Yule

Celebrating nature's cycles; The darkest night and welcoming of the light!

Welcome to this edition of Liminal Walker Musings!

I am so glad you are here! Thank you for reading and supporting my writing, you are deeply appreciated.

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Dear ones,

If you are a new subscriber, a special WELCOME! As we are coming to the end of the year, Yule arrives. A beautiful time of honoring the returning light and lingering darkness. To contemplate this past year and set the tone for the new year. Each Sabbat I share its deeper meaning and magic, ways to celebrate it and a ritual/meditation. Today, Yule! Love to all!

Welcome to Yule

Collage by me

Tomorrow in the northern hemisphere Yule begins! Coinciding with the winter solstice, it might not yet be the coldest day of the year, but a time where the growing darkness has brought us to the longest night. Where the sun stands still in the sky for a period and then the lengthening of the days begin.

Yule celebrates the sun’s rebirth within the resilience of darkness. A festive occasion where loved ones can gather, where twinkling lights and flickering flames represent the returning of the sun. Also, a time for being by a warm cozy fire as a hibernation of rest. A sacred time of regeneration and renewal, taking a “long winter’s nap.” Light of day and dark of night are partners. A sacred alchemy.

Light seen by the human eye is a small band within the electromagnetic field yet allows for an amazing and beautiful spectrum of color. Manifesting as exquisite landscapes, sun rises and sunsets, various hued flowers and blossoms, an artist’s palette, and more! Made possible by a star that sits in the center of our solar system. Our sun as a radiant force of light that warms our planet, facilitates growth and evolution. Fueling photosynthesis in plants and algae, this powerful process providing the oxygen we need to breathe and carbohydrates we eat. Additionally, light provides depth, showing us the way, revealing what is in our surroundings. It is also these tiny luminous gems we see in the sky at night, the wonder of other suns, solar systems, and galaxies.

Darkness is the sacred ground we stand on. The soil where seeds break open and roots spread downward to support the upward sprouts. Where mycelium grows this nerve network that connects plant life together. It’s a compost pile turning waste into fertilizer, nutrients for flora and vegetation. In the darkness of the mother’s womb the embryo becomes a fetus, a maturation from microscopic cells to fully bodied babies. Transformation requires that the caterpillar retreat into the cocoon to become a butterfly. Sleep is easier and natural during the blackness of night. Animals during the dark and cold of wintertime rest and hibernate in womblike lairs, caves, and dens.

Light and dark dance together! Spiritual light as our luminous divine energy. Housed within these physical temples, a shimmering ebony of embodiment. Interconnected by a translucent web of life, corporeal and ethereal. Dark and light teaching us to see the joy in grief, hope in what seems hopeless. Not as a bypass, but letting love be in these somber places. Being liminal. Discovering the innocence of passion and seeing the ordinary as sacred. Even in pain, new seeds can be born.

In the southern hemisphere, blessed Litha to you! May your fires burn brightly!

YULE

My Yule Altar

Yule has roots in northern European traditions, particularly that of the pre-Christian Germanic peoples. They followed the seasons and the eight points of the wheel, (solstices and equinoxes). Like wild animals, our ancestors also hibernated in winter. They lived in sync with the land, slowing down, conserving energy. Going to sleep and rising with the sun.

Yule was a time to gather, a celebration of the growing daylight ahead. They decorated their homes, lit candles, and came together around fires. Stores of food were offered to the festivities as a glorious feast. A spirited time of singing, dancing, and telling stories. What we now know as Christmas is a Christianized reformation of this time of Yule.

While Christmas is one day, Yule is honored from the solstice till the New Year. A time for remembering and reflecting on this past year. Being with the grief and what is heavy on our hearts as well as gratitude for blessings received. The solstice does represent death, but also rebirth. Important to acknowledge loss, and the dormancy of the natural world around us. To be with and fully receive this wintertime. Vitality does return in new ways. Trusting, as the wheel moves, warm days of spring and summer come again.

DEER MOTHER

I drew the Deer Mother card recently from the Wisdom of the Cailleach, an oracle deck by Jane Brideson. Timely because this is the season of the Deer Mother! The other card, Reindeer Medicine, I pulled just a day ago. From the Seasons of the Witch Yule Oracle deck by Lorriane Anderson & Juliet Diaz. Love when archetypes continually show up emphasizing their message.

A time long ago the female reindeer was considered a revered spiritual being by the northern peoples. A sacred animal, honored for her fertility as the life-giving mother. Providing the tribe with her milk, meat and skins. A leader of her herd, she is also the one who flew and pulled the sleigh of the Sun Goddess at the time of the solstice. Female reindeer are the only ones who retain their antlers year-round. All the pictures you see of flying reindeer are these mystical deer mothers.

THE MOON

Yule’s apex occurs on December 21^st 10:27 pm EST. The moon is in its waxing cycle growing into the Full Moon on Dec 26th. As Yule begins it is a Waxing Gibbous moon in the sign of Taurus.

A time to not give up, for there is a coming momentum. Hang in there, shift your perspective as necessary. As the moon approaches fullness, emotions will also begin to swell. Pay attention to your dreams, listen to your intuitive hits and heed any universal messages.

Celebrating Yule

There are many ways to celebrate:

• Take a walk in nature.

• Set up a Yule altar. 

• Decorate your home with various greeneries of this season.

• Light candles.

• Make a fire inside or outside.

• Cleanse your environment by clearing out drawers and closets.  

• Purify your area by smudging it with plants like pine, cedar, rosemary, and juniper.

• Create a Yule log.

• Cook savory foods and bake delicious treats.

• Do an oracle/tarot reading.

• Each day of Yule, offer a different devotion, prayer or blessing.

My altar has been created and I had a Yule tarot reading with a group I gather with on the Sabbats. Yet I will be doing some other readings over the twelve days of Yule and focus on the last item in this list. Ritual and devotionals are a big part of my morning practice.

YULE RITUAL

Before beginning, simply reflect on this past year. What is heavy on your heart, calling for deeper attention and love? And what bounties and/or kindnesses came your way that you are thankful for? Go with whatever arises.

Listen to this ritual/meditation. It starts with creating a sacred space by calling in the directions. Then a short ritual, ending with a prayer and blessing.

PRAYER AND BLESSING

In these sacred days of Yule, may we honor this time of darkness as well as the returning of the light. Understanding that life moves in cycles. Ebbing and flowing, withdrawing and arriving. There are external seasons as well as internal ones. Yes, times can be challenging. While other moments are fruitful and abundant. In these painful chapters be present with the downturn. Pause. Truly honor the grief, loss and suffering that is present as our collective heartache. Allowing the compassionate heart to open, letting love be the common denominator. And in those episodes of bounty, to take a pause here to. Remembering that we are part of an interconnected web of life. A glorious mystery that defies containment. Summoning us into a humble posture of gratitude. May this period of Yule, these final days of this year be devotions, reverence for this sacred blessing that is life. Blessed Be!

Questions for you, to use in a tarot reading or to contemplate:

• What is illuminated for me at this solstice?

• What am I ready to release, leave behind?

• What intention needs to be set?

• How can I embrace the light and dark of this time?

• What message does the light/sun have for me?

• What wisdom do my ancestors what to offer me?

Would love to know your thoughts and feelings. Let’s have a conversation…

For more info about the Deer Mother, go to Gathervictoria.com.

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Please go to: https://www.liminalwalker.com/

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