Future me and future you might forget the isolation of this year, but as it stands, in December of 2020, I haven’t gotten together with the entirety of my tiny coven since February. Last weekend, 3/5 of us got together for an outside fire and gift exchange but it just isn’t the same. I don’t mean to complain – keeping us isolated keeps us safe and these people mean everything to me. But it does make for a very different sabbat than I ever anticipated.
For one thing, Gray is in charge of Yule – we’ve held a bonfire at her house for a number of years running and it is one of the most pleasant festivities of the entire holiday season. Each year our tiny coven has arrived earlier in the day and we’ve worked together to create food, drink, and merriment for our greater friend group that arrives after dark. As someone who has in the past suffered from deep bouts of seasonal depression, there have been years where that was all that I could handle.
This year has been different in so many ways. I’m sure that I don’t have to remind you of that. As we rounded out the year, I felt a deep sense of confusion as to how to celebrate Yule by myself (my partner is more than willing to participate but doesn’t practice so its not the same). I don’t have the backyard for a bonfire, so that was out. We’ve been making ourselves dinner every night for ten months so the idea of a “feast day” falls a little bit flat. I needed something…more.
Even more so, as a Celestial Witch, I felt a strong need to perform some sort of ritual to demark The Great Conjunction – the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn at 00° Aquarius that peaked on the Solstice. All Autumn, I have been working with the energy of Jupiter and Saturn to do removal and banishment work and it felt complete to seal the work with one final ritual. I knew the when and the why but I hadn’t quite sussed out the how.
As I generally do in situations like these, I asked my guides for help. In answer, YouTube recommended this video to me late on Sunday afternoon. It was very simple, requiring objects that I already had in my house, and could easily be adapted to suit my needs.
By the time I had finished Pinky’s video, I knew what I had to do. Collecting the items for the spell was easy: three black candles, a white paper, a red marker, black pepper, garlic skin, and salt plus a bowl or other fire safe place to burn. I added in Fir needles because they are a plant ally that I am working closely with this Winter season and closely associated with Yule plus some Yuletide Chai tea and a pine incense. Oh, and snow, but I’ll get to that!
To prepare for the spell, I went for a walk outside to ground myself and collect fir needles from a nearby tree. I also cleansed and blessed all of the items used in the spell first with cedar smoke and then with my pine incense. I charged my candles with banishment energy and set to work writing my petition. You can check out what Pinky suggests for one by following the link above – I adapted mine with a sigil that I’ve been working with for release.
After the petition was complete, I meditated with it, black pepper, and garlic skins as Pinky suggested. Then, I made a package of the three candles and the petition and put it onto a bed of fresh snow and lit the candles one by one. I have been working closely with both Loki and Hel these past months, so using both Fire and Ice to create transformation was a no-brainer for me. I feel very grateful for the recent snowfall that allowed this to be possible!
Additionally, having snow in the bowl is an extra layer of fire safety!
My petition paper went up in the flames almost immediately – the combustible paper plus the wax for the candles makes for quite the pyrotechnics display – if you try this at home but very aware that you need to WATCH this spell. All said and done, from candle lighting to the fire going out was a little over 30 minutes!
I really enjoy this ritual. I could really feel the stale energy remnants lift as the candle burned.
As part of my personal practice, I always like to bring in good things after I have made space/done any removal or banishing. I did this in two ways. Firstly, I brewed a cup of Solstice Chai tea for myself and a cup for my house spirits. I offered the cup of tea as part of my house offerings that I do every Monday. But I also wanted something more – something bigger to mark the occasion of the Great Conjunction and the Solstice.
When in doubt, I always fall back on my Cottage Witch roots – why not make a witch’s brew enspelled with protection and positive energy for the year ahead? ‘Tis the season so I used more fresh cut fir and spruce needles for protection, clementine for abundance and happiness, and a mix of other plant allies that I work with regularly to bring in positivity and growth. I slow simmered this on my “hearth” (see also: stovetop) throughout the afternoon and evening as we prepared our holiday feast.
Can you identify each plant that I used? Let me know below in the comments! (I’ll give you a pass on the fresh grated nutmeg because nobody could identify that…)
Later this week I intend to use my Witch’s Brew as floor wash to further bless my house with the abundant return-of-the-sun energy. Or maybe a spray, I might update that at a later date in any case. I have about half a gallon to play with because I am nothing if not an over-ambitious witch.
I will admit that although this has in no way been the year, or the Yule celebration, that I wanted – it still may have ended up being the year and the Yule celebration that I needed. My partner and I ate ossobuco and opened a bottle of ice wine that was absolutely crisp and delightful. Though I miss the peals of laughter of those that I love echoing across the house, it is in the quiet where you find yourself.