Winter Solstice is known as Yule in the Wheel of the Year; it's the year's seed time. It falls around 21 December, and marks the longest night and shortest day; the peaceful pause between the long exhale of winter and spring's next inhale. From here, the days get longer and the light begins to gradually increase. This makes the Yule Sabbath a very potent opportunity for healing and transformation. Here's how to celebrate Winter Solstice in your own way at home.
Make a wish at Winter Solstice!
On Winter Solstice, when the Earth is at her darkest and coldest, we are encouraged to draw inwards; to hibernate. This is an introspective time in which we can plant the seeds of our hopes and dreams. Warmed by the light of the coming spring, these seeds will germinate and come to fruition in the year ahead. So Winter Solstice is a perfect time to contemplate all that you wish to bring into your life. Take time to reflect on what seeds you will be planting in the fertile ground of this time.
Scents of solstice
Many of us associate the festive season with rich, spicy scents of cinnamon and clove. These warming fragrances usher in the magic and abundance of Winter Solstice. Gather some good quality essential oils of cinnamon and clove, pine, juniper, frankincense, myrrh, balsam and cedar, and add your favourites to an oil burner or vaporiser to infuse your home with the aromas and energy of the season.
Choose your solstice crystals
The crystals to support your solstice visioning are clear quartz, red crystals such as ruby and garnet, and green stones like tourmaline. Hold or wear these crystals during the Winter Solstice, or place them on your altar to energise your visions for the year ahead.
Light a candle
If you have decorated your home for the festive season, then you have already begun your Winter Solstice celebrations. Red, gold and green are the colours of Yule. Red represents fire, gold is the sun and green is for the evergreen. At Winter Solstice, light candles in red, green and gold to bring in the light as the longest night draws in around us. Meditate on the flame and reflect on its radiance and light. This light is the creative fire that will warm and nourish the seeds of your dreams. With this very simple Winter Solstice ritual, we honour the incredibly potent creative energy of this time.
Get into the spirit of the season at The College of Psychic Studies
A Winter Solstice fire ritual
Traditionally at the Winter Solstice, a Yule log is set alight in the hearth of the home. The ashes are collected for protection and healing. Plus, they make a wonderful fertiliser for our plants! Head outdoors and forage for your Yule log. If you are blessed with a fireplace at home, your log can be larger. If not, a symbolic gesture such as a twig will do! If all else fails, reach for your palo santo or sage. Once you light your 'log', contemplate the light of the flame. Consider all that you wish to bring this light to in the coming year.
Meditate on the fire as it consumes the log. This is your creative fire! It is your intention that transforms your dreams to reality. When the fire has extinguished itself naturally, collect the ash, and return it to Mother Earth as an offering. The ash fertilises the soil, just as you are fertilising your intentions with your solstice ritual.
Give a gift to nature
The festive season is a time of giving and receiving. Nature offers us immense bounty, and by giving back to her in our Yule ritual, we offer our deep gratitude. As well as the ash from your Yule log, offer a gift to nature. It might be decorating one of the trees in your vicinity with beautiful, fragrant, biodegradable decorations such as cinnamon ties or orange slices. It might be creating a homemade holly wreath. It could be offering seeds to the birds, or food to the foxes, squirrels and other creatures who share this land with us. By giving back to Mother Earth, we align with her natural cycle of giving and receiving.
Join our newsletter to receive updates on our seasonal Pagan celebrations, College events, articles like this one, and more.
