Plant plants. Depending on where you live, this may or may not be a good time to plant plants outside. You can also start seeds inside if it’s too cold outside to plant anything yet.
Dye eggs. Eggs have been a symbol of death and rebirth for over 60,000 years. However, dying them is one of the few traditions that do have Christian origins. It was the early Christians in Mesopotamia that dyed eggs red to symbolize Christ’s blood. Though there are a few sources that link it to Germanic Pagan practices as well. Either way, you can still enjoy dying eggs. There are many online tutorials explaining natural dying methods, or you can get a kit from the store.
Have an egg hunt. Whether it’s plastic eggs with toys or candy inside or actual eggs, this can be a lot of fun, especially with kids.
Balance an egg. I know that this seems weird, but it can be done! Supposedly this is one of two days a year where this is possible.
Go for a walk outside. No matter what climate you live in, this is a great way to connect with nature and whatever Ostara feels like where you live.
Decorate your home or altar with flowers. Flowers are another symbol of the fertility of the season.
Go flower picking. Many areas have flowers that grow naturally. Go for a walk and find them!
Make flower crowns or necklaces.
Make foods related to the time of year. Make and eat foods with eggs, baby greens, veal, rabbit, or any foods that are in season for you right now.
Plan a garden. This is a great time to plan a garden, unless the planting season has already begun.
Decorate a tree with wooden painted eggs. Many people decorate outside trees with plastic eggs, but wooden eggs are an environmentally friendly alternative.
Decorate your home with symbols of new life. Bunnies, chicks, baby animals, seedlings, flowers are all fun things to decorate your home with.
Have some intimate time. Fertility is a big part of this holiday, though there are some superstitious people who don’t do it during this unless they’re trying to conceive.
Bake. Challa, hot cross buns, bunny or egg shaped cookies are all things that are appropriate for this season.
Read stories about the season. Read about the Green Man or Persophone. There are many stories about this time of year.
Do animal magic. This can be anything from pretending to be an animal with young kids to doing actual shamanic work.
Go bird watching. Birds tend to be more active this time of year. You may want to learn some nice calls as well.
Dance. Find some music and let yourself go!
Do an Ostara ritual. One of these days I will get around to writing some rituals for each sabbat. When I do that, I will post the link here.
Dress in new clothes. This is an old custom for this time of year.
Make a Swedish Snow Lantern. This is a fun way to enjoy the snow, involve kids, and candles. If you live somewhere there is snow, this is a great way to spend the day.
Make a Brigid’s Cross. The Goddess Brigid is always a big part of Imbolc. This cross is usually hung over or near the entry doorway for protection?
Light candles. Candles are used as a form of sympathetic magic to help bring the sun and the warmth back after winter.
Clean your home. A long time ago, our ancestors that lived in colder climates, virtually spent all of their time indoors. As a result, their homes were well-kept during this time.
Declutter your home. Again, one of the themes of this day is about hearth and home. If you have more items than you need, take the time to figure out what you no longer need and donate, sell, or give it to someone who needs it.
Cleanse your home. Every so often, homes have negative energy build up. Now is a great time to cleanse your home of that negativity.
Do guided meditations. A lot of this day is about stillness as well. Search YouTube and find some guided meditations that you like.
Do inner work. Do lit work. Do shadow work. Learn to lucid dream, astral project, or shamanic journeying. The important this is to improve your spirituality by learning something new.
Unplug all electronics for the day. This should be a day of calm self-refllection. Electronics tend to ruin that. Turn off all electronics. If it’s something that you find difficult to do, you may want to make it a habit. Back when I was learning to meditate, I was encouraged to do it during down time like waiting in line at the post office or grocery store. However, that’s the time when most of us pull out our phones now, robbing us of those opportunities.
Light your home by candlelight for the night. I always loved candlelight. It really seems to make things seem special. It gives enough light for interactions with family and friends, but not really enough for solo activities.
Make and eat foods made with milk and dairy products. This is probably the least-celebrated of all of the Sabbats, historically. I think there were only two cultures that celebrated it, back in the day. Those that did, celebrated it because after a long and hard winter, the goats started to lactate again, giving everyone milk and cheese to eat. You don’t have to go out of your way to get goats milk and cheese, but if you do, my favorite is gjetost, a Norwegian goat cheese. But really anything to do with dairy is great. We have a homemade Mac & cheese recipe we like. Ice cream or cheesecake are also fun options. Here is a link to some other cooking options for Imbolc.
Make your own cheese. Making your own cheese is surprisingly easy. The tough part is finding creamline milk that hasn’t been ultra pasteurized. I am lucky that I have a dairy up the road that sells milk like that! Here is a how-to guide on making simple cheese at home.
Read books to improve your spiritual knowledge. There are so many great Pagan books out there. There is also a lot of fluff out there too. In order to find a good book nowadays I usually go off the recommendations of friends or go to an actual bookstore and flip through the book first. You can also try the inter-library loan system. Unfortunately, where I live, they don’t have a lot of Pagan books, even for inter-library loan.
Feed animals who might be struggling through the winter. Those of us whose ancestors lived in cold climates struggled with having enough to eat throughout the winter. Animals still experience that struggle. If you live in a cold climate, consider leaving out some food for them.
Take a walk in the snow (if your locale permits). Even if you live in a warm climate, it’s still a great idea to take a walk in nature and experience what weather is typical for Imbolc in the climate you live in.
Create a corn dolly. This sounds odd because corn is associated with Lughnasadh, but the husks need to be dried first. Apparently Imbolc was a time they were made, possibly in keeping with the need for fertility for planting at Ostara. Here is a tutorial on how to make one.
Create a protective sigil. Home magic is something that is great to do on this day. Here is a guide to making your own sigil.
Do divination. Divination is something else that was commonly practiced historically. Usually questions were asked about the harvest and community, but feel free to ask what you want to know. Don’t have a form of divination? Now s a great time to learn! Tarot, runes, pendulums, palmistry, tea leaves, scrying, the choices are endless!
Tell stories. Now is a great time for storytelling, preferably by candlelight. Pick stories that teach a lesson, teach about your religion, or traditional stories from your people.
Do a ritual. Spend time honoring your personal God’s and beliefs in a ritual.
As a Wiccan and a music teacher, one of my favorite things about the holiday season are singing holiday songs. While some people enjoy them, there’s nothing that bothers me more than Christmas songs that have had their lyrics changed to Pagan words. I think we have many other options of both traditional and original music that there really is no need for it. Here is a list of songs you can sing during Yule. I have also created a playlist for them all on YouTube so you can play through them to set a holiday atmosphere this Yule!
Traditional “Christmas” carols that are really Pagan
1.Deck the Halls – Most people think of it as a Christmas song, but there is no mention of Christ or Christmas. The lyrics of the first verse portray decorating the house with Holly, wearing festive clothes, and singing carols. The second verse refers to the Yule log and “Yuletide treasure”. This is definitely a Pagan song.
2. Here We Come A-Wassailing – This “Christmas” song is about the tradition of wassailing in Great Britain. It stems from the idea that fuedal lords shared their exceeds with the peasents. Most people think of the holiday tradition of wassailing where people go caroling from house to house and are given wassail to drink. There are also traditions in cider producing regions of England that are more in line with Mabon where they crown a king and queen who bless the fruit to ensure a good apple harvest.
3. Boar’s Head Carol – This lesser-known carol gives the details of a feast featuring a boar. There are a few Latin phrases, but none of them really translate to anything related to Christmas.
4. O Tannenbaum – Most people think tannenbaum translates to “Christmas Tree”, but it really means fir tree or pine tree. The rest of the carol talks about how the tree stays green all year round and how beautiful the tree is. How Pagan can you get?
5. The Holly and the Ivy – It is very clear that this song was originally Pagan. The entire first verse is full of nature references . It mentions the rising of the sun, a popular Solstice theme. It also references the battle between the Holly King and the Oak King, though he is referred to as the ivy in this song. For example, “of all the trees that are in the woods, the Holly wears the crown.” Only the subsequent verses are Christian in nature, leading us to believe they were added to the song after the fact. The comparisons of the holly to Mary and the Christ child in the following verses are really a pretty far stretch. We don’t have any historical evidence that I am aware of with other lyrics for the other verses, but I think that the first verse does well on its own.
Honorable mentions: Patapan – Who can resist a carol with Pan in the title? It’s mostly about celebrating with music. There is a mention of Noel in the original language, which could translate to either Christmas or Yule, though all of the modern English versions opt to use Christmas. Another honorable mention: In The Bleak Midwinter – the first verse is full of beautiful winter imagery, but the rest is all about Christ. All of the lyrics were written at the same time, so it was definitely intended to be a Christmas song. Even so, the first verse might make a beautiful addition to your carols.
Traditional “Christmas” carols that are really just winter songs
6. Jingle Bells – A lot of people think of this song as a Christmas song, but there is no mention of the holiday at all. The lyrics merely detail a sleigh ride.
7. Let it Snow – This song describes a common feeling many of us have if you live anywhere that it snows. It is the feeling of being warm and comfortable and watching it snow.
8. Winter Wonderland – The idea that the season of winter changes the landscape into a wonderland is definitely a Pagan one.
9. Jingle Bell Rock – This is a nice upbeat song about nothing in particular. It certainly doesn’t mention any holidays, Christian or Pagan.
10. Frosty the Snowman – What Pagan doesn’t love the idea of personified snow? It’s a great song for kids, though the lyrics don’t exactly make it easy for kids to remember.
Honorable mention: It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – I think the title of this one describes this song nicely. There are references to holiday traditions, but there is one mention of “Christmases long long ago”. Other honorable mention: Baby It’s Cold Outside – I don’t particularly like this song because to the modern ear it sounds a lot like date rape. However, in the context of the time it was written, it was more likely meant as a woman who was reluctant to leave and felt the need to say she had to go because of societal expectations of the time.
Modern original songs about Yule
11. The Christians and the Pagans by Dar Williams – This song is a favorite of mine. It tells the story of Amber and Jane who were visiting a town for Solstice and decide to visit Amber’s “Christ-loving uncle”. It is an upbeat feel-good song with some amusing moments about the meeting of cultures like when Amber’s cousin asked if she was a witch.
12. Santa Claus is Pagan Too by Emerald Rose – I almost didn’t include this one in the list because it mentions Santa Claus. However, it’s clever and catchy and explains the Pagan origins of Santa.
13. Solstice Carol by Wyrd Sisters – This simple song is easy to sing along with and is written in Dorian mode, which seems to be a standard for Pagan music.
14. Solstice Evergreen by Spiral Dance – There is some nice imagery in addition to a singable tune.
15. On Midwinter’s Day by Damh the Bard – This upbeat song mentions other Pagan holidays and ideas, while celebrating Midwinter’s day.
Modern popular music that could be used to celebrate Yule
16. White is In The Winter Night by Enya – This song evokes thoughts of celebration and the winter holidays without directly mentioning any of them. Mistletoe, holly, candles, and colors of the season are all mentioned in this song by Enya.
17. Song for A Winter’s Night by Sarah McLaughlin – Her haunting voice really evokes the sense of winter, even though the vocals often dwell on other things.
18. Winter by Tori Amos – I chose this song because it mentions some of the symbolism of winter. Winter is a time for introspection (“Mirror mirror, where’s the crystal palace? But I can only see myself.”). Winter is also considered a time symbolizing old age (“Hair is grey and the fires are burning. So many dreams on the shelf.”). Tori Amos isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, mostly because it’s abstract and full of symbolism, but that’s why it makes this list.
19. Solstice Bells by Jethro Tull – It’s tough to believe that popular bands were playing music about the Solstice for this long, but Jethro Tull was ahead of it’s time. It is sad that in the mix the instruments overwhelm the vocals.
20. Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles – While not really a song one tends to associate with the holiday, it’s lyrics very much describe the coming of the sun.
Here is the playlist containing my top choices for each category including instrumentals, for your holiday celebrations. I tried to choose videos that didn’t have to ensure songs played consecutively.
Do you know of a song that should make this list? If so, leave it in the comments below!
There are many Pagans who struggle this time of year. It seems like everyone celebrates Christmas, but we celebrate Yule. Whether you’re a new Pagan trying to start new traditions or an experienced Pagan that wants to start including your family in your Sabbat celebrations, this article is for you.
Figure out what you want. Do you want your family to do rituals together? Do you want them to do what you usually do on Christmas, but only on the Solstice instead? Do you want to create new traditions? Which ones? Do a Google search to find some inspiration.
I personally wanted to create a cultural tradition with four presents apiece (something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read). We would have a tree, decorate it with ornaments and natural items like popcorn and cranberries. We would bake cookies together and share a family meal. We would sing songs and spend time together as a family.
Get your spouse or partner on board. Talk with your partner about what you want. Ask them what they want. It’s pretty much a guarantee that you won’t agree about something and will have to compromise.
For my family, I didn’t really care if my son had a mythical being that brought him presents, but my husband did. I hated the idea of our son participating in photos with Santa or our neighborhood nativity play, but my husband didn’t want him to feel left out. My husband’s family had a tradition of getting pajamas and a book the night before Christmas so they can wear them and read. He also had a tradition of the kids each getting an ornament each year, so that by the time they are 18, they will have at least 18 ornaments to decorate a tree of their own. They also all sat around while their parent read “The Night Before Christmas”.
In the end, we agreed to add an ornament to the four gifts. They would open two of the gifts the night before Yule so they could read in their pajamas. We would find some mythical being to believe in related to Yule. We will not do Santa and nativity plays. We also agreed to keep stockings a tradition, but haven’t figured out what to do with them, since they only get five presents. We don’t read “The Night Before Christmas”. My husband makes a big meal for us. The kid(s) and I make and decorate cookies, but not necessarily on Yule.
Take the age of your kids into consideration. The age of a child can make a big difference when it comes to changing family traditions. The given ages are only an approximation, so you can do what works best for you and your children.
0-3 years – If you have young kids, it is an ideal time to start new traditions. If they’re really young, they won’t remember what you did last year,so you can start whatever you want without them knowing any differently.
4-7 years – If they’re a bit older, you can just make your changes saying,”We will be doing it this way from now on.”
8-10 years – They will require more explanation and possibly easing them into it. One year you can change the date and keep everything else the same. The following year you can add one tradition you like and subtract one you don’t like. You can also give some examples and ask them what they would like to include.
11-18 years – At this age, they’re more independent. Due to developmental changes, they’re starting to be more interested in their peers than the family unit. Explain to them what you would like to do. Give them some options and ask for feedback. Don’t just listen to what they have to say and do what you want anyway. Actually incorporate at least one of their suggestions, even if it wasn’t what you had in mind. If they want to celebrate Yule by staying up all night with their friends at your house then exchanging presents at dawn, let them. At least they will be on board with celebrating it, even if it’s not quite what you envisioned.
18+ years – Assuming your kids are living outside of the home, it shouldn’t matter too much what you do to celebrate. If they celebrate with you, you can inform them. There might even be pushback because it’s not what they remember fondly from their childhood. If they really have a problem with it, discuss what traditions were the most important to them and continue those traditions. If your children still live at home over the age of 18, follow the protocol for 11-18 year olds.
Take your extended family into consideration. It’s likely that most of us have some family who aren’t Pagan. Figure out what part they will play in your celebrations. Some more open-minded family members might join you for Yule presents or a Yule dinner. Many will still insist on you celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah the same way they do every year. While you can do what you want, unless they’re toxic people, I see no need to alienate family members just because they celebrate a different holiday.
When my son gets old enough to ask, I intend to explain that they celebrate Christmas so we celebrate it with them. Just like we celebrate Yule, so they come celebrate it with us. Whenever something comes up at these other celebrations that I don’t agree with, I will chalk it up to a difference in holidays. “Oh, Santa comes here because they celebrate Christmas,” then explain that we don’t do Santa when the kid is out of earshot. You may have to explain a few times. You may choose to avoid family that refuses to abide by your wishes.
Take the rest of the world into consideration. When you have kids, they don’t live in a vacuum only seeing and hearing what you want them to. They will be exposed to Christmas at the very least. You should be prepared to explain to your kids when they ask about other holidays.
I personally believe mine should be educated so they know what is out there. I plan to tell him that different people celebrate different things and that’s okay.
What does your family do to celebrate Yule? Please let us know in the comments!
Lughnasadh (the three most common pronunciations are; loo-NAS-suh, LOO-nah-sod, or loo-NESS-uh) takes place on August 1st in the northern hemisphere and February 1st in the southern hemisphere. This is my explanation of this holiday. It may or may not work for you and your path. There are a number of things that this Sabbat usually celebrates:
Fertility (in plants, animals, and humans)
The first harvest
Honor the God Lugh
Honor any other deities related to the harvest (there are many)
Some ways of celebrating culturally are:
Creating a feast with harvest foods
Baking bread
Making jelly or jam
Making tomato sauce
Preserving food (canning, jarring, etc.)
Going on a picnic
Going for a hike
Singing
Playing games, especially outdoor games
Plan a BBQ with seasonal foods
Make crafts using corn and corn husks
Some ritual ideas are:
Imbibe food with intention or energy and eat it
Make sacrifices to the local land wights, fae, or whatever else you believe in
Midsummer or Litha takes place on the summer solstice (around June 21st in the northern hemisphere and December 21st in the southern hemisphere. This is my explanation of this holiday. It may or may not work for you and your path. There are a number of things that this Sabbat usually celebrates:
The power and strength of the sun
Various sun Gods
The longest day of the year
The Oak King takes over for the Holly King
Some ways of celebrating culturally are:
Have a bonfire
Eat foods that honor fire (usually spicy)
Eat seasonal foods
Go on a picnic
Go for a hike
Drink mead, but drink responsibly
Have a drum circle
Dance
Host a barbeque
Watch the sun rise
Spend time with family
Pick herbs
Make a flower or oak leaf crown or wreath
Pick seasonal foods (where I live, this means we go strawberry picking)
Watch A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Some ritual ideas are:
Fire magic
Drum or make other music
Dance or move
Honor a sun God
Reaffirm your relationship to any deities you work with
I am part of a lot of Wicca groups on Facebook. Almost daily we get someone who is new and wants to know about Wicca or Paganism asking what they need to do. Some also ask for a teacher. Almost 100% of the people who respond to those posts send them a book list to read. There are tons of people who do not learn that way and could use a teacher. Admittedly, people are going to have to read this, but I’m not giving you full books to read. These are my recommendations for people who are new and want to learn more.
Figure out what you believe. Is there a specific pantheon you are interested in? Are you interested in a specific type of Wicca? Figure out which deities you want to worship.
How would you like to worship?
Are you light, dark, or grey? Are you interested in only good deities and harming none? Are you interested in being in the middle because nature isn’t just light? Are you interested in dark imagery and exploring the darker side of you?
Are all of these questions too much or too specific for you? Here are some good ways to get started in Wicca. There are other types of Paganism out there worth looking into as well, in case you decide Wicca isn’t right for you.
Look into different Gods and Goddesses to see which ones resonate with you.
Connect with like-minded people. Find others near you. There are a number of groups on Facebook. Join them and see if there is anyone who lives near you. Check meetup to see if there is a local group. See if there are any metaphysical shops near you. They may offer classes or at least may connect you with any groups in the area. See if there is a Pagan Pride Day near you. Attend and make some friends!
Don’t agree with my assessments about the Elements, Sabbats and Esbats, altar tools and setup, or how to create a Circle? That’s great! That means you have an opinion on how something works and that will help you better find the path that’s right for you. There is no right way to worship in Wicca. Find what works for you and do it!
Several of you may have noticed that I didn’t mention divination (like tarot cards, pendulums, runes, etc.) or spells. Wicca is a religion. While many people who believe in Pagan religions may cast spells or read tarot cards, they are not a part of the religion. There are people who do divination and cast spells that are not religious and there are people that worship in this religion without doing divination and casting spells. For those who are interested, I will include articles about those in the future.
A final note about meeting Wiccans in real life. Because this is more of a “do-it-yourself” religion than book religions, we often end up with a lot of the people that are no longer welcome in churches, a synagogues, or mosques for a variety of reasons that then choose Paganism. There are some socially awkward people, some flaky people, and some toxic people. If you see any red flags, avoid those who display them. However, there are some truly wonderful Pagans out there, so don’t let that deter you from finding your tribe!
One of the reasons I started this blog was because I was feeling really stagnant in my spirituality. I used to just celebrate the Sabbats with my Circle. Then I moved away for a year and didn’t really celebrate them much at all. I am really trying to find a way to live as a Pagan rather than just be like one of those Christians who goes to church on just Easter and Christmas. I am back, but moved a bit far to make it to every Circle, though I am close enough to attend some of them now.
Anyway, what I really want to do is make Paganism a daily habit and a family identity, now that my son is 15 months old. Now is the time to start new habits and traditions because my son will grow up thinking that this is the way things have always been because he won’t remember a time when they weren’t! My religion was always very internalized. It doesn’t help that I have to hide it at work, so my practice has almost always been in my mind and my heart. It’s difficult to do this with any religion that one converts to because one must start from scratch and learn to start incorporating new traditions. At least with the book religions, there is a set way of doing things. One thing I like about eclectic Paganism is that you can pick and choose what you like. The down-side is I have to pick and choose how to practice. There are a number of things that I need to do:
a grace or blessing for food (I wanted something relatively short and simple that rhymes, but haven’t found one that really resonates with me yet)
create holiday traditions
find some sort of meaningful daily practice that ties into my religion
find or make some Pagan decor
decorate for each holiday
make decorations for each holiday
find a way of explaining each holiday to my family and friends and find a way for them to celebrate it with us if they choose (and if appropriate)
change language from Christian to Pagan (like instead of “oh my God” replace it with “oh my Goddess”, ‘Jesus Christ” can become “Odin’s balls”, etc.)
find some Pagan-friendly children’s books to read to my son
I really like writing this blog because it gives me the opportunity to reexamine my beliefs. I have been focusing on book reviews and Sabbats lately. I love going through my books and rating them based on their usefulness to me! I also love doing each of the Sabbat posts! It’s really starting to give me some more ideas for how to celebrate each Sabbat. I have some ideas for the future too! Once I’m done with the Sabbats, I will move onto the Esbats. Then I will continue onto different deities, ritual tools, spells, and rituals. Oddly enough, out of all of those, I am least familiar with the deities. It’s probably because I see all of the deities around the world as just aspects of one Goddess and one God who, in turn, are just the male and female aspects of one energy/deity/being. As such, I really haven’t researched many of their identities or lore. Ugh, so much to do, so little time!
Anyway, I would love to hear any suggestions you have for ways to incorporate Paganism into daily practice, please leave a comment! Also, if there’s some content you would like to see on here, please comment and let me know!
Genre: Non-fiction, informational, religious (Wiccan)
After the table of contents, this book starts off with its first chapter “The Pageantry and Meaning of the sabbats”. It is sort of an introduction and sort of a catch-all for various things the author wanted to include that may or may not relate to the subject area. It goes through the Wheel of the Year and explains which holidays are practiced in which Pagan cultures around the world. It takes a brief detour from sabbats to go into ritual tools, the elements, how to make a robe, the role of ritual and about this book.
After the introductory chapter, there is one for each sabbat, which is about 20-30 pages long each. Each chapter contains 4-8 pages on the historical context of each sabbat, a few recipes, a few crafts with complete how-to guides, an idea for a ritual, and ideas for activities. Sometimes there is one or two music suggestions for each sabbat as well.
On page 201, part 2 of the book begins. It is entitled “Rituals”. It contains 60 pages of sabbat rituals for groups and solitaries. Finally, we have the appendices. Appendix 1 has an outline for ritual construction. Appendix 2 has the elements of spell construction. Appendix 3 has a glossary. Appendix 4 is a resources and merchants guide. Appendix 5 contains the instructions for making felt sabbat calendars. Appendix 6 has various correspondences such as other names, symbols, colors, animals, deities, activities, stones, foods, taboos, plants, meaning, attunement teas, ritual oils, and mythical creatures associated with each sabbat. Appendix 7 has Pagan symbols with their meanings. Appendix 8 has cross stitch patterns.
At the end is the bibliography and selected readings followed by the index.
Verdict: 10/10
This book actually contains more than you really need in a book about the sabbats, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It gave a ton of information about each of the sabbats, a bunch of recipes, ways to celebrate culturally, crafts to make, sample rituals for both solitaries or groups. I was annoyed initially at not getting a generic list of activities and or Gods/Goddesses associated with each sabbat, but the appendices had these in them too!
I actually found this book early on in my spiritual journey. I was really excited because it contained pronunciations of the different sabbats. I wanted to talk to my family about the holidays I was practicing, but didn’t know how to say them!
