Yule

[Place the mineral salts in a fire resistant container -a tin foil container, such as are used for baking, is ideal as the mineral salts will leave a residue which is hard to clean.  Add alcohol to the mineral salts: enough to soak them well.]

Chief Priestess
“Behold, we shall join together to cleanse this space.  Even as these salts burn, so too shall all negative energy in this space be transformed and transmuted, consecrated and blessed.  So too shall our own energy be cleansed and blessed as well.  So Mote It Be.”

ALL
”SO MOTE IT BE!”
[Now light the mineral salts using a match, candle, or consecrated lighter.  They will set up a bright, pale, cleansing flame which will raise the vibration of the energy.]

Chief Priestess
“Behold the flame, dancing before us.  Feel the strength in it -the power.  Feel its energy, moving and transforming all it touches -transmuting all negativity.  Imagine the flame growing brighter, expanding: growing larger and larger.  See the flame expand to fill the space between us -then expand beyond us: see it grow and expand farther and farther, until it fills our entire ritual space with transformative light.  Feel the energy moving all around you -feel the energy moving within you as well.  Feel it raising your vibration, cleansing you: eliminating all negative energy.  Even as the fire burns, the vibration raises.  Negative energy is transformed and becomes positive.  The Circle is cleansed, and we are cleansed with it”
[Allow the fire to burn until it goes out.]

“Behold, it is done.  So Mote It Be.”

ALL
”SO MOTE IT BE!”

We will now cast our Circle.  For this ritual we will cast our Circle using visualization.  You will need to lead everyone in visualizing the creation of the Circle.

Chief Priest
“Let us join hands. 

“Become aware of your Heart Chakra.  Imagine a ball of clear white light in your Heart Chakra: beautiful, clear white light.  And in that light feel strength, and love, and peace.  Have this image clear in your mind, feel the energy strongly.  Now let that energy begin to move and expand within you, filling your body.  Let the energy fill you, move within you, filling and suffusing you with beautiful, clear white light.

“Now feel a bit of that energy within you begin to move out from you -see it begin to flow deosil around the Circle.  Feel the energy connect with the energy of the other people present, forming a circle of white light, moving from hand to hand around the circle.  See the circle of white light moving from person to person around the circle, growing stronger and brighter, moving faster and faster.

“Let the circle begin to expand beyond us -see it move out to the edges of our ritual space.  See the circle expand and grow brighter and stronger as it does so, moving deosil around the ritual space: moving faster and faster.  See the white light expand upward, forming a wall or moving light around us -a battery and a focusing barrier to strengthen our working and increase its effect.  See this boundary clearly, feel its energy, and the focusing effect it has upon the energy of the circle. 

“Behold, we do cut apart a place between the realms of humankind and of the Mighty Ones: a Circle of Art to focus and contain the powers we shall raise herein! The Circle is cast! So Mote It Be!”

ALL
”SO MOTE IT BE!”

EAST
“I invoke You O Ladies and Lords East, Powers of Air and thought, and in Your name I call forth the powers of Your children: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius! Share with us their flexibility of mind and inspiration! Join us we pray and aid us in this our holy ritual! We bid You: Hail and Welcome!”

ALL
”Hail and Welcome!”

SOUTH
”I invoke You O Ladies and Lords of the South, Powers of Fire and manifestation, and in Your name I call forth the powers of Your children: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius! Share with us their passion of spirit and courage! Join us we pray and aid us in this our holy ritual! We bid You: Hail and Welcome!”

ALL
”Hail and Welcome!”

WEST
”I invoke You O Ladies and Lords of the West, Powers of Water and emotion, and in Your name I call forth the powers of Your children: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces! Share with us their sensibility of heart and empathy! Join us we pray and aid us in this our holy ritual! We bid You: Hail and Welcome!”

ALL
”Hail and Welcome!”

NORTH
“I invoke You O Ladies and Lords of the North, Powers of Earth and integration, and in Your name I call forth the powers of Your children: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn! Share with us their strength of constitution and determination! Join us we pray and aid us in this our holy ritual! We bid You: Hail and Welcome!”

ALL
“Hail and Welcome!”

Chief Priest
“We invoke You, O Sorcerer, Lord of Midwinter! Giver of Gifts and Visions! Horned One -Lord of the Otherworld Feast! Now at this time of greatest darkness, Your power is ascendant and the Years involution is deepest! You Who guard and protect the sleeping Earth, Who blankets the buried seeds -We call to You and with love and with respect we pray that You will join and aid us in this our holy ritual! O Mighty Sorcerer, we bid You Hail and Welcome!”

ALL
“Hail and Welcome!”

Chief Priestess
“Grandmother Crone! Mistress of Magic and Enchantment, Queen of the Otherworld and Lady of the Spirits! Most Ancient One and Wisest! You Who engender the life that the God protects -we call to You and invoke You! Be with us we pray and guide and aid us in this holy Yuletide ritual! As the darkest night passes and Light is reborn, Your eternal Wheel turns once more! Grandmother, with love and with respect we bid You Hail and Welcome!”

ALL
“Hail and Welcome!”

Invoke Ancestors
“O Mighty Ancestors, Beloved Ones Who have gone before, We invoke You and ask You to join us and to Bless us! Ancestors of the Correllian Tradition, Priestesses and Priests, Mothers and Uncles of the lineage, Spiritual family which aids and supports us -lend us Your inspiration and Your love, Your guidance and Your aid this night, we pray.  Beloved Ones, we bid You Hail and Welcome!”

ALL
“Hail and Welcome!”

Chief Priestess

"We come together to celebrate the festival of Yule, or Midwinter.  At this time the powers of the Old God are at their height -the Sun's light has ebbed to its lowest point and the involution of the world is deepest.  Tonight the Light is reborn.  From this night forward the days will lengthen again, the Sun grow stronger.  The Young God begins to grow and the process of His return is set in motion, even while the Old God yet reigns.  The Old God will continue to rule for a time, Winter has far to go before it ends, but the cycle of renewal has begun."

ACT OF POWER

[For the mystery play you will need three people: one to be the Oak King, one to be the Holly King, and one to be the Crone Goddess.  For the candle circle you will need one candle for each person present, a lighter, and a fire resistant bowl or cauldron.]

 [The candles need not be elaborate: a package of birthday candles will do fine.  You can also use the small white candles commonly sold for emergency use.  Smaller candles are better for this, because they need not burn long.]

[Of course it is more spectacular if the speakers can memorize their parts.  And as you can imagine it can be a lot of fun to costume the participants -but this is not necessary.]
[Make sure that the person portraying the Crone Goddess already has the lighter and a candle, as all will be dark when these are needed.]

Holly King
“I am the Holly King, Lord of Winter and of Night.  I am the Kindly One -Under my rule the Earth sleeps beneath a blanket of protective snow, and rests in preparation for coming rebirth.  I am the lord of wisdom, and of wealth.  I am the Giver of Gifts -and also the Giver of Visions.  I am the Lord of the Gate, who guards the path between Life and Death -and the magic realm between.  I am Cernunnos.  I am Merlin.  I am Santa Claus.  I am the Sorcerer.  I am the God who fell with the Harvest and rules in death -yet I am not dead for death is an illusion and spirit but changes its form.  I am not sad or woeful.  I am the jolly God of Midwinter celebrations -the joyous God of the Otherworld Feast.  Behold me -the Lord of Midnight, the slain Sun, the Horned God of the Spirit realm- and know that life is never absent, even in death.  With the deepest of sleep come the most vivid of dreams.  Beneath the frozen Earth, the hidden seeds wait for Spring.  Behind the Veil of death, spirits await rebirth.  When the night is darkest, then dawn is near.  Just so, when all seems still, it is often that change is merely waiting for the right moment to happen.”

Oak King 
“Indeed! I challenge you, O Lord of Death!

Now let the two Kings engage in a mock struggle.  The Kings can grapple with each other, or have a choreographed mock sword fight or they could use quarter staves, according or whatever works best for you.  At length the Oak King vanquishes the Holly King, who falls to the floor.

Holly King
“I am wounded! I am struck! In the midst of my greatest power I am cast down!

Oak King
“It is even so.  Now the longest night shall pass, and the days will lengthen, and the Sun climb high in the heavens.  For behold! I am the Sun reborn! I am life renewed! I am the Oak King, and in my time I shall rule the longest day! I shall grow with the plants and crops, and renew the life of Earth.  I shall arise with the Ram, and melt the snows of Winter -for I am the heat which nurtures the seed and makes the blood run faster.  I shall turn the Goddess’ head to love, and all things will flower in my name.  But that is yet to come.  For now, the Old King shall rule a little longer -but His end is begun.  Days may grow colder for a time, but they will also grow longer and Winter will pass away.  All things in their turn are reborn: the day, the Earth, the soul.  For the only constant is change, and spirit but changes its form.  The longest night is the moment of the Holly Kings greatest power, but also the beginning of his end.  Go now into the long night with him.  What would you release with him as he passes away? What would you change as the days lengthen? Think of these things.  Meditate upon them now, as we let the longest night come about us.”

Let the Oak King now extinguish the altar lights so that the room is in complete darkness.  Meditate upon all that you would change or release.  Meditate for about a minute: maybe two.  More will be too much if you have people not skilled in meditation.

Now let the Crone take the lighter and light the candle.  The candle should be held under the face so that the Crone is eerily underlit.  This will also provide light if the Crone’s speech must be read.

Crone Goddess
“Behold, I am the Crone, Queen of the Night, of Winter and the Spirit Realm.  I am old -immeasurably ancient.  Bent and gnarled as the bare trees of Winter: yet I am strong and sure of purpose.  Even in this darkest night, I see clearly.

“Once I wore the red veil of the Maiden, and danced among the flowers of Spring.  The world was my playground and I rejoiced.  The Sun’s rays warmed me, and moved me to love. 

“Once too, I wore the white gown of the Mother, and walked among the growing fields.  The world was my child, I nurtured it and gave it sustenance.  The Sun was at my side, my partner and protector.

“Now I wear the black mantle of the Crone, and stand strong amidst the wind and snows of Winter.  The world is as one asleep, and I shelter it with my protective snows.  The Sun is my husband and I am now a widow.

“I am the Queen of Witches.  I have been all things and learned all secrets.  I know that if we do not find that which we seek within, we can never find it without.  I know too, that perfection is a false goal: for it cannot exist.  What is perceived as perfection is not an ending but a plateau which precedes new growth: no sooner is it reached than it must be moved beyond.

“When the rose is at its most fragrant, it has already begun to rot.  No sooner is the fruit ripe, than it must fall.  When the Sun has reached its greatest height at noonday or at Midsummer, then it must begin to decrease.  So too this longest night: from this point of greatest power, the reign of night shall diminish and the powers of the Sun increase.  The Old Lord will fade and be reborn as the Young Lord: All things shall be renewed.

“It is even so in the affairs of humankind.  There is no greater surety than change and growth.  The old must give way to the new, outmoded ideas and forms must be discarded that new and better ways may grow.  It is the way of things.

“As we light our candles, let us be mindful of the role of change in our lives.  And let us consider the areas of our life where change and growth are needed.  Even as the light increases, so too may we be renewed and reborn.”

The Crone now uses her candle to light the candle held by the person deosil to her.

“The light returns -may you be renewed!”

That person will then use their candle to light the candle of the person deosil to them, saying

“The light returns -may you be renewed!”

And so forth deosil around the Circle until each person’s candle has been lit.

ALL
“The light returns -we are renewed!”

Now you may wish to sing an appropriate chant such as:

“The Sun is renewed
The Earth is renewed
All life is renewed
I am renewed!
Renewed!
Renewed!
Renewed!”

Now collect all of the candles into your fire resistant bowl.  They may be left burning in the bowl, or extinguished if you prefer. 

For this ritual we are going to use a group Blessing for the Chalice. 
Fill the Chalice with the desired beverage.  Then raise it up, and hold it in the center of the Circle.  Ask everyone present to place one hand towards the Chalice and join you in Blessing it.  You might lead them in the Blessing like this:

Chief Priestess
“Become aware of your Heart Chakra.  Imagine it filled with clear white light, shining and glowing with love and strength.  In that light feel the love of Spirit, moving within you.

Chief Priest
“Now send energy from your Heart Chakra through your hand and into the Chalice: Energy filled with love, with joy, with creativity.  Fill the Chalice with energy.  See the Chalice filled with shining light, radiating out in all directions: growing stronger and stronger.

Chief Priestess
“O Mother Goddess! O Father God! Beloved Ones! Join us we pray in Blessing this holy Chalice! Lend Your energy to ours! Bless this Chalice with love and strength! May it be as a bond between us -a bond of enduring love.  A bond between Yourselves and all of us: A bond between ourselves and one another. 

Both Together  Behold! May the Blessing Be!”
“To the Lady! To the Lord! To us!”

ALL
“To the Lady! To the Lord! To us!”

Thank Ancestors 
“Beloved Ancestors, You Who have gone before, Your wisdom and Your example guide us.  We pray that You will be with us and aid us as we go forward, that we may call upon the strength and knowledge of the past, even as we build the future.  We thank You for Your presence and Your aid this night, and at all times.  May You Blessed be in all things.  We offer You our love and our respect! We bid You Hail and Farewell!”

ALL
“Hail and farewell!”

Chief Priest
“May thanks be given unto You, O Sorcerer, Lord of Midwinter.  Though You yet rule, the light shall wax and days grow longer! May the Blessing Be upon You now and always! We thank You for Your presence and Your aid this night, and at all times.  We offer You our love, and our respect! We bid You Hail and farewell!”

ALL
“Hail and farewell!”

Chief Priestess
“We thank You O Crone, Queen of Winter and of the Spirit realm! Arch Witch, Mistress of Magic and of Visions! We thank You for Your presence and Your aid this night, and at all times.  We offer You our love and our respect! We bid You Hail and farewell!”

ALL

 “Hail and farewell!”

NORTH
“May thanks be given unto You O Ladies and Lords of the North, Powers of Earth and integration! And may thanks be given unto the powers of Your children: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn! We thank You with love and with respect for Your guidance and Your aid in this our holy ritual! May there be peace between us now and always! We bid You: Hail and Farewell!”

ALL
”Hail and Farewell!”

WEST
” May thanks be given unto You O Ladies and Lords of the West, Powers of Water and emotion! And may thanks be given unto the powers of Your children: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces! We thank You with love and with respect for Your guidance and Your aid in this our holy ritual! May there be peace between us now and always! We bid You: Hail and Farewell!”

ALL
”Hail and Farewell!”

SOUTH
” May thanks be given unto You O Ladies and Lords of the South, Powers of Fire and manifestation! And may thanks be given unto the powers of Your children: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius! We thank You with love and with respect for Your guidance and Your aid in this our holy ritual! May there be peace between us now and always! We bid You: Hail and Farewell!”

ALL
”Hail and Farewell!”

EAST
“May thanks be given unto You O Ladies and Lords East, Powers of Air and thought! And may thanks be given unto the powers of Your children: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius! We thank You with love and with respect for Your guidance and Your aid in this our holy ritual! May there be peace between us now and always! We bid You: Hail and Farewell!”

ALL

“Hail and Farewell!”

Now you must open the Circle.

Chief Priest
“Behold: As Above, So Below! As the Universe, So the Soul! As Within, So Without! May the Circle be Open, but never Broken! Merry Meet -Merry Part -and Merry Meet again!”

Now have everyone cleanse and release all excess energy.

(Correllian tradition, reprinted with permission of Rev. Don Lewis)