Happy Yule, everyone! It's almost here, which puts me in a holly, jolly mood.
Oh yes, I'm one of those people. The ones who play holiday music from the moment the Thanksgiving turkey is carved until I woefully take down my tree. I just love festiveness. Don't fault me!
Yule is truly a time of rest and respite, which I take pretty seriously. Therefore, my altar is extremely simplistic this time of year. I prefer to spend more time making memories with my family, reflecting on my spirituality, and reading (some enlightening books, some wholly not) rather than performing in-depth circles and castings. While there is a place for strict ritual, and while some people deeply resonate with that, I do not. Reflection at Yule IS my ritual. I don’t need an elaborate altar or a solemn rite to solidify that. Nor do you! =D
Simplicity is beautiful, isn’t it?! ;)
My suggestion to you, dear reader, is to take a Yuletide walk and let nature guide you. Find a fallen bough of evergreens? Perfect! Stumble upon acorns? Score! Don’t overcomplicate it. We do that enough in life. Let intuition guide you. Let this be enjoyable and serene. On a social level, this tends to be a stressful season, which is kind of bogus when you consider Yule is intended to be the antithesis of stress!
As a matter of fact, this is a time when heavy workloads are frowned upon from a Pagan perspective. This is a time for YOU! A time of deep introspection to check in with your spiritual self and see what said spiritual self desires. Even nature is taking a deep breath right now, resetting and restoring for the bountiful spring. Embrace this beautiful interlude! Don’t spend it berating yourself about missed holiday parties and not having Martha-Stewart-grade cookies. The same applies to your altar!
For my altar I kept it simple with evergreen trimmings, pine cones, and white votive candles. This allows me to honor the day while still giving myself time to recoup from a busy year.
Because, honestly, this was quite a kick-you-in-the-crotch, spit-on-your-neck kind of a year. There's been so many amazing things that I am deeply grateful for, but also a lot of heartache and sorrow. This year, I need a little extra time to heal and reflect. Some years are like that. Honor that. Don't struggle through it. That is precisely the intent of Yule—a time to check-in with yourself and feed any needs.
I hope you all have a candy-cane eating, carol-singing, gingerbread-baking, bonfire-dancing kind of Yule! 🎄
Blessings! ♥♥♥
How do you celebrate Yule? Do you enjoy the hustle and bustle, or do you like to keep it calm and laid back?
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