|
Today is Yule, commonly referred to as the Winter Solstice, which is the longest night of the year. After this night the nights will start to get shorter and days longer. It is the rebirth of the Sun.
Every 6 months there is a Solstice. On the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, the Waning Sun takes control of the skies and the days get shorter and nights get longer, the cold starts to set in and vegetation begins to die. On the Winter Solstice the Waxing Sun takes over and the nights start to get shorter and the days longer, it is a sign that Spring is only a few months away, where life will begin anew and the earth will start to blossom and bloom.
On Yule we celebrate the return of the Waxing Sun. In Wicca it is the birth of the Sun God who has many names; Cernunnos, The Oak King, Apollo, Sol, Freyr, Horus, Mithras, and more. The Goddess gives birth to him on this night, she sacrifices herself to give life to the Lord Of Light to ensure the earths’ survival. In ancient tradition, Yule was celebrated with a large fire where townsfolk and villagers would dedicate it to the Sun God. They would fill their home with evergreens and an evergreen tree to show that even though the land is barren and dead, life is still flourishing, They would decorate the tree and their home with shiny objects to encourage The Sun God to shine. We use Holly and Mistletoe on Yule as symbols of the fertility of the God and Goddess as they grow in the Winter. The red berries of the Holly represent the blood of the Goddess and the white berries of Mistletoe represent the God to ensure a healthy Spring and harvest to come. The Winter Solstice has been celebrated by many ancient cultures, one of the most famous being Saturnalia and more modernly, Christmas. Yule is a celebration of light, and of the Sun and its life-giving properties upon the earth. It is a time to rejoice and to be thankful for all we have and to gather strength for the new year. It is a time to contemplate on the year that has gone and look to the future. Tonight, build a fire of Oak in honor of the Sun God and speak your wishes into its flames for the coming new year. Eat drink and be merry. Yule Blessings to all. 🙂 100% written credit goes to Wicca Teachings.Â
|
And The Moon Sees All 