“Wolcum alle and make good cheer
Wolcum alle another year”
Thursday, December 21, 2006 is the date we celebrate Yule, the Winter Solstice. Lady Moon is in her first quarter, joining Lord Sun in Capricorn. Thursday is Thor’s day; under his energetic influence, we shall sing, dance, eat, and be merry. Lord Sun is being reborn and it is time to enjoy the earth’s rebirth. Revel in the light of burning candles and a Yule log. Eat roast pork (not many of us will go so far as to obtain and roast a boar’s head) and spicy foods; toast the season with wassail, mulled wine, and eggnog; wear the colors red, green, and white and encourage your guests to do likewise; decorate your table and home in these colors and use evergreen boughs as well. In the midst of Winter, life is renewed!
Yule, the longest night in the year, when we feel the heaviness of winter’s darkness the most, is also a marker to use to notice Lord Sun’s now-growing power. Assist Lord Sun and feed his energy by lighting candles and putting them on tables and in windows. Use the color red in decorations and personal adornments. Red signifies fire, energy, and life. The colors green and white are also important to this celebration: green for the life force seen in fir trees, the promise of the coming spring; white for the snows of winter that will soon begin to melt. If you have a working fireplace, you can further enhance the fire associations of this season by burning a Yule log. Traditionally, the Yule log can be ash, rosemary, or bay. Bay wood is more masculine energy; rosemary is more feminine; ash is neutral. If you cannot find a good-sized log of any of these woods, consider burning a mixture of smaller branches of them. The fire will be just as bright and the energies will be more balanced.
For party favors, consider the pomander ball: an orange or nicely round apple is the beginning. You will also need whole cloves, a bowl of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, and allspice, and some red, green, and white ribbons about one-quarter to one-half inch wide. Wash and dry the fruit, then stud it with the whole cloves, making a pattern if you choose. The spiral is a good pattern to use, as it reflects the ever-evolving life force. Or, you may prefer to divide the fruit into quadrants, leaving space between the quadrants for the ribbon, and filling each quadrant with as many whole cloves as you can fit into the space. Once the cloves are inserted, roll the fruit in the ground spice mixture and let sit at least overnight (several days is better) on waxed paper or a plate to dry. When dry, cut four lengths of ribbon about twelve inches long. Tie them in a bunch at one end, leaving several inches to hang down below the knot. Place the knot at the bottom of the fruit and bring up the four strands, evenly spaced around the fruit, to the top and tie them firmly together. Hold all four ribbons and tie the ends together in one knot. Now you have a means to hang your pomander ball. I suggest you display your pomander ball in the open, not hang them in closets as has been done in the past. In the open air a pomander ball can last several months; in the closet it may attract roaches, moths, silverfish, and other unwanted insects.
This year we have only one retrograde affecting us during Yule: Saturn. Saturn rules Capricorn and when he retrogrades we must face obstacles and difficulties. This doesn’t mean we can’t set goals or make decisions. On the contrary, with Lady Moon in her first quarter, this is the time to make plans and set goals we want to accomplish before the next first-quarter moon. But we also need to recognize that our forward progress is likely to be of the “slow and steady” variety. Work with what you know works, don’t over-extend yourself, be prepared to see the absurdities in life at this time (Capricorn energy is not only Cardinal, Feminine, and Earth, it is also dryly witty). And above all, celebrate the season!
Reminder: Saturday and Sunday, January 6 & 7, 2007 is the first Metaphysical Fair of 2007. At the Radisson Hotel (formerly the Park Plaza, formerly the Hilton) on Middle Fiskville Rd. between Highland Mall and Lincoln Village. This location is where all the 2007 fairs will be held. Hours on Saturday: 10 AM – 6 PM; hours on Sunday: 11 AM – 6 PM. Free lectures and door prizes both days. $7 entry fee good for both days. In addition to the fair, on Friday, January 5, 2007 from 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM in the Lecture Room, the annual Prediction Panel of 5 psychics who participate in the Metaphysical Fairs will share with you their impressions of what 2007 will bring. There is no fee for attending the Prediction Panel. You may also bring your tape recorder and capture a more permanent record or the predictions. This is always a Most Fun part of the January fair. Enjoy!
