yule coven ritual
Cheers to You
This is the “fun” ritual, perfect for the coven that truly wants to celebrate the holiday season. It features something akin to traditional wassail, an English drink generally associated today with door-to-door carolers. Most wassail is made with a base of apple cider (nonalcoholic), but some recipes also call for wine. I use apple cider in my versions of this rite, but feel free to substitute something else if that doesn’t work for you.
The major working of this ritual involves adding several different ingredients to the cider, with each ingredient representing an idea or a wish for the new year. Coveners should infuse the ingredients they add to the cider with their own personal energy. In my coven, we generally add rum or whisky while making our wassail, but make a second nonalcoholic batch too. I’ve included ten ingredients in this ritual, but more (or fewer) can be used. The only limit is your imagination.
I like to use ingredients that are readily available, so my list includes a lot of spices that are probably already sitting on your spice rack. In addition to traditional spices, our coven also uses dimes and clear quartz crystals. Since they sink to the bottom of the bowl, there’s no chance that anyone is going to swallow one. I’ve listed some common correspondences associated with each ingredient, but my listings only scratch the surface. Many of us have our own personal ideas about magickal properties, so feel free to use your imagination.
The second act of the ritual involves “Christmas crackers,” which can be picked up in many department stores. Christmas crackers aren’t particularly old, dating back only to the nineteenth century, but they are fun and make a satisfying “pop” sure to frighten your cat. Christmas crackers always contain small toys and gifts, and when someone from the coven uses one of those toys in a certain way, we generally crown them the “Queen or King of Misrule.” In this ritual, we do this when someone puts one of the paper crowns on top of their head (and nearly every Christmas cracker manufacturer includes crowns with their wares).
We have a fancy court jester hat we use to honor our Queen of Misrule. Traditionally, Kings of Misrule would instruct their “subjects” to do silly things, but since many people are uncomfortable ordering others around, we just make sure our Queens of Misrule take their cakes and ale first and then lead the passing out of our coven’s Secret Santa presents. If misrule doesn’t appeal to you, it can easily be dropped from the ritual. The wassail part is usually more than enough for everybody.
This ritual includes a “lighting of the temple” that welcomes the elemental energies of earth, air, fire, and water. I like this variation particularly at Yule because it takes the ritual space from darkness to light very quickly. The quarters are later welcomed in the more traditional manner after the circle is cast.
Ritual Roles
• High Priestess
• High Priest
• Circle caster
• Quarter callers
Materials Needed
• Altar tools and setup
• Two Crock-Pots or two large bowls capable of holding the wassail
• Coffee mugs (one for each covener)
• Two ladles for the wassail
• Rum or whisky (representing adventure, warmth, joy, and truth)
• Vanilla (representing calm, love, and soothing)
• Orange slices (representing joy, energy, and sunshine)
• Cloves (representing good health and protection)
• Cinnamon (to add spice to your love life, good luck, and new beginnings)
• Nutmeg (representing good luck and divination)
• Sugar (representing happiness, a full cupboard, and joy)
• Allspice (representing healing and overcoming adversity)
• Dimes (representing prosperity and deflecting negative energy)
• Clear quartz crystals (representing clarity, divination, and connection) 26
• Christmas crackers (one for each covener)
• Bowls or cups for all the wassail ingredients
• Court jester hat for the Queen/King of Misrule
The Ritual: Cheers to You
All is dark in the ritual space, with no lights and no candles lit. The coven gathers quietly in a circle. The Crock-Pots full of cider are placed safely out of the way, with the ingredients to be added later sitting near them. In the darkness, the High Priestess approaches the altar and lights a candle in its center.
Opening, Cleansing, Statement of Intent
High Priestess: We light this candle to represent the hope that resides within all of us on this night. Darkness envelops the land, but we know that in the darkness the light is once more reborn. Tonight we celebrate that light and the joy it brings to us in the Yuletide season. Hail the light! Hail the coven! Hail the Yule!
The High Priestess picks up a small container of diluted cinnamon oil and anoints each covener on the forehead with it, drawing an invoking pentagram as she does so.27
High Priestess (to each covener): With this oil, I anoint and welcome you into our ritual space. Blessed be!
The High Priest lights a stick of evergreen or pine incense from the center candle and cleanses each covener with its smoke.
High Priest (to each covener): With this purifying smoke, I cleanse and welcome you into our circle. Blessed be!
High Priestess: May love and joy be present with us tonight in our sacred space, for upon this longest night we celebrate Yule and the bonds we have formed as a coven. Let us now invoke the powers of the elements and cast our circle. So mote it be!
Lighting the Temple, Circle Casting, Calling the Quarters
East Quarter Caller: May the element of air bring to us the light of inspiration. So mote it be!
The east candle is lit.
South Quarter Caller: May the element of fire bring to us the light of life. So mote it be!
The south candle is lit.
West Quarter Caller: May the element of water bring to us the light of love. So mote it be!
The west candle is lit.
North Quarter Caller: May the element of earth bring to us the light of chosen family. So mote it be!
The north candle is lit. The circle caster picks up a sword or athame and casts the circle, beginning and ending in the east.
Circle Caster: I cast this circle to be a place of joy, happiness, and truth. May it shine like a beacon and cast the darkness of this night away, for within the circle there is hope and light for all who are the children of the Lord and Lady. In their names do I bless and consecrate this circle. So mote it be!
High Priest: We shall now summon the spirits of the quarters to guard and bless this circle.
East Quarter Caller: We call to the spirits of the east, spirits of air, to bless and watch over our circle as we celebrate on this Midwinter night. Hail and welcome!
South Quarter Caller: We call to the spirits of the south, spirits of fire, to bless and watch over our circle as we celebrate this Midwinter night. Hail and welcome!
West Quarter Caller: We call to the spirits of the west, spirits of water, to bless and watch over our circle as we celebrate this Midwinter night. Hail and welcome!
North Quarter Caller: We call to the spirits of the north, spirits of earth, to bless and watch over our circle as we celebrate this Midwinter night. Hail and welcome!
Calls to the God and the Goddess
High Priest: We call to the Great God this sacred night of the winter solstice. We call to Jack in the Green, he who runs across snow-laden forests, protecting the life within so that it may awaken in the spring. We call to the Lord of the Underworld, caretaker of the land of death, whose hand has touched much of this world at this bleak time of year. We call to the Sun, he who is reborn this night, he who gives us light and life. We welcome the Great God in all of his forms and with all of his faces this blessed night. Welcome and blessed be!
The High Priest lights the God candle if applicable.
High Priestess: We call to the Great Goddess this sacred night of the winter solstice. We call to the Crone, she whose wisdom in the face of difficulty keeps us here and in good health. We call to the Lady of the Moon, she who casts her spell across the snow-filled plains, her reflection glistening like silver and melting our hearts with its beauty. We call to the Great Mother, who magickally brings forth life in this time of death. We welcome the Great Goddess in all her forms and in her many roles this blessed night. Welcome and blessed be!
The High Priestess lights the Goddess candle if applicable.
The Working
High Priest: For thousands of years, people have been celebrating on or near the winter solstice. Generally, those rites have been joyous, full of laughter, merriment, and mirth. People ate and drank, welcomed the returning sun, prepared for the coming year, and toasted to their good health. Tonight we shall do as our ancestors did and celebrate a most joyous Yule!
High Priestess: Wassail has been a part of Midwinter celebrations for hundreds of years now. People drank Yuletide wassail, generally made of apples, to ensure an abundant harvest in the coming year. Right now our wassail lacks any extra ingredients, but as Witches we shall brew our wassail and infuse our drink with powers and energies to ensure a happy new year!
High Priest: Here near our bowls of wassail are several ingredients: dimes, crystals, orange slices, nutmeg, cinnamon sticks, allspice, vanilla, sugar, cloves, and rum. Pick the ingredient you want to add to our wassail and infuse it with your energy before adding its power to our drink. When we are done, we shall toast and drink in the wealth, health, and whatever else has been added to our brew!
Each covener goes forward and puts something into the wassail, making sure no alcohol goes into the nonalcoholic wassail bowl! Coveners are free to say whatever they want, of course, but I’ve included some examples below. Each person can go once or multiple times, depending on what the coven wants to do. People are also free to add the same ingredient twice. The rum is always very popular in our circle.
Covener 1: To our drink I add this rum. May it keep us warm in the cold nights to come.
Covener 2: In our wassail I place these dimes, as I wish you all a prosperous new year with no money worries. So mote it be!
Covener 3: Wishing you all joy and the energy to do all of the things you wish as the sun grows in the sky. So mote it be!
Covener 4: I add this crystal to our Witch’s brew. May it bring us all clarity in the coming days, weeks, and months. Blessed be!
Covener 5: May this vanilla bring all of you the sweetness of love and passion during these winter months. So mote it be!
Covener 6: To our wassail I add this allspice. May all of your dreams for the coming year manifest in your life. Blessed be!
Covener 7: It is my wish that the cupboards and pantry of you, my chosen family, always remain full and plentiful with many good things to eat! For that I add this sugar to our drink. So mote it be!
Covener 8: A happy and healthy new year to you all, which is why I add these cloves. To our good health!
Covener 9: With this cinnamon stick I bring to all of you the spice of life! May it be passionate and fiery. So mote it be!
Covener 10: To you all, I give good luck with this nutmeg. So mote it be!
Once everyone has added their ingredients, they all should grab a coffee mug and pour themselves a glass of warm wassail and then reform the circle.
High Priest: And now is the time we toast. To good health, wealth, and all our dearest desires manifesting in the coming year! Blessed be!
Everyone in the coven can now lead a toast to whatever it is they wish to celebrate. Be sure to clink your mugs, too. That’s the best part of the toast and a great way to share energy. When the toasting is done, the mugs should be safely put away.
High Priestess: For thousands of years, people have been exchanging gifts at this time of year. So tonight we give all of you the gift of this cracker. May its joyous noise bring happiness to your heart, and may the gift inside amuse and delight you. Though our ancient pagan ancestors did not have such devices, many of our ancestors did. As they celebrated this time of year, so do we.
Christmas crackers are passed out clockwise, and once everyone has received one, they are “cracked.” The first person to put a paper crown on their head is crowned the Queen of Misrule and is then allowed to “rule” over the rest of the rite. If no one puts a crown on their head (which is unlikely; people always put them on!), simply inquire as to what everyone in the circle received. You can then ask someone to “try on” the crown. In our coven, the moment someone becomes the embodiment of misrule, my High Priestess wife and I will often drop to our knees and begin yelling, “Queen (or King) of Misrule! Queen of Misrule!”
Once the Queen of Misrule has been chosen, they can lead the coven in games or carols or simply instruct everyone that it’s time to end the ritual. As mentioned earlier, we then let the King of Misrule “rule” over the coven during our post-ritual fellowship.
Cakes and Ale
The High Priestess and High Priest stand before the wassail bowl with the coven’s ritual chalice or cup. The High Priestess holds the cup while the High Priest ladles some wassail into it.
High Priestess: The bounty of the earth keeps us warm and fed even on the year’s darkest night.
High Priest: We thank the earth and the gods for their gifts, gifts that are freely shared with all who walk in the Old Ways.
The High Priest pours the wassail into the ritual chalice, then the High Priestess holds the cup aloft.
High Priestess: Lord and Lady, please bless this drink. May it keep us happy, healthy, and warm in the days ahead. Blessed be!
The High Priest picks up a tray of ritual cakes/bread/cookies and holds it aloft.
High Priest: Lady and Lord, please bless these cakes. May our bellies and our hearts be full this Yuletide. Blessed be!
Cakes and ale are passed around to everyone in the coven, with some of each reserved for the libation bowl.
Goodbyes to the Gods
High Priest: We thank the Great God for being with us tonight in our circle. As we look up in the sky and see the days grow longer in the coming weeks and months, we will think of you and say thanks for your presence in our lives. Hail and farewell!
High Priestess: We thank the Great Lady for being with us tonight in our circle. Each time the gift of new life visits us this winter season, we will think of you and your continual presence in our lives and thank you for your love. Hail and farewell!
Dismissal of the Quarters/Taking Down the Circle
North Quarter Caller: We thank the spirits of the north, spirits of earth, who have watched over our circle and blessed our rites with their presence. Hail and farewell!
West Quarter Caller: We thank the spirits of the west, spirits of water, who have watched over our circle and blessed our rites with their presence. Hail and farewell!
South Quarter Caller: We thank the spirits of the south, spirits of fire, who have watched over our circle and blessed our rites with their presence. Hail and farewell!
East Quarter Caller: We thank the spirits of the east, spirits of air, who have watched over our circle and blessed our rites with their presence. Hail and farewell!
The quarter candles can be blown out with each dismissal at the discretion of the coven. Once the quarters have been dismissed, the circle caster steps forward and takes down the circle with the sword or athame, beginning in the east and moving widdershins.
Circle Caster: I cast this circle as a place of joy, happiness, and truth. It has served us well, but now the time has come to take down our sacred space and return to the world of mortals. In the names of the Lord and the Lady, I release this circle but ask that the joy raised within remain in our hearts to keep us warm in the dark and cold days ahead. The circle is open but never broken. So mote it be!
All in the circle join hands.
High Priestess: With our rite now at an end, I say to you … Blessed Yule! And merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again!
FIN
26. It’s tempting to throw all sorts of stones into your wassail, but many of them can be poisonous! Clear quartz is safe, which is why I use it here.
27. Cinnamon oil is very strong, and it’s easy to use too much. Try using one drop of cinnamon essential oil to two or more cups of a carrier oil, such as olive, almond, jojoba, or sesame oil. Never rub or massage cinnamon oil directly on skin unless it’s diluted with a carrier oil. Cinnamon oil doesn’t mix with water.