Wishing you a merry Yule!
At Samhain we honor, celebrate and welcome the return of the dark and the beginning of the Pagan New Year, acknowledging that all beginnings emerge from darkness. At the Winter Solstice we reach the depth of that darkness with the longest night of the year.
In these dark days of Winter we start to wonder if the days will continue to grow darker and colder as the Sun disappears, whether it will ever reappear and light our days again. But then at Yule a wonderful thing happens as the Sun stops its decline and for a few days it rises to the same place as the Sun stand still and everyone waits for the turning. In our minds we know the light will return but deep in our heart we have moments of doubt whether the light will indeed shine on us again.
We all experience moments of darkness when we don’t know how much darker it will get before we see that glimmer of light reappear.
When the light returns this is cause for celebration and so it has for ever and ever throughout the Northern Hemisphere in similar ways.
The Oak King and The Holly King
The Holly King rules over the dark part of the year from Midsummer to Yule, he is God of the Waning Year. At Yule he surrenders his life to the young light Oak King, God of the Waxing Year, who rules over the light part of the year from Yule to Midsummer. Both rule for half of the year and both surrender their life force for the well-being of the land. In truth, they are one and dual aspects of the Horned God. Each of these twin aspects rules for half the year, battles for the favor of the Goddess, and then retires to nurse his wounds for the next six months, until it is time for him to reign once more.
On the card we see the Holly King, he is old and his light is dying, he is defeated and ready to retire so his brother the Oak King can now shine his light on us. He is here to bid us farewell and wish us a merry Yule.
Yule brings new hope, new light.
The Oak and Holly Kings represent the light and the darkness throughout the year. At the winter solstice we mark the rebirth of the Sun or the Oak King. On this day the light is reborn and we celebrate the renewal of the light of the year.
Wishing you light and love this new year.
Charissa X
