Our Fabled Nest

Yule, the winter solstice, we are celebrating the return of the light! Today is about the simple promise that the dark won’t hold on forever. There are so many beautiful sentiments tucked in the celebration and merriment of today.

The first is a simple reminder of celebrating the beautiful fire burning bright within you. Please don’t dim your light just to appease others – we are all unique in our beliefs, values and who we are as humans… and that, my loves, needs to be celebrated! Winter Solstice also makes me ponder “darkest before the dawn”. Life can be brutal, unkind and at times just downright unbearable. But there is always a light at the end of the tunnel! We don’t particularly see it in that crappy moment when it feels like all hope is lost. But, looking back after the storm, that’s where you’ll see how far you’ve come! Remember, flowers won’t grow without those rain showers. It’s also a beautiful day of reflection and introspection. Wintering is a perfect description for what the next few months will hold. It reminds me of the Hermit card in Tarot. At the center of the Hermit card is an older man, with a hooded long robe. Outstretched in front of him is a lantern lighting his way. He’s holding a staff in the other and it appears it is snowy covered ground. Rather simple compared to other cards in the major arcana. This reminds me so much of what winter is. A time for reflection. A time for removing the daily grind from the forefront of your thoughts and dig deep into where your values are. I’d even say on a deeper level to contemplate your existence, where is your trajectory headed, and maybe even figure out what sparks joy for you. A time for pampering yourself and being proud of who you are. Think of all of your accomplishments- both big and small! There is nothing wrong with celebrating your achievements from the past year – you deserve that!

With wintering, this is season for inner work. Not necessarily the fad word of “Shadow work”. Do that if you wish but what about quiet mediation, reading, or learning something new. Quietly purge yourself both physically and emotionally of anything that no longer serves your highest good…. then get super excited about seeing the new year with fresh eyes!

Our natural world is slumbering away knowing full well that spring will be here in three short months. Those warm days will beckon you out of hibernation as well as the bees buzzing about, flowers blooming and animals awakening from their winter slumbers. We should take note. Sleep is heaven on cold winter nights; the bed calls me to deeper slumbers. Contently, I sip warm teas and decaf coffees. I crave nourishing soups, stews and porridges. Our little home becomes a cozy haven and the indoors become a sanctuary away from the bitter bite of those freezing north winds. Speaking of cozy, there is nothing more delightful than snuggling up with a good book, a fur kiddo (or 4) and our deliciously warm heated blanket. Daydreaming comes easier as I ponder the warm days ahead with all of the gardens, and this little sanctuary we are crafting. The shorter days means I take notice of little things, and I am beyond grateful to see the sunrise on these brisk mornings. There is something so special about the warmth of the sunshine on my face when the temperature barely hovers above freezing. Winter is unique in that everything seems dead and blah but, on the flipside, imagine the underground work going on to produce new life in a just a few short months. A small hint- hint of why we should be working on ourselves… imagine how our lives can be vastly different within a few weeks if only we put forth a bit of work!

Lets dig into some history with Yule! Yule is pronounced YOOL. Yule is technically the first sabbat on the Wheel of the Year, but some folks start with Samhain, since it is considered to be the Witches New Year. Me? I personally would rather wait until Imbolc to celebrate a new year. Real quick on that reasoning – Imbolc is the first of February. Most would have made it through the harshest part of the winters and that’s when I plant seeds indoors to start the process of growing…. it makes more sense and seems more logically to celebrate a new year when things seem “newish”. Any who, Yule is typically celebrated on the 21st… some follow the moon cycles and are a little more accurate but for us, I like to keep things simple.

Traditions are what makes the holidays, the holidays, right?? Well let’s start with our favorite -the tree. Whether you are a firm believer of a real spruce or a faux tree- you do you! Both are marked to be brightly green year-round. This is one of the reasons many pagan families brought these beauties in their homes. Brightly green as a representation of the continuality of life even though winter is upon us. They hung boughs of evergreen and holly over their windows and doors as to keep evil spirits and illness at bay. Norse would decorate their trees with runes and protective symbols then bring those trees in and burn them for 12 days in their hearths.

What about Santa… or perhaps Odin… this one is a bit strange but just hang on for a few moments. Odin is a Norse God. There are similarities between him and the traditional Santa Clause. Odin was considered to be the “All Father.” During Yule, he would lead the wild hunt. He yearned to learn what it was to be a mortal. He crafted a cloak of concealment and as a patron of wisdom, he felt the values of integrity and kindness were of utmost important. Like Santa, Odin went village to village, leaving gifts and goodies in the stockings of little ones that upheld these values throughout the year. Kind of like the naughty and nice list. Instead of the eight reindeers we all know and love today, how would you have liked to run across an eight-legged steed? Yep, you read that right. Eight legs and the creature was called a Sleipnir. Quietly and quickly the Sleipnir carried Odin from house to house.

Another similar character similar to Santa is the Italian witch called Befana. While Santa preferred cookies and milk, the Befana prefers to be wined and dined. She also doesn’t show up on the 25th either, Italy celebrates Epiphany on January 5th. Her lore starts way back at the beginning where the legend says she met the three wise men. Apparently the 3 wise men were lost and popped by her house to ask for directions. Being the best housekeeper and baker in the village, the three men asked for her to join them. She declined because of chores. Then realized her mistake and decided to swifty pack a few gifts and then took off after them. This legend led to the story of her riding the night skies on her broom searching for the Christ child whereas she now leaves presents for the good children and like Santa, coal for the ones that were atrocious. Befana’s appearance is very much a typical story book witchy woman. She is typically dressed in rags, and in case, covered in soot – ya know the Santa and chimney reference. The two kinds of candies she leaves are called Caramelle and Carbone dolce (sugar coal). I do keep a little kitchen witch hanging in my kitchen that resembles her – the lore goes that “nothing spills, nothing spoils, overcooks nor overboils. The kitchen witch brings luck and love to this room.” I have her for several years now and affectionately refer to her as “Merry” as she was a Yule gift from my hubs. You can find your own little kitchen witch or angel on Etsy, Amazon or I’d even check local metaphysical shops. There are a few patterns if you’d like to try your hand at crafting one!

Another similarity is the birth of Christ and the literal birth of the sun. The exact date of Jesus’ birth is unknown but from researching, early Christians appropriated it to be around the Winter Solstice. I am not knocking what they did since it does “make sense”. As for the Pagan’s view, we are celebrating the return of the sun. Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year, but we know the sun is coming back… brighter, longer warmer days will soon be here!

Everyone loves a good party (as long as I am in bed by 9pm and I am not peopled out!). You want to talk about epic- I am sure Roman’s Saturnalia festival was the place to be. Saturnalia was their version of the winter solstice but in typical Roman fashion. This would have been a celebration of their agriculture God, Saturn. The last of their planting season was finished and they were able to take the whole week to relax, party and enjoy the festivities. Saturnalia began around the 17th of December and went through 24th. The 25th was considered to be the prime day and was given the name: Brumalia. Coexisting is something they did year-round but during these days all of the social hierarchies were overturned. Meaning the Roman slaves, commoners and the rulers all participated in the merry making. Another cool fact is the slaves were able to participate in the public party’s and not work the final day of the festival. Back then only higher-class civilians could dress colorfully but during Saturnalia everyone had the opportunity. Oddly enough, even though the Roman slaves weren’t free, some wore a hat called Phrygian Cap. This was a symbol of freedom usually only worn by freed slaves. But, during these celebrations those caps represented the freedom of season.

I’ve mentioned briefly the Hag of Beara, the winter witch or the Cailleach in another post. Today, I’ll talk about her as the Celtic Goddess of Winter. She is the one I am focusing my energy and celebrating. There are four seasons to life: maiden, mother, maga and crone. Respectively, spring, summer, autumn and winter. This Cailleach is the crone, hence the winter witch. She is also considered to be a triple Goddess like the Morrigan where they represent different aspects of the life cycle. As for the Morrigan, Badh, Macha and depending on the lore it’s Nemain or Anand. For the Cailleach, these Cailleach Bheur for the maiden and Cailleach Corca for the mother. As far as my research and learning over the past years, I have always referred to the crone phase of life as simple the Cailleach. I think that’s beautiful to focus my energy on the crone aspect for this Yule. Celebrating the wisdom, we gain as we age, aging gracefully, and learning to accept things as they come. Plus, celebrating the wild woman inside of us… not hiding her away just so we could be included and accepted by our societal norms. But for us to accept us for who we are with our flaws, and quirks. Another thought is the crone is the final stage of life before rebirth or crossing the veil. Hag of Beara, her name, literally translates to old woman. As a Goddess of winter, winds and wilderness, she is the epitome of what this winter season is. A beautiful representation of the seasons changing and how powerful mama nature can be. A powerful representation for our feminine energy too – we can be both a force of nature and serene. As legends go, she is the woman who crafted some of the mountains, crevices and valleys throughout Scottland and Ireland. Such an incredible and powerful being. She is sometimes associated with being a witch. She is but not in typical “Hocus Pocus” spells, potions and flying vacuums. Her power lies within the wild. Within mama nature, conspiring with the willows, and the hollies to do her bidding. As a patron of animals, she utilizes her natural world instead of practicing witchcraft. Being a crone, is being wise. With age comes wisdom, right? As a crone, she was an elder, she was fierce in her beliefs, a protector of all creatures and because of this she was revered and respected.

Let’s talk food! Yule and Christmas are very much intertwined with their histories. First up, anyone ever been wassailing? Well, there is a holiday song mentioning “here we go-a wassailing”… this is old term for caroling and then they would warm up with a holiday spiked warm apple cider. While we have enjoyed a nonalcoholic version, this year we are opting for lemonade. Our traditional meal is going to be vastly different but it’s okay! With us heading to my mommas for the holidays, I didn’t want to have leftovers or toss any uneaten food. Even though we won’t be having this traditional meal, we still will crank the holiday jams, enjoy a nice cozy quick dish and a quiet little evening together with the kiddos. Now, if we had the time, I would go all out with a veggie pot pie with a biscuit topping, sides of roasted Brussel sprouts, wild rice salad, and fresh cranberry sauce! Yule, like many other sabbats, I focus on what our ancestors would have been excited about or something they would have been crafting. They would have the means to conduct a hunt for fresh wild game or they could have focused on their cellars and the abundance the gardens gave that was lovingly and careful preserved before Samhain.

So how are we celebrating this wonderful Winter Solstice? We are keeping today low key… a walk in the woods with offerings for the woodland spirits, sharing a tasty meal and tending to a small bonfire. This bonfire is celebrating the return of the sun, and we will be tossing in pinecones.

This is a simple craft that anyone, regardless, of your beliefs can enjoy! We grab two pinecones each, a pen and a piece of paper. I had leftover wrapping paper so any kind of paper you have laying around will work! Tear the paper into 23 pieces. Take 10 of those and write one grateful thing from 2025 on each piece to make 10 grateful sentiments. These do not have to be long or in-depth… it’s a little way to get you in the right mindset for the second pinecone. Still working with the first “grateful” pinecone take each of your grateful pieces and roll them up and stuff in the pinecone. Once all 10 are stuffed in, set aside and start the second pinecone. The second one I call a wish-cone. What do you wish for the next twelve months? Where do you want your trajectory heading? What do you want to accomplish? What hopes, dreams and desires do you have? So, with that, these 13 pieces of paper are for your desires, dreams, wishes and all of those daydreams you want to manifest. Again, it doesn’t have to be complicated or overly in-depth. Just use your inner guidance and write to your hearts content. Once all thirteen are written roll them up and stuff them in your second pinecone. I do have two different size pinecones so I can keep them separate but that’s optional! I chose 10 for the grateful because tens in tarot are endings and beginnings of the next chapter. It’s like a culmination of lessons, rewards and seeing what you’ve accomplished while still be grateful and knowing there is always more to learn. It’s also knowing what you’ve accomplished and knowing a new journey is just on the horizon. So, take those lessons, and rewards and add them to your pocket of knowledge for the next journey. Thirteen in tarot is the Death card and he honestly gets a bad rap! Thirteen is for endings that are necessary for future growth and betterment of you as a person. It speaks about acceptance and letting go to make room for a brighter future. Old doors, like habits, ideologies and things that no longer serve your highest good, need to get gone. Basically, ridding yourself of the crap you picked up in 2024 to make way for a beautiful new start in 2025! Now, you can choose your own number, you could do just a single wish, but I do recommend adding a few grateful pieces too. If you can only find one pinecone, I am sure that would work too – maybe add the grateful ones to one side and the wishes to the other… get creative! Now that you have your two pinecones, we are going to burn them (safely!)! We have options! You could get a little witchy and say a few words while you are holding the grateful pinecone or, like me, simply hold it and let the past 12 months float through your mind. Sometimes words aren’t necessary- it’s about intention. Ponder all of the little moments I can remember, now is the time to be grateful (shed a few tears too if you need- let it go). Think of all of the things you did, you were a part of, those little mundane things, the happiness and the tears. Just a few moments to really soak in all that you have to be grateful for. When you’re ready toss it in your bonfire. As it crackles, I believe it releases it to the wild, the unknown but I know that the universe catches it. Now for the second wish-cone, same concept except think of the next 12 months, where do you want to be here next year at this time. Again, you can speak it out loud or let the comfortable silence settle. Think of all of those little wishes you wrote and imagine how beautiful life is really going to get! When you’re ready, drop it in the bonfire…. this the best part! Letting go and letting the universe, guides angels, ancestors, Gods and Goddesses (whomever you believe in) take care of it and more importantly, you, for the next season life brings us.

So, whether you celebrate Yule, the Winter Solstice, Christmas, Hannukah, Epiphany or something entirely different, this is the season for joy in gatherings, magic in the mundane and gratefulness in the midst of the holiday craziness. Don’t forget to stop and see these little glimmers as you go about your holiday celebrations!

Cheers to our next adventure!