It was difficult for me to write about the Yule Sabbat because there is so much out there already on customs and folklore of this time of year and I didn’t want to be repetitive. I will say this is the first year I have set up and decorated a tree since Winter 2019 so maybe I am feeling a little bit of that ol’ Yule spirit in the air.

“In jolly hymns they praise the god of wine,
Whose earthen images adorn the pine,
And these are hung on high in honor of the vine.”

-Virgil, Dryden’s translation

In Witchcraft, the Sabbat rituals are focused around the Terrestrial (Earthly) and Celestial (Solar) changes. Some of these changes are easier to notice than others. The Initiation point of each season, or the Solstices & the Equinoxes, initiate each season and we will feel these Solar changes on Earth at the midpoint of each season: Candlemas, May Eve, Lammas & Hallowmas.

The changes we observe or experience in our environment can serve as metaphors and themes when exploring the Tenet of Harmony and finding out what this Tenet of the religion means individually to us in our own lives. Many instinctively don’t want Winter to happen, as depending on our own environments, the winter weather can feel more or less severe, and for some will bring a temporary pause to the enjoyment of the sunshine, summer flowers and gardens.

Some do long for the rest & repose that Winter is *said* to bring and revel in the indoor activities of the season such as getting the home in order and working on indoor projects that we may have put off during the previous seasons.

Many also find that just because Winter is a time when Nature Herself slows down that it doesn’t concurrently mean that life slows down and we dash from family gatherings to family obligations, or find an increase of activity in work obligations and schedules before the holiday break – or what is called the “holiday rush.”

What we individually experience at this time of the year varies greatly – and all with many emotions and feelings associated with it. (It’s always a good reminder to be gentle with others this time of year as the Winter holidays can bring many emotions that people may be working through.)

If you are in an environment like mine in which winter limits the amount of outdoor enjoyment, then activities such as the magic of the hearth, the use and making of dried herbal preparations, incenses, infusions, tinctures… crafting, cleaning and preparing items is in order along with making many mental and physical inventories. All of this gives a little break to focus on the inside environment of our home and the inner-life of our thoughts and emotions. For those where outdoor activities aren’t as limited as mine and do experience more pleasant weather, then I know I’d love to hear what you anticipate and plan for during this time and what winter means to you – please let us know, as we’d love to hear from your perspective too!

A golden candle above decorated with red and green spirals representing the renewed light of the world. Increasing light and warmth before it was lit by coveners in the temple.

It rarely snows before the Winter Solstice in these amounts in my environment of South-Central Pennsylvania. Usually by the time of Candlemas, we sometimes receive one or two snowfalls that produce scenes like this. We learn to enjoy its temporary beauty and the break in the day it provides, as it rarely lasts more than a few days.

So what are some of the rituals that we might do for the Yule Sabbat?

One of the first things we do at this particular Celestial Sabbat in The Ancient Order of Bell, Book & Candle – The Sacred Pentagraph is perform what is called the “Entering in of Death.”  This is a pause in the growing season of nature’s greenery and blossoming (at least here in the Northeast of the USA) and we honor that time which occurs each year between Hallowmas and Yule with a somber ritual at least three days before the actual celebration of this Sabbat. As we need sleep when the night cometh, so too does Mother Nature for a brief period. A few somber words are spoken quietly in the temple and then the temple is sealed off so that as Nature rests, so does the coven temple.  If any candles or spells are in progress at this time, they are taken out of the temple so that the temple can mark a period of going into the silence.

Our occult tools are also cleansed during this time to remove from them any stale vibrations they may have picked up, making them clean and refreshed before “Calling Forth the Child of Promise” at the Sabbat ritual proper.

After the Sabbat Ritual proper, a Yule log that was previously decorated to make a centerpiece for the middle of the Sabbat Feast Table with at least three candles included can be lit … sometimes red candles and sometimes green. The High Priestess of the coven performs an invocation over the dinner. This is typically one of the three formal dinners the High Priestess will preside over during the year. There are recommended foods which can be made in our tradition for the Sabbat, though, in the spirit of “Witches make do” sometimes what is prepared is changed depending on desire, cultural and dietary needs.

The Yule Log can also be later burned in the hearth if folks have access. If not, a decorative Yule log can be flanked with red candles that are ceremonially lit before partaking of the Sabbat feast following the ceremony.

In this photo above, a decorative Yule Log made of white birch is on the coffee table. Witches sharing Wassail while enjoying the soft glow of candle light from a ritual in 2014. A purple candle burned nearby: a purple candle is lit by a teacher in the coven and kept nearby the teacher to represent the sharing of spiritual wisdom – as light radiates out from the center, so does an Occult Mentor’s spiritual wisdom. It is lit while the Priesthood shares knowledge and extinguished when they are finished sharing and dispersing that occult knowledge with the folks they are mentoring – it is known as the “Lamp of Art” and it is an important symbol in The Sacred Pentagraph. 

Some may choose to decorate the magical circle with evergreens. If you are lucky, the nature spirits might feel welcome to follow you – for the act of bringing these evergreens indoors for decoration, it is said in folklore that we are letting the nature spirits know they are welcome to come in out of the cold and be warmed inside during this time. 

Then, when the day of the Sabbat roles around, the ceremony typically starts off in the somber attitude, and then with the summoning forth the Child of Promise, the attitude slowly becomes one of thankfulness, gratitude and thoughts of goodwill to mankind, animals and nature.  A re-dedication is made to the works of the religion.  Prayers are made to bring back the blessings of earth’s renewed light, which is also symbolic of our own inner-light. Also, an asking and prayer to the Supreme Being is made to kindle light and love within us. 

The candles are anointed with Bayberry oil or another magical oil if you have it, and if we are fortunate, we might even find candles made of Bayberry to burn during the night of the Winter Solstice. We like, when we can; to burn the bayberry candles from tip to the socket – for magical lore states that when burned “from tip to the socket; abundance and peace to the home and money to the pockets!“

So above you learned about what some covens might do for Yule…. but what if your coven doesn’t celebrate Yule? Or what do you do if you can’t be with the coven, or you must practice solo? Here is an example of something you can do: 

Because Yule is symbolic of the light that will soon be on the increase, and the activity of Nature’s Work deep in the Earth — the Womb or the Tomb of the Great Mother, so we can if we choose to symbolize this with a candle inside a cauldron. 

Take a large or medium sized cauldron and put sand inside it for safety. Place a candleholder inside the cauldron and place a candle on the candleholder. Place holly and pine, or whatever type of safe evergreens that grow in your area, around the outside of the cauldron, decoratively. It’s placed outside of the cauldron for safety purposes – always be mindful of safety when using candles. (Be mindful and extremely cautious if you have children and animals in the home as some evergreens and plants can be very toxic to animals and people – even plants and evergreens you buy at the store can be toxic to pets and people. Know what you are using.)

Write for yourself an invocation to the Great Mother Goddess and the Great Father God about life being renewed once again while you light the candle inside the sand-lined cauldron symbolizing the warming of the Earth by Solar Fire that will occur once again in the course of time. This can also include your hopes and wishes that you wish to bring into the light in the coming new calendrical year. The prime symbolism of the Good God is one of being the great Celestial Initiator of each season. If you are using a pillar candle or a jar candle, this can be re-lit over the next number of days, repeating your invocation and reinforcing it within the Astral Light. Candles should be safely extinguished when not in your presence for safety.

These are a symbolic and meditative items that are sometimes used in our religion, as most things in our religion are spoken of and demonstrated in symbols and sympathetic-mimic form. In this case, the cauldron, filled with sand, symbolizes the Earth. The greenery safely circling outside of the cauldron symbolizing the fertile rebirth of the Earth that will occur once again in due time.

With the lighting of the candle inside the cauldron, we might be asking that the Good God, whose symbol is that of the Sun & Candle-Flame, to once again grow in strength so that the Earth will respond by being warmed by the increasing light that will occur from this day forward in the natural yearly progression. Because of this symbolism, in like form, we also petition that that certain areas of our lives be renewed and grow in strength, and that we clearly find a pathway forward to our goals that we plant in symbolic form in Spring. We aim to “To Know Thyself.”

Also, because our thoughts are turned to a more reflective nature and one of planning, it is a great time to work healing prayers and incantations for family and friends in need of healing. It is a way of giving positive thoughts to our friends and loved ones and thinking of others in our lives whom we would like to share the inner-light of love in our hearts with.

A 7-Knob Candle was burned, one knob each day in the above photo to concentrate for an individual at a distance with the thought and prayer of healing directed toward an individual. A red candle was used for this since red represents vitality and life. Blessed Be! 

However that you choose to celebrate this celestial Sabbat, we hope that the renewed and increasing light of the sun grows and glows within you. Blessed Be!