Yule, life begins again.

touching on the themes of yule, one of 8 sabbats of the year for most witches.

The Wheel of the Year

The wheel of the year is a natural cyclical calendar that tracks the yearly sabbats, which move with the seasons and cycles of the earth and planets. The wheel of the year usually marks annual equinoxes and solstices and the changing of each season with one of the sabbats. Many modern witches observe this wheel of the year and celebrate the approximate dates based on each yearly calendar.

Interestingly enough, Samhain (Halloween) marks the end/beginning of the wheel of the year, marking the restart of the yearly cycle. The old year is dying, and the new is being born. This is one of the many reasons Samhain is associated with the dead. The veil is thinner during that period of the year because the energies are resetting. Following Samhain is Yule. Yule marks the arrival of the winter solstice. The time when light begins to come back. The winter solstice is typically the shortest day of the year. Afterward, the days have more and more light leading up to spring and summer.

The remaining sabbats are, in order of the year, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh (Lammas), and Mabon. I want to touch on each one of these one at a time. Starting with Yule.

Yule, symbology, and importance.

Yule is a very special, very important Sabbat. It is the winter solstice, also the shortest day of the year. It marks the time of the year when we shift from longer, darker nights to more light and brighter days. Yule is about celebrating life and its incredible endurance. It’s about the warmth of the sun returning to us after a long absence in the cold weather of winter. Yule is about the end of cycles and the beginning of new ones. The yearly cycle and rhythms. The power of regeneration is symbolized in Yule through the use of evergreens, which continue to grow and become bigger even in the coldest, darkest months of the year. Trimming small branches from a few evergreen trees to hang about the doorways in your home is a great way to bring this energy into your living space for the winter season. Not just Yule.

The colors Green and Red are also deeply associated with Yule. Red symbolizes passion, life, blood, and beauty. All things that seem to leave us when the warmer weather fades out, and all the foliage dies off. Animals start to hibernate, birds migrate south, and you can feel the blanket that dampens all activity on the earth’s surface. Red reminds us of those things. Using holly berries to decorate around Yule time is a way to remember that all life ends and begins anew. Green symbolizes health, growth, and eternity; both colors symbolize vitality and life. The color green is found in evergreen trees around Yule time, the holy bushes that remain green with red berries, and the mistletoe that grows in trees. All these are forms of life too stubborn to quit, even in the coldest, darkest periods of the year.

Yule is also celebrated through the use of a Yule log. This is a large log designated to be burned on the night of Yule all through the night, representing the coming of the sun and its returning warmth. Yule logs are typically large enough to burn for several hours and are picked with significant consideration and care. This is usually an activity done as a family. Yule logs are burned to bring the family good luck for the coming year and fulfill the wishes of all the household members.

Candles are also burned around the house to represent light, reminding us that the sun is returning and bringing light and warmth—the same things the candle provides in the sun's absence. These provide a soothing and peaceful ambiance, helping us envision the future with more grace and positive intentions.

Yule is a time to be cozy and close with family. It is a time of gratitude and giving. Yule is for celebrating life through hardship. We celebrate the winter solstice and acknowledge that nothing lasts forever, but all things exist within cycles. These cycles of life are rhythms that all things must adhere to. The best thing we can do is be grateful for the ride and experience and observe the beginning and end of each cycle as the years pass. We can take advantage of the regenerative and decaying energies that exist on these days of each year to help us further our own goals and desires.

Yule is a time of great magic and miracles. Wishes that come true and things that happen at the last possible minute with all sorts of bad odds. Yule is for believing in better days and intending to make them real. Use this coming energy to start new habits, make life changes, and leave behind what doesn’t serve you. Start this magical year off on the right foot. Samhain ended another year for us witches. Yule marks the official start of the new year. This is the period that is our resting point, time to consider what we want for ourselves in the year to come over the next ebb and flow of universal energy. How will you celebrate? What are you grateful for? What do you wish for? What are you working towards? Is this Yule time, the year the magic makes it all click for you?