Yule Magic
for Pagan Children Š Kitchen Witch UK www.kitchenwitchhearth.net
What is Yule?
Yule is the Winter Solstice, it marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. It is the time of the year when the Holly King and the Oak King battle again, this time the Oak King is victorious and lives to reign over the lighter half of the year to come. Symbols: Holly, ivy, mistletoe, candles, Yule logs, poinsettia, wreaths and bells. Activities: Spend time with family and friends, reminiscing over old memories and making new ones. Light candles to celebrate the return of the sun. Light a bonfire outside and have an outdoor BBQ or party (wrap up warm!).
Go wassailing. Wassail is a hot spicy drink usually made with apple juice or cider. People process to the local orchard and pour wassail under an apple tree to bring a good harvest. Go for a walk in the woods and collect pine cones to decorate with glitter and hang on the Yule tree and collect a log to make into a Yule log. When collecting pine cones, it is important to leave behind the cones that haven't opened. The seeds from these cones should be left so that the animals such as squirrels have something to eat. Find the cones that have the tips spread open.
A Yule Ritual written by Millie (age 11)
Casting the circle Walk clockwise in a circle, saying: “Together we stand in a circle sending the bad things out and leaving the good things in” We cast the circle to claim our space as sacred. Calling in the quarters:
Air – “We call on you to bring us clear minds and to protect our circle” Fire – “We call on you to bring us passion and protect our circle” Water – “We call on you to wash away any negativity and to protect our circle”
Earth – “We call on you to ground us and protect our circle”
Yule Ritual (continued)
Demeter the Goddess of agriculture we call on you to protect our circle.
Dionysus the God of wine and pleasure we call on you to protect our circle.
The Pagan holiday Yule takes place on the days of winter solstice, around December 21st in the Northern Hemisphere. On the day amazing things will happen in the sky above us. The earth’s axis tilts away from the Sun in the Northern Hemisphere and the Sun reaches it’s greatest distance from the equatorial plane. What we do
My mum stays up outside all night with a fire and watches the sunrise.
At Yule we have snickerdoodles and mulled apple juice. When we have some food we say ‘may you never hunger’. And after a drink we say ‘may you never thirst.’
Yule Ritual (continued)
Closing the circle:
Demeter the Goddess of agriculture we thank you for protecting our circle, stay if you will, leave if you must.
Dionysus the God of wine and pleasure we thank you for protecting our circle, stay if you will, leave if you must.
Air – We thank you for clearing our minds and protecting our circle, stay if you will, leave if you must.
Fire – We thank you for giving us passion and protecting our circle, stay if you will, leave if you must.
Water – We thank you for washing away our negativity and protecting our circle, stay if you will, leave if you must.
Earth – We thank you for grounding us and protecting our circle, stay if you will, leave if you must.
Snickerdoodles
250g/9 oz plain flour 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt 125g/4.4 oz butter or margarine 100g/3.5 oz caster sugar 2 tablespoons caster sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/ 180C.
Mix the flour, nutmeg, baking powder and salt together. In another bowl cream the butter with 100g caster sugar until it is light and pale in colour then beat in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients until the mixture comes together. Mix the two tablespoons of sugar and the cinnamon together and put it on a plate. Squidge out small blobs of the mixture (about the size of a walnut) with your hands and roll them into balls. Then roll each ball in the plate of cinnamon sugar mix so that they are completely covered. Place them on a baking sheet that has been covered with baking parchment.
Bake for about 15 minutes.
Cheese, bacon & rosemary loaf
Butter, for greasing 4 rashers streaky bacon or pancetta 275g (10 oz) plain flour 1 level tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt Pinch of English mustard powder 50g (2oz) mature cheese, cheddar works well, cut into 1cm cubes
1 large egg 225ml (7 1/2 fl oz) milk 2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
Preheat the oven to 200C/fan180C/gas 6. Grease the base and sides of a 450g loaf tin and line the base with baking parchment. Snip the bacon into strips and dry-fry in a pan until crisp, then cool. Put the flour, baking powder, salt and mustard powder into a bowl and stir. Add the cheese, bacon, egg, milk and rosemary. Stir well with a wooden spoon until it has a soft dropping consistency – add extra milk, if needed. Spread in the tin and bake for 25 minutes, until risen, golden brown and just firm to the touch. Serve warm or cold, with butter and cheese, if you like. If you want to keep it vegetarian you could leave out the bacon.
Spice Muffins (vegan)
350g/12 Ÿ oz plain flour (all-purpose flour) 250g/9 oz sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon bicarbonate soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons mixed spice 1 teaspoon ground ginger 250g/9 oz pumpkin puree
250g/9 oz coconut milk 110g/4 oz vegetable oil 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350F/180C/Gas 4.
Line two cupcake trays with paper cases, you should get 16-18 from this recipe. Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate soda, salt and spices. In a separate bowl whisk together the pumpkin, coconut milk, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until combined, be careful not to over mix. Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, about two thirds full. Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes.
Animal Magic: Donkey
Donkeys are eager and versatile workers that have served human kind for thousands of years. They take on huge burdens and responsibilities generally without complaint although they can be ‘stubborn as a mule’. Donkey could indicate that you are always willing to help others but maybe that you need to make sure you don’t take on too much, you also have to look after yourself, you can always say no. If a donkey feels uncomfortable about a situation he won’t carry on not because they are stubborn as suggested but because their intuition is sending them a warning, this is also a reminder to us – trust your intuition and know your limitations and boundaries. Keywords:
Versatility, burdens, responsibilities, helping others, look after yourself, intuition, stubbornness and limitations. From Pagan Portals Animal Magic
Animal Magic: Robin
Tiny birds‌big medicine. A bird of sacrifice and rebirth it also brings happiness, wisdom, change, growth and renewal.
The robin is also a very caring and nurturing parent. Robin helps you to let go of the past and come out renewed and refreshed. Robin is very territorial, creative and a guide to trusting your intuition. Let go of any dramas or issues and learn to sing a happy robin song. Keywords: Happiness, guidance, change, growth, renewal, wisdom, nurturing, creativity and intuition.
From Pagan Portals Animal Magic
What can you find out in Nature?
Holly (Ilex aquifolium, Ilex opaca) An evergreen shrub that can grow into a tree if left to its own devices holly has dark glossy green leaves and red berries during winter. It wouldn’t be Yule without holly would it? Although holly is also burnt at Imbolc ceremonies. Keep a sprig of holly above your bed to ensure good dreams and insightful visions. Plant holly around your property for protection against lightening, poison and evil spirits.
Put holly sprigs on your altar at the winter solstice to invite happiness, balance, success and luck into your life for the coming year. The holly berry is symbolic of the life giving blood of the Goddess and brings fertility and feminine energy. Holly Magical Properties: Protection, luck, dreams, balance, success Ruling planet – Mars, Saturn Element – Fire Gender – Masculine
With thanks to Millie for her ritual script. Colouring pages from The Moon Books Gods & Goddesses Colouring Book Š Rachel Patterson www.rachelpatterson.co.uk This Yule Magic magazine has been put together by www.kitchenwitchhearth.net Images: Yule and baking images Š Rachel Patterson Others: Unsplash