2021 Yule Meditation

2021 Yule Meditation

The Yule season is upon us, and it is a time of gathering and good cheer.  Normally, this is a time for Wiccans and Pagans to come together and celebrate the Winter Solstice.  Unfortunately, the world is still gripped in COVID-19 concerns, with new COVID variants that are resistant to our current vaccines.  The sad result is that, for many, it is still not the time for large group gatherings.

If we cannot gather in person, we can still gather in spirit.  If we cannot celebrate in group ritual, we can still celebrate in our own private rituals.  Here, I offer for you a Yule meditation that will allow all to celebrate in solitary, while still celebrating together on the ether.

But first, what is Yule that we celebrate?  What is the significance of the Winter Solstice?

While taken over by the Christians, Yule is the original 12-day solstice festival celebrated thousands of years before Christmas and is considered one of the oldest celebrations of wintertime in the world.

In ancient times, winters were difficult times during which food would run scarce.  The Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, marks the turning of the tides.  As the days began to grow longer, once again, this marked the return of hope.  Though still months away, the Winter Solstice was the mark that bounty and prosperity would once again return to the land.

In the Wiccan tradition there a number of different stories about the meaning of the eight Sabbats.  In some, it is the battle of the Oak and the Holly Kings.  In others, it is about the birth and death of the god.  It is this latter tradition we will draw upon for our meditation. 

In this latter tradition, the eight Sabbats, the Wheel of the Year, are a celebration of the birth, death, and return of the god;  They are also a celebration of the constant presence and teachings of the goddess.  At the Winter Solstice, the goddess gives birth to her son, and symbolically, the sun is reborn; this is a time of vulnerability for the mother and her child.  But it is also a time of renewed hope and joy. 

_____________________________________

For this meditation, find a quiet place where you can be alone.  Banish your space and cast your circle as appropriate to your tradition.  Purify your space, summon the quarters, and call the goddess and the god, all according to your particular craft. 

As you sit in this sacred space, ground and center first.  Feel yourself growing roots that sink deep into the ground and feel the strength and stability of the earth rising up in to you.  Feel yourself growing branches that reach up into the sky and feel the energy of the eternal sun radiating down into your, filling you with love and healing.  Sit for a while, experiencing the connection with the ground below and the sky above.

When you are ready, light your meditation candle.  And, as you kindle the light in the candle, know that the light of the world is likewise being rekindled on this night.  Think on the fact that the old year, both good and bad, is coming to a close.  In its place, a new year is about to be born.  Full of promise and unknowns, the new year brings renewal and new life.

Now visualize a mother with her newborn babe.  Know that this is the goddess who has just given birth to the new god.  It is cold and the two are threatened by the elements.  But you know that the two are from the archetypal world and that they will survive.  See the goddess suckle her infant son and protect him from the elements.  But also look close at the infant god.  See that the god’s skin is aglow with a golden light.  Feel the young god radiate out the hope of the coming year.  Know that this young god is small and weak now, but there is much potential inside of him and soon he will soon grow into a strong and mighty adult, and that he will bring much good for the coming year.

In your visualization, see yourself walk up to the goddess and her child and offer them a present.  This gift can be whatever you feel is important.  This is whatever you think the goddess and the god need most at this time, whatever your heart moves you to give to them.  If you want, this can be a commitment you plan to make to them in the coming year – but it does not necessarily need to be so.  See the goddess take your present and open it.  She thanks you for this.

But, as you do this, the goddess reaches down and picks up a gift and gives it to you.  This is the present from the goddess and the god for you and is what you need to help you get through the coming year.  This is the special thing that you need for 2022.  Take some time and examine the object.  Think on its special meaning for you.  What are the goddess and the god giving to you?  Why did they pick this?  Why is it what you need.

Sit in the presence of the goddess and the god for a while longer.  Take this time to ask any questions, request help, or just listen to the advice of the goddess and the god.

When you are done, thank the goddess and the god for their gifts and return to the awareness of your body.  Feel your branches growing back into you, feel any remaining energy flowing back up to the eternal sun.  Feel your roots deep within the earth and feel all of the strength flowing back down the roots, back to the earth – Grounding and Centering – and feel the roots retract back up into your body.

Close your circle as you opened it – devoke the goddess and the god, dismiss the quarters, and open the circle, all as appropriate to your tradition. 

Return now to this world.  But do so knowing that you have given something to the goddess and the god; that you have given them something they need to bring prosperity and growth to the coming year.  And also, know that they have given something to you.  And this gift of yours will help you in the coming year, giving you whatever it is you will need to meet the challenges of the coming year.

Finally, to close the night, sit and journal about all that has happened.  And be sure and journal about the presents you both gave and received.  At your Yule celebration of 2022, reread this journal entry and see how both the gifts you gave and received made a difference in the year!

Happy Solstice and Merry Yule!