Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
Between Two Worlds: Winter Solstice, Yule…and Christmas?

Between Two Worlds: Winter Solstice, Yule…and Christmas?

Last updated on: December 14, 2018 at 5:19 pm by Brianne Raven Wolf

Between Two Worlds: Winter Solstice, Yule…and Christmas? 2018-12-14T17:19:44+00:00 Brianne Raven Wolf

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Winter Solstice for me is a time of re-birth. It means re-birth in a different way this year since I had my gender reassignment surgery May 15th on the New Moon. Re-birth has more meaning for me now. I guess I didn’t think of it as being important before. What didn’t serve me before had to go. To accept the new. In my case it was my male physical parts. With what had given me a lot of gender dysphoria gone, I am able to concentrate on living my life authentically. Body, Soul and Spirit.

Image from Max Pixel, CC 1.0 License.

Winter Solstice doesn’t mean I like winter, I don’t. At least in my physical self. Cold, ice, and snow, I leave that to other people who enjoy skiing, skating, hockey and all the winter things I don’t care for. (Except for snowshoeing, which I like, for that I tolerate the snow.) But Winter Solstice also means that spring will be back in three months. I’ll be looking forward to that when Hekate and Demeter escort Persephone back to the Middle World. Beltane will be just around the corner after that. More hiking, camping and then it will be just a matter of time until PSG!

My spiritual side loves this time of year. More time for me to reflect on what has worked spiritually on my journey. And what changes I need to improve on how I live my life, physically and spiritually. One of the changes I’m working on is taking a one year and one day course from Keeping Her Keys, An Introduction to Hekate’s Modern Witchcraft that started on the New Moon in November. One of Hekate’s Keys is the Key of Wisdom, so that I may live a life of truth. I will live with more purpose, in practicing my magick, my craft, and my life, authentically.

Except for when I’ve been to Yule events in my pagan community, I’ve always celebrated Yule by myself. All that changed September 29th this year when my sister Shirley moved in with me. She had accepted the fact that I was pagan before she moved here. I have my beliefs, she has her’s. She believes in Jesus and likes Christmas. I don’t. Pretty simple, well, mostly.

She mails out Christmas cards, I don’t. I don’t send cards to anyone. I like to greet my friends at Yule personally. I prefer to talk to my siblings at Christmas, not just have them read a card. I sent Yule cards out to them 2 years ago, but that didn’t go over so good. Or as Shirley is fond of saying, oh well.

Tree Farm, photo by Mankey.

I’m not opposed to having Yule and Christmas trees in homes and spiritual places. I just prefer to see them the way they are in nature. Pine cones, acorns, hazelnuts, walnuts and fungi are enough decorations for me. And since I’m outdoors a lot, especially hiking, I get to be with trees a lot. I can talk to them, touch them and commune with them. I can’t see cutting them down just to put them inside. A neighbor of mine when I lived in the country agreed with me. He only cut down dead trees for firewood. He would cut down a small dead tree every year for Christmas. No ornaments, except for natural things would he attach to it, like pine cones or nuts. Then after the season was over, he would burn it in his wood stove. Recycle and repurpose. He spread the ashes on ice on his driveway.

I’ll be spending Yule this year at Circle Sanctuary. At our sanctuary work day, my sister came along with me to help. She got to help decorate the Yule tree and it made her happy. She likes to help out at our work days, but not at events. I will attend our Yule event my myself and with others. That will make me happy.

We did agree to put a wreath on our apartment door. I preferred plain. She attached small jingle bells to it. We agreed and it looks nice. She keeps an artificial Christmas tree in her bedroom decorated all year long. I asked her if she would like a live tree in a pot in our living room. One that could be planted outside in the spring. No, that didn’t fly. But it all worked out and both of us are happy.

I do all the cooking since my sister Shirley moved in. She does the cleaning of the apartment. Works out good for both of us. I’ll be cooking the Christmas dinner for us. And I’ll play some Christmas music for her, and Yuletide music for me. Hey Shirley, how about the Dar Williams song, The Christians and the Pagans?

Until next time, in the future. Happy holidays!

About Brianne Ravenwolf

Brianne Ravenwolf has identified as a Pagan from a very young age. She is an active member of Circle Sanctuary in Wisconsin. She volunteers her time there helping at most Full Moon Rituals, as well as some workshops, Circle events, and Sanctuary work days. At Pagan Spirit Gathering (PSG) last year, she became the first Pagan Transwoman to have the Senioring Rite of Passage. She follows a Hekatean Witchcraft Spiritual Path. To relax, she likes to walk, camp, and hike as much as possible in very rural areas. Brianne is also an avid reader, especially young adult novels. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

December 12, 2018

21st Century Viking: Queen of the Vikings

Next Post

December 14, 2018 Omens & Oracles: Fortune Teller Problems

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Lakeside Hearth Adventures in Wortcunning Alone In Her Presence Arts, Crafts & Cooking Birthing Hereditary Witchcraft Book of Blackbirds Book Reviews Born-Again Witch Cauldron, Sword, Spear, & Stone Cermony and Liturgy Columns Community Dandelion Seeds Dear Jasmine Druid Thoughts Editor's Picks Everyday Pagan Family & Household Practice Family Traditions Full Frontal Magic Gateway Goddess Guest Articles Happily Heathen Health and Wellness Hearth of Hellenism Heathen Woman Hills of the Horizon History Holidays Horse Goddesses Interfaith Interviews Irish-American Witchcraft Jewish Witch Lamp & Labyrinth Letters from Midgard Literature, Media, Film, Music Loop of Brighid Love, Sex & Relationships Magic or Magick Making Light Naturalistic Traditions Nature News Outside The Circle Pantheisticon Politics Prayers, Poems, Blessings & Stories Queer Femme Mystic Queer of Swords Recipes Ritual and Practice Science and Research Seekers and Guides Seeking the Grail Socially Responsible Magic Spear of Athena Star Made Witch Syncretic Electric Technology The Blooming Staff The Busy Witch The Cartomancer The Crow's Nest The Dance of Pagan Recovery The Hearth of Hellenism The Lady's Quill The Other Side of the Hedge The Path of She The Rantin' Raven The Witches Next Door The Zen Pagan Theology, Ethics, Philosophy Tree City Witch Urban Earthwitch Wayfaring Woman Witch on Fire Wyrd Words

Select a Month January 2026 March 2025 December 2024 June 2024 April 2024 March 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 August 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who led a rebellion called "the men of Belial" against David near his end?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Absalom Amasa Sheba son of Bichri Adonijah