by Coraluna SoleilGoddesses: Lucina, Amaterasu, Sola, Inana
Colors: gold, silver, red, green, white
Herbs: ivy, holly, evergreen, peppermint, cedar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, juniper, pine
Crystals: turquoise, quartz, white and clear crystals, fluorite, garnet, emerald
Symbols: stars, bells, evergreen trees, wreathes, mistletoe, Yule logs, Yule trees, holly
Yule marks the birth of the spirit. It is the point on the wheel that is after death and before rebirth. The wheel has no real beginning or ending, it is a cycle that constantly overlaps. But since this Sabbat is my birthday, I prefer to use it as a starting point. This Sabbat is about invoking the Light. It is the shortest day of the year, but each day after it will be longer than the one before, until Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. The days change length or “size” throughout the year just as the moon changes size throughout the month. Think of the hours of sunlight as the bright part of the moon you can see, and the hours of night as the dark section of the moon. Summer Solstice is the “full moon” day of the year, and Winter Solstice is the “dark moon” day.
Yule celebrates the time that has been spent within, cultivating the spirit during the “dark” months after Summer Solstice. 
Our ancestors gathered food to keep indoors, firewood for warmth and cooking, and used animal skins to prepare clothing and blankets for winter. We see this ebbing of the year as a time for introspection, meditation, deep thought, and planning. Yule is a time for celebrating possibility. What is done now will determine what is seen at Beltane, Litha, and harvest time... just as what is done on the spiritual plane will determine what is experienced and seen on the physical. Yule represents the time we spend between bodies, after we die and before we are reborn, whether into another body or in some other form of existence. The scientific reason we do not believe that “nothing happens” when we die is Einstein's Law of Matter which states that it cannot be created or destroyed. It is recycled and reformed, but can never be erased from existence. This idea is a building block for further scientific knowledge. Physicists have now discovered another element to the atom, different from the proton, neutron, or electron. It is the “essence” of the atom, invisible, detectable only by its effects on the atom as a whole. Each one of our billions of cells is matter, composed of atoms with electric charges and atomic “essences.” Could our spirits ultimately be the combined energy of those invisible particles?
For Yule, decorate a tree with the kids in your life. Grown-up kids count too! Drink cocoa and make a fire. If you don't have a fireplace, use a cauldron or another fire-safe container to kindle smaller flames. Gather holly and bittersweet berries to make a necklace, garland, coronet, etc. Adorning trees, burning Yule logs, and making decorations from nature are ancient pagan traditions which were practiced long before “Christ's birth”.
Yule Ritual
For the ritual, light red, green, white, silver, and gold candles. Use essential oils of mints or evergreen trees like spruce or pine. Cedar, juniper, eucalyptus, and tea tree also work well for this Sabbat. If you prefer warm herbs or scents to counter the chill of winter, use clove, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla. These are usually used in traditional holiday foods, so they are linked in our memories to special holidays from childhood or another part of our lives.
Use Yule symbols. Drape the altar with Yule-colored cloth or sit on the cloth with your tools before you.
For your meditation, imagine a void of quiet darkness. Nothing is technically “happening”, but the possibilities of this strange space are astoundingly endless. This place is infinity, the realm of creation, the deep mind, the deep Universe. You are part of this void, there is nothing else. But then, you see a blue dot in the distance. The dot grows slowly and you see it is a star. The blue star drifts towards you and turns red, reminding you of our view of Venus or Mars in the night sky.
The red star glows and continues to get closer, like a red moon, changing the deep blue-black around you into grey, the soft dark color of dawn. The star is deep orange now, like the rising sun. It's rays reach out to you and the grey mist turns violet and rose-colored. The orange sun turns gold, and grows larger, transforming the space around you into brightness. You feel its energy touch your skin. It fills you with warmth and excitement for the things to come. The sun is now blazing white, so close it has no shape, and is simply light. The light surrounds you, and fills the space of the void. You become part of the Light. You begin to feel active, strong, adventurous, powerful. You sense immense creative possibility and potential for the future. You are Re-Awakened.
So let it be.
After you have finished the meditation, say:“I call the Light of Life back to the Earth
Back to my sisters
Back to myself
Goddess Lucina (or any Yule goddess)
Bring us the wisdom of a new beginning”
Light the special candle you have consecrated. If you have any tools to consecrate, do so now. Then gaze into the flame for a few minutes to see what sort of visions or memories come to you. Think about them and write them in your Book of Mirrors.
When you finish this, thank the Goddess for being with you. Say it in any way you wish. For example, “Thank you Goddess Lucina for your guidance in this circle.” Or you can request something specific, such as healing, love, peace, strength, courage, or success. It is now time to end the ritual with drinking wine, juice, or water, and eating foods of the holiday; such as pomegranates, almonds, cranberries, gingerbread, etc. When you go to sleep the night of Yule, light a candle (vanilla or another Yule scent if possible) and let it burn as you fall asleep. The flame represents the spark of Life, the Spirit that you have called back to the Earth.
