Yule · Winter Solstice · Reiki Activation · Manifest Differently
Yule and the Winter Solstice: Meaning, Ritual and the Return of the LightA Reiki activation for the longest night
Rest in the dark. The light is already turning back.
Coming for the solstice
This year's Yule activation is on its way
A new winter solstice Reiki activation will arrive in the days before Yule. Until then, last year's solstice activation and a Christmas season activation are waiting for you just below, and you are welcome to listen to either one now.
Listen to Past ActivationsWhat is Yule?
Yule is a winter solstice festival that the Germanic peoples historically kept. Over time, in parts of northern Europe, the word came to mean Christmas, and some of today's Christmas customs may trace back to that older midwinter feast.
The winter solstice itself is an astronomical event. It is the moment in December when the Sun reaches its southernmost point, giving the Northern Hemisphere its longest night and shortest day. After it, the days begin to lengthen again.
Today, many modern Pagan and Wiccan paths keep Yule at the winter solstice as one of eight seasonal festivals called the Wheel of the Year. Others keep Christmas, or both, or simply light a candle on the longest night.
There is no single way to keep Yule. This page shares how I work with it and leaves room for how you do.
Yule and Christmas, both
The longest night, and the first turning of the light.
I celebrate both, and they feel different in me. The solstice is my quiet, reflective one. I spend that time feeling into the season, getting prepared and sensing what it will be like as the light returns.
Christmas, at least in my house, is more about the kids, the family and the friends, and celebrating together.
If you keep Yule, Christmas, both or neither, you're welcome here. Nothing on this page asks you to choose between them.
I made two activations for this season last year, so you will find one for each below.
This year's sky
Here is what the sky is doing around Yule this year. I use astrology as a lens for reflection, never as a rule.
The Sun
Enters Capricorn at the solstice
The winter solstice arrives on December 21 at 2:50 p.m. Central, as the Sun moves into Capricorn, the sign of patience, structure and slow building.
The Moon
New in Sagittarius, full in Cancer
The New Moon in Sagittarius falls on December 8, a time for one honest intention. The Cancer Full Moon follows on December 23, close to Christmas Eve.
Mercury and Venus
Both moving forward again
After this autumn's retrogrades, Mercury and Venus have both been direct since mid-November, with Mercury in Sagittarius and Venus in Scorpio at the solstice.
The 12/12 portal falls on December 12, nine days before the solstice. Many people use that stretch for completion and for deciding what they want to carry into the new year.
About the Yule activation
My solstice activations are Reiki transmissions for the longest night. They are slow and quiet by design, because this season asks for rest before it asks for anything else.
Let the swirl settle
We begin by calling your energy back, then picture your inner world as a snow globe. We set it down instead of shaking it clear.
Rest is part of the season
Winter isn't a lack of growth. It is the part of the cycle where things go dormant so something new can rise in its own timing.
One honest intention
With the New Moon nearby, there is room to place one true intention into the dark. Just one, with no to-do list attached.
The light returns
Hearth, moon, sun and dawn each have a place. The light comes back because it always does, and you don't have to chase it.
You can listen any time, not only at Yule. Headphones are lovely but not required. Receive only what feels right, and if you drift off along the way, let yourself.
A simple winter solstice ritual
One way to do it, not the way. Change anything that doesn't fit you.
- Choose a quiet time on the longest night, or in the days around it. Turn the lights low and, if you like, light one candle or a small fire.
- Sit for a few minutes with what this year has asked of you. Let the swirl settle without trying to sort it.
- Write down one honest intention for the light that is returning. Just one, and keep it simple.
- Listen to an activation, sitting or lying down. Rest is the practice.
- Place the paper somewhere safe, near the candle or on your altar. Close gently with some water, a few slow breaths and the candle blown out when you're ready.
If you work with Reiki, you can rest your hands on your heart or belly while you listen. If you don't, that's fine too.
A simple Yule altar
An altar doesn't need to be elaborate. A small table, shelf or windowsill is enough. Here is what you might gather:
- A cloth in deep green, red, gold or midnight blue to mark the space
- Candles, for the light that is returning
- Evergreens such as pine, fir or holly, for what stays alive through winter
- Something from the season: a pinecone, an orange, a branch
- A bowl of water or a small stone, for stillness
- Your intention on paper, with your journal beside it
Take it down when the season feels finished. The altar is a place to pause, not a rule to keep.
Is Yule the same as Christmas?
Not exactly, and they are connected. Yule was a Germanic winter solstice festival, and in parts of northern Europe the word later came to mean Christmas. Some Christmas customs may trace back to that older midwinter feast.
Today they are usually kept as two different things. Yule is the Pagan and Wiccan festival of the winter solstice, around December 21. Christmas is the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus, on December 25, and many people also keep it as a cultural or family holiday.
Plenty of people keep both, and that's how I keep them. They can sit side by side.
Nobody has to give up their tradition to be welcome here.
Past activations
Two activations from last year's season, both yours to return to at any time.
Winter Solstice Activation
About thirty-four minutes of rest for the longest night. It calls in Hestia, Haniel, Apollo, Aurora and the Oversoul of Aureya, which I work with as frequencies in my own words, and it uses the snow globe image to let the swirl of the year settle.
Winter Solstice Reiki Activation · 2025
Awaken Your Inner Alchemist
This one is my Christmas season activation. I made it after reading Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, which moved me so much I wanted to hold its essence in a Reiki transmission. It is about forty-six minutes. It crosses an inner desert, listens for the signs the world is sending, and burns away what is false in a crucible. Archangels Michael, Raphael, Uriel and Zadkiel, fire goddesses such as Sekhmet, Brigid and Pele, the Hathors and the Oversoul of Aureya walk with you.
Awaken Your Inner Alchemist · Christmas Season Reiki Activation · 2025
The Wheel of the Year
Yule is one of eight seasonal festivals that many modern Pagan paths mark through the year. Each has its own page, so you can follow the wheel around the year.
Where to go from here
If this season is calling you inward, and then back toward the light, here is a doorway. Take it at your own pace.
The Ongoing Work
Carry the light into the Temple
Temple of Mysteries is a living mystery school built on Inanna's descent. Inside, the seven gates are walked rather than read: the descent, the transmutation, and the return as a new version of you, with live circles and verbal Reiki activations along the way. Yule is the turning point of that return.
Enter the TempleNot sure where to start?
A short quiz that names the gate you're standing at right now.
Take the Gate QuizRead the story
The seven gates of Inanna's descent, and why I walk with her.
The Seven Gates of InannaCurious about the Reiki behind the activations? Read about the Usui Reiki lineage.
Frequently asked questions
What is Yule, and when is it?
Yule is a winter solstice festival that the Germanic peoples historically kept, and many modern Pagan and Wiccan paths keep it today at the winter solstice. In 2026 the winter solstice falls on December 21 at 20:50 UTC, which is 2:50 p.m. Central Time.
What is the winter solstice?
The winter solstice is the moment in December when the Sun reaches its southernmost point, giving the Northern Hemisphere its longest night and shortest day. After it, the days begin to lengthen again.
How do you celebrate Yule or the winter solstice?
There is no one way. Many people light candles or a small fire, decorate with evergreens, set up a simple altar, write an intention for the returning light, rest, or listen to a guided meditation or Reiki activation. This page has a simple five-step ritual you can adapt.
What do you put on a Yule altar?
Candles, evergreens such as pine, fir or holly, something from the season, a bowl of water or a small stone, and an intention written on paper. Keep it simple. It is a place to pause.
Is Yule the same as Christmas?
Not exactly, and they are connected. Yule was a Germanic winter solstice festival, and in parts of northern Europe the word later came to mean Christmas. Today Yule is usually kept as the Pagan festival of the winter solstice, and Christmas is the Christian celebration on December 25. Many people keep both.
Can I celebrate both Yule and Christmas?
Yes. I celebrate both myself. The solstice is my reflective, quiet one, and Christmas is more about family and friends celebrating together. They can sit side by side.
The longest night is not a punishment.
The light is already turning back.
Guided by Carissa Andrews, Reiki Master and lineage holder.
Reiki is a practice of energetic support and is not a substitute for medical or psychological care. No specific outcomes are promised or guaranteed.