Solstice Check In — The Willow Path Tarot

It’s Yule! I love this time of year! I celebrate Yule and the Winter Solstice together and throw in a splash of Christmas when it overlaps with my Yule traditions. I’m pretty much going to be celebrating for the rest of the year. I grew up with a big Christmas focus in my family, so our traditions and holiday spirit largely revolve around that. But I don’t think anything much would change if we took the Christianity out of it altogether, as our traditions all stem from the holiday’s pagan roots. The only Christian thing about our Christmas is the word. Could I get them to all call in Yule? Good question.

Yule is an ancient festival that originated in Scandinavia as a feast to honor the god Odin. Nowadays, especially in pagan and Wiccan traditions, it is still an important yearly festival. I think it mostly focuses on honoring the rebirth of the sun, as from this day onward, the amount of light each day increases till the next Solstice. Yule and Solstice fall on the same day, the shortest day of the year in terms of sunshine here in the northern hemisphere. So we come together to celebrate the return of the light, to feast, to exchange love, and to honor the spirit of the season.

Norman the Norfolk Island pine all decked out for Christmas this year.

I thought it would be fun to write about my Yule traditions today. Perhaps you’ll consider your own as a consequence. What do you love (or dislike) about this season? And why? How could you change things? What coping mechanisms might you be able to employ for the difficult bits? I’m also going to end this post with some journal prompts for the end of the year, both in terms of going forward from the darkest day of the year and moving from 2024 to 2025. This post is a bit all over the place today, but hey! that’s me in a nutshell this December.

One of the reasons I like Yule so much is simply because of the decorations. Looking around at how people decorate their homes at this time of year, I know that I am certainly not the only one who feels this way. Traditionally, candles in red, green, and gold are lit at Yule and you’ll see these colors in many Christmas lights as well. I love to light candles around the house and have a fire in the woodstove. I mean, we have a fire every day because that’s how we heat the house, but if I’m not at home on the Solstice, it can be a fun challenge to see about starting a campfire, bonfire, or fireplace of some sort. This tradition also spills over to Christmas in the yule log. It tickles me how different TV channels or streaming services offer various yule log programs at this time of year. So silly, but so good.

Another Yule time tradition is bringing greenery into the house, especially evergreens. Our house is a little too small for a traditional size Christmas tree, but we decorate our Norfolk Island pine (who’s name is Norman) every year and light a red candle that smells like fir tree, so this works for me! I think, in the future, I would like to do more with evergreens at this time of year, perhaps learning how to make wreathes or garlands. This is such a busy December for me this year, though, and I haven’t had time for much decorating or even being at home.

Believe it or not, another yule tradition is giving gifts to the gods and to your loved ones. I feel like this part of Yule has been realllly overdone by the Christmas gift giving season and I’m not a fan. Don’t get me wrong, I do love exchanging presents and I do this with my loved ones, but that is not the primary reason why I like this season. If we did not do gift exchanging I would still love this time of year (maybe even more!). I know my partner would certainly enjoy Christmas more if there were no gifts. Ha! But it is traditional and I think with intentionality it can add to the celebration.

And then there is the feasting! My family comes together to have a big meal on Christmas day. This is the one day of the year when everyone makes the greatest effort to get together around one big table and share a meal. We meet in smaller groups throughout the year, but the tradition of the family Christmas in Vermont brings us all together at max capacity. Since I became a vegan about 9 years ago, the actual foods on the table are not that important to me, as long as the ones for me are plant-based and cruelty free, I’m down to eat anything. The absolute musts are Chex Mix and sugar cookies.

If you’re looking for a way to commemorate or recognize the end of the year, why not do some journaling or writing?! A reflective practice can help you explore how your year unfolded, the lessons you learned, and inspirations you have for the year ahead. Don’t forget, I also have The Willow Path Planner available on my website to help you explore these ideas even more. It will get your plans for 2025 all squared away- check it out!

And here are my Solstice Themed Journal Prompts for the End of 2024!

Cosmo and I enjoyed some neighborhood holiday lights.

Candle Lighting Prompts

What fires you up?

What inspires you?

What do you feel called to create in 2025?

What adventures do you want to have in 2025?

What burning desires do you have for the year ahead?

Evergreen Prompts

What are your core values?

What does home mean to you?

Who is your support system?

What do you want to make true about yourself in 2025?

Who do you want to be as a person in the long run? How can you make that happen?

Longest Night of the Year Prompts

What limiting beliefs and obstacles are you dealing with now?

How does your shadow side need to express itself?

What protection do you need in the year ahead?

What boundaries will serve you in 2025?

On what part of your life do you want to shine a spotlight as the days lengthen?

Wrapping Up 2024 Prompts

What was the overall theme of the year?

What did you prove to yourself that you are capable of?

What did you learn about what you need to take care of yourself?

From a walk through Quebec City at Christmas time in 2023.

What new parts of yourself did you uncover?

What was your biggest accomplishment of the year?

Looking Towards 2025 Prompts

Who are you as a person as you step into 2025?

What are you absolutely sure that you want to make happen in the upcoming year?

What would make you feel like the year 2025 was a success when you look back at it?

What word of the year will be your theme for 2025:

Write out the story of 2025. What do you want it to be?

Best wishes for a beautiful Solstice and Merry Yule!!