lucina and Mithras of Thea and Cronos."
HPS:
Take up the Salted water.
Walk around your circle sprinkling as
you go, saying "With Earth and Water, We cast this circle, With Purity and
Protection".
HP:
Take up the Incense, Walk around your circle saying "With Air and Fire, We cast this circle, with Purity and Protection." Set it down.
HPS:
With palms upraised Say: "With Purity
and Protection the circle is cast. Where no Ill or Evil may come to pass. Where
Light and Love is, For all to see. By our will So Mote it Be."
Call Quarters: East, South, West and North
HPS:
“Lady, Mother of All, Goddesses of light. We
call you Fortuna, Gaia, Thea and Lucina to join us in this Rite.” (Lights
the Silver candle)
HP:
“Lord, Father of All, Gods of night. We call you Janus, Lugh, Cronos and Mithras to join us in this Rite.” Lights the Gold candle)
HPS:
“As above, So it is below.
As in the universe, So be it in the
soul.
As it is within, So it is without.
As into the Light, So it is into the
Night.”
HP:
“To the Celts, Samhain is the night when the old God dies and the day after Samhain is the beginning of the official Celtic New Year, but to the rest of the Western Pagans Yule is celebrated as the New Year. Samhain and Yule are both times when we come to ourselves and reflect on the year gone past. To remember those that have passed over, to review our own lives, our deeds and our misdeeds and to make our goals, plans and resolutions for the year to come.
Yule is also the time when we welcome back the Sun, the return of the Oak King and look forward to the warmth that is coming to the earth, our homes and hearts. It is the time to bid farewell to the Holly King, to our friends and family that have passed over and to release from ourselves that which we no longer need or desire.
Each of you has received a piece of paper on which you have written on it those things that you want to rid yourself of before the New Year. One by one beginning in the East come up to the cauldron and place your paper into the fire as we all chant:
"Take the old and burn it, burn and let it go.
Fire starts within our hearts and gives us room to grow."
HP:
“The Yule customs of the Celts are the ones most well-known to the Westerners today. The Celts drew their Yule practices both from the Norse invaders and from the priestly class known as Druids. The Druids venerated evergreen trees as manifestations of deity and as symbols of the universe. To the Celts, these trees were sacred because they did not die from year to year as did deciduous tree, therefore representing the eternal aspect of the Goddess who also never dies. Their lush greenery was symbolic of the hope for the Sun’s return to green the earth once again, and their massive height associated them with eternity. Their intricate root systems which reflected this height associated them with the adage. “As Above. So Below.”
It is from these beliefs that the custom of decorating Yule tress (now popularly known as Christmas trees) evolved. The Celtic Druids decorated evergreen trees as Yule with all the images of the things they wished the waxing year to hold for them. Images of items to be used at future Sabbats, fruits for a successful harvest, love charms for happiness, nuts for fertility and coins for wealth adorned the trees. Even on today’s Christmas trees, many of these images remain intact, though their meaning is long lost.
In Scandinavian traditions Yule trees and other greenery were brought inside to also provide a warm and festive winter’s resting place for the tree elementals that inhabited their woodlands and as a way to coax the native faery folk to participate in the Solstice rituals.”
“The Yule log is another custom we bring forth at this time. Originally made from oak, the Yule log was brought into the home with much dancing and ceremony before being lit in the hearth. Sometime later the log became smaller altar relics sporting three holes, one each to represent the Triple Goddess. These holes were bored into the top, and the log was impregnated with three candles. Sometimes the candles were all virgin white, or god red. Most often they were the Goddess’ triple aspect color of white, red and black as presented here. The log was then decoratively covered with holly mistletoe and evergreens to represent the intertwining of the God and Goddess who are reunited.
In Slavic traditions the Yule log often only has one candle is usually the God color of orange or gold. To the Slavs, the Yule log is a symbol of health and fertility as well as a tool of sympathetic magick for the Sun’s return. Hopes for good fortune were invested in the Yule log image and it was given a central place in the Yule Ritual as we do here now to welcome back the light.”
HPS:
Lights the Yule Log and
says:
”May the Log Burn,
May the Wheel Turn,
May Evil Spurn,
May the Sun Return.”
HPS:
“I ask that we remember…in all things there must be balance.
We have given our respects to the fleeting darkness and as we said goodbye, we asked the darkness to take something of ours with it. Something we want to let go of.
It has been a long time of living on what we have saved back from our harvests, and while we still have a bit to wait until the warmth of the light increases enough to allow the earth to share her riches again, we have faith that it will come! We know it will, as it has with every turn of the wheel of the year before. We have hope that this will be the year of abundance and good health for us.
As the light begins its physical return to earth during this special time, we have cleaned out our spirit to allow space for us to bring light also. We bring light, by offering hope through our deeds. Hope and Faith in the goodness of humanity.
Around each candle is a task for you, our way of helping the illumination to grow.
We now take time to welcome the ever increasing light.”
(HPS light first candle and motions to have them light the next candle till all are lit around the circle)
“Take a moment to thank the divine for the impending warmth of its light and make a spiritual commitment to share that light with humanity by accepting your task and to complete it by Imbolc”
HPS:
Takes cake and says:
“Blessed Lady Goddess, mother of our new born King, we thank you for the bounty of your earthly body. This life-giving grain of your earth we give back to you now in humble thanksgiving. You are in and of this cake, young mother. Allow us to use it to fill ourselves with your boundless presence.”
Take a small piece and crumble it onto the offering plate. Take another small piece to eat and pass the plate around the circle.
HP:
Take the cup of wine
(juice) and says:
”Blessed Lady Goddess, great womb from whom all life flows, we thank you for
your gift of our new born King. The water of your earth, as necessary for life
as blood of your womb, we give back to you now in humble thanks. You are in and
of this wine. Young mother. Allow us to use it to fill ourselves with your
boundless presence.”
Pour a small amount onto the offering plate. Take a sip from the chalice and pass it around the circle.
HPS:
“Our Lady, Mother of All, Goddess of Light, we thank you Fortuna, Gaia, Thea and Lucina. Remain with us in our hearts and minds. Keep us mindful of your gifts to us as we strive to pass them on to others.”
HP:
“Our Lord, Father of All, Gods of Night. We thank you Janus, Lugh, Cronos and Mithras. Remain with us in our hearts and minds. Fill us with your strength and warmth as we strive to warm and give strength to others.”
Release Quarters: East, South, West and North
HPS:
“To our Lord and Lady, To the Spirits of the Ancient Ones. We thank you for your presence this night. Stay if you will, go if you must. May this circle be opened, but not broken. May the Strength and Peace of our Lord and Lady be with us always. Merry we Meet, Merry we Part and Merry we will Meet again. Blessed Be to All.”
A Yule Ritual
By Golden Light
December 21st 1998
Ground
Center
Cast circle by sweeping broom in circle
Light Perfect Truth candle
With this flame I invite Perfect Truth
Light Perfect Trust candle
With this flame I invite Perfect Trust
Move to the East, Draw a Pentagram in the air with Wand (or Athame)
Light the yellow candle
"Oh ye Guardian of the Watchtower of the East, I do summon, stir and call
upon you now to witness this rite and guard this magickcal circle this
night."
Move to the South, Draw a Pentagram in the air with Wand
Light the Red candle
"Oh ye Guardian of the Watchtower of the South, I do summon, stir and call
upon you now to witness this rite and guard this magickcal circle this
night."
Move to the West, Draw a Pentagram in the air with Wand
Light the Blue candle
"Oh ye Guardian of the Watchtower of the West, I do summon, stir and call
upon you now to witness this rite and guard this magickcal circle this
night."
Move to the North, Draw a Pentagram in the air with Wand
Light the Green candle
"Oh ye Guardian of the Watchtower of the North, I do summon, stir and call
upon you now to witness this rite and guard this magickcal circle this
night."
Return to the Altar, "The circle is cast and we are between worlds, Beyond
the bounds of time, Where Night and Day, Birth and Death, Joy and Sorrow
meet as one
Lights the God Candle
"In the velvet black at this hour, I call upon the Ancient Power,
With God's love, Hear my call, send to me the power of ALL."
Lights the Goddess Candle
"Loving Goddess of Truth, the gift of wisdom and astral view,
In this time and at this hour, I call upon your loving power,"
Lights the gold candle
"Hail and welcome to thee Holly King"
Meditation and Welcome
"I sorrow not, Though the world is wrapped in sleep."
"I sorrow not, Though the icy winds blast."
"I sorrow not, Though the snow falls hard and deep."
"I sorrow not, This too shall soon be past."
"Hail and Farewell the Holly King"
extinguish the gold candle
Light the cauldron
"I light this fire in Your Honor, Mother Goddess."
"You have created life from death, warmth from cold.;"
"The Sun lives once again; the time of light is waxing."
"Welcome, ever-returning God of the Sun!"
"Hail Mother of All!"
Relight the gold candle
"Hail and Welcome The Great Oak King"
"Great god of the Sun,"
"I welcome Your return."
"May You shine brightly upon the Goddess;"
"scattering seed and fertilizing the land."
"All blessings upon you,"
"Reborn One of the Sun!"
"With Goddess light and God's pure strength, I bless this wine that it may
strengthen my body as it does my spirit." Lower Anthane in to the
Chalice.
"With Goddess light and God's pure strength, I bless this bounty that it may
strengthen my body as it does my spirit."
Hold Chalice in left hand, pour wine from decanter with right. Hold up the
Chalice with both hands
"With the partaking of this wine, I take into my body that of the Goddess,
to give honor to Her and the All"
Drinks from Chalice
Hold Chalice up to Goddess and God
"Accept this wine as my offering of thanksgiving."
Hold up plate
"As grain is the bounty of the Goddess, the eating of it denotes the
sacrifice of the Lord and his rebirth. With the partaking of this bounty, I
take into my body that of the God, to give honor to Him and the All."
Eats a portion
Holds plate up to Goddess and God
"Accept this bounty my offering of thanksgiving."
"I thank thee Great Oak King for the witness of this rite. With love and
respect go in peace."
Snuff gold candle
"God...I thank you for you presence and acceptance this night. With the
strength of your power, so mote it be."
Snuff the God candle
"Goddess...I thank you for you presence and acceptance this night. With the
strength of your power, so mote it be."
Snuff the Goddess candle
Go to North draw Pentagram in the air with wand
"Keepers of the Watchtower of the North, I release you and I thank you. With
love and respect, go in peace."
Snuff the green candle
Go to West draw Pentagram in the air the air with wand
"Keepers of the Watchtower of the West, I release you and I thank you. With
love and respect, go in peace."
Snuff the blue candle
Go to the South draw Pentagram in the air with wand
"Keepers of the Watchtower of the South, I release you and I thank you. With
love and respect, go in peace."
Snuff the red candle
Go to East draw Pentagram in air with wand
"Keepers of the Watchtower of the East, I release you and I thank you. With
love and respect, go in peace."
Snuff the yellow candle
Snuff the Trust candle
Snuff the Truth candle
Hold wand over head circle room clockwise and move wand widdershins
"This circle is open but never broken."
Follow the Links button for more information about Yule traditions.
