Yule Celebrations

Around Christmas a common heard blessing is "Yule time greetings". Yule is one of the eight pagan sabbats occurring in the Northern hemisphere around 21st December. Yule was initially celebrated by the Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. Amongst the craziness of the holiday season it is also an opportunity to observe and revere what is happening in the natural world around us.

Yule occurs on the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year with least light. Starting the next morning at sunrise, the sun climbs just a little higher and stays a little longer in the sky each day. This is the initial onset of the spring.

The ceremonial Yule log was the highlight of the Solstice festival. In accordance to tradition, the log must either have been harvested from the householder's land, or given as a gift... it must never have been bought. Once dragged into the house and placed in the fireplace it was decorated in seasonal greenery, doused with cider or ale, and dusted with flour before set ablaze by a piece of last years log, (held onto for just this purpose). The log would burn throughout the night, then smolder for 12 days after before being ceremonially put out. The Yule log must traditionally be the root of a hardwood tree. In the Northern Hemisphere Ash is the traditional wood of the Yule log. In Australia mallee roots are ideal for this purpose, as are Tasmanian oaks and all types of Eucalyptus. If burning a whole log is not possible finding a small piece of one of the above mentioned logs and drilling three holes to hold candles can be a great substitute.

As we start to leaver winter behind it is time to change our focus from planting the seeds of our desires and goals for the next year to bringing them into fruition. Make phone calls, apply for courses, join the clubs now to start to manifest your dreams. Your meditations and visualisations should start to shift from what you have chosen to manifest to seeing the manifestations occurring.

Apart from celebrating Yule at a coven festival gathering or performing your own magical circle there are other actions you can take to focus, acknowledge and celebrate Yule such as:
- Wearing colours such as red, green, gold, white and silver.
- Meditate on the energies of the animals associated with Yule such as the stags, squirrels, wrens, robins, polar bears and other Arctic animals.
- Eat foods such as nuts, turkey, eggnog, beetroot, broccoli, carrots, citrus fruits, ginger tea, spiced cider.
- Burn incense or oils with the fragrances of cedar, cinnamon, frankincense, ginger, myrrh, pine and sandalwood.
- Meditate or carry bloodstone, diamond, emerald, garnet, ruby and snowflake obsidian.
- Spoil yourself and buy yourself a gift

If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, then the festival at this time is Midsummer, or Litha. This is the longest day of the year and a time to celebrate and give thanks for all that you have manifested. Small ways to celebrate Midsummer include:
- Dress in bright colours especially red, orange, yellow and gold.
- Meditate on powerful animals such as the horse, dragon, kangaroo, lion and cows.
- Eat a lot of fresh,seasonal fruits and vegetables.
- Burn incense or oils with the fragrances of jasmine, lavender, lemon, mints, orange and rose.
- Meditate or carry carnelian, citrine, diamond, lapis lazuli, sunstone and tiger's eye.
- Put garlands of St. John’s Wort placed over doors/ windows & a sprig in the car for protection.
- Spend time outside.
- Meditate on sun gods such as Ra. This is the suns peak day of the year so utilise this energy for any required spell work.

Lyrebird Medicine

The lyrebird is renowned for it's impressive vocal abilities. To be successful in finding a mate, each male lyrebird must be a skilled communicator. The lyrebird's message is to be articulate and creative in your communications. To be successful with a task, you must utilise your creativity to enthrall and engage others. Charisma and wit will be far more effective than force and argument.

If a lyrebird has appeared to you recently, it may be trying to pass on a message related to the above information. It may appear in reality, dreams, pictures, conversations or any other form.

Panda Medicine

The panda teaches gentle strength. Although they have the power to attack a human, they rarely do unless they are provoked. You can be strong without flaunting or proving your abilities to the world. If a panda has presented itself before you now is the time to combine your gentleness with strength. Focus on the project with your full attention to avoid problems.

If the panda is bringing you a message about a particular event then know that the early stages will be difficult. When a panda cub is first born it is only three to four ounces, making it's mother nearly a thousand times larger. Initially the mother must help the newborn eat, stay warm and defecate. Life is not easy for a panda in the beginning. This message reflects the beginning of an event or task you have ahead of you. Know though that you can prevail. The panda, although often birthing twins will reject one, leaving it to die. The ability to focus will help you in this event. You too must focus on one path and not get distracted by another less important one.

For those whom panda is a totem, so too is bamboo. Like the panda, bamboo resembles strength but is extremely flexible. It is valued in many Asian countries where it is used for all sorts of things, from being a delicacy to scaffolding. Strength does not have to mean stubbornness. Show flexibility while not breaking from your core principles.

If a panda has appeared to you recently, it may be trying to pass on a message related to the above information. It may appear in reality, dreams, pictures, conversations or any other form.