To Walk a Pagan Path: Practical Spirituality for Every Day (33 page)

each apple in half and scoop out the baked “flesh” into a

bowl. Discard the skins. (Ideally these apple skins should go

into your compost!) Using a fork or potato masher, mash the

apples until they are smooth.

Slowly add the smooth, mashed apples into the warm ale

or cider, mixing it in vigorously with a whisk. Continue to

f 250 2

yule

warm the wassail over a very low heat for about half an hour.

Whisk it again just before serving.

THOROUGHLY MODERN WASSAIL

One concern with a traditional wassail is that it is alcohol-

ic. Much of the alcohol will dissipate as the wassail is heated, but it may still be unsuitable for some people. This next recipe is for a non-alcoholic wassail that all of your kinsmen can

enjoy. You will need:

2 quarts apple juice or soft apple cider

2¼ cups pineapple juice

2 cups orange juice

1 cup lemon juice

½ cup sugar

1 stick cinnamon

1 teaspoon whole cloves

Put the cloves in a tea ball and mix all of these ingredients

together in a pot. Warm the wassail over a low heat. When

it is heated through, remove the tea ball and serve the was-

sail in cups.

*

The Yule tree is usually a focal point in any solstice celebra-

tion if for no other reason than its physical size. Bringing

an evergreen tree into the home at the solstice is a relative-

ly modern custom, but there is nothing explicitly Christian

about it (Israel is not notable for its vast pine forests), and as a Germanic tradition it fits in very well with my Saxon

f 251 2

yule

spirituality. For me, the Yule tree represents the Eormensyl,

the great Axis Mundi that touches each of the Seven Worlds.

Norse Pagans see the tree in a similar way; as Yggdrasil, con-

necting each of the Norse Nine Worlds.

The tree can become an expression of your spirituali-

ty even if you do not follow a northern path. The Hellenic

(Greek) Pagan may want to decorate the tree with artificial

grapes and either real or artificial vines in honor of the

Haloa feast to Dionysus. The Roman Pagan with even mar-

ginal handicraft skills can incorporate the tree in a celebra-

tion of the Saturnalia. Make miniature scythes to hang from

the tree branches (Saturnus is sometimes depicted holding a

scythe), and include some solar ornaments in honor of Sol

Invictus.

Assuming you already set up a Yule Tree every winter,

or would like to do so in future, let us look at the essential

nature of this practice. Those who purchase real trees can

select from a variety of species, but all of the choices are

evergreen trees. The other essential factor is that the tree,

whether real or artificial, is always set up inside. We may also decide to put lights on evergreen trees outside the home, but

the Yule Tree itself is an indoor phenomenon.

Whether you set up a real tree (I hesitate to say “live tree”

since technically it is dead as soon as it is cut) or an artificial tree is a matter of personal preference. Some people argue

that it is better to buy an artificial tree than to kill a live tree, but, as with so many things, there are two sides to this issue.

Very few trees brought into our homes at the solstice are

wild trees pillaged from the forest. Almost all of them were

planted, grown and harvested for the express purpose of dec-

f 252 2

yule

orating our homes during the holidays. While they are grow-

ing, they do what all trees do, purifying and oxygenating the

atmosphere. After the holidays, more than 90% of these trees

are recycled through literally thousands of recycling pro-

grams. In contrast to this, artificial trees are non-recyclable and non-biodegradable. And they contribute absolutely nothing towards renewing our atmosphere.

I am not saying you are a bad person if you have decided

to buy an artificial tree. What I am saying is that you are not a bad person if you have chosen a real tree.

The real tree has one other benefit—its needles. This may

sound odd if you have ever cursed under your breath while

picking dozens of stubborn evergreen needles out of a car-

pet, but those needles are wonderful as an aromatic ingre-

dient for potpourri or incenses! After the holidays, before

taking your tree out to be recycled, strip off the dry needles and store them in air tight containers away from light. Lay

newspaper under the tree as you strip off the needles to catch

everything that falls.

FOREST INCENSE

Four parts tree needles, broken up as small as possible

Two parts cedar shavings

One part juniper berries, crushed

Blend these together for a delightful incense evoking the

ambience of deep woodlands. It is especially appropriate as

incense for use in rituals honoring rural or forest deities. The scent will vary slightly depending on what species of tree you

bought, but the result is always pleasant.

f 253 2

yule

To use this as a potpourri add several drops of pine oil or

juniper oil, and set the mixture out in an attractive bowl. The needles do not need to be broken up as finely.

*

At some point while shopping for Yuletide greenery you will

undoubtedly come across those cute little rosemary herb

topiaries shaped to resemble holiday trees. They are as irre-

sistible as kittens, but I recommend you resist the urge to

purchase one anyway. Rosemary is not a house plant. Rose-

mary craves fresh air! It can (and must) be brought indoors

before the first hard frost, but under the best conditions it

can be difficult to keep alive through the winter. The rose-

mary topiary that looks so appealing at the store is not enjoy-

ing anything remotely resembling “best conditions”. It has

been stressed by trimming and has almost certainly received

less than optimum care while waiting for someone to pur-

chase it.

If a well meaning friend gives you one of these herbs, the

best you can do is hope to keep it alive until spring. Put the

plant in a cool location that receives a lot of sunlight (yes, this is a contradiction, that is one reason why it is difficult to keep rosemary alive over the winter). Water the herb sparingly, keeping the soil fairly dry. Finally, mist the needles at least three or four times a week.

Then pray to whatever deity in your spiritual pantheon is

sovereign over tender perennials. If your rosemary survives

into the spring, get it outside as soon as the danger of a hard frost has passed.

f 254 2

yule

If you live in a region that does not experience hard

frosts, ignore everything I have just said. Enjoy your rose-

mary “tree” for a few days and then plant it outside where it

can thrive.

What should you do with a dead rosemary plant? Maybe

you could not resist the urge and bought a rosemary topi-

ary despite my warning. Maybe a friend gave you a plant

and you were (not surprisingly) unable to keep it alive until

spring. Do the same thing as with an evergreen tree after the

holidays; strip off the needles and use them as an aromatic.

Rosemary needles make a wonderful incense, either alone or

blended with other herbs.

What do you do on December 25th? For many people,

there is no question about this. If you live in the same house

or within a few miles of Christian relatives it is very likely that they will want you to be with them as they commemorate the birth of their deity, and there is nothing wrong with

that. You may have a job that requires you to work on the

25th, and of course there is nothing wrong with that either.

But some of you may be in the same position I found myself

in many years ago as I sat in my apartment with absolutely

nothing to do. My Christian relatives all lived quite a distance from me, so that was not an obligation. My place of employ-ment was closed, so going to work was not even an option.

Cable television did not yet exist, nor did personal comput-

ers (to any extent), and I quickly discovered that my options

in electronic entertainment were limited to a football game

on one television channel and the Pope doing something or

other on another channel.

f 255 2

yule

After that, and for every year since then, December 25th

at my home has been known as Gifting Day.

My híredmenn are always invited to Gifting Day, of

course, although there are no hard feelings if they have other

obligations. In addition, other Pagan friends who do not have

obligations to their careers or to blood kin are welcome to

join us for a day of merriment and gift exchanging. There is

an Anglo-Saxon style to our celebration. We always set out

a large ham, for the boar was a sacred animal for our Saxon

ancestors. The theme of the day is tribe and community; we

already gave praise to our ancestors several days earlier, at

the solstice.

I could leave December 25th to be an ordinary day, like

any other day of the year, but why pass up an opportunity

to make the most of a day when almost everyone I know has

the day off work, and many have nothing else requiring their

attention? And so I celebrate December 25th as Gifting Day, a

day to celebrate my folk. The day becomes part of my sacral

calendar. For me it is also a time to give thanks for all of my friends and my híredmenn.

Earlier I mentioned that I celebrate the Yule for twelve

days, but obviously Mothers’ Night and Gifting Day are only

two of those days. New Years’ Eve is a third celebration.

What about the other nine days?

For my inhíred this varies from one year to the next. To

ask what we do to celebrate the Yule is like asking where we

each went on vacation; it is never the same thing from one

year to the next. I like this flexibility, because every year our extended family is a little different. Work schedules change.

Somebody enrolls in college, or graduates from college. I

f 256 2

yule

may gain a new híredmann through marriage, or we may

lose someone who moves away. One challenge for the 21st

century tribe is adapting to the demands of 21st century life!

We might gather for wassailing on one evening, or build a

gingerbread house or hold a feast in honor of Sunne (the sov-

ereign spirit of the sun), but what day we do any of this is different each year. On a day when most or all of us do not have

to work we will plan longer, more involved festivities.

Other Pagans, however, prefer a more structured sched-

ule. Nick Egelhoff is a Norse Pagan who observes the twelve

days of Yule with a series of devotionals. His household hon-

ors a different Norse deity or set of spirits each evening:

• December 20th: Mothers’ Night. Offerings are given

to the female ancestors, just as I would do. The Norse

and the Saxons are both Germanic cultures so we share

quite a bit in common, although there are also many dif-

ferences. In Nick’s household a libation of wine is also

given to the Norse goddess Frigga on this solstice night.

• December 21st: Honoring Máni and the Wild Hunt.

Máni, the Norse god of the moon, is praised and

addressed as Brother of the Shining Sun. Offerings of

beer, oatmeal, bread and milk are given both to Máni

and to Oðinn (Woden), who leads the Wild Hunt at this

time of year.

• December 22nd: Sunna’s Day. Offerings of incense and

mead or wine are given to Sunna, the Norse goddess of

the sun.

• December 23rd: Twins’ Day. Offerings of beer, bread

and milk are given to Freyr and Freya, two deities

f 257 2

yule

known to Saxon Pagans as Ing and Fréo. This god and

goddess are siblings associated with the prosperity or

bounty of the earth.

• December 24th: Alfar’s Night. The Alfar are a class of

male ancestors that guard or watch over the inherited

land of their descendants. Nick tells me that the Alfar

“became conflated and connected with other types of

spirits” in Norse culture, so they are at the same time

ancestral spirits and land spirits. In Nick’s household the

Alfar are given offerings of beer, bread, milk or “any-

thing that one’s male ancestors might have enjoyed”.

• December 25th: Children’s Day. Nick and his wife do

not yet have any children, but they believe it is import-

ant to honor children nevertheless on this day. “We

remember and celebrate the innocence and joy of chil-

dren,” says Nick. Children’s Day in his household is also

a time to honor the spirits of hearth and home. Offer-

ings—usually milk and cookies—are left out for the

hausvættir (house elves).

• December 26th: Dvergar’s Night. The dvergar are Norse

dwarves. These spirits are believed to be excellent crafts-

men. Nick honors them with offerings of jewelry, met-

als and mead.

• December 27th: Forefathers’ Day. Specific classes of

ancestors are honored on Mothers’ Night and Alfar’s

Night, but this day is devoted to all ancestors in a more

general sense. As Nick puts it, the day is a time to honor