Wiccan Yule Ritual Guide For Covens
Supplies
Incense
Bowl of salt
Bowl of water
Two green altar candles
Anointing oil
Sun King mask
Veil
Crystal
An unlit taper candle for each celebrant
Cakes and wine
Slips of parchment paper and writing utensils
Holly and ivy decorations
Old Yule log
New Yule log
Fireplace matches
The incense, bowls of salt and water, anointing oil, sun mask, veil, taper candles,
and crystal should all be placed on the altar. All celebrants are in the ritual space,
meditating prior to the start of the ritual. The old Yule log should be placed in the
fireplace prior to beginning the ritual. The new Yule log can be placed under the altar
or somewhere else convenient within the circle area.
Opening
Priest and Priestess together:
"Yule celebrates the birth of the Sun-child
and His promise of returning warmth,
but this is also a time,
when we give thanks for Winter's enchantment,
and the icy spell of its bewitching beauty."
The Priestess consecrates the water and salt, mixing them together:
"I exorcise thee, o creature of water, that thou cast out
from thee all impurities and uncleanliness of the spirits of the world of phantasm,
in the names of the Mother Goddess and the Horned God.
Blessings on thee, o creature of salt. Let all malignity and hindrance be cast out
hence from, and let all good enter herein. Wherefore do I bless thee, that thou mayest
aid me, in the names of the Mother Goddess and the Horned God."
The Priest casts the circle:
"I conjure thee, o circle, that thou may be a meeting place
of love and joy and truth, a shield against all evil and wickedness, a boundary between
the world of men and the realms of the Mighty Ones, a rampart of protection that shall
preserve and contain the power that we shall raise within thee. Wherefore do I bless
and consecrate thee in the names of the Mother Goddess and the Horned God."
The Priest anoints the Priestess with oil. The Priestess anoints the Priest. The
Priest anoints a covener, who anoints the next celebrant, etc.
A covener carries salt water around the circle, sprinkling, and then sprinkles celebrants.
Invocation Of The Elements
All face each direction in turn and hold out their athame or their right index finger
as the invocation is made. All speak the last line of each, simultaneously drawing an
invoking pentagram.
1st Covener invokes the East:
"Guardians of the East, Powers of Air
Winter gales, cold caress
With your gifts of light and clarity
We hail you and invite you
To join our Circle
This Solstice Eve.
By the Air that is Her breath
Send forth your light
And bless us with your Presence
Sweep clean our minds and prepare us for the ideas of the new year"
All:
"Hail and welcome, Guardians of the East!"
2nd Covener invokes the South:
"Guardians of the South, Powers of Fire
Slumbering volcanoes, hearth fires of winter
With your gifts of passion and love
We hail you and invite you
To join our Circle
This Solstice Eve.
By the fire that is Her spirit
Send forth your flame
And bless us with your Presence
Purify our hearts and prepare us for the challenges of the new year"
All:
"Hail and welcome, Guardians of the South!"
3rd Covener invokes the West:
"Guardians of the West, Powers of Water
Crystalline snowflakes, sparkling ice
With your gifts of depth and feeling
We hail you and invite you
To join our Circle
This Solstice Eve.
By the waters of Her living womb
Send forth your flow
And bless us with your Presence
Let our emotions flow and prepare us for the feelings of the new year"
All:
"Hail and welcome, Guardians of the West!"
4th Covener invokes the North:
"Guardians of the North, Powers of Earth
Snowcapped peaks, silence at the heart of midnight
With your gifts of substance and life
We hail you and invite you
To join our Circle
This Solstice Eve.
By the earth that is Her body
Send forth your strength
And bless us with your Presence
Grant us stability and prepare us for the tasks of the new year"
All:
"Hail and welcome, Guardians of the North!"
Invocation Of The God And Goddess
The celebrants stand in a circle, facing the altar. Each celebrant holds the left
hand of the person on their left with their right hand. The Priest and Priestess
stand in front of the altar, facing each other.
The Priest invokes the Goddess:
"We invoke thee, Most regal Queen of Winter,
Luminous Lady in white.
Whose glistening jewels glitter about us.
Shining empress whose crown is of the arctic stars
And whose mantle is the icy fire of the borealis,
in this season of barren woodlands
and naked branches upraised to grey-veiled sky,
Be with us now!
May we know thy cold and shining beauty
And feel the warmth of thy love.
Welcome!"
The Priestess invokes the God:
"O ancient God of the Forest,
Regal stag of seven tines
Whose icy antlers sparkle in the sunlight.
Mighty Hunter in the winter sky
Whose horn sounds through our midnight dreams.
Lord and Victim of the Winter's hunt,
giver of Thy flesh for the love of our lives.
In this, Thy season of Sacrifice
Be with us now!
May we know thy sharp joy
And share the warmth of thy hearth fire.
Welcome!"
The Death And Rebirth Of The Sun King
Priestess:
"Tonight we celebrate the Winter Solstice, the longest
night of the year. The Sun King has reached the end of his reign, and now bids us
farewell."
Priestess takes up the Sun King mask and places it on Priest, and gives him the crystal.
Priestess:
"Our brother, ______, represents the Sun King for us tonight.
Let the energy we raise pass through him harmlessly and disperse into the earth."
Sun King:
"I am the sun of the old year, sinking now into darkness to
my rest. Stay not my path, for it is ordained as the Wheel turns to Winter. But ere
I depart to my sleep, I offer to perform one last service for thee. If there is anything
with which you have finished in this cycle, be it emotions, habits, or workings, give
these to me now, and I will take them with me to the Summerland, there to be returned
to the cauldron of rebirth. Let any who have such come forward now."
All chant:
"The light was born, the light now dies."
Repeat as each celebrant who wishes may approach the Sun King, who is holding a crystal
in his cupped hands. Visualize the work, emotion, etc. you are releasing, hold your
hands over the crystal, and will the energy of the object of your visualization into
it. The Priestess goes last.
Priestess:
"The Wheel turns, the year is flown. Rest now, my son, in
the dark of the night."
The Priestess pushes Sun King by shoulders to the floor, and covers him with the veil.
Covener 1:
"The sun is gone! The earth is cold!"
Covener 2:
"How will we survive in this darkness?"
Covener 1:
"Yet, did not the Sun King speak but of resting?"
Covener 2:
"Yes, and of the Cauldron of Rebirth?"
Covener 1:
"But when will he awaken? How long must we wait?"
Priestess:
"The Sun King will be reborn through the Goddess. Let us aid
his passage through her and back to the light by chanting and dancing."
All gather in a circle around the sleeping Sun King, facing deosil. Each person places
their right hand on the right shoulder of the person in front of them. All move deosil
around him while chanting. On the last verse, all stop, face inward, raise their right
arm forward and up, visualizing the release of energy upward.
All chant:
"The night is dark, the sun is gone,
Yet we know the wheel turns on.
Through midnight's hour, solid dark,
Within our hearts remains a spark.
Queen of Heaven, Mother of all,
Hear us as our voices call.
Send your fire back to Earth
As we will the Sun's rebirth.
The night is dark, the sun is gone,
Yet we know the wheel turns on.
Through midnight's hour, solid dark,
Within our hearts remains a spark.
Who will light the sacred fire,
Bringing back our heart's desire?
Sacred fire, kindled bright,
Leads us back into the light.
The night is dark, the sun is gone,
Yet we know the wheel turns on.
Through midnight's hour, solid dark,
Within our hearts remains a spark.
As the flames around us glow,
So may love within us grow.
Waken Sun King, be reborn!
Bring us light this Yuletide morn!"
The Priestess removes the veil from the Sun King and raises him up.
Priestess:
"Welcome, Lord. You who have died are now reborn. Lend us
your light and warmth through the winter months as we await the spring."
The Sun King and the Priestess move to altar and pick up the unlit taper candles.
Sun King:
"My thanks to you all for your care and devotion. To bring
good fortune to your hearths for the new year, let us now light the Yule log and pass
the flame to each of you. Once having burned with the Yule fire, these candles will
contain the luck of the log for you to take home to your own hearths."
All sing "Lord of the Dance" (see below) while the Sun King lights the log, then
lights each candle. The Priestess passes a candle to each celebrant. When all have
a candle, the Priestess and the Sun King return to circle. The Priest removes the
Sun King mask, and singing finishes on last chorus.
Lord of the Dance (to the tune of Simple Gifts)
I danced in the morning when the world was begun
I danced with the moon and the stars and the sun
I was called from the darkness by the song of the earth
I joined in the singing and She gave me birth (Chorus)
Chorus:
Dance, dance, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance said He
And I'll lead you all wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the dance said He
I sleep in the kernel and I dance on the rain
I dance in the sun and through the waving grain
And when you cut me down do not think I am gone
For I am the dance and I still go on (Chorus)
We dance ever slower as the leaves fall and spin
And the sound of the horn is the wailing of the wind
And the call of the hunter as he rides cross the plain
While the whole earth sleeps til the spring comes again (Chorus)
The sun is in the southlands but the days lengthen fast
And soon we will sing for the winter that is past
I'll live in you if you live in me
I am the Lord of the Dance said He (Chorus)
Priest:
"Though we must now extinguish these candles, carry their
flame in your hearts until you may light them again in your homes."
All extinguish candles, and sit in a circle. The new Yule log is brought out and
placed in the center of the circle.
Cakes And Wine
The Priest and the Priestess consecrate cakes and wine, and all partake of them,
sharing Yule songs.
Consecration Of The New Yule Log
When cakes and wine are done, each person takes a slip of parchment, and writes
on it something they wish to accomplish or manifest during the coming year. The
slips are attached to the Yule log. When all have done this, Priest picks up the
wine chalice, and all kneel around the log, extending their hands over it.
Priest:
"We toast the new year."
The Priest pours a small libation onto the Yule log.
Priest:
"In token of the new year's promise we consecrate this
sacred wood, as a focus for the energy through which we accomplish our tasks and
manifest our desires during the next cycle."
All celebrants should will energy into the Yule log, with a wordless "om" sound.
When the sound passes away, hands are put down, and all stand.
Now is the time for meditation and any spell workings.
Thanks To The God And Goddess
Priestess:
"Great Goddess, Mother Earth. Your presence has held us,
protected us, guided us,
and blessed us this night in our celebration of the Sun's return.
We thank for your many blessings, for your grace and goodness,
for your beauty and wisdom.
Stay if you will, go if you must.
Blessed Be.
O High Holy Lady!"
Priest:
"O Horned Lord of Winter's Darkness,
Companion of the Leprous White Lady;
we give Thee thanks,
for Thou teachest us well of inner Mysteries
through the cold, the dark,
and the foreboding spell of Winter,
even as we rejoice in Solstice joy!
Blessed Be,
O High Holy Lord!"
Thanks To And Dismissal Of The Elements
Quarters are dismissed, starting in the East. Again, all face each direction in
turn and hold up their athame or right index finger as the dismissal is given. All
speak the "Hail and Farewell", drawing the dismissing pentagram in front of them.
1st Covener:
"Guardians of the East, Powers of Air
Your presence this night has brought the first stirrings of the new sun.
We thank you for your gift of clarity
And for your presence in this circle.
Stay if you will, go if you must.
Blessed Be."
All:
"Hail and farewell, Guardians of the East!"
2nd Covener:
"Guardians of the South, Powers of Fire
Your presence this night has opened our hearts to life and to love
We thank you for your gift of purity
And for your presence in this circle.
Stay if you will, go if you must.
Blessed Be."
All:
"Hail and farewell, Guardians of the South!"
3rd Covener:
"Guardians of the West, Powers of Water
Your presence this night has soothed and cradled us
and connected us to our first home--the sea.
We thank you for your gift of empathy
And for your presence in this circle.
Stay if you will, go if you must.
Blessed Be."
All:
"Hail and farewell, Guardians of the West!"
4th Covener:
"Guardians of the North, Powers of Earth
Your presence with us this night has anchored and strengthened us.
We thank you for your gift of stability
And for your presence in this circle.
Stay if you will, go if you must.
Blessed Be."
All:
"Hail and farewell, Guardians of the North!"
The Priest opens the circle.
Priest:
"The circle is open, but unbroken."
All:
"Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again!"
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