A Day for Yule Rituals: The Winter Solstice
Yule is one of the world’s oldest winter traditions and is celebrated through rituals on the Winter Solstice. As darkness begins to transition to light, we welcome the season of rebirth and call the sun back in for the new year to come.
WHERE DID YULE ORIGINATE?
Traditionalists following the Wheel of The Year start Yule celebrations on the date of the Winter Solstice. The Wheel of the Year is the cyclical calendar of festivals for witches and modern pagans; it represents the flow of time — the constant turn of the clock and the natural cycles of death and rebirth.
Wondering where the name ‘Yule” comes from? While there are certainly linguistics debates, some say ‘Yule’ is courtesy of the Norse god Odin. Historically, the festivities began on the longest night of the year, and the revelry continued for 12 days while its celebrants feasted and burned yule logs.
While most modern witches don’t take a whole 12 days to celebrate, although I love the idea of creating mini yule rituals throughout, the day of the Winter Solstice has become a day of ceremony and one with very special meaning.
Creating Ceremony
Last year I began training with the Foundation of Shamanic Studies — I’m very much a student and so grateful to be a witness to spiritual leaders holding a brilliant vision.
In one of my recent lessons these words resonated with me:
“Shamans were made for these times, accepting the challenge of leading through these dark times by embodying the light. We answer the call to create and lead rituals that help to release anger, remorse and sadness and bring in joy, gratitude and thankfulness. Active involvement in ceremony helps us step beyond our own emotions and self-awareness to experience oneness.
As we step into bliss, time seems to stand still, and we help heal the world.
By creating ceremony, we help those around us to bypass fear and anxiety from the emotionally laden limbic brain. When engaging in ceremony, we’re fully awakened and can access our highest forms of intelligence and creativity while remaining grounded and effective.
We understand who we are in the world and how to survive and thrive no matter what life throws at us. Stepping into service, what ceremonies will you create this season?”
I believe we each have the ability to acknowledge the dark and embody the light. I believe we each have it within us to create ceremonies that will shift us into a new paradigm.
Here are four yule Rituals I recommend:
Create Sacred Space
This is our Marie Kondo practice. Does anyone else think she’s a little witchy too? New Moons or on a night like the Solstice is the optimal time for setting a sacred space in your home to make each area feel like magic.
Start by tidying up any clutter, get the junk out of the way — and keep it out.
Next, cleanse the energy of the space with smoke (copal or palo santo are good!).
Focus on areas where you’ll be meditating, journaling, bathing, making out, or resting.
This may take several days. Work in short 5-10 minute intervals to keep this feeling easy. Take each area day by day if you need to.
Venus Bath
Start by drawing a bath with warm water. Then, add sacred essential oils and petals of flowers if you have them.
You could also try exfoliating your skin with a salt scrub and adding in a floral essential oil, like lavender or rose.
As you sit in the bath, imagine the water purifying you and removing excess emotion from your energetic field.
When you finish your bath, visualize all these old feelings going down the drain with the water.
As you emerge from the tub, imagine your own rebirth.
(You can practice this in your daily shower if you’re short on time — key components: the scrub, the essential oil, and the visualization).
Shabad Kriya for Deep, Relaxing Sleep
The best time to practice this kriya is every night before bed, but it can be practiced at any time of the day.
I particularly love this in the winter and on the solstice as we honor the reawakening that comes after a long sleep. When practiced regularly, your sleep will be deep and relaxed, and your nerves will regenerate. With regular practice, the rhythm of your breath as you sleep will be subconsciously regulated to the rhythm of the mantra.
The breath is regulated into 22 beats. In Numerology, the number ‘11’ is the number of Infinity, and the number ‘22’ is the mastery of the mental realm. This 22-beat breath gives the mind the power to stretch to the Infinite.
Posture: Sit in any comfortable posture with the spine straight. Place the hands in the lap, palms up with the right hand over the left. The thumbs are together and point forward.
Eyes: Focus the eyes on the tip of the nose, the eyelids 90% closed.
Breath and Mantra:
Inhale in 4 equal parts, mentally vibrating the mantra Sa-Ta-Na-Ma.
Hold the breath, vibrating the mantra 4 times for a total of 16 beats.
Exhale in 2 equal strokes.
A lesson on the mantra: “Sa-Ta-Na-Ma”:
The sound comes from one of the oldest mantras Sat Nam which means “my true essence” or “true identity”. There are many interpretations for each of the sounds — here’s one of the easiest translations:
Sa– birth, cosmos
Ta– life
Na– death, transformation
Ma– rebirth
Dance
Perhaps one of my favorite yule rituals of all is dance. It’s a practice in which any culture you could bring to mind likely has a long history of engaging. There are dances for every occasion: birthdays, weddings, holidays. There are dances of birth and even dances of death. Simply follow the flow of your inner child, and let go.
Move with freedom and abandon all inhibitions…. allowing your body to feel the music of your soul.
This is a ritual each of us can practice, at any time, any place.
