The Mystical Cauldron

Yule Symbols

Bells - Ancient Pagans rang bells during the Winter Solstice festivities to drive away demons that surfaced during the dark time of the year.* Also, the ringing of bells was thought to chase away the darkness so in some cultures, bells were rung in the morning as everyone rose to chase away the darkened days bring and heralding the warmer days.

Candles - Fires have been lit since ancient times to ward off the chill of Winter, chase away demons, and lure back the returning Sun (or son). * Candles were a useful way to have an 'eternal' flame while in the home. Also, many more candles could be lit than fires meaning more encouragement for the returning Sun.

Candy Cane - There is no denying that the Candy Cane has Christian roots... After all, an ingenious candy maker took an already existing candy - a straight white peppermint candy and bent the end of it to resemble a shepherd's crook - since Jesus was the shepherd of men... or the letter "J", for Jesus. He then placed a wide red stripe was to represent the blood Jesus shed on the cross, the three small red stripes were to represent his scourging, and the white of the cane was to represent the purity of Jesus and/or the forgiveness of sins his suffering bought for mankind.
        However, Pagans have their own symbolism for the candy cane... The colors represent the God and Goddess (either as Red for the heat of the Sun and white for the coolness of the moon OR as Red for the blood shed by the mother while giving birth to the Sun God and white for the brightness of the Sun). The colors also represent the balance of the God and Goddess (or nature) since neither color is more prominent than the other color is. The peppermint is cool on the tongue (symbolizing the chill of winter), but has a bite to it, which is symbolic of the heat of the reborn Sun.

Elves - Elves first became associated with Yule because the ancients knew that the Spirits that created the Sun inhabited the land of Elves. By including elves in the Yule celebrations, the ancients believed they were assuring the elves assistance in the coercion of the Sun to return. Of course, since Father Christmas was patterned very closely after Odin, who was the King of the Elves, it makes sense that elves would be associated with him (and Christmas) also. *

Evergreens - Evergreens were thought to have power over death because their green never faded. The evergreens were considered to be so powerful that they could defeat winter demons and hold back death and destruction. Because of their power and tenacity, evergreens were also believed to encourage the Sun's return and were therefore placed around the home, both inside and out. *

Gingerbread - Gingerbread was considered to be a specialty bread since ginger hadn't ever been available until the Crusaders brought it back in the 11th century. There were strict laws regarding specialty breads in that time, so gingerbread was only allowed to be produced during Easter and Christmas. Since there was no Easter marketplace, it wasn't long before gingerbread became associated with winter and Christmas.

Holly - The evergreen of the Holly leaves represents the hope of winter survival in celebrations of the winter solstice throughout the Old World. It is also, of course, representative of the Holly King (Father Christmas). The British consider the thorny-leafed holly to be male and the smooth-leafed holly to be female. Because of this, whichever variety is first brought into the home during the holidays determines which gender will lead the household during the coming year.

Mistletoe - The word 'Mistletoe' translates from its Anglo-Saxon origin into 'dung-on-a-twig'. It came by this name because the ancient peoples observed that mistletoe would often appear on a branch or twig where birds had left droppings. (It was later discovered - in the sixteenth century - that the mistletoe seeds had been eaten by the birds and then sprouted after passing through the digestive tract and being deposited in the droppings). The mistletoe of the sacred oak was especially sacred to the ancient Celtic Druids and would be harvested on the sixth night of the moon with a golden sickle. Since it was gathered at Winter Solstice and it was seen as the 'soul' of the oak (and as a sexual symbol), the cutting of the mistletoe came to symbolize the defeat of the Oak King by the Holly King. It was hung from ceilings and place over doorways to ward off evil spirits (and to prevent witches from entering). (Information from Sara Williams)

Reindeer - Many people believe that reindeer are symbolic of the stags that drew Freya's chariot. Of course, there is always the theory that there are 8 reindeer to represent the eight-legged steed of Odin (or the 8 Sabbats). Either way, it is easy to extrapolate that reindeer are a symbol of Cernunnos and that having horned creatures as a symbol of the day the Sun God is reborn is only fitting.

Santa Claus - Today's Santa is a folk figure with multicultural roots. He embodies characteristics of Saturn (Roman agricultural god), Cronos (Greek god, also known as Father Time), the Holly King (Celtic god of the dying year), Father Ice/Grandfather Frost (Russian winter god), Thor (Norse sky god who rides the sky in a chariot drawn by goats), Odin/Wotan (Scandinavian/Teutonic All-Father who rides the sky on an eight-legged horse), Frey (Norse fertility god), and the Tomte (a Norse Land Spirit known for giving gifts to children at this time of year). Santa's reindeer can be viewed as forms of Herne, the Celtic Horned God. Decorate your home with Santa images that reflect His Pagan heritage. Information from Selena Fox.

Tinsel - The tradition of placing tinsel on the tree comes from an old German/Ukranian legend... On Christmas eve, a long time ago, a woman was busily cleaning the house for the most wonderful day of the year; the day on which the Christ Child came to bless the house. Not a speck of dust was left. Even the spiders had been banished from their cozy corner on the ceiling and had fled to the farthest corner of the attic. The Christmas tree was beautifully decorated. The poor spiders were frantic, for they could not see the tree, nor be present for the Christ Child's visit. Then the oldest and wisest spider suggested that perhaps they could wait until everyone went to bed and then get a closer look. When the house was dark and silent, the spiders crept out of their hiding place. When they neared the Christmas tree, they were delighted with the beauty of it. The spiders crept all over the tree, up and down, over the branches and twigs and saw every one of the pretty things. The spiders loved the Christmas tree. All night long they danced in the branches, leaving them covered with spider webs. In the morning, when the Christ Child Sun God came to bless the house, he was dismayed! He loved the little spiders, but he knew the woman, who had worked so hard to make everything perfect, would not be pleased when she saw what the spiders had done. With love in his heart and a smile on his lips, the little Sun God reached out and gently touched the spider webs. The spider webs started to sparkle and shine! They had all turned into sparkling, shimmering silver and gold. Ever since this happened, people have hung tinsel on their Christmas trees. 

Tree - The custom of having a tree as a central focal piece in winter holiday celebrations can be traced back hundreds of centuries. The ancient Egyptians had a custom of bringing branches from palm trees into their homes on the shortest day of the year each December. The Chinese and Hebrews from ancient history had similar traditions, too.

Wassail - Wassail comes from the Old English words waes hael, which means "be well," "be hale," or "good health." A strong, hot drink (usually a mixture of ale, honey, and spices) would be put in a large bowl, and the host would lift it and greet his companions with "waes hael," to which they would reply "drinc hael," which meant "drink and be well." However, the ritual of 'wassailing' consisted of saluting the fruit trees and then sprinkling them with a bit of the wassail drink (which consisited of wine, ale, or cider with apples and eggs blended in)

Wreaths - The wreath's circle symbolizes the wheel of the year and the completion of another cycle. Wreaths are hung as decoration and given as gifts to symbolize the infinity of goodwill, friendship, and joyfulness.

Yule Log - The custom of burning the Yule log began with the ancient Scandinavians who burned a huge log in honor of their god Thor once a year. For the Vikings, the yule log was an integral part of their celebration of the solstice, the julfest; on the log they would carve runes representing unwanted traits (such as ill fortune or poor honor) that they wanted the gods to take from them. Even as the Christian religion filtered into Scandinavia, the custom of the Yule log remained. The log was thought to bring blessings if it lasted 24 hours. It was also thought that the longer the Yule log burned the faster the Sun would come to warm the earth. Individuals would keep an unburned part of the log to light the next year's Yule log. This unburned portion was also thought to bring good luck as well as protect the home from lightning and fire during the year.

* This information is from the book "Yule - A Celebration of Light and Warmth" by Dorothy Morrison.

Yule Around the World

Norwegians abstained from hunting or fishing for the twelve days during Yule as a way of letting the weary world rest and to hasten the revived sun's appearance.

The Scandinavians share the day of Yule with the animals by making a 'Bird's Yule Tree'. Sheaves of wheat, branches of milo, stalks of corn, and other types of grain are attached to a pole or fence post outdoors on Christmas Eve for the birds to eat on Christmas Day.

Musicians gather in the church and play a carol to each of the four directions, timing it so that the last carol ends at midnight, at which time, the church bells ring to announce the arrival of Christmas Day. This is called "Blowing in the Yule". *

In Baltic regions today, corn is scattered near the door of the house for sustenance and ashes of the Yule log are given to fruit trees to increase their yield.

In old Russia it was traditional to toss grain upon the doorways where carolers visited as a way of keeping the house from want throughout the rest of the winter.

In Wales farmers would give the bundle of Christmas mistletoe to the first cow that calved in the New Year. This was thought to bring good luck to the entire herd. This is also done in England.

* This information is from the book "Yule - A Celebration of Light and Warmth" by Dorothy Morrison.

Yule Activities

Caroling

If you like to sing, how about checking out Willow Firesong's Pagan Yule Carol Collection . It has lots of wonderful Yule Carols to share with friends and family.

Reindeer Heads

You will need brown construction paper, a medium-sized black or red pom-pom, 2 wiggly eyes, a small piece of pink felt or pink construction paper, a pretty bow made from ribbon, and craft glue.
1. Using the brown paper, trace around both or your child's hands and one of their shoes.
2. Help them cut these out.
3. Help them cut out a mouth shape from the pink felt or paper.
4. Using the shoe cut-out as the reindeer's head, glue the 2 hand cut-outs to the narrow (top) end, creating the antlers.
5. Glue the pom-pom on the lower end of the shoe cut-out as a nose.
6. Glue on the wiggly-eyes.
7. Glue on the mouth shape.
8. Glue on the ribbon at the bottom of the shoe cut-out.
9. Hang the reindeer head on the Yule tree or display it in a prominenet place for the holiday.

A Yule Log

1. Get a log, approximately 12-18" long. The log can be of any variety of wood, though I like Birch for the contrast it gives.

2. With a 3/4" or 1" drill paddle, drill 3 holes in the center of the top of the log, side by side

3. Attach greenery, either evergreen or holly to the log. This can be done either by nailing it to the log or by hot glue.

4. Attach whatever other decoration you might like to have... Pine Cones, Poinsettas, Ribbons and Bows, or whatever you like best.

5. Place 3 candles in the top of the log, one in each hole.

6. Display on the table for Yule, burn it during ritual.

Yule Poems

Yule Day

© Angelus Webweaver 2007

The Yule day dawns now clear and new
A day that's cold but bright
The Sun God is reborn for you
And all mankind alike
Full of wonder, joy and grace
And lessons for us all
Peace and love shines from His face
Love... unconditional
We hand out gifts and we rejoice
Among the ones we love
And as a family raise our voice
To the newborn God above
He and the Goddess gave us life
It was their gift to us.
What do we have? What can we give
To They who gave so much?
The love you share and how you live
And who you'll truly be.
Is all the gift the God and Goddess
Ever need to see.
For by giving of yourself each day
To all you meet or know.
The love reborn this Yule day
Will never cease to grow.

Happy Yule.

Blessed Mother

© Raven Spirit 1998

Blessed Mother, full of grace
There is no smile across your face
You have just given birth to your Newborn Son
Who sheds his light for everyone
Raven my child you don't understand
How can I smile with such hatred in my land?
My children they fight and try to hurt themselves
But don't realize what they are doing to themselves
They wage wars with words full of murderous venom
Proud of the cause they think we have sent them.
They don't use the light I bore on this day
They take my love gift and throw it away
The birth of the Sun, your newborn king
Was decreed on this day to end your suffering
To help heal the world of all the pain
and draw our children back together again
I am sorry my Lady, I am at fault too
But I try to give Thanks for all that you do
Raven my son it is much more then that
Look out for the wee ones, and those great with age
That's what it means to be a great Sage
Tell the people both far and both near
You want to see God? "Go look in a mirror"
You are our reflection. Our pride and our joy
This is the secret of my Newborn Boy.

Child of Promise

© Raven Spirit 2007

Born from the Inner depths
Rise to the height of the Heavens
The promise of life renewed
Re-birthed from the old
Honored in many ways
And from ancient stories told
You spear defeats the darkness
At least for a time
You, the Child of Promise and the Lord of Darkness
Are both family in the Lady's eyes.
Now is the time
We plant the seeds
For the rest of the year
Our Goals and our needs
All hail the Sun God
On this day of his birth
May he give to us
Peace and good mirth

A Yule Story

© Raven Spirit 2007

One day around Yule I sat and watched the Sun return to the World. I shared my thoughts and it shared its wisdom. This is the dialog of that meeting.

It was a dark morning and the wind blew cold. I thought I would go down to the beach and watch the sun come up. So off to the beach I went. I soon found I was alone (which was cool with me) so I gathered some driftwood and made a small fire. The heat from the flames was a very welcomed thing. Hey, just because you live in a "tropical" climate does not mean it does not get a bit chilly.
So there I sat on the beach listening to the sounds of the waves as it connected to the dry earth... that connection between inner self and outer self - the balance line between emotion and stability. I looked out across the waters and tried to see the horizon, but it just was not there. Not even a hint of separation... just a solid wall of black. You know it made me think a bit. This was the solstice, the morning of the longest night. The death of the Holly King is on his way and the Oak Lord is soon to be born, all a part of the spinning wheel.
As I sit back and think of the darkness we have just gone through, I also think about the things I would like to see, and the things that I am seeing now. Just as I thought I was done and got up to leave, offering my thanks to the sea of blackness for its reflective power (as it seemed to be acting like a huge mirror to my soul). I noticed a spark.
It was not that big to start with, in fact it was about the size of a pinprick, but that was enough. I sat back down to look at what some miss or even worse take advantage of... I have found we as humans oftentimes miss the most magickal things, sometimes because we are not looking in the right places.
I sat back down and gazed at the sky. This little speck of light grew slowly and surely and then begun to fill the sky. Bowing my head in reverence. "Good Morning M'Lord… Merry Meet" I whispered. "Merry Meet, good Raven" I heard in return. I looked around no one was there.
"I said good Morning", I heard it again.
Now I know what you are thinking… 'Moron, why don't you answer?' Well, I understand the sun is a symbol for the male spirit. But I have never thought of speaking to the sun in and of itself. Guess I was about it. I looked up and replied my Good Mornings.
Wow the glory of seeing the sun being born on this special day. It was so cool to see it across the water. It looked like it was there as it was still growing. The more I think about it, it was the reminder of the child of promise. While the sun was being born I could see its reflection on the water showing me what was left to come. But, glimpse of that promise coming to being.
The longer I looked the more we shared. Before long the light coming from the victorious Lord had won its battle over the darkness and was reborn. The Sun told me that there was a time for darkness and reflection but time for light and warmth as well. I was asked if I was afraid of the darkness; that barren time of the year when the cold winds blow and the frost tickles your nose (as well as other body parts if it is cold enough). I told him No I was not really scared, Just a bit uncomfortable. The days are shorter and it is cold and hard to get around. Then I was reminded that there is nothing in the darkness that is not there in the daylight.
The Sun went on to say that He and His brother (the Holly King) worked in tandem to teach us valuable lessons. "Such as the importance of being our true self. You see in the day when people think they are being watched they dawn a mask or a picture they want us to see. But in the dark the mask comes off, and under pressure we become who we really are. I am the warmth on your face and the grain in the fields. I am the joy that dances in your heart on a warm summers day. I am the smile on the face of a child that just learned to ride their bike, or the team that just won their first soccer match".
I lay back on the beach and thought about the things that were said. Deep down I understood and welcomed the words I had heard. I said my farewells to the cold dark Holly King and lifted my eyes to the warmth of the Oak, then went back to the house for breakfast. Nothing like a side of bacon and eggs... oh yes, sunny side up

Recipes for Yule Feast

Eggnog

12 large eggs

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 quarts milk, scalded

1 cup dark rum

2 Tablespoons vanilla

1 teaspoon nutmeg, plus extra for sprinkling

1 cup heavy/whipping cream

1. In heavy 4-quart saucepan with wire whisk, beat eggs, sugar and salt until blended.

2. Gradually stir in 1 quart milk and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon well, about 25 minutes, but do not boil, or it will curdle. (Mixture should be about 160 degrees F)

3. Pour custard into large bowl, stir in rum, vanilla, nutmeg and remaining milk.

4. Cover and chill, at least 3 hours.

5. Whisk, gently fold whipped cream into custard.

6. Pour eggnog into chilled 5 quart bowl, sprinkle with nutmeg.

Makes about 16 cups (32 servings.) NOTE***Keep this eggnog in a container you can shake because the cream and custard may separate. If this happens just shake it up again and enjoy.

Gingerbread People

Old fashioned home-made cookies are always the best!

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 t. ground ginger

1 t. ground allspice

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsulphured molasses

1 large egg yolk

Colored Icing

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

3. Beat in the molasses and then the egg yolk. on low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated.

4. Divide the dough into quarters, shape into disks, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

6. Divide one of the pieces of dough in half and refrigerate the remaining pieces of dough.

7. On a generously floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness.

8. Cut out cookies using 3-inch cookie cutters or shape with your clean hands.

9. Place the cookies about 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

10. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until slightly firm.

11. Transfer the cookie sheets to wire racks. With a skewer, make a hole in the top of each cookie large enough to fit a ribbon through.

12. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes. Then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.

13. Decorate with icing. Serve cookies after icing has hardened.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Buche De Noel (Yule Log)

Batter:

3/4 c Cake flour

3/4 ts Baking powder

1/4 ts Salt

5 ea Eggs

3/4 c Sugar

1 ts Vanilla extract

Chestnut Filling

1/2 c Sugar, superfine

1 ea Egg yolks

1 pn Salt

1 1/2 ts Vanilla extract

2 tb Cream, heavy

1/2 c Butter

2 c Sugar, powdered

30 ea Chestnuts, whole cooked

2 tb Butter

4 tb Cream, heavy

1/3 c Sugar, powdered

Mocha Silk Frosting

1 1/4 c Sugar, powdered

3 tb Cocoa powder

2 ts Instant coffee

5 1/3 tb Butter

1 1/2 tb Corn syrup

1 ts Vanilla extract

2 tb Cream, heavy

Have ready: clean lint-free dish towel and cookie sheet larger than jelly roll pan.

Preheat oven to 400; prepare 10"x15"x1" jelly roll pan by greasing it, lining bottom and sides with wax paper, and greasing wax paper.

Bring eggs to room temperature and separate.

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Beat yolks until thick and pale. Gradually add 6T sugar, beating well after each addition. Mixture should fall in thick ribbon when beaters are lifted.

Add vanilla and beat again.

With clean dry beaters, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating constantly, until whites stand in firm, glossy, moist peaks.

Fold 1/3 whites into yolk mixture to lighten it, then fold remaining whites in too.

Gradually fold dry ingredients into egg mixture; fold in gently but thoroughly.

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan, making sure to get it into the corners. Put pan into oven immediately. Bake 10-12 minutes, just until cake is golden on top and tester comes out clean. Do not overbake.

Remove from oven; working quickly, cover jelly roll pan FIRST with clean towel, then with inverted cookie sheet. Turn over pan, towel, and sheet to turn out cake. Remove jelly roll pan; peel off wax paper. Slide towel and cake onto counter; cake is wrong side up. Cut off any crisp edges, fold one end of towel over short end of cake, and roll cake in towel. Place rolled cake seam side down on wire rack or cookie sheet to cool completely.

CHESTNUT BUTTERCREAM FILLING:

Combine sugar, egg yolk, salt, vanilla, and cream; beat for 8 minutes at medium speed.

Without washing beaters, cream butter until light. Add yolk mixture a little at a time, beating well after each addition.

Gradually add powdered sugar, beating well after each addition. Set basic buttercream aside.

Puree chestnuts with butter, cream, and powdered sugar. Stir chestnut puree into buttercream, blending thoroughly. If necessary, thin with a little more cream to bring to very spreadable consistency.

MOCHA SILK FROSTING:

Powder instant coffee by placing in plastic bag and crushing with rolling pin.

Mix together sugar, cocoa, and coffee.

Add remaining ingredients and beat for 1 minute at medium speed. If necessary, add a little more cream to make frosting easy to spread.

Unroll cooled cake, leaving it on towel; don't worry about the cake looking deflated, it will perk up soon.

Spread 1/2 c frosting evenly over cake, all the way to the edges.

Spread 2 c filling over thin layer of frosting, pushing generous amount into curved end.

Roll up again, without towel but using it to help roll. Place cake, seam side down, on cake plate or tray. Remove any excess filling from ends and seam edge.

Refrigerate for 1 hour to firm filling. Trim and discard (or eat!) a thin slice from one end of chilled cake; cut and reserve wedge from other end.

Spread a small amount of filling on top center of cake and press reserved wedge on it to make the "knothole."

Frost entire cake with remaining frosting, building frosting up around sides of "knothole." Do NOT cover knothole top!

Work frosting as far under roll as possible.

Repeatedly draw narrow metal spatula lengthwise through frosting to simulate rough texture of bark.

Snip pieces of angelica into leaf shapes and cut glace cherries in half to make log decorations.

Keep cake refrigerated until serving; it is much easier to slice when cold and firm.

Before serving, surround cake with holly and cranberries.

Table of Contents

Yule Traditions	Yule Symbols	Yule Around the World
Yule Activities	Yule Poems	Recipes for Yule

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