Yule Ritual example

From Rae Beth's The Wiccan Path

Adorn your alter with evergreens
such as pine, juniper, holly, and cedar.
Dried leaves of any kind are appropriate
as well.

Within the cauldron place a red candle
and twigs of fir or pine

Begin by invoking the Goddess and the
God. Then moving deosil to the western
quarter, anoint your forehead (the seat
of psychic power,your third eye) with
natron (or water you have cleansed
and charged.)

Go to your cauldron, and sitting quietly
beside it, sense the enfolding darkness
and silence, the cold winter night outside.
Say:

On the longest night, all nature sleeps.
Coldness and stillness like Death grip the Earth.
There is a reignof darkness. There is a pause,
a hovering between life and death, a suspension.
But the world is ever dreamt awake, year by year.
Let silver vision be granted to me, in this darkness.
I share in the work of the Mother Goddess
and dream the future into being.

Close your eyes and go into a trance,
repeating to yourself:

For as the world is dreamt awake,
from year to year and age to age,
and the Sun shall come up early,
may silver vision be granted to me
in this darkness.

Repeat this until the pictures begin
to form. Envision the world as it will
be with peace and harmony restored
everywhere; the Goddess honored and
the Horned God sings aloud in joy and
freedom. See you part in creating this
world, dream yourself as instrument
of change. Now rise and stand with your
back to your alter, and say:

I dance for birth,
for the returning Sun
and for the Earth in dawn beauty.
Now the womb of night
gives birth to life and light
and all shall be renewed.
It begins here, now.
Womb of the night
brings forth new life and light.

Dance deosil, repeating the last line,
building power and energy. Direct this
energy into your cauldron. Take the
boughs out of the cauldron and arrange
them around it in a circle saying:

The circle of life is unbroken
in the Triple Goddess.
In her, life is renewed and
so light shall return.
For the Great Mother gives birth
to the Son and to the Daughter now,
in a timeless moment.
Sun child and daughter
of the Earth are seen,
as worlds are recreated.
Hail to the Sabbat of Yule!

Light the candle in the cauldron, saying:

May the morning be greeted with joy.
For behold! The newborn Sun shall arise.

Take your wand and pass it through the
candle flame. Go deosil around the circle,
drawing with the wand the pentacle of
power, at each quarter, with the invocation:

Peace on Earth! Life and Light to all!

Return your wand to the alter.
Take up your bell and go to the east and say:

The cry of the newborn Daughter
of the Earth is heard in all the worlds.
Now celebrate renewal, a new order,
in her name. Blessed be!

Ring the bell at each quarter. Hear it echoing
on the inner planes, as well as travelling to
the four quarters of the Earth, on the four
winds. Replace the bell upon the alter. Next,
fill the chalice with honey water, or with
wine flavored with honey. Hold it up before
you and say:

I share in the renewal of all life.
With all creatures, I am cherished
by the Mother Goddess.
May I grow in love and wisdom,
Pagan child of the Sun and Moon.
I am reborn in freedom.
I am nourished in sweetness.

Drink from the chalice. Meditate as you drink
upon the theme of personal development, the
nurturing of gifts, abilities. There will be
some Yuletide gift from the Goddess and the
God to help you on your way. Close your eyes
as you sit silently beside the cauldron. See the
Mother and the Father of All Life. See them
coming to you, in the dark, snowy night. You
are in the forest with stars shining above you
between bare branches of trees. You meet the
Lord and Lady in a small clearing. Held towards
you is the gift. Receive it with thanks. Now
open your eyes slowly. End with a communion.

This is the time of the winter solstice -
Be thou renewed!

A Few Yule Recipes

Sweet Bread for Yule Rituals

1 1/2 oz Active Dry Yeast
1/2 cup Sugar
1 cup milk
3 eggs, well beaten
10 cups flour
1 pint milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 lb. Butter or margarine
1/2 pt sour cream
1/4 lb shortening
1 tsp vanilla

Soften yeast in lukewarm water. In large
bowl, place flour, butter and shortening; mix
with hands. Add sugar, milk, salt and sour
cream; continue mixing. Add softened yeast;
mix. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Knead
well for 10 minutes. Roll into a long roll and
cut in 6 equal parts. Roll each part thin; brush
with melted butter and fill with desired filling.
Roll as a jelly roll; place on greased cookie sheet.
Let rise in a warm place for 2-3 hours. Bare at
350 degrees for 30 minutes. When done, brush
with melted butter.

Fillings:

Nut Filling

1 lb ground nuts
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup white raisins
2 tsp. Cinnamon
warm milk

Add enough milk to make a spreading consistency.
Combine ingredients and spread on dough.

Poppy Seed filling:

1/2 lb ground poppy seeds
1/2 cup scalded milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbs melted butter

Combine all ingredients well. Spread on dough.

This bread is also great with prepared plum
butter, apricot butter, apple butter try many
different filling you will love them.

Yule (Winter Solstice)

2 parts Frankincense
2 part Pine Needles
1 Part Cedar
1 Part Juniper Berries

Mix and smolder at rites on Yule, or during
the winter months to cleanse the home and
to attune with the forces of nature amid the
cold days and nights.

Yule Anointing Oil

1 dram Pine oil
1 tsp. broken pieces of Ginger Root
1 dram Cinnamon oil
3 heaping tsp. coarse sea salt
1 dram Olive Oil

In a clean metal bowl, mix the olive oil, sea
salt, and ginger root. Mix thoroughly with a
wooden spoon. Transfer the mixture to a clean
sterilized jar. Using a dropper, add the
essential oils. Swirl the essential oils into the
base oil/salt/ginger mixture, don't stir. Gently
rotate the oil clockwise. Store the oil away
from heat, light and moisture in an airtight
glass bottle.

YULE OIL

1 dram pine oil
1 dram fir oil
5 drams almond oil
1 cinnamon stick
handful of whole cloves
1 drop musk

WARM OVER LOW HEAT

Yule Potpourri

4 oz peppermint leaves
1 oz powdered benzoin gum
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 oz rose petals
1 drop pine oil
1/4 teasp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla

Mix ingredients together starting from
the top of the list and working down.

A Yule Story

Yule Faeries


A group of little Faeries huddled in their home
deep under the roots of a giant oak tree. They
were safe and snug in their tiny underground
cave lined with dandelion fluff, bird feathers, and
dried moss. Outside, the wind blew cold and the
snow fell softly down to cover the ground.

"I saw the Sun King today," the faery named Rose
said as she pulled her mossy cloak tighter about
her. "He looked so old and tired as he walked off
through the forest. What is wrong with him?"

"The great oak said he is dying," answered Daffodil.

"Dying? Oh, what will we do now?" Little Meadowgrass
started to cry. "If the Sun King dies, our little plant
friends will not grow. The Birds will not come and sing
again. Everything will be winter forever!"

Lilac, Dandelion, and Elder Blossom tried to comfort
their friend, but they were all very sad. As they
huddled together, there was a knock on the tiny
door.

"Open up, Faeries," called out a loud voice. "Why are
you hiding instead of joining us in our Solstice celebration?"

Rose opened the door and the little gnome Brown Knobby
pushed inside, shaking the glistening snowflakes off his
brown coat and hat.

"We are too sad to celebrate," Daffodil said wiping her eyes.
"The Sun King is dying, haven't you heard?"

"He is dead you silly Faeries," Brown Knobby's round
dark eyes sparkled with laughter. "Now hurry, or we
will be late for the celebration!"

"How can you be so happy and laughing?!" Elder Blossom
stamped her little foot and frowned at the gnome. "If the
Sun King IS dead, it will be winter always. We will never
see the Sun again!"

"Silly little child-Faeries," Brown Knobby grabbed Dandelion
by the hand and pulled her to her feet. "There is a secret to
the Winter Solstice. Don't you want to know what it is?"

The Faeries looked at him in surprise."Secret?" they all said.
"What secret? We are only new little Faeries, you silly gnome
We've never been to a Solstice celebration before."

"Come and see. Come and see. Get your capes and come
with me," Brown Knobby danced and jigged around the room.
"Hurry, Hurry, don't be slow! To the sacred oak grove
through the snow!" He danced out of the door and disappeared.

"What did that gnome mean?" Rose asked as she gathered up
her cloak of dried rose petals held together with cobwebs
and lined with goose down.

"I don't know, but the Lady lives in the sacred grove."
Meadowgrass pulled on her hat. "Perhaps, if we go to see
the Goddess, She can explain what Brown Knobby was talking
about."

The Faeries left their snug little home and trudged off through
the snow toward the sacred oak grove. The forest was dark
with only the light of the Moon shining down through the
thick fir branches and bare limbs of maple and hawthorn.
It was very difficult for them to get through the snow because
they were very, very small. As they waded through the wet
snow and shivered in the cold wind, they met a fox.

"Where are you going, Faeries?" the fox asked

"To the sacred grove," they answered, they were cold and
shivering.

"Climb on my back and I will take you there swiftly." The fox
knelt down so the Faeries could climb up. Then he raced off
through the dark.

"Listen!" Lilac said as they neared the grove of sacred trees.
"Someone is singing happy songs. A LOT of someones."

The beautiful music carried over the cold, still, moonlit air.
It was the most beautiful music the Faeries had ever heard.
The fox carried the Faeries right to the edge of the stone
altar in the center of the grove, then knelt down.

"Look!" said Elder Blossom as they slid to the snow covered
ground. "There is the Maiden and the Mother and the OLD
Wise One, and many other Little People."

"They are all smiling and happy,"said Lilac as she looked
around at all the creatures.

"All the animals are here, too," whispered Dandelion."Why
are they all looking at the Mother?"

The Faeries moved closer to the three Ladies seated on the
altar stone. The Mother held a bundle close in Her arms,
smiling down at it. The Maiden reached down and took
the Faeries gently in her hands. She held them close to the
Mother so they could see what She held.

"A Baby!" the Faeries cried. "A new little Baby! Look how
he glows!"

"He is the newborn Sun King," said the Maiden smiling.

"But Brown Knobby and the old Oak tree said the Sun King
was dead," the Faeries answered her."How can this little
baby be the Sun King?"

"That is the secret of the Winter Solstice." The Old Wise One
touched the baby's cheek with her wrinkled hand." Every
year the Sun King must come to the sacred grove during
the darkest days of winter where he dies. I take his spirit
to the Mother who gives him new life again. This is the way
for all creatures, not just the Sun King."

"You mean everything lives and dies and lives again?" the
Faeries looked down in wonder at the baby Sun King,
nestled in the arms of the Mother.

"Yes, Little Ones," answered the Old Wise One. "There is
never an end to life. This is the great mystical secret of
the Winter Solstice."

The Faeries laughed because they were so happy.

"I think the little Sun King should have gifts," said Rose." I
will show him where the wild roses bloom in the early
summer."

"And, I will teach him to call the birds and listen to the
songs of the wind," exclaimed Dandelion.

"When he is older and stronger," said the Mother," then
the flowers will bloom at his touch, the birds will return
to sing their songs, and the air will be warm from his
breath, and winter will be gone for a time. Then the Sun
King will run and play with you in the forest."

The little Faeries sang to the Baby Sun King, songs of the
coming spring, the sweet smelling flowers, the bumbling
bees, and all the secrets of the forest. And all the creatures
within the sacred grove sang with them.

Then the fox took them back to their snug home under
the roots of the giant oak where they dreamed wonderful
dreams, waiting for the warmth of spring and the fun they
would have with the little Sun King.

A few Yule Crafts

Yule Goddess Doll

Items needed:

newspaper
unbleached muslin (1 yard)
sisal rope
white glue
florist wire
small egg-shaped Styrofoam ball
trim

Directions:

1.Fold one section of newspaper in half and roll
it lengthwise.

2.Fold the roll in half, and twist a twist tie at
the upper third of the folded roll to form the
body and legs. It may be helpful to stuff the
legs into a large bottle while you work.

3.Cut off a 20 inch section of florist wire and
twist the ends together. Twist the ends into a
loop approximately 1 inch long, and bend the
wires close together. This will be the arms
and hands

4.Stick two pieces of florist wire approximately
6 inches long into the wide end of the Styrofoam
ball and fold them around the ball, twisting them
together to hold it securely. With the remaining
wire, secure the ball to the loop of the newspaper-
this will be the head.

5.Thread the arms through the paper of the loop, not
the loop itself, to help it remain secure.

6.Mix the glue with an equal part of water to form
a solution that the material will be dipped in and
used to hold the fabric to the doll and stiffen the
fabric to desired shape.

7.From the muslin, rip several 1/4- 1/2 inch strips
of fabric, run them through the glue solution. The
material should be saturated, but not dripping. Wrap
the hands and arms wire with the material, covering
the wire completely. It may take several applications
of material. Tuck the ends into the material already
wrapped.

8.Repeating the same dipping process, cover the head
first with horizontal wraps and then with vertical.
Wrap the body of the doll crossing over from the front
to the back in an "X" shape. Wrap the neck wire and
secure the ends of the strips

9.For the skirt: Rip a 12 inch by 20 inch piece of
material, sew the 12 inch ends together if desired,
and dip the material into the solution. Pull up over
the legs, gather the waist and secure to the paper
using a 1/2 strip acting as a belt.

10.Make the apron - rip a 2 inch wide strip that is
wide enough to fit over the top of the skirt, and cut
the front bottom edge into a curve if desired. Secure
the apron with a piece of trim.

11.Rip a 1 inch piece of material approximately 8
inches long, dip, and drape around the neck.

12.Rip a 3 inch wide piece of material approximately
16 inches long and drape around back and over arms.

13.Arrange the skirt into desired folds and allow doll
to dry.

14.After the doll has dried, cut the rope into 12 12-inch
sections and fold in half - this will be the part of the hair.
Sew the ropes at the fold down the center of the head.
Unravel the rope.

15.You can garnish the White Goddess with a wreath of
dried flowers if you like - take a vine and wrap it on
itself until you have a wreath. Insert dried flowers into
the wreath and place on the head.

16.She can be left in the bottle for year-round use, or
placed on top of the tree at Yule.

BlackRaven

YULE CENTERPIECE

6"-10" decorative basket, should have some depth
Oasis Form (a cube of styrofoam used by florists)
Candle Holder
Plastic seasonal flowers (Holly, Mistletoe, Black Berries, Pointsettias,
Pine Cones, Dates, Dried Fruit)
Colour Candle(red or green)

Use pliers or wire cutters to cut the long stems
of the plastic flowers and to defoliate the leaves
that come with it. Cut them at different lengths
to give dimension to the basket in general. Once
you have finished cutting your flowers, begin
sticking them into the form or evergreen bow.
Start at the centre and move your way out.
Remember to keep a 'balance' of colour and
texture to it.

Ocean Harmony

Yule Door Ornament

Items You Will Need

Small broom, about 1' by 8"
Plastic seasonal flowers
3 different colours of ribbon, about 12"-16" long
Some thin wire
Ornament oriented to the sabbat
Wire Cutters
Scissors

DIRECTIONS:
Using the wire cutters cut down the flower stems
to a workable height. Using the wire, begin tieing
in the seasonal flowers and berries at the base of
the broom where the bristles begin. Manipulate the
leaves of the flowers to lie flat against the bristles.
This will give a good background for the colour of the
flowers to show.

Lay your berries and or fruits in between the flowers
and tie off with wire. Once you have all the foliage in,
wire in the sabbat ornament of your choice.

To hide the wire tie the ribbon in a bow or whatever
knot you prefer and let some of the excess drape
around and under the the piece.

TO HANG: String a bit of wire through the top of the
handle and hang on a nail in the door. If you prefer
to hang your broom bristles up, then weave the wire
through some of the bristles and really twist for
strength. If you are hanging this on the front door,
it's going to get a lot of traffic by it, so make sure
it is secured well.

Blackraven

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