In spellcraft, evergreens symbolize winter, wisdom, and eternal hope. No Winter Solstice or Yule celebration is complete without a sprig or two on the altar.
Learn to work with the spirit of evergreens to honor the season and turn the Wheel of the Year as the darkest months of the year come to a close.
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Winter Solstice Evergreens
Any evergreen is an appropriate choice for your Solstice celebration.
Here are a few classic choices to consider.
Rosemary
Rosemary is a multi-purpose herb in magic. It is most often used as a protection herb or in love spells. In the winter season, consider rosemary for home blessing magic or rituals.
Pine
Pine is ideal for spiritual cleansing. It is abundant in most of the United States and North America. Gather pine needles during the waning moon for maximum potency in cleansing spells and rituals.
Cedar
Cedar is especially lovely in the hearth fire during the winter months. They make great Yule logs in whole form, or you can simply toss a handful of cedar shavings in your fire to fill the space with the warmth of familial love.
5 Ways to Use Evergreens to Honor the Winter Solstice
Try any of the following ideas to use evergreens in your Winter Solstice or Yule celebration.
In kitchen witch recipes.
Not all evergreens are edible, of course.
But a few, like rosemary and sage, make great additions to your kitchen witch recipes for Yule.
Try this one for Rosemary Goat Cheese Tartletts for a hearty winter treat to delight your Solstice guests.
In the Yule fire.
Whether you are lucky enough to live in a home with a wood fireplace or you are brave enough to bear the cold and build one outside, no Winter Solstice is complete without a fire.
Enchant yours with a handful of evergreens. The aroma of burning evergreens is both sacred and healing.
Try adding evergreens to these Yule hearth fire blessing bundles and give them out before your Winter Solstice circle. Then, encourage everyone to toss theirs in and make a wish!
In your cauldron.
Boil a pot of water on your stove.
Toss in a handful of evergreens (rosemary or pine needles work well!). Add a few drops of eucalyptus oil or peppermint oil.
Allow your home to be filled with the spirit of the season. Inhale and enjoy. 🙂
Gift-giving.
Incorporate evergreens in your gift wrap as a magical blessing.
The giving of herbs is a sign of friendship and well-wishing.
It also makes for a beautiful natural gift wrap idea.
On the altar.
Don’t forget the obvious!
Adorn your Yule altar generously with hand-gathered evergreens from the natural landscape around you.
They wilt much more slowly than leafier herbs and dry well. Ring the base of your altar candle with them or soak them in carrier oils to use as ritual oil on the night of the Winter Solstice.
Make a door wreath.
Start a tradition of making a natural door wreath out of evergreens every year.
This zen-like experience is a project that soothes the sense and is so much better for the earth than the fake plastic ones you find at craft stores.
Happy Yule!
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