Let’s talk about Yule. Yule is the winter solstice, longest night/shortest day of the year. Yule is to the solar cycle what the New Moon is to the lunar cycle; the end of one cycle and beginning of another. That being the case, if a solar cycle is one year than Yule is the end of one year and beginning of the next, though there are those who would not agree with me, and that is their prerogative. The colors for Yule are black or deep blue as the night, and white as the snow.
Many years ago in Austin, Texas when I was still learning the Pagan Path, my teacher would have us out celebrating our Yule rite at midnight around a bond fire with song and dance to the music made by those in our Circle who were gifted musicians. We would tell stories of what happened in our lives in the year past (memories) and make set goals for what we planed to accomplish in the coming year (resolutions). We would write on pieces of parchment in Runes the things we wished to be rid of that night before the New Year begins and toss the parchment notes into the bond fire to burn it out of our lives. Then carve rune symbols into pieces of wood or stone to carry with us in our pockets or around our necks as constant reminders of what we are working towards in the coming year.
If there is one among you who reads Tarot or does Astrology, Yule is a good time to seek guidance from the Oracle.
In our Circle the Elemental gifts were given after our magical workings. Keeper of the Eastern Gate of Fire would carry a plate of dried fruit around to each person in the Circle, saying “I share with you the gifts of Fire, courage and strong will to accomplish the goals you’ve set for the new year. Blessed Be!”
Then Keeper of the Southern Gate (Air), would carry a plate of nuts or seeds (whatever is being harvested at that time) around to each person saying “I share with you the gifts of Air, for wisdom, communication and focus to reach your goals this coming year. Blessed Be!”
Keeper of the Western Gate (Water) would carry a chalice of something appropriate (mead, ale or wine) around saying to each person “I share with you the gifts of Water, may your heart be strong and your intuition clear and ever present in your quest through the coming year. Blessed Be!”
Keeper of the Northern Gate (Earth) would carry a plate of some seasonal bread or cake around saying “I share with you the gifts of Earth, strength of body and abundance in your home, and physical manifestation of the goals you’ve set for the coming year. Blessed Be!”
As in all of our Sabbaths, a portion of each of the Elemental gifts is reserved and later put out for the wild creatures around us that they may also receive the gifts of our Yule rite.
Then the High Priest would release the stations and open the Circle.
And before laying down to sleep that night one might ask for a dream that gives you a sign of what to expect in the coming year, or an answer to any question you might have about reaching your set goals and lay the Rune token you made in Circle under your pillow. Be sure to record any dreams you remember in your Book of Shadows.
If you are alone, without a Coven, you can still celebrate Yule as written above in your own fashion. Blessed Be.
A few words from Seth. For those of you who are not familiar with the Seth Material, Seth is a disincarnate entity who was channeled through Jane Roberts back in the 1960’s through ’80’s. This quote is from the book Dreams, Evolution, and Value Fulfillment, Vol. 1
“The imagination, backed by great expecttions, can bring about almost any reality within the range of probabilities. The important lessons have never really appeared in your societies; the most beneficial use of the directed will, with great expectations … Very Simply: You want something, you dwell upon it consciously for a while, you consciously imagine it coming to the forefront of probabilities, closer to your actuality. Then you drop it like a pebble into (The Source) and forget about it as much as possible for a fortnight, and do this in a certain rhythm.”
What he doesn’t mention here is that we tend to block the very energy we’ve set up in this exorcize because of our beliefs, thoughts, words, attitudes, and emotions many of which may contradict the energy we’ve sent out to manifest. Such as believing that we don’t deserve success or health or whatever. The operative word in Seth’s statement is “great expectations”, that means believing it will manifest here and now and that it has already happened on another plane.
In another section Seth gives Jane and her husband Rob a few New Years Resolutions to help discover and change their (and our) troublesome beliefs that are blocking our desired manifestations.
Seth says this is a set of resolutions that you can’t fail at because all you have to do is read them every morning and think about them through the day as you listen to the thoughts going through your mind.
- I will approve of myself, my characteristics, my abilities, my likes and dislikes, my inclinations and disinclinations, realizing that these form my unique individuality. They are given me for a reason.
- I will approve of and rejoice in my accomplishments, and I will be as vigorous in listing these – as rigorous in remembering them – as I have ever been in remembering and enumerating my failures or lacks of accomplishment.
- I will remember the creative framework of existence, in which I have my being. Therefore the possibilities, potentials, seeming miracles, and joyful spontaneity of the Source will be in my mind, so that the doors to creative living are open.
- I will realize that the future is a probability. In terms of ordinary experience, nothing exists there yet. It is virgin territory planted by my feelings and thoughts in the present. Therefore I will plant accomplishments and successes, and I will do this by remembering that nothing can exist in the future that I do not want/expect to be there.
I hope that these New Years Resolutions work as well for you as they have for me.