Greetings all, this year was the first year that I openly celebrated Jōl, or Yule or Geola or whatever you wanna call it. And it’s been fantastic.
Beginning with Modraniht on the 20th, I held a small ritual outside a creek that runs behind my house, blanket laid on the cold winter ground. I asked the Land Wights for their permission to hold cult on their land, and I hallowed the area with flame. As I began to fove offerings and prayers to the Disir, I felt a strong, motherly connection that I haven’t felt in a long time. It was truly a wonderful experience and while it was rather cold and I only had on a very light jacket, I found myself out there for much longer than I expected, and leaving was a bit bittersweet in a way.
The next day, the 21st, I held a feast, inviting all manners of friends and family to enjoy a nice Schweineschnitzel and Käsespätzle dinner that I worried about way more than is healthy. The meal itself was a success, and I had a nice plate made for the ancestors. Following the meal, there was talking and rejoicing and all the things I hoped for. After everyone left, I had my more official ritual, and it was lovely as well.
I kept up this mindset of relaxation and joy, with a mind towards the ancestors and what we have lost, until Twelfth Night, and while not every night was am elaborate ritual, there were plenty of offerings, honey, salt, incense and whatnot.
Naturally I gave cult to the ancestors, with the Disir closely in mind. I also focused on goddesses associated with winter, this being Holda, Cailleach Bheur, and Morena. This Jōl was a feminine one I suppose, with plenty of offerings and prayers to my goddesses, and to Ingui.
So this wasn’t really a scholarly or informative post, but I wanted to share what my first open Jōl was like! In the upcoming days I plan to write on what fertility gods mean to me as a trans woman, some hot takes on cryptids being Wights, and mental health and paganism.
Wildwīb Fiurstat 