When first learning about the wheel of the year (where the year follows the same annual cycle) I saw the term Yule and thought “Oh I’ve heard that mentioned at Christmas”.
Yule is actually the celebration of Winter Solstice - it just happens to coincide with Christmas in the Northern Hemisphere so its often interchanged when describing the festive season.
Here in Australia, Christmas in July has become popular as a way of enjoying the cooler, wintery traditions often associated with Winter Solstice and Yule (it should technically be in June, but it’s doesn’t quite have the same ring to it!).
At Winter Solstice we honour the point in the year with the least sunlight, leaving us with the longest nights. It’s a time traditionally associated with rest, repair, stillness and hibernation. Everything appears to stop growing. The land is surrounded in fog (or snow on the higher peaks) and cold winds blow.
It’s a time of darkness, void and metaphoric death. Seeds lie dormant underground. Animals bunker underground and deciduous trees look lifeless. But beneath the surface life is gestating – trees are growing roots and energy is being stored to create buds, many animals are pregnant, waiting for Spring and new growth to birth their young.
All cycles move through times of growth, energy and expression, as well as times of inward contemplation, slowing down and rest. Yet modern society tend to skip the energy of Winter. Often we’re expected to keep going regardless of how we feel – to push through tiredness and ignore our body’s signs. At work you’re expected to be productive, and continue to strive for growth. But cycles and rhythms in life tell us we’re not meant to be the same everyday.
Yule is a time for contemplation, travelling deep within, to your still point. To find your inner light, your ideas and creative spark.
Just as your creativity is brewing, so are the seeds. Soon, seeds begin to germinate and buds form on tree branches – and the cycle goes on.
The coldest months of Winter are coming but soon the light will slowly return.