Winter Solstice and Yule Playlist and journal prompts
Yule, the winter Solstice and the return of the sun. A playlist for meditation, reflection and breathwork.
Today I’ll be sharing some reflections around Yule and the Winter Solstice. This is the moment in the year when we celebrate the rebirth of the sun after the longest night. It is a festival of renewal and hope, a turning point that reminds us that brighter, longer days are on their way, even if the cold of winter still lies ahead.
If you’re new here, I’m Laura. I’m a counsellor, nature therapist, somatic therapist and nature-based practitioner, as well as a Pagan priestess. I support clients one-to-one in Birmingham and online, and I also run group sessions focused on nature embodiment. A big part of my creative and spiritual practice is curating playlists for the Celtic Pagan Wheel of the Year . With each turn of the wheel, I update the playlists from the year before, noticing the repeating patterns in my own life. Here’s an overview of the The Wheel of The Year.
At Samhain we honoured the descent into darkness, welcoming its mysteries and its teachings. By the time of the Winter Solstice we have journeyed all the way into the depths of that darkness, standing at the threshold of the longest night. For a brief time, the sun seems to pause in its path, rising in the same place on the horizon for several days, as though the whole world is holding its breath. This is why “solstice” means “sun standing still.” It is a moment of balance, of liminality — the delicate point where light and dark meet, and we are poised between endings and beginnings.
Astronomically, the Winter Solstice marks the moment when the sun reaches its most southerly point in the sky, ushering in the official beginning of winter. Spiritually and symbolically, it carries the promise of return: the return of the sun, of growth, of the life-force that has been hidden beneath the surface. The traditions of Yule, from evergreens to candles and fires, are ways of honouring that spark of light and life in the heart of the darkest time.
Below, you’ll find some more detail about the folklore and customs of the Solstice, but first, I want to pause and share some personal reflections on what this season means — an invitation to hold both the stillness of the dark and the stirring promise of the light yet to come.
The Winter Solstice and Alban Arthan
In many Druidic traditions, the Winter Solstice is known as Alban Arthan, which translates as The Light of Arthur. Within this lore, the figure of Arthur, whose name is linked to the ancient word for bear and to the Pole Star, is a symbolic representation of steadfastness through the dark, guiding us until the sun’s light returns. Some traditions also tell of the rebirth of the Sun Child at this time. This imagery of the returning light, born anew from the womb of the darkness, highlights the cycles of death and rebirth that the Solstice represents.
For our ancestors these weren’t just stories but vital truths. The return of the sun was literally a matter of survival. Winter meant scarcity, cold, and long nights of uncertainty. To endure, people depended on the success of the harvest, stored food and the careful management of resources until spring arrived again. Against this backdrop, it makes perfect sense that so many of the festivals of autumn and winter centred around fire, the living symbol of the sun. Fire was warmth, protection, community and life itself. Flames in the darkness were not just practical but also represent the divine spark that endures even in the hardest of times.
The Winter Solstice, then, is a threshold moment. It invites us to honour the natural cycle of life, death, and rebirth. As the longest night stretches onwards, we’re reminded of the fragility of existence and the inevitability of endings. And then, with the first sunrise after Solstice, the wheel turns again. Light begins its slow return, reminding us of renewal, resilience and the promise of the beginnings that exist within every ending.
The connection between Yule and Christmas
Many of the traditions we associate with Christmas today have deep roots in the ancient celebrations of Yule and the Winter Solstice. As Christianity spread across Europe, the birth of Jesus, honoured by Christians as the light of the world, came to be celebrated in midwinter, aligning his story with the Solstice’s powerful symbolism of light returning in darkness. Earlier Christian communities had marked this holy day in spring but over time the festival shifted to absorb and reframe the existing pagan solstice traditions.
The echoes of those ancestral practices are all around us. When we bring evergreens like holly, ivy, fir or mistletoe into our homes, we are continuing an ancient tradition. These plants remain vibrant and green throughout the harshest winter and remind us of life’s endurance and the promise of renewal. When we decorate with lights, hang candles in windows or string fairy lights around our trees, we are connecting to an innate desire to keep the darkness away.
And this theme of bringing light into the dark is not unique to European pagan or Christian tradition. Across the world, festivals exist that focus on embracing light in times of darkness. The Winter Solstice is part of a universal rhythm, woven into the human spirit, reminding us that no matter how deep the night might seem, the dawn always follows.
Make of yourself a light: how can we illuminate what needs to be illuminated?
With this idea of how we bring light into the dark, I’m thinking about the poem The Buddha’s Last Instruction by Mary Oliver.
The Buddha's Last Instruction
by Mary Oliver
“Make of yourself a light,”
said the Buddha,
before he died.
I think of this every morning
as the east begins
to tear off its many clouds
of darkness, to send up the first
signal -- a white fan
streaked with pink and violet,
even green.
An old man, he lay down
between two sala trees,
and he might have said anything,
knowing it was his final hour.
The light burns upward,
it thickens and settles over the fields.
Around him, the villagers gathered
and stretched forward to listen.
Even before the sun itself
hangs, disattached, in the blue air,
I am touched everywhere
by its ocean of yellow waves.
No doubt he thought of everything
that had happened in his difficult life.
And then I feel the sun itself
as it blazes over the hills,
like a million flowers on fire --
clearly I'm not needed,
yet I feel myself turning
into something of inexplicable value.
Slowly, beneath the branches,
he raised his head.
He looked into the faces of that frightened crowd.
How do we ‘make of ourselves a light’? When we are faced with a choice: do we make a conscious effort to illuminate what needs to be seen, or do we remain only in the light, turning our faces away from the shadows? Spirituality is not just about love and light; it is a commitment to truth, a willingness to meet the shadows with courage, both our own and those that exist collectively. How do we navigate self-discovery while ensuring that collective liberation remains at the heart of our journey?
Exploring your connection to light and darkness at Yule and the Winter Solstice
I hope you’ve enjoyed my reflections about Winter Solstice and Yule. To support you to explore your connection to light and darkness during this time of year, I’m sharing some prompts that you might want to reflect on.
What is your personal relationship with light during this season?
How do you embrace darkness in the colder months?
Are there any expectations or beliefs surrounding this time of year that no longer serve you?
What self-care practices do you employ to nurture yourself during the darker and colder months?
How can you make of yourself a light?
You can also explore the below curated Yule and Winter Solstice playlist, which is perfect for journaling, breath work and yoga practices. Yule and the Winter Solstice is steeped in history and rich with symbolism. Embracing the darkness and welcoming the light, these celebrations offer an opportunity to reconnect with the cycles of life, change, and renewal. If you’d like to explore ways to bring more ritual into your life, check out this post.
