Yule Magick

Came across so many different things on About.com.. but they were all spread out. I gathered them all together here for easy access.. 

Yule Spell Ornament

As Yule approaches, the opportunities for spellwork are seemingly endless. If you have a holiday tree this year, why not use ornaments as a way of directing your magical energies? Make a spell ornament to bring prosperity, love, health, or creativity into your life.

You'll need the following:

Clear plastic fillable ornament

Filler material associated with your purpose: herbs, small stones, colored paper or glitter, etc.

Colored ribbon

Fill the plastic halves of the ornament with items that are associated with your purpose. Try a couple of the following, or come up with your own combinations:

For a money spell, add shredded bits of play money, Bay leaf, basil, chamomile, clover, cinquefoil, tonka bean, Buckeye, pennyroyal; stones such as turquoise and amethyst; bits of green, silver or gold glitter.

For love magic, use Allspice, apple blossom, bleeding heart, catnip, lavender, periwinkle, peppermint, tulip, violet, daffodil; crystals such as rose quartz or emerald, coral; small heart-shaped cutouts, bits of pink or red glitter.

For workings related to creativity and inspiration, add feathers, sage, tobacco leaf, hazelwood or birch, symbols of artistry such as paintbrush tips, crayons, or colored thread. Add diamonds, quartz crystals, also consider colors like yellow and gold.

If you're doing healing magic, use Apple blossom, lavender, barley, comfrey, eucalyptus, fennel, chamomile, allspice, olive, rosemary, rue, sandalwood, wintergreen, peppermint.

As you're filling your ornament, focus on your intent. Think about what your purpose is in creating such a working. For some people, it helps to chant a small incantation while they work - if you're one of those folks, you might want to try something like this:

Magic shall come as I order today,

Bringing prosperity blessings my way.

Magic to hang on a green Yule tree;

As I will, so it shall be.

Once you've filled your ornament, place the two halves together. Tie a colored ribbon around the center to keep the halves from separating (you may need to add a dab of craft glue for stability) and then hang your ornament in a place where you can see it during the Yule season

Snow Magic

By Patti Wigington, About.com Guide

When winter rolls around, in some parts of the world there is an abundance of wonderful white stuff - snow! If you live in one of those areas, it makes sense to take advantage of snow's natural properties and work those energies into your magical endeavors. Think about, for starters, some of snow's physical characteristics. The most obvious one is that it's cold. It's also white. Sometimes it's light and powdery, other times it may be heavy and wet. How can you incorporate these into your magical workings?

If you're a fan of candles, make ice candles - they're a lot of fun and easy to make during the winter months. Imbolc Ice Candles to make your own ice candles.
Ice candles are a lot of fun and easy to make during the winter months. Since February is traditionally a snow-filled time, at least in the northern hemisphere, why not make some ice candles to celebrate Imbolc, which is a day of candles and light?
You'll need the following:

·         Ice

·         Paraffin wax

·         Color and scent (optional)

·         A taper candle

·         A cardboard container, like a milk carton

·         A double boiler, or two pans

Melt the paraffin wax in the double boiler. Make sure that the wax is never placed directly over the heat, or you could end up with a fire. While the wax is melting, you can prepare your candle mold. If you want to add color or scent to your candle, this is the time to add it to the melted wax.
Place the taper candle into the center of the cardboard carton. Fill the carton with ice, packing them loosely in around the taper candle. Use small chunks of ice -- if they're too large, your candle will be nothing but big holes.
Once the wax has melted completely, pour it into the container carefully, making sure that it goes around the ice evenly. As the hot wax pours in, it will melt the ice, leaving small holes in the candle. Allow the candle to cool, and then poke a hole in the bottom of the cardboard carton so the melted water can drain out (it's a good idea to do this over a sink). Let the candle sit overnight so the wax can harden completely, and in the morning, peel back all of the cardboard container. You'll have a complete ice candle, which you can use in ritual or for decoration.

• Build a snowman as a very large magical poppet. Assign a snowman the magical task of being a guardian at the entrance to your property.
•  Got a bad habit you need to get rid of? Form that bad habit into snowballs, and throw them as far away from you as you can.
• Snow quartz crystals are often associated with fulfillment of hopes and dreams. Use actual snow instead of crystals in workings related to wishes and goals.
• If someone is bothering you and won't leave you alone, try this simple bit of magic. Write their name on a slip of paper, and pack it in snow in a zip-loc bag. Place the bag in your freezer, and leave it there until the person "chills out."
• Go for a walk in the woods on a day that it's snowing. Enjoy the silence, and the magic of the snowfall - some people report that they have experienced messages from the Divine as they walk on a snowy day. Perhaps it's because we're better able to hear the gods when it's quiet!

Yule Plum Pudding

By Patti Wigington, About.com Guide

The New Year's plum pudding is a staple feature of many a holiday feast, but it's more than just a tasty dessert. It's also considered a symbol of good luck and success in the coming year, so why not turn it into an addition to your magical menu?

Interestingly, the plum pudding doesn't contain plums at all. During the seventeenth century, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "plum" was a catch-all term for dried fruits such as raisins and prunes, which were used in the puddings. Prior to that, medieval dishes such as plum duff and plum cake were made with actual plums. It's also important to note that in this case, the word "pudding" is very different than what modern American cooks think of when they think of pudding. The plum pudding is more of a fatty cake, traditionally made with suet, saturated with brandy, wrapped in cloth and then steamed or boiled.

According to English custom, the plum pudding was usually prepared several weeks in advance of Christmas - usually on the Sunday before Advent, which became known as Stir-up Sunday. It was when you stirred up your pudding mix, and everyone in the household took a turn stirring. As each person stirred the heavy batter, they made a wish for the coming year.

In addition, when the pudding was baked, tiny tokens were mixed into the batter, and were said to bring good luck to whoever found the token in their slice - this was assuming, of course, that you didn't chip a tooth while biting into a sixpence coin or choke on a silver thimble. The pudding was served with great pomp and circumstance, applause, and lots of flames if possible, thanks to a liberal dousing with even more brandy before it was brought to the table.

If you'd like to celebrate Yule with a plum pudding tradition of your own, I'd recommend starting with some of the plum pudding recipes here:

·         Christmas Pudding at About British Food

·         Julia Child's Recipe at About Home Cooking

·         Mrs. Butcher's 1894 Recipe from About Women's History

As you stir up your batter, visualize your intent. Direct energy into the pudding, focusing on health, prosperity and good fortune in the coming new year. When it comes to baking anything into your batter, be careful. It's not a bad idea to wrap any tokens in aluminum foil so they'll be easier to find when people bite into their pudding. You can pick up small silver tokens at many craft stores. For symbolism, try some of the following:

·         For prosperity, a silver coin

·         For marriage or a long-term relationship, a ring

·         For creativity, a thimble (in the past, it represented spinsterhood)

·         For luck, a silver wishbone

Safety Tip: Be sure to use only silver tokens - modern coins contain alloys which can be harmful when baked into a food product!