The Beauty in Winter

In beauty, I walk
TO THE DIRECTION OF THE RISING SUN
IN BEAUTY, I WALK
TO THE DIRECTION TRAVELLING WITH THE SUN
IN BEAUTY, I WALK
TO THE DIRECTION OF THE SETTING SUN
IN BEAUTY, I WALK . . .
ALL AROUND ME MY LAND IS BEAUTY
In beauty, I walk

~ Navajo (Yebechi) chant ~

The Winter Solstice

What is a solstice? The earliest humans knew that the sun’s path across the sky, the length of daylight, and the location of the sunrise and sunset all shifted in a regular way throughout the year. They built monuments, such as Stonehenge, to follow the sun’s yearly progress. Today we can see the solstice differently, from the vantage point of space, and we know that the solstice is an astronomical event, caused by the Earth’s tilt on its axis and its motion in orbit around the sun.

Because the Earth doesn’t orbit upright, but is instead tilted on its axis by 23-and-a-half degrees, the Earth’s northern and southern hemispheres trade places in receiving the sun’s light and warmth most directly. That’s what causes winter and summer.

At the December solstice, the Earth is positioned in its orbit so that the North Pole is leaning 23-and-a-half degrees away from the sun. As seen from Earth, the sun is directly overhead at noon 23-and-a-half degrees south of the equator, at an imaginary line encircling the globe known as the Tropic of Capricorn. This is as far south as the sun ever gets. All locations south of the equator have day lengths greater than 12 hours at the December solstice. Meanwhile, all locations north of the equator have day lengths less than 12 hours.

You can see signs of the solstice everywhere in nature because for all of the Earth’s creatures, nothing is so fundamental as the length of daylight. After all, the sun is the ultimate source of all light and warmth on Earth.

If you live in the northern hemisphere, you can notice the late dawns and early sunsets, and the low arc of the sun across the sky each day. You might notice how low the sun appears in the sky at local noon. And be sure to look at your noontime shadow. Around the time of the December solstice, it’s your longest noontime shadow of the year.

Many people have an unfavorable response to this time of short days and long nights in the form of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). I myself suffer from this disorder and use special lighting, although I wouldn't say no to a vacation on a warm, sunny beach somewhere south of the border!

The 2010 December solstice takes place on Tuesday, December 21 at 23:38 (11:38 p.m.) Universal Time. That’s the time at the longitude of Greenwich, England. To find the time in your location, you have to “translate” to your time zone. Here’s an example - I live in the midwest and use Central Standard Time. So I'd subtract 6 hours from Universal Time. Therefore, the time of the solstice for me would be 5:38 p.m. Central Standard Time.

An ancient belief is that the Wheel of the Year stops briefly at this time of the Winter Solstice. It was taboo to turn a wheel or even a butter churn, on the shortest day. This time of stillness was a precious opportunity to consider the year gone by and to look forward to the increasingly active months to come. It's also a time to choose what to take with you into the New Year and what to leave behind.

Celebrate the Winter Solstice by lighting candles around your home and for a few minutes during your celebration or ritual, turn all the lights on in the house welcoming and celebrating the rebirth of the Sun God.

This year, Brian and I will take part in a Winter Solstice/Full Moon Ritual at Circle Sanctury. Afterwards we'll come back home to enjoy a quiet evening, set our Yule log on the fire and perhaps look out at the stars meditating on the darkness, and light, of the world.

What is a Wassail Anyway?

I grew up singing that song 'Here we come a-wassailing . . .' but never knew what the heck it meant. So this year I decided to check into it and see what it means and what it means in a Yule celebration kind of way.

Wassail ~ A salutation or toast given in drinking someone's health or as an expression of goodwill at a festivity; the drink used in such toasting, commonly ale or wine spiced with roasted apples and sugar; a festivity characterized by much drinking.

In centuries past, villagers or townspeople got together in groups and went from door to door, singing and drinking to the health of their neighbors. This concept actually harkens back to pre-Christian fertility rites - except in those ceremonies, villagers traveled through their fields and orchards in the middle of winter, singing and shouting to drive away any spirits that might inhibit the growth of future crops. As part of this, they poured wine and cider on the ground to encourage fertility in the crops. Eventually, this evolved into the idea of Christmas caroling, which became popular during the Victorian era, and is still seen today in many areas.

While I'm not sure about going out in the middle of winter and pouring cider all over the apple trees in the neighborhood, I sure don't mind drinking a cup or two of wassail. Enjoy!

Crockpot Wassail

8 cups apple juice or cider
2 cups cranberry juice
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup sugar
2 oranges
Whole cloves
1 apple, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon Allspice
1 teaspoon Ginger
1 teaspoon Nugmet
3 cinnamon sticks (or 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon)
1/2 cup - 1 cup brandy (optional)

Turn the crockpot on high and pour in the apple cider (or juice) and cranberry juice. Mix in the honey and sugar until dissolved. Stud the oranges with the cloves (25 to 30 should do the trick) and place in the pot. Add the diced apple, Allspice, Ginger and Nutmeg. Finally, snap the cinnamon sticks in half and add those as well. Cover the pot and cook on high for 1 hour. Change the setting to low and allow to simmer for 3 more hours. About half an hour prior to serving, add the Brandy if you choose to use it.

Here we come a-wassailing among the leaves so green.
Here we come a-wand'ring so fair to be seen.
Love and joy come to you,
and to all your wassail, too,
may the Gods bless you, and send you a Happy New Year,
the Gods send you a Happy New Year.

Ritual Cakes

If you're anything like me, you flail around the kitchen at the last minute looking for something to use in your rituals for the 'Cake and Ale' rite. Sadly, my last ritual incorporated a left-over Bisquick biscuit and jam. Hardly a meal worthy of a Goddess.

So to rectify this last minute flailing, I have decided to bake up some 'Crescent Cakes' to have on hand. They're easy to make and I can pop them into freezer bags to go into the freezer and grab at a moment's notice.

I found this recipe in Scott Cunningham's book 'Wicca-A Guide for the Solitary Practioner' (an excellent read by the way).

Crescent Cakes

1 cup finely ground almonds
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
2 drops almond extract
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg yolk

Combine almonds, flour, sugar, and extract until thoroughly mixed. With the hands, work in butter and egg yolk until well blended. Chill dough. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Pinch off pieces of dough about the size of walnuts and shape into crescents. Place on greased sheets and bake for about 20 minutes. Serve during The Simple Feast, especially at esbats.*

*This is the best recipe I've (Scott) been able to find. Most of the other published ones taste foul. Purists who worry about the inclusion of sugar in this recipe needn't. It's ritually related to Venus and has a long magical history.

Note: After I had chilled the dough, I found that it was too dry to hold together so I added a bit of milk - just enough so that the dough would stick together (about 1-2 tablespoons).

So there you go! No more flailing in the kitchen at the last minute! Enjoy!

Yule Altar Additions

Remember that little 'Frosty Fern' from my previous post? Well, he's all potted up now and has found his place on the Yule altar. I have to tell you that I've never been quite so enthralled by a plant before. While they all have their special places and special meanings, this little guy has stolen my heart.

While reading about the traditions of Yule somewhere (I'm reading in so many places I can't quite remember where) I came across a lovely description of the 'Goddess cradling the newborn Sun-God in her arms'. That description stuck with me and while browsing the internet just the other day, I found this gorgeous statue that captured that description to beautifully for me. So rather than waiting for the bidding to end, I jumped all over the 'buy it now' button and now, just a few short days later, this gorgeous piece sits on my Yule altar.

Every time I gaze at this piece, my heart is warmed by the tenderness of the Goddesss cradling the newborn Sun. It's an image that will carry me through the holidays as I'm reminded what the season is really, truly all about . . .

Winter's First Snow

After snowing all night and most of yesterday we ended up with four inches of snow and a nice blanket of white covering the starkness of fall. Waking up this morning to a blue sky and sunshine, we couldn't resist the urge to go for a drive in the country. I also had an ulterior motive . . . I needed a pine log!

We had a beautiful drive and did manage to find a grove of pine trees that had been felled beside a cemetery. We looked around for a bit and found the perfect log.

After stopping off at our local nursery for some greens, holly and mistletoe, and getting settled back at home, I set to work putting together my Yule log. I also found some rafia, floral picks and pine cones in my stash.

While at the garden center, I also found this adorable little plant called a 'Frosty Fern'. Isn't it cute? Brian found the perfect weathered urn for it and it will make a great addition to my Yule altar.

All in all, a great day spent in and around nature . . . life doesn't get any better than that!

Holiday Stove-Top Potpourri's

Having my home smell wonderful at this time of year brings back memories of childhood and creates new ones as an adult. The smells of evergreen, peppermint, gingerbread, orange, and spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, all mean the Holidays are here.

A stove-top potpourri mix is an easy, inexpensive way to make your home smell wonderful. And if you wrap your homemade concoction in some pretty packaging, you have a wonderful gift for family and friends as well.

Cattra at 'Cattra's Magickal World' shared a wonderful potpourri recipe that I wanted to share here as well. It's easy to make and will leave your house smelling divine!

You'll need:

Orange peel from 3 oranges
1 Tbsp whole cloves
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon or 3 sticks broken into thirds
1 Tbsp lavendar
1 Tbsp juniper berries

Place orange peel on a cookie sheet and dry out in the oven at 200F for 2 hours. In a bowl, combine other ingredients and crush with a mortar and pestle (or use the back of a screwdriver as Cattra does). Fill a double-boiler with water on low heat. Place crushed ingredients with the orange peels into the top part and simmer. Soon your house will be filled with the smells of the season!

Here's another variation . . .

One whole orange or just the orange peel
1/2 cup cranberries
1 Tbsp whole cloves
3 sticks of cinnamon or a small handful of small pieces of cinnamon
a bit of grated nutmeg if desired

Quarter the orange and put all the ingredients into a saucepan. Fill the pan with water and place it on the stove, on the smallest burner, on the lowest setting. Refill water as needed and enjoy!

I hope you enjoy making these easy potpourri recipes and that the smell will always remind you of home at this time of year.

My own potpourri brewing on the stove . . .

The Winter Solstice & Yule

I have to admit I'm feeling somewhat discombobulated this holiday season. It is the first for me as a Wiccan and although I embrace all that being Wiccan entails, those old belief systems are there in the back of my mind. I expect that as I go through the month and enjoy all that it has to offer in the way of the Winter Solstice and Yule celebrations, that feeling will go away and I'll be left to revel in the mysteries.

My Yule Altar

Brian and I are going to the Winter Solstice/Yule celebration on December 21st at Circle Sanctuary. Although I practice as a Solitary, it will be nice to celebrate the Sabbat with others who share in my beliefs.

As the Wheel of the Year turns and the days get shorter, the skies become gray and it seems as though the sun is dying, it's in this time of darkness we pause at the Winter Solstice to celebrate something wonderful. On Yule, the sun stops its decline into the south. For a few days it seems as though it’s rising in exactly the same place . . . and then an amazing, wonderful, and miraculous thing happens - the light begins to return!

In celebration of the Sun's return, the most important part of any Yule festivity is light which could include candles, a fire in the hearth or even a bonfire. It is customary to burn a Yule log to honour the Lord Cernunnos or the Horned God. Because each type of wood is associated with various magickal and spiritual properties, logs from different types of trees might be burned to get a variety of effects. Aspen is the wood of choice for spiritual understanding, while the mighty oak is symbolic of strength and wisdom. A family hoping for a year of prosperity might burn a log of pine, while a couple hoping to be blessed with fertility would drag a bough of birch to their hearth.

This year we'll be making our Yule log out of pine. Here's how to make a basic Yule log . . .

You'll need:
A log about 14"–18” long; pinecones; dried berries (such as cranberries); cuttings of mistletoe, holly, ivy and pine needles; feathers and cinnamon sticks; some festive ribbon (use paper or cloth ribbon, not synthetic or wire-lined types) or rafia; fruits and nuts; and a hot glue gun.

A picture from the internet - I'll replace it once my own Yule log is made. Isn't this one pretty?

Most of these items can be gathered outside or found easily enough at craft stores or the supermarket. Just keep in mind you'll be burning the log on your Yule fire so you'll want to use as close to nature as you can. And remember, only pick up items found on the ground, rather than taking cuttings from live plants.

Begin by wrapping the log loosely with the ribbon or rafia. Leave enough space that you can insert your branches, cuttings and feathers under the ribbon or rafia. In our house, I'll be placing nine feathers on our Yule log – one for each member of the family (yes, I include the birds and dogs in that count). Once you’ve gotten your branches and cuttings in place, begin gluing on the pinecones, nuts, cinnamon sticks and berries. If you're adding fruit (such as apples) try piercing them first with a floral stick and then 'sticking' them in. Add as much or as little as you like.

Once you’ve decorated your Yule log, use it as a centerpiece for your holiday table. A Yule log looks lovely on a table surrounded by candles and holiday greenery. You could also use your Yule log as our ancestors did and burn it in your hearth or in a bonfire outside if you're lucky enough to have a space available for that purpose. Before burning your log, write down a wish on a piece of paper and insert it into the ribbon or rafia. It's your wish for the upcoming year and should be kept to yourself in hope that it comes true. While watching the Yule log burn, share in a cup of hot cocoa, discuss how thankful you are for the good things that have come your way this year and how you hope for abundance, good health, and happiness in the next.

In many Celtic-based traditions of neopaganism, there is the enduring legend of the battle between the Oak King and the Holly King. These two mighty rulers fight for supremacy as the Wheel of the Year turns each season. At the Winter Solstice, or Yule, the Oak King kills the Holly King, and then reigns until Midsummer, or Litha. Once the Summer Solstice arrives, the Holly King returns to do battle with the Oak King and defeats him. The Holly King then rules until Yule.

In some Wiccan traditions, the Oak King and the Holly King are seen as dual aspects of the Horned God. Each of these twin aspects rules for half the year, battles for the favor of the Goddess, and then retires to nurse his wounds for the next six months, until it is time for him to reign once more.

Often, these two entities are portrayed in familiar ways - the Holly King frequently appears as a woodsy version of Santa Claus. He dresses in red, wears a sprig of holly in his tangled hair, and is sometimes depicted driving a team of eight stags. The Oak King is portrayed as a fertility god, and occasionally appears as the Green Man or other lord of the forest.

Ultimately, while these two beings do battle all year long, they are two essential parts of a whole. Despite being enemies, without one, the other would no longer exist.

The Yule season is full of magic, much of it focusing on rebirth and renewal, as the sun makes its way back to the earth. Focus on this time of new beginnings with your magical workings!