Winter Solstice

Nature based rituals for the season of Yule

Thank you for being here, I am truly grateful for your presence. I hope you find some magic in my words today to warm your spirit, inspire and lift you for our Winter season of very short days and long dark nights.

We all live on this most amazing blue/green ball. Our lives are often strange, busy and stressful, yet each day we are given is extremely magical and beautiful. Can you see it, do you feel it?

I believe there is no correct, no wrong way to view or measure magic. There are no rules to create magic. What one person experiences, sees and feels, what resonates and works for them, may feel uncomfortable, trite or silly to another. But it is not wrong, it is never wrong - "An ye harm none, do what ye will"

For me, a non Christian, many of the festival dates or holidays endorsed locally do not vibe. They are drained of their true seasonal and spiritual connection and all that remains is consumerism. This inane addiction that is harming our planet, our connection to nature and indeed to one another because - we are nature!

Nature is not in our control, no matter how much we will it to be. What we can control is how we perceive it. How we see it, how we feel and react to it. Whether you identify or call yourself a mystic, a witch or not. Whether you adhere to a typical witch aesthetic, or not. You can control a more magical way of being. Manifest more magic into your life. You can choose to have more magic. Magic is often seen through the eyes of children more readily, without the stresses and responsibility of adulthood. We also tend to create more magic for children, especially around the festive season.

I think the art of creating a more magical life as an adult is ridiculously simple - it’s taking a breath, becoming more aware, being mindful of nature, our natural world and therefore ourselves. Slowing down allows us a stillness, where we can see and hear more clearly the possibilities we are capable of.

It is fitting that my first new moon edition arrives for “the most wonderful time of the year” - The season of Yule. There are just five days until the Winter, hibernal solstice. The exact moment the Earth is at it's maximum tilt away from our beloved Sun is 02:57am early Thursday morning local time, the 22nd of June 2023.

In truth, this is not Mid-Winter, we are just halfway into the first month of Winter here in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and there are a lot, a LOT of cold days ahead.

Below are ideas that resonate with me personally to manifest a more magical Winter. There are no rules, let's have some fun!

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Wassailing

Is an ancient Winter practice with two possible variants.

You may be more familiar with the first known as "the house-visiting wassail" or the act of knocking door-to-door, singing and offering a drink from the wassail /cider bowl in exchange for gifts - often of the edible variety. You probably know it as Christmas carolling. In the Middle ages however, "the house-visiting wassail" was a reciprocal exchange between medieval lords and their peasants. A form of charitable giving, importantly one distinguished from the much frowned upon form of begging. The folksong "Here We Come A-wassailing" informed the Lord of the manor...

“We are not daily beggars that beg from door to door”

“But we are friendly neighbours whom you have seen before.”

However - it this second variant that is my preferred practice and one I would love to encourage you add to your Winter festivities. It's "the orchard-visiting wassail", again an ancient tradition, but one that it is still often practiced today by Morris Dancers in the cider producing regions of England. Reciting spells and chants, singing and "wassailing" each apple tree with bread offerings soaked in cider to encourage and hopefully promote a good harvest in the coming year. The incantations (spells!) are then followed by crazed noise-making, banging of pots and pans from the assembled crowd to scare away evil spirits. (And prove to your neighbours you are indeed - completely bonkers!) The crowd then moves onto the next orchard to continue the ritual.

Granted you may not have an orchard, cider apple trees, even a single fruit tree at home. That's where I would love to encourage you to visit any tree you benefit from. Whether it's a home harvest, a foraged harvest, Summer shade, Autumn colour, Spring blossom... dare I mention oxygen? Wassailing need not only be for cider apples, or orchard trees. I'm going to come straight out with it, my neighbours are correct - I am bonkers, well a bit hoop-dee-doop-dee. Maybe you guessed too? I believe trees are important beings and spirits to us all. I hug trees, I talk to trees and I grieve for trees - when they are brutally injured or worse murdered by lesser thinking humans. We need trees, not only native trees or trees that bear fruit. I think we need to show more appreciation - how you do that is up to you. It needn't be with offerings of cider soaked bread, or loud banging. A simple visit, acknowledgement or hug to a favoured tree being might just work wonders for you and the tree's spirit this Winter.

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Yule, a Time for Cosy Things

Yule, as with all Pagan Sabbats, is focused on nature based traditions and rituals that honour the true season. The Winter Solstice (“Sol” being Latin for Sun) celebrates the rebirth of the Sun and the days slowly becoming longer again. Yule is traditionally a time of hope, warmth and stillness. A time to be gentle with ourselves and create cosy rituals. Here are some my family and I enjoy, these may also have the added benefit of increasing serotonin (feel good hormones) if you have a case of the Winter morbs.

Try spreading out, surrounding yourself with all your favourite books. I especially love non-fiction. I get out all my festive recipe books, historical and witchy books. Spend a few extra hours in a cosy nook or warm space, or better still in bed with my book friends. You could also try some new podcasts or audio books, especially if you're finding your eyes are a bit tired or dry towards the end of a day, a common side effect of living in drying forms of heating.

Go for walks and take a small flask - a favourite warm tea, a spiced infusion or cordial. A sweet festive tipple, mulled wine / cider. Change it up! Try taking a lantern walk in the dark, around your own garden or local park. By torchlight you'll see less of the empty space where Summer flowers once bloomed and more of the shapes of trees, landscape and paths.

Make like a familiar (typically a cat for witches) and seek out the sun. Move to different parts of your home or workplace if possible, visit anywhere that's likely to be in sun. Climb in the car, sometimes a warm drive or even parked up facing the sun, having a change of scenery can give you a boost.

Phone a friend or meet up for a bite to eat - go somewhere you wouldn't normally, say for ramen noodles instead of coffee. Or better still pack and surprise them with a festive picnic. Hold a dinner party, with or without invited guests. Dress up for dinner at home, shock your housemate/s, wear something wacky and weird... or nothing at all!

Bake a cake or share a batch of festive gingerbread with a neighbour. Thinking more of others and boosting their spirits can often have a reciprocal effect. If cooking isn't your thing, try bringing in their recycling bin, or another act of kindness. Don’t forget feeding wildlife creates warm fuzzies and entertainment too, some fruit (not bread) is sure to encourage tauhou (waxeyes) to your backyard, you might be so fortunate to have tūī too. If knitting or crochet is your thing, consider making small items for your local Pediatric or NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) as a gift to "pay it forward" to future generations.

Decorate your home for the season - put up fairylights, play your favourite festive music - seek out new! "Bring in the Green" - a simple sprig of holly or rosemary, a beautiful wreath for your door or go the whole hog with a tree. Evergreens such as pines, cedars and firs were thought to have power over death and disease because their green never faded. So while bringing cheer in these darker days they were an important ritual to defeat the Winter ills. The strength and size of evergreen trees were also thought to encourage the Sun’s return. Scent the air with flowering Winter bulbs, a simmer pot of citrus and spices, a festive candle or incense.

I delight in revisiting the original “Escape to River Cottage” series with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall especially when he forages with a “local Hedge Witch Star” for a Yule log. I'd like to encourage you to find yourself a Yule log this year. We like to adhere small paper notes with our wishes and dreams using melted wax from various coloured candles. You can also anoint the log with herbs, spices, essential oils to help bring the wishes to fruition. You may like to research the spiritual symbolism behind the things you choose. If you don't have a fireplace you could perhaps burn your log in a small brazier, BBQ outside. Or replace the essence of the ritual using a Yule candle - save a piece of your log or candle to light next years Yule log.

One of most magical things I believe you can do for your garden this week is to plant a living Yule tree, for the future, and future Yule festivities. It doesn't need to be an evergreen, pine, or typical "Christmas tree." If you have the room it could be an Oak tree (Quercus Robur) sacred to druids. If space is limited perhaps a prickly holly bush (Ilex Aquifolium) to ward off evil. Many of the common garden trees - ash, yew, rowan, hazel - were revered by the Celts in ancient Europe and believed to have special powers. Likewise Māori have sacred trees (rākau) and by choosing a native you will help attract birds and native wildlife to your garden. Kōwhai (Sophora), Kakabeak (Clianthus) and Kānuka (Kunzea Ericoides) are all lovely options, not forgetting the Pōhutukawa (Metrosideros Excelsa). Whatever you choose, please be sure to research what will thrive in your area and the position in which you plan to plant it. Again if short on space, you can take the essence of the ritual by propagating a houseplant.

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Hygge Highlights

Meik Wiking of the Danish Happiness Research Institute describes "Hygge" (and in his book of the same title) being "about an atmosphere and an experience, rather than things." Hygge is a feeling, of happiness, of joy, of pleasure, of cosyiness, but not one that is limited to the colder months as social media images may have taught you.

I believe the heartwarming and whimsical French film Amelie encapsulates moments of "hygge" most memorably when she dips her hand into the sack of split peas, or taps to crack open the crème brûlée and skips stones at the Canal Saint Martin.

Here's five hygge moments I experienced recently - I guess they're a gratitude journal entry of sorts.

• breaking the ice in a rain barrel at our back door (wishing it were crème brûlée)

• walking through crunchy fallen leaves, tossing them and watching them float to the ground

• warming my fluffy socked feet under an even warmer, fluffier body of sleeping Birman

• stacking functions (a permaculture principle of getting more for your energy) with the woodfire heating us, simmering soup, steaming pudding, drying clothes, dehydrating citrus peel

• the intoxicating and spicy scent of making a new batch of fruit mincemeat with my son Theo

I'd love to hear some of your “Hygge Highlights” - share them in the comments.

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Good Things to Eat

I am fortunate to be where there's always loads of good things to eat. Perhaps too fortunate. Oh I do love eating! Especially good things. Especially in June /July - well every month actually.

So let's see, right now there's still super crisp apples and pears, citrus is starting to appear with vigour, kiwifruit are affordable again, tamarilo well not so affordable, but let's grab some anyway! They are gorgeous poached with custards, or as compote with porridge in the morning.

On the vegetable front there are celery and leeks from the garden for soup, actually leeks are my favourite thing - I'll tell you why in a moment! Pumpkins, parsnips and yams for our roasts. Pro-tip Kiwi yams (Oca, Oxalis tuberosa as they're known elsewhere) are absolutely divine roasted and then glazed with a little red currant or crab apple jelly. Seriously, seriously good.

Back to leeks, leeks are amazing. We eat several of them every week at this time of year. Everyone knows their sweet subtle allium flavour enhances any soup or stew you add them to. I also enjoy them in all sorts of egg dishes, gently softened with butter or olive oil first, they are delicious in quiche, frittata or Spanish tortillas. Starring in their own right, perhaps with some lovely Pecorino or goats cheese. Or along with pieces of soft potato or pumpkin, beetroot or various green vegetables, they always provide a nourishing sweet comfort to me.

All that said, the way we most often enjoy our leeks, long through the Winter is far more simple and affordable. Affectionately known as "Leeky Greens" what it lacks in a more sophisticated name, it gains in wild greens. Again I start by softening finely sliced leeks in butter or olive oil, often a bit of both. Then add a mixture of any, and as many foraged leafy greens I find can find. Currently chickweed, sow thistles (pūhā), young dandelion leaves, are the ones that survive our frosts. I also use the more tender tops from carrots, beetroot and celery leaves. As well as leaves purposely grown, such as perpetual spinach, chard and silverbeet, kales and cavolo nero. Rinsed well, shaken of extra moisture and chopped as necessary. (NB: Chickweed can be a tad stringy, so you need a good sharp knife or scissors to make it into palatable small pieces.) I wilt all the greens down for a good 20 minutes, adding a touch of water or more extra virgin olive oil to stop it sticking to the pan. When meltingly soft it's ready to be generously seasoned with salt and pepper. Perhaps a pinch of chili or grated nutmeg too, depending on my mood. This heavenly mixture, at least I think so (and my 9 year old eats it with gusto, with preference over potatoes!) often accompanies our main meal of the day. I find the sweetness of the leeks helps to balance the bitterness of some of the more wild greens.

Sometimes, especially if the pickings were a little thin, I'll toss through some frozen green beans or baby peas towards the end. Other times, say if it's to accompany fish I'll add in some salted capers, or chopped kalamata olives, crumbled feta or a squeeze of lemon juice. "Horta" or wild greens with lemon juice or vinegar is a traditional everyday food on the "Blue Zone" island of Ikaria. Recently I learnt of "Khobiza" or Khoubiza, (thanks Helen!) a similar Palestinian dish made with common mallow leaves and onions. Other times our "Leeky Greens" forms the base of the meal with a fried or poached egg on top, the base to a Green Shakshuka or is folded through cooked pulses, cannellini beans, chickpeas, rice or pasta.

Gosh I'm so pleased to get this weighty leeky green love off my chest, so how do you enjoy your leeks?

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Now I promised an actual recipe, didn't I? Well this one is a bit indulgent with cream and cheese and carbs. I think it's rather festive. Goes really well with a roasted bird if you're that way inclined, but equally delicious with a side of “Leeky Greens.”

While unusual, the pear in this gratin offers a delightful sweet note against the more savoury potato. You can choose any favourite quality European styled cheese ideal for melting such as Gruyere, Raclette, Emmental or Gouda. I picked out a small affordable Gruyere styled block from local NZ brand “Mainland” - The recipe is adapted from my original blog post in Easter 2010

Potato Gratin Dauphinois with Pear

• 4 to 6 medium golden floury flesh potatoes, such as agria, (approx 700 grams)

• 2 firm pears, peeled and cored

• 10 grams of butter

• 150 grams of Gruyere cheese, grated

• 310 mls of standard cream

• freshly grated nutmeg

• freshly ground black pepper

• sea salt

1. Preheat your oven to 180ºC

2. Peel and slice the potatoes and pears very thinly and evenly - a mandoline or Japanese slicer is invaluable for this job, however a sharp knife and steady hand work just as well.

3. Mix the cream, nutmeg, pepper and salt in a small pouring jug.

4. Grease the bottom and sides of a baking dish with an approximately 1.5 to 2 litre capacity or 4x individual ramekins, with the butter.

5. Place a single layer of potato slices on the bottom of the dish and top with a layer of pear slices.

6. Sprinkle over a little of the grated cheese and a splash of the cream mixture.

7. Repeat the layering until the gratin dish is almost full to the top, finish with a layer of potato and any of the remaining cheese or cream mixture.

8. Bake the gratin for 50 to 60 minutes, (individual ramekin will need less) checking occasionally and if you find it is browning too quickly, cover with some foil.

The gratin is cooked when the potato is easily tender when pierced with a skewer and the top is gorgeously golden. Let the gratin cool slightly for 5 to 6 minutes before serving, this time helps the gratin set and hold together for serving. Serves 4

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Seasons Blessings 💫

Bron