Yule
Winter Solstice 1995This is the 1995 Yule Ritual of Triskellion Coven. It was written by Anne Cross and Catherine Osborne. The poem "The Shortest Day" is by Susan Cooper. Cast: Anne in the North, Catherine in the East, Rosario in the South, and Alex in the West.
All enter the Temple silently, after bathing and robing. North, East, South, and lastly West. A small fire is burning in the fireplace (it has been set up beforehand.) Upon entering the room, the celebrants together put out the fire (with sand, or earth, or water, or what have you.) There is another smallish fire laid ready to light, next to the first one.
North lights a great red candle in the center of the circle, surrounded by Holly and lights it. Then she steps back to her place. East carries an unlit yellow (or white) candle, South carries a red candle, West carries a blue candle, and North carries a green (or black) candle. Other smaller candles have been set around the red candle already, for the people who are to be remembered this night, and for those who can not be with the celebrants.
Catherine: Out of the brisk swift Air
From the White Winds and the rising of the day,
From the fleeting bright maiden and dawn, I come to open the East.
By the Lord Merlin and the talisman Cerrunnos,
May no thought disturb our rite here.
Rosario: Out of the warm Sun's Light
Grom green vasty jungles and white stone Temples
From the half-known Gods and day, I come to open the South.
By the Lord Arthur and the talisman Epona, May no action disturb our rite here.
Alex: Out of the chill still Water
From deep blue oceans and the setting of the sun
From the wave-washed Mother and dusk, I come to open the West.
By the Lady Morgan and the talisman Mona,
May no emotion disturb our rite here.
Anne: Out of the frozen cold Stone
From the black sky of stars and the snow covered lands
From the lone oldest Woman and night, I come to open the North.
By the Lady Gwynhyfar and the talisman Artos,
May no harm disturb our rite here.
Anne: The circle is open, and never broken.
Catherine: On this, the shortest day of the year, we celebrate the life that lives within each of us.
Rosario: We celebrate the power that we raise in this circle to honor the turning of the year.
Alex: We celebrate the friendship that is stretched over many miles of this Earth, and yet does not break.
Anne: We celebrate the death of the Sun and his rebirth, on this longest Night.
All: The death of the Sun, on this longest night.
Alex blows out the central candle.
Then we do a Pathworking in Search of Herne, the Holly Lord, to ask his protection for this night, when there is no sun. This is done in the absolute dark, except for the quarter candles; all other lights are symbolically absent.
When everyone is done:
Rosario re-lights the central candle, with much ceremony, and shows it around the circle.
All: And the Sun's rebirth, on this longest night.
The Simple Feast.
Rosario (passing the cakes): Take, and eat. This is the bread of the morning, the food baked before dawn.
Alex (passing the wine): Take, and drink. This is the wine of the evening, the drink pressed after dark.
All together now go and help Rosario in lighting the "great fire" on the hearth.
Anne: And so the Shortest Day came and the Year died,
And everywhere down the centuries of that snow white world
came people
Singing, Dancing
To drive the Dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees
They hung their homes with evergreens
They burned beseeching fires, all night long
To keep the Year alive
And when the new Year's sunshine blazed awake, they shouted
Reveling!
Through all the frosty ages, you can hear them
Echoing behind us.
Listen.
All the long echos sing the same delight
this Shortest Day
As promise wakens in the sleeping land
They carol, feast, give thanks, and dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now
This year and every year: Welcome Yule!
All: Welcome YULE!
Now all return to the central altar. A number of small candles are placed there (everyone should bring some!) One by one, the candles are lit by the celebrants, going clockwise from the North. As each candle is lit:
"Light is my gift to the life of "who is not here to sing
him/herself."
Or some other phrase of your own devising.
The Circle is opened:
North: Thanks be to the land and the stars and the night.
West: Thanks be to the sea and the shells and the dusk.
South: Thanks be to the fire and the trees and the day.
East: Thanks be to the air and the winds and the dawn.
Catherine: The circle is open, yet never broken. Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again.
