🕯🍁🌟🔮🌟🍁🕯
have a happy solstice and merry yule good luck spell!
like to charge, reblog to cast!
HOW TO MAKE A YULE ALTAR
Pagan altars come all shapes and sizes and I have several in my home. I use my fireplace mantle as an ever changing altar space that I rotate with the seasons. For Yule this year I’ve decorated my mantel with several different items that I connect with this particular season and holiday. For me the best altars are ones that incorporate a lot of nature and don’t take much money to create. So for this year I used mostly items I already had around my apartment and items I could source from nature. I have a list below of the items I’m using for my Yule Altar but keep in mind that your altar may look very different and that you should include items that you spiritually resonate with & aspects of nature that best reflect where you live.
YULE ALTAR IDEAS
Altar Cloth: This year I used an old scarf with a pine tree motif as my altar cloth. Local Greenery: As the solstice represents the darkest time of year I like to bring in as much greenery as possible as a reminder that the earth is always fertile, even in the darkest of winters. For my altar I harvested some pine & holly branches and several pinecones. Candles: I love adding as many candles as possible to my altars. Here for Yule, the candle light reminds us that the Solstice also represents the rebirth of the Sun. Deity Representations: Many of the Yule traditions derive from older pagan celebrations connected to the Norse God, Odin, so I have a few statues representing him on my altar this year. There are several deities associated with Yule & the Solstice so feel free to incorporate the deities you connect with most. Tarot Cards: I picked 2 tarot cards (The Hermit & The Sun) and 2 Oracle cards to feature on my altar this year. Each of the cards I’ve picked connect with a certain aspect of Yule tradition and lore. You can watch my Yule Altar Video below to see the full altar all put together. Do you have a Yule Altar this year, what items are you using for your altar?
i made yule balls! made one as a gift for a friend who’s been going through a lot so my energy and sigils were geared towards that.
Inexpensive Yule Decorating
While I have never been very interested in the consumerist side to Christmas, as I get older I’ve rediscovered a great deal of joy in the celebrating the winter solstice. The act of making decorations, particularly with family or friends, brings a sense of warmth and meaning. I thought I might share some of the things I do throughout the month leading up to the solstice (with unaffiliated links to tutorials if you’d like to give it a try). The ephemeral, often foraged nature of these decorations encourages attention and presence in the moment, and requires little in the way of resources.
- A garland of dried orange slices, star anise (bought in a ludicrously large bag from an international grocery store), clove, and cinnamon sticks, strung together with plain baker’s twine. Dehydrating orange slices in the oven has the added benefit of making your home smell wonderful. I have made a garland of cranberries in the past but it’s a sticky, staining business that requires a fine needle and thread and gentle handling.
- Alternatively, use small cookie cutters to make simple shapes of discarded orange peel if you rather not waste the food.
- A minimalist tree - Lowes and other garden centers/pop up tree farms often put cut offs in a bin that you can take from for free. A single branch with the right amount of foliage in a vase makes a lovely minimalist tree - especially decorated with $3 fairy/wire lights from Aldi’s or Target. Very good for apartment living.
- That same bin at Lowes is where I collect cut offs to make live garlands or wreaths. This requires floral wire (~$3) for best results, and available floor space to assemble.
- Scrap fabric garland - especially useful if you have a lot of “cabbage” left over that you don’t know what to do with. We made this for the first time this year and it was an exercise in “letting go” for me. I prefer precision, but my coven mate Has Absolutely No Time for That. Rather than try to direct things, she ripped strips of fabric and I tied them to a length of baker’s twine in random alternating colors (the “tedious” job in her opinion). It turned out much nicer this way by playing to each other’s strengths. I recommend it.
- Salt dough ornaments. I haven’t had luck getting these to store successfully year to year so I’ve consigned myself to making them anew each time. The upshot is that salt dough has a great deal of versatility so I can try something new every year.
- One year I did also accidentally make a brick-hard batch of Lebkuchen that, while lovely to look at, where utterly inedible. They made lovely gingerbread ornaments, though; I may do it on purpose this year.
Khaire ❄️🌲💀🖤
A Yule Ritual
Spell originally by Cassandra Eason.
What you need:
- 12 white candles or tea candles (in a circle)
- A red candle in the center
- Festiveness around the candles (greenery, baubles, etc.)
Timing: Between December 21-23 in Northern Hemisphere; June 21-23 in the Southern Hemisphere (Yule’s timing)
1.) Light the red candle and from it the circle of candles. Say “I walk into the darkness without fear at the turning of the year, knowing the light will return. Candles no more burn.”
2.) Extinguish the candle circle so only the central candle flame remains. Say “ Let the old sun die, carrying away what must go, the illusions, the excuses, the inertia, and open the door to a new tomorrow.”
3.)After a few minutes relight each candle in the circle, clockwise from the red candle, saying “ The sun is reborn and light returns to the world. The dark times are ended.”
4.) Let the candles burn and use the decorations around the home (keep an eye on the candles so you don’t burn down the house :D )
Celebrate Yule
Outside:
- Leave out birdseed ornaments as offerings to the season
- If snowing, play in the snowfall to appreciate the changing season or collect some for snow water
- After the sun has gone down, burn a yule log in a bonfire
- Take some friends and go wassailing!
In the Home:
- Make stovetop potpourri as an alternative to incense
- DIY gifts with your witch skills for your friends and family
- Read a winter solstice tarot spread for yourself
- Decorate your holiday tree, blessing the ornaments with good energy
- Hang mistletoe for protection and (consensual!) kisses
In the Kitchen:
- Make one of these Celtic Yule recipes
- Prepare some traditional or non-traditional wassail for any adults
- Bake mini yule logs to share with family and friends
- Make Swedish Lussekatter rolls or Norwegian Julekake bread
In the Bath:
- Bathe with fresh orange slices and frankincense and myrrh essential oils for a prosperity ritual bath
- Take a lazy witch holiday LUSH bath (our suggestions here)
- Do a pre-solstice ritual bath with essential oils
- Make winter spice bath bombs and enchant them for prosperity
On your Altar:
- Use colors like reds, greens, whites, and metallic colors
- Add holly, pine, ivy, mistletoe, juniper, or cedar for some greenery
- Decorate with a yule wish bottle to for some easy magic
- Represent the seasonal harvest with oranges, pears, nuts, and berries
- Incorporate snowflake obsidian, clear quartz, or bloodstone
It’s today everybody!
wyntercraft-deactivated20190812
Colours: red, green, white, silver, blue.
Plants & Herbs: cinnamon, cedar, cloves, evergreens, frankincense, ginger, holly, ivy, mistletoe, myrrh, pine cones, poinsettias, nutmeg, rosemary, saffron, wintergreen.
Incense & Oils: cedar, cinnamon, frankincense, ginger, myrrh, nutmeg, pine, spruce.
Crystals & Stones: bloodstone, clear quartz, garnet, peridot, ruby, tiger’s eye, topaz, rose quartz.
Animals: buffalo, doves, goat, reindeer, robins, squirrels.
Decorations: bells, candles, evergreens, gifts, holly, lights, mistletoe, poinsettias, wreaths, yule trees/christmas trees.
Meanings: honour, rebirth, transformation, light out of darkness, creative inspiration, the mysteries, new life, regeneration, inner renewal, reflection/introspection (source)
Customs: lights, gift-exchanging, singing, feasting, resolutions, new fires kindled, strengthening family & friend bonds, generosity, yule log, hanging mistletoe, apple wassailing, burning candles, Yule tree decorating, kissing under mistletoe, bell ringing/sleigh-bells (source)
Element: Earth
Food: nuts, apple, pear, caraway cakes soaked with cider, pork, orange, hibiscus or ginger tea, roasted turkey, nuts, fruitcake, dried fruit, cookies, eggnog, mulled wine (source)
💸Career Affirmation💼
'My career is bursting with opportunities to express my creativity and passion'
Crescent Cookies 🌙
I’ve been wanting to use some magick since the last time I almost burned down my kitchen so here we go.
Baking or cooking magick is wonderful way for witches in the broom closet to create and discretely practice.
TBH this recipe went haywire so I randomly threw some more stuff in oops.
What you’ll need
For cookies
- 2-2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
- 2 sticks of softened salted butter (add 1/4 a pinch of salt if you don’t have salted butter)
- 3/4 cups of sugar
- 2 tablespoons of milk
- 1/2 cup of chopped almonds
- Pinch of Cinnamon
For icing (optional)
- 3/4 cups of powdered sudar
- 1 tablespoon of milk
- A dash of vanilla extract
Recipe
- Beat the butter until fluffy, then add sugar. Best until combined
- Add almonds, cinnamon and 2 cups of flour, mix until combined
- The mix should be crumbly and not a dough yet. Slowly add milk until dough consistency.
- Use the rest of the flour for your hands and break off pieces to form crescent shapes
- Place on cookie sheet and cook for 15 minutes.
- In another bowl mix together powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract. Add more powdered sugar or milk for desired consistency.
- Allow cookies to cool then dip into frosting while still warm.
Random notes
You can light candles in your kitchen, cleanse your space before cooking or add anything that you find fit.
I left some of these cookies on my alter and brought some to a friends party, this was the first time I successfully baked some I’m pretty proud.
I wish everyone a blessed new year ~
Full moon dates for 2020 🌕
- January 10th
- February 9th
- March 9th
- April 8th
- May 7th
- June 5th
- July 5th
- August 3rd
- September 2nd
- October 1st
- October 31st
- November 30th
- December 30th
Thanks for this
1 pound Macaroni (abundance, prosperity, grounding, creativity, change) 2 tablespoons Olive Oil (healing, peace, protection) 2 large Shallots (prosperity, glamour, protection, healing) 4 cloves Garlic (protection, healing, warding) 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika (protection, warding, healing, creativity) 1 teaspoon Sage (cleansing, protection, balance, warding, healing) 1 teaspoon Turmeric (healing, calming, manifestation, protection) 1 head of Kale (abundance, strength, protection, healing) 1 can Pumpkin Purée (protection, warding, longevity, luck, love) 1 teaspoon Vegetable Bouillon (balance, happiness, grounding, stability) ½ cup Almond Milk (mental clarity, abundance, protection) ⅓ cup Nutritional Yeast (grounding, purification, attraction) Salt (cleansing, protection, banishment) Pepper (banishment, protection, warding)
(vegetarain.vegan.gf) 🥄🥄
Hey guys! I made this and it was delicious! I altered the recipe as my family won’t touch anything vegan (added milk and mozzarella to the sauce), and we all loved it.
2 tablespoon Olive Oil (healing, peace, protection) zest of half a Lime (hexing, purifying, cleansing, healing) 2 tablespoon Lime Juice (hexing, purifying, cleansing, healing) 1 teaspoon Sugar (attraction, abundance, prosperity, love) ½ small Watermelon (protection, divinity, abundance, lunar magic) 1/3 cup Mint (love, lucky, prosperity, fortune, cleansing) Salt (cleansing, protection, banishment) Black Pepper (banishment, protection, warding)
(vegan.raw.gf)🥄
¾ cup Olive Oil (healing, peace, protection) 2 tablespoons White Vinegar (protection, cleansing, banishment) 1 clove Garlic (protection, healing, warding) ½ teaspoon Salt (cleansing, protection, banishment) Lemon Juice (warding, purifying, cleansing, healing) a handful of fresh Dill (protection, warding, luck, prosperity, abundance) a handful of fresh Parsley (divination, spirit work, protection, strength) 2 cups Couscous** (grounding, prosperity, abundance) 2 pints Grape Tomatoes (love, romance, security) 2 Cucumbers (healing, calming, love, strength) 1 small jar sun dried Peppers (love, warding, cleansing, protection) 1 cup Feta Cheese* (manifestation, purification, protection)
(vegan.raw.gf.sf)🥄🥄 (Vegan/GF/Raw Sub cheese and couscous)