Yule is a celebration day marked on the Celtic Wheel of the Year – the shortest day and longest night and the gateway to Winter.
In Elemental’s world the leaves have all fallen from the willows and their naked frames mean we can see more of the hills beyond. I look forward to many nights of the logburner warming the kitchen and the little lights twinkling on our Yule tree, a baby evergreen that sprouted on the roadside, brought inside to brighten Winter’s darkness.
Health is supported when we remember the Earth’s seasons, rather than the man-made calendars and clocks that sometimes keep the mind enslaved to a more monotonous, linear existence. As the Wheel turns and the curves of true time make their marks on our reality, the change of Nature all around reminds us that the nature of change is eternal. Our bodies always belong to the Earth and to Nature’s Library, just material on loan. The ‘me’ within here has a certain number of turns of the Wheel to enjoy, so we may as well make the most of the gifts every season brings. In order to return this borrowed item well-loved and respected back to nature when my seasons end, it is best to listen to the wisdom of the body. Instinctively it knows it is time to slow down, get plenty of sleep and spend more time within our shelters, nourishing ourselves well and dreaming, ready to create new life when Spring returns.
As the old chapter closes and a new one begins, the promise of Spring has already arrived at Elemental with the birth of a new baby to cherish and watch grow. He has pushed me into the next stage of my growth, into the role of grandparent. For him and any others who come I write these pages, as this medium is likely to represent the campfire stories of the future that he sits and watches or listens to, when we’ve become ancestors too.
For now, I will enjoy Winter's gifts, moving more slowly and deliberately with the cold days coming. Watching the invisible become visible as the breath moves upon the freezing morning air. Seeing the abundant growth of Nature pause and take a moment for rest, so that we too can take a rest.
Clear out, make space, minimise the busyness and take some time to stare at the flames of a real fire - apparently the infra-red effect nourishes the cells of the body when there isn't as much sunlight available to warm us and as a bonus, in this age of screens, counteracts the blue light of our modern technology. The element of Fire is good medicine for the eyes.
Enjoy the healing goodness of the darkness, the stillness and the silence that Yule time offers...
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