It is the shortest day and the longest night. Midwinter. The sacred festival of rebirth. The deep, instinctual knowledge that out of the depths of the still darkness comes both the profound healing and the most illuminating insights. The understanding that that the darkness is where we plant our most potent seeds. The bone-bare awareness that the darkest night is a sign that the lightness is returning once again.

It is Yule, the Celtic sabbat observed on the winter solstice. It falls on the 21st of December, right in the midwinter, and marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. Ever since the summer solstice, the night has been swallowing up the day. Now, it is time for that pattern to reverse. After the 21st, the sun will once again stretch out its golden tendrils, elongating the days once more. Yule is a powerful reminder that no matter how deep the darkness, the light always comes back. Because of this, Yule is a time of rebirth, despite it being a long, frozen night.

It is a truth of life that oftentimes our brightest ideas, most powerful healing, and most core truths emerge from the darkest places. It is also true that the darkness is where we prepare for the light. Yule is a time to plant the seeds that will grow as the sun returns and blossom into brightness and expansion during the summer. It is an integral turning point in the year, where we have ascended to the deepest place and are now ready to begin the journey back up. However, to still have some hibernation to attend to- though the days are getting longer, the winter is not over yet. In order for the seeds we are planting to flourish, we must continue to rest and incubate them. During Yule we have a very beautiful, potent opportunity to go inwards to our deepest core and carefully choose what we are going to take back with us as we slowly circle back into the light. Below are three ways to observe this sacred day.

Yule Altar

One of the most magical ways to observe a sabbat is by making an altar. A few Yule symbols are: Holly, which symbolizes allowance of nature and nature spirits into your home during this time of frigid weather; wreaths, which symbolize the cyclicality of life (more on that below); and . Herbs of Yule are: ash, an herb of the sun which brings lightness into your life; rosemary, symbolizing strength and resilience; frankincense, a protective herb sacred to the Egyptian sun god Ra; and Evergreen boughs, symbolizing rebirth.

Some other items you may want to place on your altar are items that represent the sun and the light think candles, citrine, and sunflowers), red, green, or white crystals, antlers, cloves, and wreaths. Create your altar, and let it remind you of all of the beautiful, expansive seeds you are planting, and of all the lightness that is to come.

Yule Candle Magic

Candles- fire, warmth, light- are the perfect instruments for Yuletide magic making. For this ritual, you will need a white or light colored candle, some sort of incense or palo santo, charcoal, and dried herbs (thyme for courage, hawthorn berries for joy, mint for purification, rosemary for strength).

Twelve hours prior to the Winter Solstice, begin to prepare your energy and your sacred space with the incense, palo santo, sounds, however you feel drawn to. Be still and center yourself, calling upon any guides you wish to be with you for this ritual. Then light the charcoal, place it in a fireproof dish, and add the herbs. Light your candle, and meditate on the flame. Let your mind wander where it will. How do you feel? What do you notice? While gazing at the flame, bring to mind everything that you are nurturing inside of yourself right now. All of the dreams, plans, relationships. truths, art, and love your are birthing into the darkness. Once you feel complete, blow out the candle, thank the light, and journal.

Make a Wreath

A wreath is a circle with no beginning and no end-- much like life itself. They symbolize the cyclicality of life, the circular path that weaves in and out of darkness and light, guiding the highest evolution of our souls. In fact, the Celtic wheel of the year is often symbolized as a wreath made from evergreens. and has been depicted as such for thousands of years.

Wreaths are also beautiful and festive ways of bringing nature inside. The best way way to find materials for your wreath is to go on a walk in your backyard or a local park or forest and forage for evergreen branches, holly, mistletoe, pinecones, and any other seasonal foliage. If you can’t get outside, you can find greenery at a florist or even many grocery stores. Then arrange your foliage in a circular shape, either gluing it to some sort of circular structure, tying it with twine, or even simply arranging it in a circle on a table. As you are doing so, reflect on the cyclical nature of life, this past cycle and the cycle to come.