WELCOME!
Yule: We Are Light
Come in, come in! I’m so happy you’re here. The season of Yule (pronounced YOOL) is upon us! It all begins with the Winter Solstice, which is celebrated by people all around the world and marks the longest night of the year. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, the Winter Solstice falls on Tuesday, December 21st. This ancient holiday honors the return of the sun and highlights themes of rebirth, active hope, intention-setting, illumination and enlightenment.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Story of the Season: a Homily for the Winter Solstice (audio & PDF)
The Great Wide Open (video)
In the Studio (video)
Collaborative Alchemy Podcast: a new episode with Myriam Loeschen
Fuel for the Fire: Writing prompts, links, reading lists, Spotify playlists, etc.
Further Connection: Community Zoom call (link)
NOTE of ENGAGEMENT:
Please do not share the link to this page with others. This content was created just for you. Thank you for your respect and understanding.
Seasonal Focus: Joy Practice
In my part of the world, there is a damp and lasting darkness that happens during the final throes of November. Yes the days are growing shorter, but it’s more than that. All autumn color has seeped away, revealing the charred brown and black of earth and the bruised gray and sepia of sky. The clouds roll in for weeks at a time and the mud and mess of early winter covers tires and boots and dogs and floorboards.
Then one day in early or mid-December as sunlight circles the drain of the year, the sky opens up and delivers light in the form of snow. What was once a blanket of dank decaying leaves transforms in an instant. Fresh fallen snow is a wonder to behold, not merely for its shocking whiteness, but for the light it reflects. The little bowl of our valley sheds its cave-like personality and becomes a mirror for the heavens.
As light begins to return to the valley, I give thanks for the darkness. I give thanks for the creeks as they ice over, thanks for the howling Coyotes prowling the foothills, thanks for the feisty birds elbowing each other at the edge of my neighbor’s bird feeder, thanks for the hearth that heats the bones of my home, and I give thanks for all the silence that surrounds me. I wonder if these winter gifts were what the composer Issac Watts was referring to when he wrote “repeat the sounding joy.” Let’s all share the gifts of our grateful hearts as we dive into our creative work this season. Then might we truly deliver joy to the world.
Calling You Home — A Homily
This is a great place to begin. For each of the eight bundles that make up the Creative Alchemy Cycle, I write a seasonal story to set the container for the bundle. These homilies are my way of practicing alongside you and using the creative alchemy tools to create my own work. You can download a copy using the button below and/or listen to the audio.
The Great Wide Open
My creative process always begins outside. This is where I weave the outer landscape with the inner one. Pine Valley is covered with its first layer of snow. Follow me down to the Powder River to catch the last glimpses of the water flow before it ices over. Then we’ll walk through the Wallowa foothills along Pine Creek and marvel at the conifers.
In the Studio
After viewing The Great Wide Open, let’s head into my studio. This is where I metabolize, incubate, and process all the elements which make up my current state of creative alchemy. We’ll chat about your care packages, build our seasonal altar, talk about themes of this season, and create two botanical paintings to honor the wonder and magic of Yule.
Collaborative Alchemy Podcast
Collaborative Alchemy is a series of conversations with artists, thought leaders, activists, farmers, educators, creatives, and other polymaths where we tell our stories, expand our histories, and hold space for new ways of being. This season, I talk with facilitator and coach Myriam Loeschen about releasing perfectionism, appreciating the beauty in the cracks, and the healing power of silence. We also talk about how Myriam weaves her creative passion for cooking and nourishing food into a powerful framework for working with clients and groups. Listen in as we discuss what it means to be wounded, worthy and honoring a life in process. More about Myriam HERE.
FUEL FOR THE FIRE
Writing prompts and further exploration, links, reading lists, spotify playlists, etc. Click on the images or buttons below to view, visit, or download.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Invitations for Further Connection
RECORDING of our January 2nd Community Connection Call:
PART TWO: For Full Subscribers
The Yule Community Network & Gallery
The community network & gallery is a communication platform for those who are full subscribers! It’s like Facebook but WAY better: no advertisements, completely private, and built collectively. As a member of the Cycle you received an invitation to join our Creative Alchemy Cycle (CAC) online network via Mighty Networks. The button below will take you to the network.
About the Yule Care Package
For those of you subscribing to the full Cycle through Patreon, your care-packages will be arriving between December 13-19. These love-filled packages contain natural objects, local Eastern Oregon flavor, and art ephemera to inspire your journey, and adorn your seasonal altars. Please note that there is a Ponderosa Pinecone in your package and it may be pokey!
CONTENTS of the YULE PACKAGE:
✦ welcome letter and poem
✦ silver mercury glass votive
✦ white tea light
✦ Ponderosa Pinecone
✦ dried Yule fruit blend
✦ 2022 Lunar Calendar
✦ surprise gift for your child self
HOLIDAY GIFT TAG DOWNLOAD:
And just for fun, I made these PDF of Holiday Gift Tags for you. Please feel free to download to your desktop and print as many as you like to adorn your holiday packages. Happy Solstice!
ABOUT the YULE FRUIT BLEND:
Ingredients: Dehydrated Honeycrisp Apples, Perfection Apricots, Red Bartlet Pears, and Shinseiki Pears. I’ve also added whole clove and allspice for an aromatic seasonal kick!
Source: Do you remember our trip to Eagle Creek Orchard during the Samhain “Great Wide Open” video? That was the day I harvested the apples used for the Yule Brew in your care package. All the fruit varieties are organic. And all fruit was dehydrated in my kitchen under Covid-19 safe restrictions.
Directions: There are lots of ways to enjoy the dried fruit blend.
SNACKING: The dreid fruit is ready to eat!
TEA: For a lovely light fruit and spice tea, add contents of the bag into a pot of water on the stove. Simmer for 15 minutes and enjoy with honey.
MULLING: For a warm mulled beverage, add contents of jar to a pot of apple cider or wine and simmer on the stove for 20-30 minutes. Strain and enjoy!
Gratitude.
“And if they tried
to match the whirl
of my fingerprint,
they’d learn my true
identity is galaxy,
close cousin to the fern,
and sister to the nautilus.
They’d learn I’m most definitely
guilty of Fibonacci.
I leave evidence
everywhere—tiny
invisible swirls,
reminders that I,
too, am hurricane,
eddy, whirlpool,
and sunflower head.
I have been marked
like the pinecone,
spiraling out from the center,
and there’s nothing
I won’t touch.”
— Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer