Yule Ritual
by Diana Walker
Significance & all that: YULE=IUL=WHEEL!!!
The Wheel continues to turn, ending another year. This festival heralds
the beginning of Winter, but is a celebration also: the light RETURNS
starting today, the sun gets closer & the days longer, nights shorter...a
hint of the Spring to come...
The Myth, or one version of the many Yule myths around the world:
The Child of Light is born on this dark night, the Sun/Son, and the
Lady is a mother to the coming year...The Dark surrounds us, but there's
a light at the end of the tunnel. We're struggling and questing now, but
it WILL pay off, surely as Spring follows Winter: the journey really does
have its own rewards (that's the lesson of Winter), and our work & plans
will materialize (the flowering of spring)...
Lucina is the Sun Goddess, the Goddess of Light. She is in the midst
of Her Winter now, in the dark cave, the Underworld, on her quest. Her
King-Lover is gone (sacrificed at the Mid-Summer Solstice), and She is
searching through the furthest lands, even the land of the dead, to find
Him and restore Him to life through Her love
...But as She journeys, She learns & grows strong and even confronts
Death itself in Her quest for discovery. Finally, She triumphs over Death
& darkness with the gift of life. She is pregnant by Her Lover, and this
is what we celebrate today: the triumph, in the end, of LIFE and LOVE.
She gives birth to the Child of Light, who grows up to become the Lover;
for She CONTAINS all and BRINGS FORTH all, even the One She loves. So
it is each of us creates our worlds/lives/environments/destinies, through
our lessons, struggles, self-discoveries and journeys of our own: when
we're aware of LOVE. and bring love into our lives and works, we too are
restored to full life, and triumph over the (sometimes necessary) darkness
in ourselves. (phew!)
Wreath-spell: This is a group-working, to bring strength to the Gang
as an entity in itself, as well as ourselves. We weave stuff into the
wreath--cloth or ribbon or yarn of colors significant to you, perhaps
braided; written spells & prayers; drawings; objects; etc.-- while concentrating
on the strength of the group & ourselves (we could chant, low and concentrated:
an example:
"We die and are reborn
The Wheel is ever-turning"
or anything appropriate.)
The wreath is lots of things. It's us; it's our trophy for getting through
this INSANE year; it's our symbol of our Journey, both as a group & every
day; it's a symbol of our struggle to know ourselves & each other and
what the Winter dark means to us: its deep inner work, its changes, its
pride & strength & discarding what is not essential. It represents the
diverse elements that make this ever-changing group what it "is", and
the working toward the ideal level of perfect love and perfect trust,
working toward trusting each other, confronting each other and making
powerful magick together. The wreath represents us in our Winter, and
will be burned at the Brigit-Candlemas festival (Feb. 2) to celebrate
spring, fecundity, physical results materializing and a LAYING-DOWN of
all this dark stuff! Today: be faithful, for there is not only a light
at the end of the tunnel (being born today), but also a beautiful, full-blown
SPRING after every winter. Today we celebrate HOPE, the birth of Hope;
new ideas, new strength, and a "second wind"...
Mojo-spells: We can give these to friends of take them home to keep
around, wear, carry, etc. While the wreath represents the trip we're on,
and is a group-"trophy", the mojos are for protection & blessings on the
way. They can be any form (check the supply box), and for any purpose.
They can be for learning & getting as much out of this time as possible,
or for integrating discoveries into your daily life; they can protect
your health during the winter weather; they can be for love, creativity,
money, discipline, friendship, or anything you think up. Perhaps you'd
like to make one to bring Spring into your life a little early!
RITUAL: Cast circle as usual, keeping the point of the whole thing in
mind...light the center candle. Invoke the Lady:
Welcome, Lucina, Welcome the Light!!
Slowly the circle completes again.
Dark Hekate turns and gives way
To the Light again!
Join hands and think about the Light for a minute; hum to raise energy.
Become aware of the Light around us: the field of light we stand in, in
our Sacred Space; the molecules of Light that we ARE; the mysteries of
firelight, candle-lights. Give us a minute, then Invoke the Lord:
Friends, we are awake in the night.
Now we turn the wheel to bring the light.
We call the Sun from dead of night!
Welcome the newborn King!
Give us a minute, meditating on the birth of new Hope & Strength, the
child of Light who will grow up to become a great Hero, be cut down as
the Wheel turns, and be born again and again, just as all projects, people,
and life on Earth are cyclical...
Do the Wreath-spell. If there are a lot of people we can pass it around,
each contributing & speaking their thoughts & hopes; OR we can set it
in the center and all work on it/charge it up. Put it on the altar when
done--we'll save it for Brigit. Here we can either bless the cakes & wine,
and work on our mojos while we celebrate, or if some of us feel it would
dissipate energy, we can work on our mojos first.
Cakes & wine & pigging out as usual, end as usual, with a BIG HUG for
all of us.
B.B.!!! and HO HO HO!! --DIANA