Yule

It is still Samhain and yet Yule ticks closer and closer. The decorations abound in the stores. Wreaths are hung everywhere you look and Christmas trees are brightening many homes. Astrologically speaking, a lot is happening this month.

Winter Solstice occurs around December 21. The Full Moon is on the 22nd as well as an eclipse on the Winter Solstice. Mercury goes retrograde at Christmas time. Indeed, it is a time to prepare and make plans rather than throwing oneself into events. If you are traveling, do so with care and preparation. A stitch in time saves nine.

Yule is a celebration of the return of the light at Winter Solstice.

Setting Up Your Yule Altar – What to Put on a Yule Altar
By Patti Wigington, About.com Guide

Decorate your Yule altar with symbols of the season — candles, suns, evergreen boughs, and even Santa Claus!
Image © Patti Wigington 2007
Yule1 is the time of year when Pagans and Wiccans celebrate the Winter Solstice. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, this will be on around December 21, but if you’re below the Equator, your Yule celebration will fall in June. This Sabbat is considered the longest night of the year, and following Yule, the sun begins its long journey back to earth. Try some or even all of these ideas — obviously, space may be a limiting factor for some, but use what calls to you most.

Colors of the Season:
Winter is here, and even if the snow hasn’t fallen yet, there’s a definite chill in the air. Use cold colors to decorate your altar, such as blues and silvers and whites. Also find ways to include the reds, whites and greens of the season2. Evergreen boughs never go out of style, so add some dark greens as well. Cover your altar with a cloth in a cool color, and then add candles in a variety of different wintery shades. Use candles in silvers and golds — and sparkle is always good too!

Symbols of Winter:
Yule is a Sabbat that reflects the return of the sun, so add solar symbols to your altar. Gold discs, yellow candles, anything bright and shiny can represent the sun. Some people even get a large pillar candle, inscribe it with solar symbols, and designate it as their sun candle. You can also add evergreen boughs, sprigs of holly, pinecones, a Yule log3, and even Santa Claus4. Consider antlers or reindeer, along with other symbols of fertility.

Other Signs of the Season:
There’s no limit to the number of things you can put on your Yule altar, as long as you’ve got the space. Consider some of these items as part of your Sabbat decor:

Fruit and nuts
Mistletoe
Snowflakes, icicles, even a bowl of snow
Candy canes
Bells
Sun Wheels (About.com)