Today I thought about how my favorite holidays are Samhain and Yule. I love the magic that is in the air, the darkness, and quite frankly, the aspect of stillness in death (Scorpio Ascendant here, thehe).
To me, Samhain marks the beginning of a period of death. This year I was drawn to cemetaries, my ancestors, especially my grandmother whom I never met, raven, foggy forests and herbalism. I also made a delicious apple pie and planted two apple trees.
Samhain-inspired Blogposts:
Spooktober and Covered Appe Pie
An Apple Tree for Samhain
What is Yule?
However, Yule is around the corner now. With the Winter Solstice, which takes place on December 21st, the darkest day is reached. From then on, it gets lighter again from day to day. Calendrically, winter actually begins with the winter solstice, but the process of ever-decreasing energy has officially ended. We have now reached the „lowest“ point energetically.
This event contains the energy of stillness, the womb, new potentials yet to be born, the energy of sleeping tightly. To celebrate this beautiful but also difficult feeling flavor, I compiled a little list of items for a Yule Gateway. You can make use of in the following days, or during the whole winter season really.
Intro to Properties
To start off, I want to quickly talk about properties. People into spirituality or witchcraft might already be familiar with this, and chances are, if you stumbled upon this post, you consider yourself one of them. Properties often point towards the energy that is inherent in a living being. This goes for people, plants, animals, stones etc. You can think of them like a specific “medicine”, that is beneficial to certain people, or in certain times, places or circumstances. The following plants, herbs, and elements are particularly well suited for guiding you through the cold and harsh season with their specific essence. Trust your intuition when and how you use them for yourself.
Pine – The Tree of Peace
Pine Properties: Masculine Energy, Sensitivity, Evergreen – Life in Darkness, Vitality and Clarity – yet Calming, Tree of Peace, Bonus: Rich Source of Vitamin C
The easiest way to connect with the properties of pine is to touch the actual plant (tree-huggers anywhere?). But a really powerful way is to ingest them. To begin, carefully collect some pine needles. Some general rules of thumb to treat the forest with respect: Don’t collect from sickly plants. Only collect if you are certain you will use it. Take only for your own use and no more than one-fifth of a branch. Also make sure there are pristine plants of the same species nearby so that nature can properly recover. If the pine is the only one around, be especially careful when harvesting.
One easy way to ingest pine is through a tea: Bring water to a boil and pour it over your pine needles. Then put a lid on top, so the aromatic oils don’t evaporate with the steam and let it steep for 15 minutes. Feel free to experiment by adding other plants and herbs as well.
Another yummy alternative is a pine-infused honey: Set up a pot with boiling water, and place a smaller pot in the middle filled with your honey of choice and the pine needles (the more you use, the more intense the honey will be, of course). If you have a double-boiler, use it instead. Let the water boil for 15-30 minutes, adding a little water every now and then. Put a lid on the honey during the process to keep the aromatic oils inside. The taste is one-of-a-kind delicious – and also a great last-minute gift idea!
Hot Orange
Orange Properties: Sacral and Solar Plexus Chakra, Vitality, Life Force, Empowerment, Optimism
Cinnamon Properties: Sacral Chakra, Passion, Drive, Warmth, Sensuality
Juice three oranges and one lemon into a pot and warm it up, without boiling it. Add 4-5 cloves, a dash of cinnamon and honey, and maybe a sip of water. Leave on the stove until the desired taste is achieved. Then enjoy!
Warmth of Vanilla
Vanilla Properties: Love, Royalty, Soft Warmth, Opulence, Lust
Fire Properties: Light, Passion, Burning Down the Old, Destruction, but also Hope
Vanilla Candles – melt white wax candles in a pot and remove the wicks. Once melted, let it cool down just a little and stir in some vanilla or vanilla flavor. You can also add a pinch of cinnamon if you like. Wrap the wick around a wooden skewer, place on your candle jar, and pour the wax in. When it has cooled enough that nothing sinks in, you can decorate the surface e.g. with star anise (I forgot to take pictures, they looked SO beautiful).
When you light it, think of fire, the light available in the darkest times. When you struggle with seasonal depression caused by the lack of sunlight, it can feel hopeful to look into and observe the light flame of a softly swaying candle.
My extra tip for winter: Khakis – a great alternative to the taste of vanilla … aand cheaper and more nutritious than bourbon vanilla.
Cacao Ceremony
Cacao Properties: Connection, Being Grounded, Connected to the Movement of Life, Earthy Energy, Lower Chakras, Creativity
Get your hands on some raw cacao and perform a Cacao Ceremony this Yule Season. Especially this year, if you are alone, it will make you aware of the connection that is all around you. If you have the luck of enjoying the season with someone else, a cacao ceremony will deepen the bond between you significantly.
Snow and Clear Quartz
Properties of Snow: Alchemy – Beauty and Life in Death, Pure Potential, Purity, Feeling Enwrapped
Clear Quartz Properties: Clarity, Vision, Seventh Chakra, Psychic Abilities, Bonus: Used for Programming
This one is for Snow Lovers: you’re lucky if you live in a region with regular snow. If not, take the time to visualize snow with all your senses. Some inspirations to get you started: The squeaking sound of shoes on fresh snow. Soft flakes falling and standing out darkly against the bright sky. The pain of shaping a snow globe with your bare hands. Fir trees hanging down under the weight of fresh snow. These are all memories of my childhood, when it snowed much more than it does these days.
Another tip is to charge a Clear Quartz Crystal in snow. If you don’t have access to snow, hold the quartz in your hand while visualizing a snowy day with the intention of charging it. Don’t worry if you do it the right way, it will work.
Note: This property list is not extensive. I am not clairvoyant, this is just my intuition, my inner knowing that I trust. So take it with a grain of salt and follow your own gutt. You have internal wisdom in you, my love. ♥
Happy Yule & Best Winter Greetings, Frauke
