Are you beginning to polish your celebrations for Yule?
Have you planned anything for your Yule celebration this year?
Not yet!? Don't worry, you can get into the Yule spirit with us!
Yule is a yearly festival when all Pagans around the globe celebrate the Winter Solstice.
The festival is now around the corner and Sun is approaching to begin its long journey back to the earth. If you're living in the Northern hemisphere, then the celebrations will be around or on December 21, the shortest day of the year. But if you are below the Equator, then celebrations will fall in the month of June. As every Sabbat is incomplete without the rituals, all the Wicca's jubilate this longest night of the year performing different rituals and casting spells.
Colors of the Season
Snow hasn't fallen yet, but still, there are chilling vibes in the air already. Try to use colors such as blue, white, and silver to decorate your altar. Bringing the red, green, and whites of the season is also a great idea as evergreen boughs never go out of the style.
Have you ever wondered why green and red are the prevalent colors used in Yule celebrations?
Red is the color of prosperity but according to the modern Pagan practices, red is considered as the symbol of passion and sexuality.
Now you might be thinking how you can incorporate the red color in your Yule celebrations? Deck your hall or corridor with red ribbons or you can create bows also. Hang some garlands of holly to invite prosperity and good fortune into the home.
There is a great myth behind why evergreen trees always remain green when everything else dies in winters. As green is the color of money, use it in magical workings related to prosperity and abundance. Hang the evergreen boughs and holly branches all around your house. Or you can also decorate a tree with green ribbons, to bring the charm of money to your home. Other common accessories prominently used in Yule decorations are:
If you are seeking for purification, then go with a lot of whites around your home this altar. As Winter Solstice is the season of sun, incorporate the use of gold as it is associated with energy. The tradition honors the rebirth of the sun, so you can also hang some small gold suns around your house.
Try to sheath your altar with the cool-colored cloth and embellish it with a variety of candles of winter shades.
Symbols of Winter
As the days started getting colder and nights longer, the people of ancient time used to light candles to lure back the sun.
Yule Tree: It is an important symbol which represents the Tree of Life among early Pagans. Earlier, the people used to adorn this tree with the gifts that they expected from their God. The different natural ornaments like berries, pine cones, and symbols of gods and goddesses were also embellished. So try incorporating sacred plants, evergreen boughs like pines, fir, that are all part of the green family.
Yule Log: As the symbol of health and fertility, the custom of burning Yule log depicts that continual hearth fire prevents the spirits from entering the homes. And still, today in various parts of the world, people have the same belief. That's why this custom is still very prevalent among the Pagans.
Other Yule Traditions and Symbols
Candles: Making candles as the part of decorations is yet another way to have an eternal flame within your home. Candles symbolize the light and warmth of the sun and can be used to chase away the evil spirits. Try to use candles in silvers and gold. Sparkles are also fine for Yule decorations.
Fruits and nuts: Spread out the table with some winter nuts like pecans, walnuts or fresh fruits like oranges, or apple to your altar celebrations.
Bells: One of the best way to drive away the evil spirits and bring harmony to a magical Yule space.
Burn Incense: Burning Solstice incense will set the mood for Yule altar celebrations as it smells divine and it cleanses the space.
Yule Rituals to Perform:
Yule is the time of reflection during the darkest days of the winters. As the trees and flowers also go through the cycles of death and rebirth, try some fun rituals to help you celebrate your rebirth this Yule.
Cleaning is another way of taking out the old ones and making the space for new to enter your lives. Clean out all the junk this winters that are no longer important. Moreover, Pagans consider this as Yule Cleansing Ritual!
Walk around your home with a smudge sage bundle requesting the evil spirits or the energies that do not belong to you to stay away. It will not only clear out the spiritual impurities but also help in bringing the peace of mind and making the objects more sacred to you.
There is no other perfect time than Winter Solstice to donate your used goods to the people who are less fortunate than you. This is considered as the important part of service whether you belong to any religion including paganism, Christianity etc.
Once you are done with the cleansing part and have given gifts to others, now it's the time to commence your celebrations with a little candle ritual. Try lighting some candles of various colors and spend some time remembering your past year. Think of all the things you had hoped, your accomplishments, the ways you are going to adopt for strengthening your upcoming year and so on. Finally, express the gratitude for what you've achieved and what's to come forward.
Happy Yule!
Title photo by: Kacper Szczechla
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Bruja/o/x culture (brujería), stem from an ancient set of mystical beliefs and practices that have been passed down through generations in Latin America. It has its roots in the indigenous spiritual traditions of the region, as well as elements from African and European cultures and today’s Instagram hashtags #bruja and # brujería have over 2M posts combined.
As other magical practices, brujería orbits honoring spirits and deities, divination, nurturing specific traditional healing methods such as curanderismo, and rituals to protect oneself from negative energy. Get yer charms out!
In Latin American countries like Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Cuba, Colombia, and Brazil it is still a vibrant part of daily life for many people, though there are some variations depending on location. The original practice was brought over by Spanish conquistadors during their colonization of the Americas, and the stories say the cobblestone streets were “paved in slave bones”—see a pattern of repressed magic much? Seems everywhere we turn there’s a need to rise up from the lid put on us for being natural… No longer, though. You watch! This next 20 years will have diverse magical cultures openly practicing without fear, the time is nigh 😊🌿☽🌕☾
Now evolved into something unique to each region, brujería remains a source of immense pride for those who practice this tradition, which continues to hold strong despite attempts to marginalize or even eradicate it
Are you looking for insight into your archetypal planetary vibes? Do you want to know what the stars have in store for you in May of 2023? We Spirit Nesters can help you to gain insight into the events going on. With Pluto’s ingress to Aquarius, the upcoming trends vibrate with Uranian energy, so expect the unexpected! From love and romance to career and financials, May prepares us for individual and collective freedom or to take steps towards clarity and avoiding potential pitfalls. Read on to get into the flow of your elements and how each sign expresses itself in what's coming up!
Astrological Movements: In May, we see the Sun in Taurus and Mercury in Gemini, which will inspires an increase in mental acuity with a skosh of practicality. This is a sweet, sweet time for learning new skills or tackling projects that require careful attention to detail. However, it's also important to be aware of potential communication issues that may arise due to this pairing. You'll want to think carefully before fully speaking your mind during this month! This isn’t to say withhold info, but just be prepared to take the repercussions if you do, from both sides of the coin…
Fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) can find themselves feeling energetically active during this month as they take on new challenges with enthusiasm and learn through friction, that’s what squares do, and there’s potentially enormous power in that, though not always 100% comfortable. We all know what kind of magic happens outside that zone, though, yes?
Earth signs (Taurus, Virgo Capricorn) can expect stability and security thanks to the positive energy flowing through their world right now, but it’s super important that you know in which house Aquarius sits, because that security can be going through do-over renos, you feel me? And we’re not just talking light stucco here, we’re talking a new roof level of shift, lol.
Air signs (Gemini Libra Aquarius) can prepare themselves for exciting conversations as creative ideas come into play – but don't forget that words have power too and can anchor you to stuff that you might not have anticipated! The intellect is in full gear and, depending on where your moon sits, you could be having emotional epiphanies in May that will set stuff free that you might have been holding onto for too long.
Water signs (Cancer Scorpio Pisces) can experience heightened emotions during this period which could lead to solidified feelings emerging that you FINALLY understand, so make sure you take time out for yourself to feel them all the way through, up from the heart center and like a pinball machine bounce them around until their out on paper or in song or other creative force. Emotional inventory always feels correct and May has the vibes to take you through with the strength of an ox 😉
