I survived Christmas.  I had a great day.  Patti, Leah and myself spent Christmas with my son and his girlfriend in Nashville.  Actually North of Nashville on the Kentucky line.  It was quiet.  I really enjoyed myself.

Today is my favorite day of the year.  The day after Christmas and all the craziness is over.

We had nice Yule at the store on the 22nd.  I had thought around 10 would show up and we had 23.  I have never thought that ritual was my gift but I think Patti and I did all right.  All in all it was a night of fellowship and celebration.  Just think, the only reason the sun showed up Thursday was because we brought it in.

If anyone would like to host Imbolc, or any other holiday, at the store let me know.

Loki

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A Yule Ritual-Author Unknown

This Ritual shall be performed during the evening hours, sometime after Sunset. Sweep area, starting in the North and moving deosil, with your magickal broom to cleanse the Circle area and “sweep away” any lingering negative energies. Set up the Quarter candles (North-Green, East-Yellow, South-Red, West-Blue) and/or other items symbolizing the elements at the Four Quarters. Set up your altar as desired, and face it to the North, covering it with a red or green altar cloth. Place all of the items listed below in their proper places upon it. For this ceremony, decorate the altar with holly, mistletoe, evergreen, pine cones, ivy, berries, ribbons, and whatever else feels right. Having a Yule Tree nearby the altar will add a lot to the ritual. Along with your usual ritual tools and items, have upon the altar:
Red or Green Altar Cloth

Holly Sprig (placed upon the altar)

Mistletoe Sprig (placed underneath the altar, for use later)

Three Candles in Holders for the Triple Goddess
(1 White, 1 Red, and 1 Black - arranged around the Cauldron)

Cauldron with a Green Candle inside

Incense - Any of the following either alone or mixed together to make a Winter Blend:
Cinnamon, Myrrh, Cloves, Frankincense, Aloes Wood, and Saffron
When all is set up, take a shower or bath for purification and don your Ritual Robe or other ritual attire. Be sure to wear your Magickal jewelry, if you have any. Sit quietly and meditate for a little while - to ground and center. When you feel ready to begin, play some quiet peaceful music for the ritual.

Cast the Circle… Light the God and Goddess candles. Leave all the other candles unlit until the appropriate time within the ritual. Have the green candle placed inside the Cauldron, surrounded by the white, red, and black candles. Also have the sprig of Holly upon the altar, and the Mistletoe sprig tucked away underneath the altar. Sit quietly meditating within the cast Circle for a little while… When you feel ready, begin your ceremony with these words:
“Blessed be the season of Yule.
This is the Winter Solstice,
the longest night of the year.
Darkness reigns triumphant,
yet gives way and changes to Light.
The Sun King has gone into the realms of Death —
yet, within the Sacred Cauldron of Rebirth,
he is once again transformed into
the Newborn Divine Child of Light.
Blessed be the young Virgin Goddess
who gives to her people tonight
a Newborn God.
Blessed be the Newborn Sun King.”
Pause and reflect on the meaning of this spoke in the Wheel of the Year for a few moments, then continue… saying:
“All is cold, and I await the coming of Dawn.
As the Sun rises, the Triple Goddess once more
gives birth to the Divine Child.
In silence and wonder I stand before
the Sacred Cauldron of Rebirth,
knowing that one day I too must pass
through the Cauldron to be reborn.
For this I now give honor to the Triple Goddess.”
Light the White candle near the Cauldron, saying:
“White is for the Maiden.
Blessed be the Virgin, innocent and fresh.
May you plant your seeds of joy and
new beginnings within my life.”
Light the Red candle near the Cauldron, saying:
“Red is for the Mother.
Blessed be the Mother, fertile and loving.
May you grant me gifts of creative ideas and
the strength to bring them to completion.”
Light the Black candle near the Cauldron, saying:
“Black is for the Crone.
Blessed be the Crone, powerful and wise.
May you give me wisdom to
understand the Magickal Mysteries.”
Light the Green candle inside the Cauldron, saying:
“Green is for the Newborn Lord of the Forests,
the Divine Sun Child who comes once more into the world.
I welcome you, Child and Consort of the Triple Goddess.”
Face the North, raise your arms and say:
“Rejoice, O Powers of Earth!
Welcome the Divine Child.”
Face the East, raise your arms and say:
“Rejoice, O Powers of Air!
Welcome the Divine Child.”
Face the South, raise your arms and say:
“Rejoice, O Powers of Fire!
Welcome the Divine Child.”
Face the West, raise your arms and say:
“Rejoice, O Powers of Water!
Welcome the Divine Child.”
Take up your Athame and banish the Old Year by drawing a banishing Pentagram in the air, saying:
“Farewell to the Old Year.
Farewell to the Holly King.”
Now draw an invoking Pentagram in the air and say these words:
“Welcome to the New Year.
Welcome to the Oak King.”
When you are done, replace your Athame on the altar.
Next, remove the Holly from the altar and place it out of sight. Then place the Mistletoe, the symbol of the Oak King, on top of the altar in a place of honor. Say these words:
“Blessed be the King of the Waxing Year.
I pray you will guide your children safely
through to the season of warmth and light.”
Take the Goddess candle in your left hand and the God candle in your right, saying these words:
“Tonight the Goddess and God are reunited.
Tonight Life begins anew, and Light begins anew.
Blessed be the One Light.
Blessed be the Divine Force of Creation.”
Move the candle flames together so that they are one. Spend a moment reflecting on its meaning, and then replace the candles side by side on the altar. Continue with these words:
“Hail, O God of the Woodlands and New Life!
I give you honor and ask your blessing.”
Sit in silence to receive His blessing… then continue, saying:
“Hail, Triple Goddess, bringer of Light out of Darkness
and New Life out of the Cauldron of Rebirth.
I give you honor and ask your blessing.”
Again sit in silence to receive Her blessing. Drink from the Chalice, pour a Libation to the Lord and the Lady and save some to be put outside for the little people. When you are finished, proceed with the Cakes and Ale Ceremony. followed by Releasing the Circle in your usual manner.

Please note this ritual is based on the Northern Hemisphere correspondences of elements and their colors, and directions and so on.

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Yule Incense

Recipe by Scott Cunningham
2 parts Frankincense
2 parts Pine needles or resin
1 part Cedar
1 part Juniper berries
Mix and smolder at Wiccan rites on Yule (on or around December 21st), or during the winter months to cleanse the home and to attune with the forces of nature amid the cold days and nights.
(The above recipe for “Yule Incense” is directly quoted from Scott Cunningham’s book: “The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews”, page 100, Llewellyn Publications, 1992.)
Oil For sabbath: See OILS

Yule Oil - Put in soap or annoint candles
4 drops pine
3 drops cedarwood
3 drops cinnamon
2 drops frankincense
2 drops juniper

Add a pinch of dried pine needles from your tree with garnet, green tourmaline, and clear quartz crystals. A great Yule tree smell with the hint of log fires and spicy pomanders!

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This is for people who have live Yule trees in their homes right
now.

2 cups corn syrup
4 tsp. bleach
1 gallon water

Cut approximately 1 inch off the bottom of your live Yule tree.
Hammer the end of the trunk to split or smash it. In a 1 gallon
container, mix corn syrup and bleach and fill with hot water. Cool and
give to tree in place of plain water to keep your tree fresher and to
avoid needles falling off.

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Yule Salad

Recipe by Althaea
1/2 bag fresh cranberries
3 lg stalks celery
3-4 large carrots
1 large orange
1 can crushed pineapples
1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts, your preference)
1 large (or 2 small) box raspberry, or raspberry-cranberry Jello
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
Open can of pineapples and drain, saving the juice. Put aside. Mix the saved juice from the pineapples and 1 cup of cold water together.
Prepare Jello according to directions, but where the directions call for 2 cups cold water, use the 1 cup cold water/pineapple juice mixture. Before you add the cold mixture to the hot, add the sugar to the hot Jello mixture, and dissolve, then add cold water/pineapple juice mixture, combine well and refrigerate. Be sure to put into a large salad or mixing bowl.
Shred the carrots finely - put aside.
Finely chop celery with a knife or food processor. (I only like the flavor of celery, not the texture, so I use the blender to chop it up very fine)
Chop or crush walnuts
Grate orange peel with fine grater (a cheese grater will do).
Peel orange and clean as much of the pith (the white stuff) away as possible, and section by hand.
In a blender put the cranberries, one handful at a time into the water and chop finely. Add the orange sections and chop more coarsely (using the pulse button on your blender). Add to the Jello mixture. Add all other ingredients to the Jello mixture and mix well. Refrigerate over night.

Topping for salad:
You may top with whipped cream or Cool Whip, but I love this topping the best, it is a nice accent to the sweetness of the salad.
1 cup sour cream
1 cup real mayonnaise
Blend well and place by the tablespoonful on top of the gelled salad. Enjoy!! Happy Yule!
Joanna L. Davis (aka Althaea)

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The History of Christmas Lights-Anne Clarke

Originally, Christmas lights were used in Germany in the homes of only the very wealthy as long ago as the 17th century. This was before electricity, and the lights were actually candles. They were only used on trees at that time, and were strategically placed to illuminate the ornaments that hung from the branches. The candles were held in place by either gluing melted wax to a tree branch or using pins to hold the candle. Around 1900, candleholders were being used, and by 1915 small lanterns and glass balls became a means of holding the candles in place.

Then, in 1882, Thomas Edison’s assistant, Edward Johnson, came up with the idea of electric Christmas lights. He lit up a Christmas tree in New York City with 80 small electric bulbs. Within 20 years, stores were displaying electric lights and they were being mass-produced and sold to customers. Then, in 1917 there was a tragic fire in New York City there was a tragic fire caused by candles on Christmas lights. Albert Sadacca then invented safety lights for Christmas trees and created a multimillion dollar company that became the largest Christmas lighting company in the world (NOMA Electric Company).

The outdoor Christmas tree that ran on electric lights became very popular throughout North America and the use of them began to regularly take place all over the world shortly thereafter. Decorating a live Christmas tree outdoors became the attractive thing to do, and many people still do it today, some even going as far as to decorate it as well as they would their own indoor tree.

This slowly evolved into using electric lights on trees not only outdoors, but indoors as well. It also led to the use of lights for houses that everyone uses today. It took many years for Christmas lights to become what they are today, and many ideas and inventions helped lead us to the brightly lit and decorated homes and yards we see every year.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, recreation, education and decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles about other kinds of Christmas decor, please visit Christmas Lights History.

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A Visit From The Yule Spirits

'Twas that night before Yule, when all 'cross the heath,
Not a being was stirring; pagans-are-nature-oriented/">Pagan, Faerie, nor Beast,
Wassail was left out and the altar adorned,
To rejoice that the Sun King would soon be reborn.
The children lay sleeping by the warmth of the hearth,
Their dreams filled with visions of beloved Mother Earth,
M'lady and I beneath blankets piled deep, had just settled
    down to our Solstice sleep.
Then a noise in the night that would leave us no peace,
Awakened us both to the honking of geese.
Eager to see such a boisterous flock,
When we raced to the window, our mouths dropped in shock!
On the West Wind flew a gaggle of geese, white and gray,
With Frau Holda behind them in Her gift-laiden dray.
The figure on Her broomstick to the North sky made it clear,
La Befana was approaching to bestow Yuletide cheer.
From the South came a comet more bright than the Moon,
And we knew Lucia would be with us soon.
As these Spirits sailed Earthward o'er hilltops and trees,
Frau Holda serenaded Her feathery steeds:
"Fly Isolde! Fly Tristan! Fly Odin and Freya! Fly Morgaine!
Fly Merlin! Fly Uranus and Gaea!
May the God and Goddess inside you soar,
From the clouds in the heavens to your cottage door."
As soft and silent as snowflakes they fell;
Their arrival announced by a faint chiming bell.
They landed like angels, their bodies aglow,
Their feet left no marks in the new fallen snow,
Before we could ponder what next lay in store,
There came a slow creeking from our threshold door.
We crept from our bedroom and were spellbound to see...
There in our parlor stood the Yule Trinity!
Lucia the Maiden, with Her head wreathed in flame,
Shown with the radiance for which she She was named,
The Lightbringers eyes held the joy of a child,
And she spoke with a voice that was gentle, yet wild:
"May the warmth of this household ne'er fade away."
Then she lit our Yule log which still burns to this day.
Frau Holda in Her down cloak stood regal and tall,
The Matron of Solstice, the Mother of all,
Under Her gaze we felt safe and secure.
Her voice was commanding, yet almost demure:
"May the love in this family enrich young and old."
And from the folds of Her cloak showered coins of pure gold,
LaBefana wore a kerchief on Her silvery hair;
The veil of the Crone who has secrets to share,
In Her eyes gleamed a wisdom only gained by spent youth.
Her voice was whisper, but Her words rung the truth:
"May health, glad tidings, and peace fill these rooms."
And she banished misfortune with a sweep of Her broom,
They then left a gift by each sleeping childs head,
Took a drink of our wassail, and away they all sped.
While we watched them fly off through the night sky we laughed,
At the wonderous magick we had found in the Craft.
As they departed, the Spirits decreed...

"Merry Yule To You All, And May All Blessed Be!"

Originally published in Circle Network News
Winter 1996/1997 Issue, Vol. 18, No. 4
P. O. Bo. Box 219, Mt. Horeb, WI 53572
(608) 924-2216

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2 parts frankincense
2 parts pine needles or resin
1 part cedar
1 part juniper berries

This is a great Yule incense recipe. It smells great for the holidays or in ritual.

Grind ingredients and burn in a brazier on charcol.

Loki

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