On December 21, we celebrate the longest night & the shortest day in the northern hemisphere. The Winter Solstice or also known as Yule. Yule is one of the seasonal festivals of the Wheel of the Year and celebrated during the darker months of the year. So this time of year is often associated with darkness, fear and dread, but without it there would be no spring or summer for it is now that the seeds for the next cycle gather their strength under the frozen surface to greet us in spring with the most magnificent colors.

I feel like that that most people and I don’t exclude myself are afraid of the unknown, which is the darkness. Not knowing, what is next and not seeing any light in that moment can be uncomfortable. But it is often these times when we don’t know where we will be next in our life, that the most magickal things unfold because when we don’t know what’s next we don’t control the outcome. And that is, when the magick of life can really happen.

Yule marks the slow return of the Sun that is just around the corner. We look forward to the brighter and warmer days ahead and the early sunrise. But for now, it's a time of rest and going inward. We are invited to slow down, to listen to the silence of this darkness and to reflect. When the dense leaves of the trees have fallen and the lush green no longer blocks our view, more clarity can return to our lives. So this time of the year has a clear message:

Surrender into your darkness.

Allow your shadow to show itself and embrace it. Now is the perfect time that everything that has accumulated over the last few months can be reviewed and cleansed if necessary. And at the same time, while the Sun is preparing to spend more time with us again, you too, can embrace your inner Sun. Allow it to shine and to be your guidance through that time of the year because your inner light is always showing you the way.

Symbols, Colors, Crystals & Plants associated with Yule

1. Colors: Red, Dark Green, Orange (justice, confidence, creativity), Brown, Black (protection, banishing, letting go)

2. Crystals: Clear Quartz Crystal, Obsidian, Turmaline or Onyx (for protection),

3. Plants: Holly Bush, Fir

4. Altar Decoration: Cinnamon, Walnuts, Orange Slice Hangers

5. Symbols: Black & White Candle

6. Winter Solstice Fire

7. Pine Needles

Simple Ritual & DIY Ideas to celebrate Yule

Light a Candle

This simple ritual is to welcome the Sun back and to invite more light into the following year and symbolic for the Winter Solstice Fire. Use a black and white candle. The black candle symbolizes the darker months of the year, a time for deep reflection and withdrawing. The white candle symbolizes the Sun, the longer days that are not far in the distance, your inner light that is always guiding you and a fresh new start that can bloom in Spring as well as new ideas and projects that are being birthed right now and will see the world once it is their time.

Make a Spell Jar

If you have, use black jars as black symbolizes protection, banishing and letting go. To turn them into protection spell jars you can use pine needles, crystals that represent protection like Obsidian, Turmaline or Onyx, Smoky Quartz or Labradorite. I also like to work with black salt, a needle, bay leaf, rosemary, basil, lavender, signs like the the pentagram sign (protection), Sigils and essential oils in my spell jar craft. You could also use feathers you found when you feel that they represent protection for you (because they are from your Spirit Guides / Guardian Angels).

How to make your Yule Spell Jar:

• Become clear about what it is that you want to make the spell jar for (releasing something, attracting something, …)

• Cleanse your jar with Palo Santo, sage (or any other incense you want). You can use different colors to enhance the magick (black jar for protection, banishing & letting go, orange to enhance your creativity, …). Color magick is always a beautiful way to give your spells even more power!

• Put everything you want to include and that represents your intention into your spell jar

• I love to write any Sigils, signs and spells on a bay leaf to enhance their magick

• Sit with your spell jar until you can feel your intention in your body

• Now seal the spell jar together with your intention with the wax of the black candle

• If you feel comfortable leave the spell jar in a place where you can see it as often as possible. If it makes you feel uncomfortable in any way (for example if you want to attract something but feel resistance and impatience while looking at it) keep it in a place hidden from your sight.

You can watch my guide to spell jars on YouTube! :) ⬇️

Take some time to journal

As the year is coming to an end, now is the perfect time to do some journaling! So you can ask yourself:

• What wants to be brought to light that has been kept in the dark until now?

• What do I want to get rid of?

• What do I want to invite into my life?

Spend as long as it takes you to really let your feelings emerge as you journal over these questions.

Make Yule Ornaments

All you need to make beautiful ornaments is acrylic paint (or any other paint that is suitable to paint on wood, cardboard, etc.) wooden disks (I found mine in the dollar store) or you could also simply use some cardboard and make a whole in it. And all you need to do now is to let your creativity speak! :) You could also glue little pine cones or crystals on your ornaments. Put a ribbon through the whole so you can hang it on your Yule tree or anywhere else in your home!

Decorate a Yule Tree

As a child, it always broke my heart when the trees that were so beautifully decorated for Christmas were thrown onto away. So what I usually do is buying a little tree or bush that I can plant in my garden after Yule is over. This year I bought not your usual type of Christmas tree but a small bush which, according to its label, is called Snow White. How cute is that, right?

You can decorate your Yule tree with red ribbons, little baubles, dried orange slices, fairy lights, cinnamon and anything else you like!

Make a Yule Wreath for Protection

Wreaths are one of my favorite things to do for each Sabbath! They are so easy to make and are such a beautiful and witchy decoration! For this year’s Yule I made a door wreath for protection because you can never have enough protection :)! All you need is a wreath (you can find them in your local craft store or simply make on yourself). You can use one that is made out of evergreens or branches that are flexible (like hazelnut or willow)

To decorate your wreath you can use ribbons, tiny spell jars, pine cones, feathers, bells, cinnamon sticks, dried oranges and other items in red, green, gold or orange (and any other colors you associate with Yule) and use a hot glue gun (carefully) to glue everything on your Protection Wreath.

Hang your protection wreath in your home or on your entrance door.

Make a Bird Food Hanger

Yule is the perfect time to spend time with your loved ones and eat delicious foods. There are so many recipes that you can make but it can be as simple as making a hot chocolate to drink. You could also bake cookies, make your own loaf of bread or cook something out of the root veggies that were collected and then stored during the harvest of the golden autumn days. It is also the perfect time to give back to nature and help out your little bird friends during the months where it is hard for them to find food.

I have always been feeding the birds in Winter but I was always sad that the bird food you can by in stores is made with so much plastic. But you can simply make your own and they are so easy to make.

All you need is:

• Empty Coconut shells (please be careful when opening the coconut!), a small old enamel pots or small cake molds that are resistent to the cold

• Natural cord

• A Drill to make a hole in the bottom of the coconut so that rain water can drain out

• Sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, linseeds, peanuts

How to make the bird food:

• First heat up the coconut so it becomes liquid in a pot (without making it boil)

• Put in the sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, linseed and peanuts, and simply mixed them with the coconut oil

• Place your coconut shell on a cup so any leftover oil can drain out

• Simply pour the mixture into the coconut shells

• Enjoy while observing the birds having a feast and feel grateful :)

⬇️ Watch my full Witch’s Guide on YouTube ⬇️

I hope you enjoyed this witchy guide to Yule! I hope it can help you to understand the energy behind this Sabbath a little bit more. And let me know which idea you liked the most and how you will celebrate Yule!

All my love, Bebea