#winter

The Cailleach, a Scottish deity, is depicted as an old woman dressed in heavy grey plaid and carrying a blackthorn staff. She has blue skin and long white hair, and is sometimes described as having only one eye. She is the personification of Winter. In her legends, she herds deer, she fights the coming of Spring, and her blackthorn staff freezes the ground. She also has a few connections to the Irish goddess Brigid. Some interpretations say that the Cailleach turns to stone on Beltane and then reverts back to human form at Samhain. Similar to the Oak King and Holly King lore, the Cailleach is believed to rule the dark half of the year between Samhain and Beltane. Brigid takes possession of the blackthorn staff at Beltane and rules the light half of the year until Samhain, at which time the staff is returned to the Cailleach. The Festival of Brigid is also the day the Cailleach gathers her firewood for the rest of the winter. Legend has it that if she intends to make the winter last longer, she will make sure the weather on February 1st is sunny and warm, so she can gather plenty of firewood to keep herself warm in the coming months. As a result, people are generally relieved if the Festival of Brigid is a day of foul weather, as it means the Cailleach is asleep, will soon run out of firewood, and therefore winter is almost over. Early writings indicate that there may have existed a priest/esshood of the Cailleach, with followers who were solely dedicated to her. The Cailleach is known as the Crone of Winter, Lady of the Beasts, and the Seer and Foreteller of Doom. The word Cailleach also means “Witch” and “Screech Owl”.

In the tales of the Cailleach, there are some common themes:

She shapes the land.
She is associated with water, particularly wells, lakes and rivers.
She is the personification of Winter.
She manifests her presence in blizzards and winter storms.
She is ancient.
She is a guardian of animals, especially deer.
She can shape-shift into various forms, including maiden, heron and rock.
She can control the elements.
She can charm animals with her songs.

During the winter months, and particularly before the approach of snowstorm, offerings can be left out for the Cailleach. These can be stones such as clear quartz and amethyst, feathers, sweets, nuts and fruit.

The Winter Solstice occurs when half of the Earth is tilted farthest away from the Sun. The pagan celebration at this time (known in some magical traditions as ‘Yule’) goes back to as early as the 4th century. The Germanic-Saxons called it Jol, and the Scandinavians called it Jul. Both translate to the English word Yule. Ancient people were hunters and spent most of their time outdoors. The seasons and weather played a very important part in their lives. Because of this many ancient people had a great reverence for the sun. Midwinter was celebrated with bonfires, ale and storytelling.

The ancient Romans also held a festival to celebrate the rebirth of the year. Saturnalia ran for seven days from the 17th of December. It was a time when the ordinary rules were turned upside down. Men dressed as women and masters dressed as servants. The festival also involved decorating houses with greenery, lighting candles, holding processions and giving presents.

The Winter Solstice falls on the shortest day of the year (around 21st December) and was celebrated in Britain long before the arrival of Christianity. The Druids would cut the mistletoe that grew on the oak tree and give it as a blessing. Oaks were seen as sacred and the winter fruit of the mistletoe was a symbol of life in the dark winter months. It is believed that it was also the Norse who began the tradition of the Yule Log, although they likely did not refer to it as such. The earliest recorded mention of a ‘yule log’ was in the year 1686. The log was lit to conquer the darkness, banish evil spirits and bring luck for the coming year. Many of these customs are still followed today. They have been incorporated into the Christian and secular celebrations of Christmas. According to some traditions, it must come from one’s own land or be a gift, and it must not be purchased. It is traditionally ignited with the remaining piece of last year’s Yule log. This way, the light is passed on from one year to another. The Yule log is to burn slowly for 12 days in the fireplace, before it is extinguished. The ashes are stowed away and in springtime mixed with seeds and brought out on the fields. In this way the power of the Sun, symbolized in the Yule log, is distributed over the land. The rest of the wood is kept until next year to ignite the new log.

In this darkest time of the year we celebrate the return of the Sun, who will bring warmth, light and life back to the Earth. In the Druid tradition the name of this holiday is “Alban Arthan”, Welsh for “Light of Winter”. According to an older and more poetic interpretation, the name is “Alban Arthuan”, meaning “Light of Arthur”. In this poetical image, Arthur is symbolized by the Sun. The Sun dies and is reborn, just as the mythical Arthur is sleeping deep inside a mountain and will wake up again when the people needs his help. Alban Arthan, the Winter Solstice, takes place every year on the 21st or 22nd of December. We know today that the Sun will return, because the course of the Sun and the other planets in our system have been scientifically explored. Our ancestors did not take the return of the Sun for granted, and in addition they were suffering much more under the hardships of severe winter weather than we do today. For an agricultural society, whose survival depended mostly on crops, the return of the Sun was not just a matter of celebration, it was rather a matter of life or death.

In the Blackthorn Order, it is not only the sun that is acknowledged, but also the longest night of the year. We take advantage of these dark hours to examine our own darkness, exploring areas of our lives that need more light. We must also recognize the darkness of the world, and send light to those places on our planet that are struggling the most due to war, famine and disease.

At this time of year, the house is decorated with evergreen branches. Plants that remained green all year were symbols of fertility and the continuance of life. In the Irish tradition, a house decorated with greenery is expected to offer a place of rest to nature spirits fleeing from cold and darkness. The plants of the season are mistletoe and holly, as well as all evergreen plants, such as spruce, fir, and pine.

Every Winter Solstice, I do a private ceremony at home. This always includes a tarot reading to get insight into the coming year. On the Winter Solstice of 2022, I used seven cards. I found that seven cards provided far too many references to pinpoint specific events and times. This year, 2023, I will use only four cards, one for each season. I think four cards will help to nail down potential events to those four three-month periods. When doing this kind of reading, it is important to understand that what you see in the cards may not always apply to your personal life, but also to events happening in the world, events that may directly affect you.

As you celebrate the Winter Solstice, may you learn from the darkness as you await the return of the light.