Yule Rituals

Welcome to my place of rituals to celebrate the Winter Solstice! I have collected several rituals from various sources, one of the family rituasl came from WiccaCraft for Families by Margie McArthur, which is an excellent book. Though I do prefer The Pagan Family by Ceisiwr Serith.  I also got one of the group rituals from Kate West's book The Real Witches' Coven, and one of the Solitary Rituals came from Patricia Telesco's book, The Wiccan Book of Ceremonies and Rituals.

I like all the rituals, they are nice and for the most part fairly simple. The ideas at the bottom of the page came from Dorothy Morrison's book The Craft. Call it a fascination of mine, I like to collect rituals from various places.

Enjoy!

Yule Circle Notes:

• Use a white altar cloth, and decorate with evergreens, poinsettias, rosemary, holly, mistletoe, and ivy.
• Use red, white, and green candles to symbolize the bloodshed of the birth, the innocence of new life, and the growth process, respectively.
• Burn Yule incense (from my incense recipes).
• Mark the Circle perimeter with evergreen boughs, and use tiny, living, decorated trees at the Quarters.
• Cast the Circle using the athamé. Release it using the wand.

Yule Celebration Ideas:

• Start your celebration well before dawn, so you can be a part of the Sun's birthing process. Kick off the ritual with an apple juice toast to the Holly King, saying:
  • "Winter day of longest night, Step aside now for the light. Thank you for the things you've brought. That only darkness could have wrought."
    • Then name all the gifts of darkness that you can think of - regeneration, peace dreams, organization, quietude, and so on - before drinking the juice.
• To ensure good luck and prosperity in the coming year, anoint a bayberry candle with vegetable oil and roll it in dried chamomile. Light the candle and allow it to burn down completely.
• Make a Yule log from a piece of oak and decorate it with evergreens. Light it, saying:
  • "Old King, we thank You for all You've done. For lessons learned, and victories won, We must, however, bid You adieu. For Your reign is finished - it's over and through. Come forth, Young King of newest light. Be born with ease; grow strong and bright, Gain strength and stature in the sky. Shed you warmth on us now from on high."
    • Be sure to save an unburned piece to start next year's log. Save some of the ashes, too. They make terrific boosters for every type of magick. End the ritual with an orange juice toast to the Sun, saying:
  • "O Newborn Sun of love and light, Rise quickly now, rise high and bright! Gain power in the sky above, We grant you our support and love!"
    • After ritual, collect all the evergreen decoration you used there and put them away. You'll need them at Imbolc.