  Spiritual
This week: Yuletide & the Return of the Sun Edited by: lizco252
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Thank you for reading! I'm lizco252, your guest editor for this edition of the Spiritual Newsletter! This is my first newsletter, so please be kind ~ I'm still big-time green at this whole newsletter thing-a-ma-jiggy!  |
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 The Return of the Sun
At this time of year, the darkness can be overwhelming and even depressing. The days are short and the nights are long as said darkness envelops us all, with precious little light during the day, which can be a drain on your energy and can dampen your spirits. It is part of the waxing and waning, the continuous cycle of Mother Nature, in all of Her glory; but while the darkness reigns for a brief time, there is a light at the end of the tunnel as the winter solstice approaches, bringing with it the longer days and the renewal that will eventually warm the soul as spring draws ever nearer.
Whether you celebrate Yule or Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or the many other holidays and celebrations that take place during the season, it's not difficult to understand why this is a time filled with festive commemorations, gatherings of friends and family, and good tidings for the coming year.
It's a time when the return of the sun is celebrated, offering us comfort and reassurance in the knowledge that while the land may be dormant and shrouded in shadow, the darkness will not last forever!
 Yuletide Traditions
 The Yule Log
"The grate had been removed from the wide overwhelming fireplace, to make way for a fire of wood, in the midst of which was an enormous log glowing and blazing, and sending forth a vast volume of light and heat; this I understood was the Yule-log, which the Squire was particular in having brought in and illumined on a Christmas eve, according to ancient custom."
~Washington Irving~
Traditionally, the Yule Log would be brought to the hearth, decorated and blessed, then kept burning for several hours to several days, depending on local customs, to bring luck in the coming year. In some traditions, people would gather round the Yule Log and tell ghost stories as it burned, which I think would be a fun ritual to bring back to life! How many of us remember A Christmas Carol from Charles Dickens, which seemed to embrace the idea of ghosts as Christmastime?
However, chopping down a log (in some traditions an entire tree) for your Christmas hearth is probably not as practical these days. There are retailers on the web who sell custom Yule Logs that can be used with candles, but buyer beware! According to some superstitions, buying a Yule Log is said bring bad luck ~ 'tis better if the log is given or grown. If you'd rather not tempt fate, you can still honor the tradition with an edible Yule Log, which is not an easy task either, by the way, but it can imbue a personal connection to make this time more festive. This recipe from Mr. Food seems like one of the easier Yule Log undertakings if you're feeling adventurous in the kitchen! 
 Wassailing
"When they were all tired of blind-man's buff, there was a great game at snap-dragon, and when fingers enough were burned with that, and all the raisins were gone, they sat down by the huge fire of blazing lags to a substantial supper, and a mighty bowl of wassail, something smaller than an ordinary wash-house copper, in which the hot apples were hissing and bubbling with a rich look, and a jolly sound, that were perfectly irresistible."
~Charles Dickens~
Wassailing is very probably the foundation for what we know today as Christmas Caroling. There were two types of Wassailing traditions: door-to-door, in which revelers would go from house-to-house to wish friends and neighbors "waes hael" or good health, and the other was orchard wassailing, which was a blessing of the apple orchards with wassail (the drink) to ensure a good crop in the coming year. You can watch how this lovely tradition endures in our modern age here .
While I would probably stick to hot cider, you can find some interesting and delicious recipes for traditional wassail around the web. This particular recipe looks to be the most authentic (and perhaps a precursor to today's eggnog):
Ingredients
4 small apples
1 cup unrefined cane sugar
1 medium orange
13 whole cloves
2 quarts hard apple cider
1/2 cup brandy (optional)
1 tbsp powdered ginger
1 tsp grated nutmeg
6 allspice berries
2 cinnamon sticks
6 large eggs, (separated)
toast, (optional, to serve with)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Scoop out the core of the apples without fully penetrating the apple – a melon baller works well. Fill each apple with about a tablespoon of unrefined cane sugar. Place the apples on the baking sheet. Stud an orange with thirteen cloves and place it on the baking sheet. Bake the apples and orange together for forty minutes.
While the apples and orange bake, pour apple cider and brandy into a heavy-bottomed stock pot and warm over moderately low heat. Whisk in powdered ginger and grated nutmeg. Do not bring the wassail to a boil.
Cut a small square of the butter muslin (cheesecloth) and place allspice and cinnamon into the square; tie with 100% cotton cooking twine and float this sachet of spices in the wassail as it warms.
Beat egg yolks until light in color and set aside. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold egg yolks into whites, then temper the eggs by slowly pouring one-half cup wassail into the eggs. Remove the spice sachet from the wassail and pour in the tempered eggs. Transfer to a punch bowl. Float baked apples and oranges in the wassail and serve by the mug, topping each mug with a small slice of toast if desired.
 In Closing
In the spirit of Yuletide, I wish you all a warm, healthy and blessed Holiday Season. May the coming year be plentiful and full of magical inspiration! 
~The Wytch  |
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| |  | Yuleman (E)
Cool prompt. I actually did research for this one. The Yuleman- an Icelandic folklore.
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Spiritual: December 16, 2015 Issue [#7366]
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