Yule Sabbat 2023 Dragonfly

 

Yule Sabbat

Circle Dragonfly 12/21/23

Tonight, we gather to turn the page. Soon 2023 will be over, and 2024 will begin. Don’t focus on leaving things behind, but rather on accepting change and moving forward. Every story has a beginning and an ending; and we are all merely turning the page to begin a new chapter.
 

Smudge & Anoint

Welcome to all who come to keep the Old Ways. Tonight, we’re here to celebrate the Season, to look back on all the wonderful moments we’ve enjoyed this past year. May the light of the Sun find its way into our hearts.

(Invite everyone to form a line for smudging and anointing)

 

Alter Devotions

(Wait until everyone is seated and comfortable)

May the time be close at hand when all may live in harmony
A peaceful world of kindred hearts, united as a family
In your heart, may there be peace
In your home, may there be happiness
In the world, may there be love, So Mote it Be
 

History

Ancient people saw the flow of time as circular, not linear, and the Changing Seasons were understood as a Great Wheel, or Wheel of the Year. The beautiful wreaths that decorate our doors and windows are a symbol of the New Year and its turning. The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year. The wheel of the year has turned once more and the nights have grown longer and colder. Now the darkness begins to retreat and light begins its return once again. As the wheel continues to turn, the Sun returns to us once more. In ancient times the return of the light was never taken for granted. And people never forgot how their very lives depended on its return. Homes were decorated with evergreens and candles so that the new light would find welcome and beauty in the New Year.

Cast Circle

Three times round this Circle’s bound. From the North and the East to the South and the West then back to the North again. 
 
The first is a Circle of Protection, as we ask our Father Nature to cast a protective eye upon all who dwell within these walls.
The second is a Circle of Hope, as we understand that all who pass through these doors will find hope in themselves and in their futures.
The third is a Circle of Love, as we know that our Mother Earth shines the light of Her love upon all who gather here beneath this roof.
 
Three times round this Circle’s bound.  North, South, East and West from edge to edge this Circle is cast. So, Mote It Be.
 

Invocation

Crone:    I am The Crone, the Old One who rules the time of Winter. Do you know my names? Hecate, Cerridwen, Spider Grandmother. I am midwife of life and death, the Changer, she who stands at the crossroads. I am the storyteller. This night I have brought the guardians of each direction to tell the story of the Sun God, a story of Life, Death, and Rebirth!
 

Call the Quarters

NORTH:  I am the North, the place of midnight, ruled by the element of Earth.  I am the place of the ancestors and ancient wisdom, of all that has walked the Wheel through millennia and knows the way.  I rule the time of Winter.
 
HPS - The time of Darkness is now upon us; a time of cold and scarcity when the northern-most Earth leans farthest from the Sun.  The Sun gives brief light and little warmth.  The life that was lies shattered and still, retreated like refugees in the migration of herds, the flight of the flocks.  The trees stand stripped and naked in their poverty, imprisoned in ice, bowed and broken by storms.  In suffering and hardship, you learn what is essential. Your wealth is taken, your weakness exposed, your dreams perish. Even the God, too, dies!  So, Mote it Be.
 
Crone:    Remember that you are EARTH – Ground, Give, Build, and Heal
 
EAST:       I am the East the place of the dawn, ruled by the element of Air. I am the breath of life, of speech and song. I watch over all the winged ones. I am the season of Spring, the season of birth and new creation surging forth.
 
HPS - Can you remember the Spring? Life surges forth in buds and sprouts. The trees dress their branches in new leaves as the sap rises to rouse them from sleep. The birds return from the realms of the South to raise their children. New life comes forth and multiplies. The Earth warms and leans towards the Sun as she greens and blossoms. Each day the young Sun rises in the East and each day grows stronger. Each day the time of light lasts longer. Did you think it would last forever? The Wheel turns!  Hail and Blessed Be.
 
Crone:    Remember that you are AIR – Observe, Breath, Focus, and Decide
 
SOUTH:   I am the South, the place of mid-day, ruled by the element of Fire. I am the passion and laughter of life; keeper of Earth's fertility, Guardian of all that walks and crawls on the Earth.  I hold the gift of fertile Earth from whence your crops come forth.  I am the blessing of children, the keeper of truth and innocence.  I am the season of Summer.
 
HPS - Can you remember the Summer? The fruit sets upon the vines and the branches of the trees. The herds fatten on the thick grass of the upper pastures. Young animals scamper and play under the watchful eyes of the older animals. The young birds learn to fly. Your own children take shade under the glorious leaf canopy of the trees. The Earth leans nearest the Sun, radiant in her beauty. The Sun, strong and hot, is at the peak of His power. And the light exceeds the darkness. Did you think it would last forever? The Wheel turns!  Hail and Blessed Be.
 
Crone:    Remember that you are FIRE – Burn, Tame, Adapt, and Ignite
 
WEST:      I am the West, place of dusk, ruled by the Element of Water. I am the guardian of life's water, from the oceans' depths to the waters of the womb that rocked you before your birth. I am the sweet rain satisfying the thirsty Earth, and keeper of all that swims and lives in water. I am the place of all that lies below the surface, of intuition and dreams. I am the season of Fall and I rule the time of Harvest.
 
HPS - Can you remember the time of Fall? Do you remember the backbreaking labor of harvesting the grains and fruits and vegetables; the vines and trees heavy with their bounty?  Now the young animals take their places beside the elders and begin the great migrations to the realms of the South and the pastures of the lowlands. The trees transform from deep green into glorious gold, orange, and red, their true colors shine forth before they drop their finery, leaf by leaf, to the ground. Your own children must be dressed against the evening chill and you labor to make ready for the coming darkness. The Earth stands apart from the Sun who grows cooler, and the light begins to die. Did you think it would last forever? The Wheel turns!  Hail and Blessed Be.
 
Crone:    Remember that you are WATER – Cry, Cleanse, Flow, Let Go

Workings

Silence...cold...stillness...deep...dormant...rest...waiting

 
HPS - Winter has always been a time to gather with family or friends, of returning to the hearth and home. It’s also a time of turning inward; a time of quiet reflection while the earth around us sleeps. This is when we reflect on the year past, when we stop to gather strength and make plans for the year ahead.

Stillness and thought of death come more readily to us in winter and remind us that each season is part of an ongoing cycle of birth, growth, fruition, and death.  The annuals that die in winter provide the mulch and compost for the spring seedlings. The cold of winter provides the dormancy for seeds and bulbs so that they may burst forth in spring. The harshness of winter prepares us for the burst of creativity, freedom, and light of spring and summer. The crisp, clear, cold, nights reveal a sky filled with the stars of the galaxies that connect us with our origins and the origins of all that is.  The bare branches of trees, stripped to the essentials, remind us to reflect on what is essential in our lives.

Winter brings the still time for us to consider what is meaningful and what is not. To ask ourselves what choices have I made, what have I done to bring light into someone else’s life? What inheritance have I received from life, what legacy will I leave? To take the time in winter's quiet to ponder these deeper, inner questions pays honor to this season and to the eternal rhythms of the Earth.  The people in darkness have seen a great light and though this light is yet small, it grows stronger as it grows in each of us. As the wheel turns, the light returns.
 
Crone:    The Winter Solstice promises new dreams, new hopes and new light. Our lives are not measured by the things we possess…or the power we wield...but by the light we leave in someone else’s life.  The simple things that we do…like a welcoming smile, the selfless things…like lending a hand to someone else in need…the sacrificing things…like babysitting when what you really want is quiet.  These are all examples of the light we can shine in our own lives.  As we light our candles in recognition of the light returning to the New Year…we invite others to talk about what they would like to do in the coming year to bring a little of our own light to others.
 

Cakes & Ale

May this food & drink bring light and life to those who enjoy them. May their hope be strong through all the days of the coming year.  All that we do is in service and in honor to you.  May we never hunger, May we never thirst.  So, Mote It Be!
 

Release Circle

May the spirit of Yule remain with us all through the coming year, may our obstacles vanish and our seeds take root and flourish as we are all blessed with compassion.  May those who guide us with their light, protect us in the dark and walk beside us on the roads traveled, this Circle is open but unbroken, merry meet, merry part and merry meet again.