Yuletide Blessings

We place value upon our daily tasks in order to justify our investment in them. This could be at work where monetary value is placed upon the hours we give, in the home where investment brings value to our personal space, or in our leisure time which gives meaning to our friendships and our need to unwind.

In every part of our existence we attempt to turn the lead of everyday life into gold in some way or another. We are not idle, we are productive in our quest, we believe in our investment and the effort it takes to achieve a fulfilled existence.

But at what point do we stop, reassess, be thankful and make projections for our future investment?

At what point do we exist in the ‘now’ long enough to gather insight from the past to fully understand the future?

At what point do we truly understand the value of what we are doing and where it leads?

In fact do we really understand our value and the value placed upon us by others at all?

The answer to all these questions is rarely.

This time of year marks the start of earths solar time of renewal and is an especially potent time to stop, reflect and assess our past and our future. The day of the Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year representing the return of the life-giving Sun so essential for life, light and nourishment. Yule comes with the Winter Solstice and incorporates Christmas; a time for gathering with others, exchanging gifts and sharing time. It therefore presents the perfect opportunity to give thanks together for the passing year, and project desires into the year to come.

Yule is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as an archaic word for Christmas with links to the Old Norse word ‘jól’; a pre-christian festival lasting 12 days. Yule begins at 0.00am 22nd December and is observed through till 23.59 on 2nd January. This provides 6 days from 22nd – 27th December to reflect upon and give thanks for the year that has passed, and 6 days from 28th December – 2nd January to project into the year to come.

Your thanks and projections can take any thought form, but a physical reminder of these will help you remain mindful of the value of your intentions. In many households a tin of favourite sweets aids the process, with each sweet representing a thanks or a projection according to the date it is taken. Many find more than 6 thanks for the past year and more than 6 projections for the coming year, with quite a collection of sweets building up over the 12 days depending on if they are eaten at the time or saved. If you are health conscious pick an alternative to sweets, like nuts or fruits. Whatever you use becomes a token symbol for the value you place upon this reflection and projection time. The ritual of eating these tokens imbibes your thanks and projections into your being, cementing them as part of the value you place upon yourself and others.

Over the next 12 days I will guide you through possible thanks and projections with suggestions posted each day for you to ponder upon and include in your Yule ritual if they speak to your inner self.

Have a happy Yule one and all

Yuletide Thanks Day 1