Hexagram Gematria - This is a series of short essays about the six-pointed star and what it means in the Wiccan religion. It also looks at the 666 symbolism.
Wiccan Yule - Here are several ceremonies and an essay about Wiccan Yule. If you'd like to contribute one, you may feel free to email to me to share..
Wiccan Wedding - This is one of many ceremonies we have for Wiccan hand-fasting ceremonies. We add to these regularly.
Witchcraft - This is an article discussing the differences between 'witchcraft' and that which is performed by Wiccan.
Wiccan Glossary - This is a glossery of Wiccan terms for those not familiar. If you have any you'd like to add or things you'd like to see added to these definitions, please feel free to email me at amy@ulcseminary.org
Wiccanning an Infant - This is one of many ceremonies that we have for Wiccanning an infant. Wicanning is a form of baptism or naming ceremony. Please feel free to share one of your ceremonies if you'd like.
WICCAN TRAINING PAGES
Yule
by
Rev. Dr. Kheti A. Sahure The Temple of Kheti
Yule or the Winter Solstice is scientifically based on the standing still position of the Sun; this has been practiced for over 10,000 years by many cultures (especially Native Americans, Spanish and Mexican Indians) around the globe with ceremonies and festivals over 12 days). Yule is a kind of spiritual, psychic, and physiological renewal of mind, body, and soul involving the 4 elements (Earth or North, Air or East, Fire or South, and Water or West) and the 5th element being the Spirit Guide at the top of a right side up pentacle and pentagram (which are mathematically based on geometry). The winter solstice is unique among days of the year--the shortest day and the longest night. Darkness rules but only briefly; from now until the summer solstice, the nights will grow shorter and the days longer even in Alaska.
The Winter Solstice's turning point was carefully monitored in many ancient cultures. The stones in the circle at Stonehenge were aligned to ascertain the dates of midsummer and midwinter, as well as the positions of the moon throughout the year. Even older than Stonehenge is the tumulus at Newgrange in the Boyne River Valley in Ireland. It was built in approximately 4500 B.C.E. On the morning of the winter solstice, a shaft of sunlight enters the mound, travels down a stone corridor, and illuminates the spiral designs on the back wall of the cave.
Yule is one of four Lesser Pagan Sabbats (with the religious festivals or holidays being Ostara, Midsummer or Litha, and Mabon) within the symbolically and constantly turning wheel of the year. Yule has long been celebrated as the rebirth of the sun (the Sun God Ra/Re), of sunlight, and the continual existence of life itself. According to Celtic folklore, the Oak King and the Holly King represent the two sides of the Greenman or the Horned God (Cernunnos); the Oak King oversees the lighter part of the year (at Litha) while the Holly King oversees the darker part of the year at Yule.
In the northern hemisphere, Yule is generally celebrated on or around December 21st depending upon the day of arrival of the full moon prior to this Sabbat. Yule festivals, ceremonies, and rituals can consist of a simple solitary prayer all the way through an elaborate social and spiritual gathering of men, women, and children. Depending upon their spiritual path, some folks observe Yule for 1 day or from 3, 7, or up to 12 days.
~ Merry Yule, Winter Solstice & Blesséd Be ~
YULE CELEBRATION
Compliments of Lord Starwalker
Begin by using the Full Moon ritual, which is published elsewhere,
and the Sabbat Ritual also printed. The altar is adorned with evergreens,
such as pine, rosemary, bay, juniper and cedar, and the same can
be laid to mark the Circle of Stones. Dried Leaves can also be placed
on the altar.
The altar is adorned with evergreens, such as pine, rosemary, bay,
juniper and cedar, and the same can be laid to mark the Circle of
Stones. Dried leaves can also be placed on the altar.
The cauldron, resting on the altar on a heat-proof surface (or placed
before it if too large), should be filled with ignitable spirit
(alcohol), or a red candle can be placed within it. At outdoor rites,
lay a fire within the cauldron to be lit during ritual.
Say the following:
"I sorrow not, though the world is wrapped in sleep.
I sorrow not, though the icy winds blast.
I sorrow not, though the snow falls hard and deep.
I sorrow not; this too shall soon be past".
Ignite the cauldron or candle, using long matches or a taper(never
a lighter).
As the flame(s) leap up, say:
"I light this fire in your honor, Mother Goddess. You have
created life from death; warmth from cold. The Sun lives once again;
the time of light is waxing. Welcome, every returning God of the
Sun! Hail, Mother of all".
Circle the altar, and cauldron slowly, clockwise, watching the flames.
Say the following chant, slowly, for some time: at least one minute.
"The wheel turns, the power burns".
Meditate upon the Sun, on the hidden energies lying dormant in winter,
not only within the earth, but within ourselves. Think of birth
not as the start of life, but as its continuance.
Welcome the return of the God
After a time, cease and stand once again before
the altar and flaming cauldron. Say:
"Great God of the Sun,
I welcome your return.
May you shine brightly upon the Goddess;
May you shine brightly upon the Earth,
scattering seeds and fertilizing the land,
Reborn one of the Sun".
Now celebrate the simple feast.
One traditional Yuletide practice is the creation of a Yule tree.
This can be a living, potted tree, which can be later planted in
the ground, or a cut one. The choice is yours.
Appropriate Wiccan decorations are fun to make, from strings of
dried rosebuds and cinnamon sticks (or popcorn and cranberries)
for garlands, to bags of fragrant spices, which are hung from boughs.
I thank that the boys will enter into this with full spirits. Quartz
crystals can be wrapped with shiny wire and suspended from sturdy
branches to resemble icicles. Apples, oranges and lemons hanging
from boughs are strikingly beautiful, natural decorations, and were
customary in ancient times.
Many enjoy the custom of lighting the Yule log. This is a graphic
representation of the rebirth of the God within the sacred fire
of the Mother Goddess. If you choose to burn one, select a proper
log (traditionally of oak or pine). If you are devoid of a fireplace,
use a small log with two holes drilled for candles. It will work
sufficiently well. Carve or chalk a figure of the Sun (such as a
rayed disc) or the God (a horned circle or a figure of a man) upon
it, with the while handled knife, and set it alight in the fireplace
(or just the candles on the log) at dusk on Yule. As the log burns,
visualize the Sun shining within it, and think of the coming warmer
days.
Now as to food:
Nuts, fruits such as apples and pears, Wassail, lambs wool,
hibiscus or ginger tea are fine drinks for the simple feast, or
any Yule meal.
When all is finished, proceed to the usual closing according to
the Sabbat ritual.
Q: What do Wiccans believe? A: While there is much variation, certain core beliefs are common to most Wiccans:
Belief in the God and the Goddess, the Law of Return (sometimes called the Three-Fold Law), the Wiccan Rede, and Magic. Most would also recognize the Circle, the Book of Shadows, the Pentagram, the Elements, the Wheel of the Year, and certain working tools such as the Athame, the Cauldron, etc.
In general Wiccans share a sense of personal connection to the divine life source, which is open to contact through "psychic power," mysticism, or "natural magic."
Wicca is very welcoming of women, but Wiccans are not exclusively female. Male Wiccans and Witches are called Wiccans and Witches, not Warlocks.
There are no universal Wiccan proscriptions regarding food, sex, burial, or military service.
Wiccans, as a rule, discourage proselytization.
Q: Do Wiccans believe in Jesus? A: Wiccans do not believe in Jesus as Savior since they do not believe that anyone is in need of saving in the Christian sense. The material world is not evil, sex is not shameful, and human actions are not judged by a god with the intent to categorize us for an afterlife, nor are we held accountable for the actions of our ancestors (as in belief in Original Sin).
Q: Can I be a Christian Wiccan? A: The Christian God claims ownership of the One True Way. To worship Him on another path in conjunction with the Goddess (as is the practice of Wicca) is not to worship Him but to disrespect Him and His teaching. While it is perfectly acceptable to choose the god(s) most suited to you, it is inadvisable to incorporate any monotheistic god into a polytheistic practice.
Q: How can Wiccans be ethical or even well-behaved if they don't follow God's laws and obey the Ten Commandments? A: Most non-Christians find this common query offensive. The notion that Christians have a corner on ethics and morality, and that no one can attain either without being pushed to it by the Christian God, is arrogant as well as ignorant. It suggests that Buddhists, Taoists, Confucians, Hindus, and all others who do not follow the Judeo-Christian God are unethical, immoral, and ill-behaved, which I think anyone of intelligence, given a moment's reflection, will surely realize is false. There are many, many non-Christians who behave well in all respects without knowledge of or concern for the Christian God's laws and Commandments.
However, in this case the intent of the question is to know how to regard Wiccan ethics and behavior, and although there is no legalistic codification of behavior for Wiccans, the Rede and the Law of Returns (or the Three-Fold Law) are usually given in response to this query.
For more information, see The Evolution of Wiccan Ethics.
Q: What are the Wiccan Rede and the Law of Returns or the Three-Fold Law? A: The Rede is a long poem attributed to Adriana Porter, but most people who mention it mean only the last eight words, which are most commonly quoted, "An it harm none, do as ye will." While this sounds, superficially, like carte blanche, the common practice of shortening it to "Harm none" gives some indication of how stringently it is generally interpreted. "None" is taken to include the doer, and "harm" is interpreted to include interference, impairment, or other disservice as well as direct physical, emotional, or psychic harm.
The Law of Return is the belief that any action will return like action in this life. This is not karma, not retribution in a future life. The return is in this life, here and now. Some believe the return is three-fold, hence the "Three-Fold Law." The Law is often repeated in a rhyme such as, "Heed and beware the Rule of Three: / Three times thy acts return to thee / This lesson thou must learn and mind / What ye put out returns in kind." Or more succinctly: "Any thought or deed you do, three-fold will return to you."
Some Wiccans regard the Law of Return as bunk and nonsense, a silly refashioning of Indian karma, while others believe in it implicitly. I say if it helps remind people to behave decently, there's no harm in it, at least in the simple "return" form, though I admit the threefold version is tough to swallow.
