Oak and Holly Yule Ritual

Items needed: a little salt and honey, an ignitable spirit in the cauldron, a black robe, an oak crown, a holly crown, votive candles for each element altar, and a small candle in either green or red.

Purify and cast Circle.

__________________ invokes the Goddess with:

“Mother Goddess, Queen of Night, by whatever names we call Thee -__________________ - we know that You hear us. We ask that You join us in our ritual tonight as we help You midwife the Sun. Hail and Welcome!”

__________________ invokes the God with:

“Lord of the Oaks, God of Yuletide, by whatever names we call Thee - __________________ - we know that You hear us. We ask that You join us as we celebrate the sacred drama that is Your birth and bless us on this longest night. Hail and Welcome!”

__________________ says:

“This is the night of Solstice, the longest night of the year. Now darkness triumphs and yet gives way and changes into light. The breath of nature is suspended; all waits while within the Cauldron the Dark King is transformed into the Infant Light. We watch for the coming of the dawn, when the Great Mother gives birth to the Divine Sun child, who is the bringer of hope and the promise of Summer. This is the stillness behind motion, when time itself stops. We turn the Wheel and the dawn rises, as the God is reborn. Blessed be!”

__________________ say:

“To die and be reborn,
The Wheel is turning.”

__________________ say:

“The light was born,
And the light has died.”

__________________ say:

“Everything passes,
All fades away.”

__________________ say:

“Our bodies are salt, Taste the breath of death.”

Sprinkle salt on your tongue, taste its bitterness and feel your connection with death and your ability to destroy. Pass the salt deosil around the Circle so everyone may taste it.

__________________ say:

“Turn your face to where the Sun goes down,
One thing becomes another.
Make of your heart a burning fire,
Pass and instant through the open gate,
Over the dark of a sunless sea,
Guide the ship of the rising sun
Into the raging wind and storm.
Sleep the sleep of the newborn.
Taste the sweetness of life.”

Place a small amount of honey on your tongue, allowing its sweetness to melt there. Feel your connection with life and your own ability to create. Pass the honey around the Circle deosil so everyone may taste it.

All say together:

“We are awake in the night!
We turn the Wheel to bring the light!
We call the sun from the womb of night!”

__________________ light the cauldron, everyone should gather around the burning cauldron to feel its heat, take in the symbology of the sun returning from the cauldron womb of the Goddess.

Everyone chant while watching the cauldron burn, allow the chant to get louder,
when the power peaks the acting HPS should release the power into the earth to help instigate Spring:

“The Wheel turns, the power burns.”

Once the power is released everyone should meditate upon the sun, on the hidden
energies within you and the Earth. Think on birth; not as a start but as a continuation, welcome the return of the God.

Re-enact the ritual between the Oak and Holly Kings. Each element altar should have a small votive candle at it.

__________________ place the Oak crown on your head and say:

“In the dark that is winter, I find that I am tired. I no longer wish to be Lord of the Greenwood, the Greenwood has become skeletal and barren with the cold. I no longer wish to be the God-King of the Underworld, ruling with my consort Queen. I only wish to cross the Veil and leave another in my place. Will someone take my responsibilities unto themselves? Will one place the Holly on his head and lead the Dance for a half turn of the Wheel?”

__________________ responds:

“No, my Lord, there is no-one here to take your place. Try at the Eastern Gate, perhaps your Holly twin is there and take this candle to light your way.”
(Hands him a candle that is lit from the ritual candle on the Spirit altar.)

Oak King walks to the East and asks:

“I am seeking One who will lead the Dance after I am gone, are you the one I seek?”

Eastern Guardian __________________ says:

“No, my lord, I am not who you seek. I am the airy East where the sun is born anew every day. I must stay and tend my duties here in the East, helping to rouse the waking sun and spreading light through the darkness. I am here to spread hope and knowledge, to teach and to guide; by my very nature I do not have the substance to lead the Dance for you, I am too ephemeral and changing. But will you spare some of your flame to help illuminate my corner?”

The Oak King lights the votive candle with the one he is carrying, then says:

“The sun will return,
the dawn is soon!
Rejoice in the coming light
The sun will return!”

The Oak King moves to the South where he asks:

“I am seeking One who will lead the Dance after I am gone, are you the one I seek?”

The Southern Guardian __________________ responds:

“No, my lord, I am not the one. I am the South, the warmth of your passions, the heat of your desire. I am the Flame Eternal dancing in your heart. I must stay here and tend to my duties in the South, keeping the fire burning; setting ablaze minds and bodies so they can strive for their goals. By my very nature I would burn out too quickly if I were to lead the Dance for you. But will you spare some of your fire to add to my passion?”

The Oak King lights the southern votive and says:

“The passion is the flame
The flame is the passion
It builds the warmth for the sun
The Sun will return!”

The Oak King moves to the West where he asks:

“I am seeking One who will lead the Dance after I am gone, are you the one I seek?”

Western Guardian __________________ answers:

“No, my Lord, I am not the One. I am the West, your emotional self and I rule the tides that flow within you. I am where the sun comes at the end of the day to rest and rejuvenate until the East rouses it for another day. I rock the world’s heart within my arms and I support it and keep it safe. I must stay and tend my duties here as gatekeeper between worlds; between waking and sleeping, between life and death. By my very nature I am too fluid and giving to lead the Dance for you, I am pulled the strongest will - I follow, I do not lead. However, will you spare me some flame so that I may light a candle that the Sun will be able to find me?”

The Oak King lights the candle on the Western Altar and says:

“So that all my have light
to guide them safely home
to the warmth of friends and family
The Sun will return.”

The Oak King moves to the North where he asks:

“I am seeking One who will lead the Dance after I am gone, are you the one I seek?”

The Northern Guardian __________________ , wearing a black robe, responds:

“To answer your question I must ask questions. I am the North; I am the door to the Summerland that leads to the Elysium Fields. I am the strength and bones of the Earth; I am the bedrock that is family. My nature is solid and I am the element of Kings. If you will take your rest here, then will you guard my door? Can you take up the responsibilities of the Northern Guardian? (at the Oak Kings nod) Then I will lead the Dance! (discards the black robe and places the holly crown on his head) For I will be the Holly King, I am the Puck of the Greenwood; I push the world into new life! I am the Sun returned again, I rise in glory after the longest night and slowly darkness must give way before me as from now on the days will grow longer and the air will become warmer as Winter melts into Spring! Go and take your rest, Oaken King, your Lady Persephone is changing into the Maiden Kore. Let the Holly King lead the Dance for his half of the Wheel of the Year!”

The Oak King dons the black robe and removes his crown, placing it on the Northern Altar for safekeeping. He then takes up his new stance as the Northern Guardian.

The Holly King says to all as he lights his own Quarter:

“The Dark God has passed through the Gate, He has been reborn through the Mother. With him we are all reborn. The tide has turned! The light will come again! In a new dawn, in a new day, the Sun is rising! It is the Sun Child, the Winterborn King! Blessed be to the Lightbringer!”

Everyone should move to the North and greet the Holly King and wish him well as he begins his duties.

__________________ bless the chalice:

“Radiant Mother, we offer this cup in Your honor,
As we drink from it fill us with the nectar of Your love!”

__________________ bless the cakes:

“Newborn God of Light, we offer these cakes in Your honor,
As we eat them, fill us with the power of Your spirit!

Eat the simple feast and open Circle.

Eidolon Moon's Notes:

I really like this ritual, even though it's a little on the longish side. I've only had the pleasure of doing this one once, because it's the only time that we had more than one man in the group. While I'm fairly flexible on gender assignments, I am adamament that the Oak and Holly Kings must be men.

This tends to be a rather festive rite as well, by then end of the ritual there was a solemnness that some of my other rituals tend to lack. This was, for us, sacred drama at its best.

While the Kings were two men, the element altars were all women (except for North) which made a nice counterpoint to the ritual drama. Once again, I found that the ritual was more grounding for me with the deep voices of men answering the challenges and at the end watching them switch places. I'm going to find a way to adapt this so that Michael and I can perform it... perhaps with him narrating the roles the Holly and Oak Kings.