Yule: Honouring the Return of the Light

There’s something deeply comforting about Yule.

It arrives quietly, at the darkest point of the year, when the days are shortest and the nights feel long and heavy. And instead of demanding celebration or brightness, Yule simply asks us to pause.

Yule marks the Winter Solstice, an ancient seasonal turning point celebrated long before modern calendars and holidays. It’s the moment when the darkness reaches its peak and from that stillness, the light begins its slow return.

A brief history of Yule

Yule has its roots in old pagan and Northern European traditions, particularly among Germanic and Norse cultures. It was a time to honour the cycles of nature, the endurance of life through winter, and the promise that warmth and growth would come again.

Evergreen branches were brought indoors as symbols of resilience. Fires were lit to represent protection, continuity, and hope. Communities gathered not to escape the darkness but to sit with it, together. Many of the traditions we now associate with Christmas, candles, wreaths, feasting, even the idea of rest trace their origins back to Yule.

At its heart, Yule isn’t about excess or obligation.It’s about survival, reflection, and renewal.

What Yule means today

In modern life, Yule can be as simple or as ritualistic as you choose.

It can mean:

• Letting yourself rest without guilt

• Reflecting on what this year has taught you

• Releasing what no longer serves you

• Setting gentle intentions for the year ahead

There’s no pressure to be productive. No expectation to feel joyful if you’re tired or overwhelmed. Yule honours the truth that rest is sacred, and that growth often begins in darkness.

A Simple Yule Ritual 

You don’t need special tools or perfect timing for this.
Just a quiet moment.

You will need:

• A candle (any colour will do)

• A few minutes to yourself

The ritual:

1. Light your candle and take a slow breath.

2. Think of one thing from this past year you are ready to let go of ... it could be a worry, a habit, something that has run its course.

3. Then think of one thing you wish to gently invite into the coming year.

4. Sit with the flame for a moment, watching how it holds both shadow and light.

You don’t need to “do” anything else.
That’s enough.

A Yule Incantation for the Returning Light

You can say this aloud, whisper it, or simply read it quietly:

In the depth of winter, I honour where I stand.
I release what has grown heavy in my hands.
From stillness, light returns in its own time.
So may warmth, peace, and renewal find me  softly, steadily, and true.

Blow out the candle when you’re ready.

A gentle closing thought

Yule reminds us that we don’t have to rush into becoming anything new. The light will return whether we force it or not.

For now, it’s enough to rest.
To breathe.
To trust the turning of the year.

However you mark this season, quietly, symbolically, or not at all VE wishes you warmth, safety, and moments of calm in the darkness.