How are you celebrating the holiday of Yule
with your soul tribe?
Here is an excellent way to closen the bonds of your
circle and kindle sparks of positive change at the coming new year. In a safe
place outdoors, build a bonfire and create an altar to the east of it. Place a
small cauldron with a candle in it on the altar, and surround it with
mistletoe, ivy, and holly. Participants should also wear crowns woven from
these evergreens. If it is too cold or snowy where you live, you can gather indoors
and form a semicircle around the fireplace, or around the altar.
Begin the ritual by holding hands around
the fire. Hum softly, gradually building the hum to a shout. This shout
represents the cries of the Goddess giving birth once again to the sun, and to
the new year. The ritual leader says:
All bow to the East! Hail to the
newborn Sun, and to the Great Goddess who has brought him forth!
Everyone bows to honor the Sun God and
the Mother Goddess. The ritual leader chants:
Brigid,
Diana,
Morgan,
Cerridwen,
Heaven’s Queen,
By the light of this moon
In this dark night,
Teach us the mystery of rebirth.
The ritual leader lights the candle in
the cauldron while everyone else remains perfectly still. Now is the time when
the Goddess will reveal herself privately to each participant. If you are
outdoors, listen and look carefully for a sign. Traditional omens are a sudden
wind, shooting stars, the screeching of an owl, and the appearance of a deer.
Even if you are indoors by the fire, the Goddess will still make herself known
in your heart. When the time feels right, the ritual leader says:
Queen of the Stars,
Queen of the Moon,
Queen of the Earth,
Bringer of Fire,
The Great Mother gives birth to this
new year
And we are her witnesses.
Everyone shouts:
Blessed be!
Pass the lit cauldron to each
participant so they can speak a blessing for the new year and the new sun.
Place the cauldron with the candle back on the altar. The ritual leader closes
the ritual with this final expression of gratitude to the Goddess:
Blessed be to the Mother Goddess
Thank you for the sun that gives us
life
Without beginning and without end
Everlasting in Eternity.
This ritual is now done!
A toast to the new sun should take place
with hot cider or mead, and warm festive foods.
