Traditional Date: Christmas Day, December 25th.
Astrological Date: Winter Solstice, Sun 0° Capricorn
See also: Calendar of Festivals
As explained in the Calendar, although the names at least of the eight annual Solar festivals of Western esoteric tradition are pagan in origin, the festivals themselves are also of considerable significance in the Christian church. Although I have endeavoured to make the majority of these meditations non-denominational and non-sectarian, because of the great significance attached to the Christmas season in predominantly Christian countries (even by people who are not active members of any particular Church) the symbolism of this particular meditation is unashamedly Christian in outlook. It is my hope that those of other religious persuasions will nevertheless be able to appreciate this meditation for the beauty of its imagery.
These meditations on the Solar Festivals are intended to be performed on or near the appropriate date. Please see the Calendar for more details.
Yule: The middle of winter is a special time of year, a time when very special energies are flowing through the world. When the days are at their shortest and the earth is dark and bare, a special energy starts to flow within the earth, to build and renew the life force hidden within, making ready to break forth with vigour renewed in the Springtime.
Many ancient symbols of the time of year relate to this energy; the fire that keeps us warm through the winter is kept burning day and night to symbolise and by association to strengthen this hidden vital energy. The custom of giving gifts represents an exchange of energies, so encouraging the energies within to flow more freely. Many religions have a special celebration to mark an end of the increasing darkness and a start to the increase of light. In the tradition of the Christian religion, the birth of Jesus Christ is associated with just this time of the year, representing a new light to lighten the darkness that had hitherto prevailed on Earth. And this event, too, can be seen as a gift: the gift of God bestowed upon mankind. In this meditation, we will tune ourselves into this winter energy, the energy of the solstice, the energy that many people know as the Spirit of Christmas. By performing this attunement we encourage the renewing, revivifying energies of the hidden currents of winter to flow in our own bodies, lightening and enriching our lives, and we will then be able to reflect this energy back into the world at large, and so bring life, peace and blessedness to all mankind.
Prepare yourself for meditation in the usual way. When you are ready, visualise yourself on a hillside.
It is night, cold but clear. There is light from the stars and the moon. Down below in the valley is a house. There are lights at all the windows and the sound of festivities coming from it.
You go down the hill, towards the house. You see group of people approaching the door. They pause at the door, and sing a Christmas carol.
When they come to the end of their song, they are invited inside. Through the open door you see that there is a party in full swing. A roaring fire in the grate, lots of good food and drink, and children playing happily with their new toys, around a brightly decorated Christmas tree.
You feel that you would be made welcome if you were to go inside, but you do not linger; there is much more for you to see tonight.
You journey on, through woods and fields and across a river and now, in front of you, you see a great medieval castle. The gates are open wide, the guards standing by, watching you with idle curiosity as you pass through the gates into the courtyard.
There is a crowd of people here, laughing and joking and watching some tumblers perform. Several wild boars are being roasted on spits over open fires; nature's gift of food to the hunter, in this season of bare fields and hedgerows. Wine and beer are being served from booths at the side walls of the castle. There is a general atmosphere of rejoicing and merriment.
You warm yourself near one of the fires, for the night is still chilly. Someone offers you a goblet of wine, which you gratefully accept.
You continue to enjoy the warmth and the entertainment for a while, then something catches your eye at an upper window. Someone is looking out. He is not wearing regal vestments; nevertheless, from his appearance and demeanour, you know that he is the King. He is looking out over the castle walls towards the forest.
The face at the window disappears, the next you see of the King is in a doorway at the base of the main castle building. The King summons a page, talks animatedly to him for a few moments, and the page hurries off.
After a few minutes, you see the page come back to where the King is waiting. He is carrying a large sack of food and a bundle of firewood. He and the King slip quietly out through the castle gate, unnoticed by the crowd - but you follow them.
You follow them for quite a long distance, across wintry fields, to the edge of the forest. There is a small shack here. The King and the page go inside.
You go closer and look through the window. There is an old peasant man inside; he seems nervous at first, but the King soon puts him at his ease and all three sit down to enjoy a feast together.
You move on again, into the forest now. It is very still and quiet in the forest, and a little less cold because you are sheltered from the wind.
Touch one of the trees; embrace it. It feels still, cold, and lifeless at first; but no: perhaps not quite; deep, deep down in the roots of the tree, far under the earth, you fell the glimmer of a warming current of energy. Draw the energy up to yourself; feel it flowing up the trunk of the tree and into your body, warming and vivifying. Enjoy the pleasant warmth as the energy fills your being and flows around to every part of your body.
Leave the tree now, taking some of the energy with you. The tree looks dark and still, just as before, but you sense the new life beginning to stir in it as you walk away.
You leave the forest and find yourself in an open field. The sky is bright and starry. There are three men, in rough clothing, walking ahead of you. One of them is carrying a young lamb. You follow them.
You follow them for some distance, and enter a village, busy with people. Unhesitatingly, they head for a small stable in the yard of an inn - and there, lying in the straw of a manger, is a tiny baby, his mother and father watching him intently.
The man carrying the lamb goes in and, with some shyness, offers it to the mother as a gift for the child; it is graciously accepted.
In a few days time kings will come here, bearing rich gifts, but gifts that they can well afford. How much more valuable is this gift of one lamb, which to the shepherd is his livelihood. That is how important he believes this child to be.
For you see, what you give to this child is not a gift for this one individual alone, but a gift that will return again, to the benefit of the whole of mankind.
Knowing this, what would you give? Will you give just a little of the winter energy that you have just absorbed, knowing that it will revivify and vitalise the whole of the human race? Will you?
The child seems to understand your mind and looks at you with the knowing look that you will often see on the face of a newborn child, who has not yet become too attached to what we as adults call "the ways of the world". For make no mistake, this is a very human child that you are looking at, pride and joy of his mother and cherished just as much as any other newborn.
Take this thought with you as, quietly and without fuss, you leave the stable.
Find a secluded spot, away from other people's gaze, and go over in your mind all the things that you have seen tonight.
Be still for a few moments; then, finally, return to objective reality, in the place and the time where you started your meditation. Put your consciousness in the centre of your head, just behind your eyes; and when you are ready, open your eyes.
When performing this attunement, remember that we are encouraging the renewing, revivifying energies of the hidden currents of winter to flow in our own bodies, lightening and enriching our lives, so that we will be able to reflect this energy back into the world at large, and thus bring life, peace and blessedness to all mankind.
Take a few hours, or a few days, to absorb the significance of this meditation. If you wish, you may repeat the meditation several times during the period around the Festival concerned.