Wiccan Yule practices emphasize the celebration of the winter solstice and the rebirth of the sun. Yule, also known as the Winter Solstice, is a time of reflection, gratitude, and renewal in the Wiccan faith. It marks the longest night of the year and the return of the sun, symbolizing the hope of new beginnings and the cycle of life. One of the central practices during Yule is the lighting of the Yule log. The log, typically made of oak or pine, is chosen with care and decorated with holly, ivy, and other evergreen symbols of immortality. It is traditionally burned in the fireplace to represent the triumph of light over darkness.
Something inside me snapped.
Rather, the approach to witchcraft herein is much more pragmatic and based on the simple goal of encouraging you to be the most competent and effective witch you can be. That said, to make the most of the information within this book, you should already have a good if not firm grip on the basics of witchcraft, that is, how to feel and move energy.
It is traditionally burned in the fireplace to represent the triumph of light over darkness. The ashes are often collected and used for fertility rituals or as protective charms. Another integral aspect of Wiccan Yule practices is the creation of an outdoor Yule altar or sacred space.
Shadow Witch – The Witches of Hollow Cove Book 1 by Kim Richardson
I’m back in Hollow Cove, the flamboyant paranormal community, where nymphs, werewolves, trolls, shifters, witches, and other paranormals live comfortable lives away from prying human eyes. As I settle into my new life, I decide to accept my aunts’ proposal and join the family business—the business of protecting our town and killing anything that would want to harm it.
But I’ve been away from the paranormal world for quite some time, and my magical abilities are a little bit rusty. Heck, they’re practically invisible.
Things soon spiral down the crapper when people in our community start dropping like flies. And when demons start showing up in Hollow Cove, it’s up to me to take care of them. Permanently.
This is going to be awesome. I just know it.
Tessa Davenport is broke with nowhere to live. She does the only thing she can, packs up her belongings and leaves the cheating boyfriend’s apartment forever. She hops a bus to Maine to move in with her three aunts.
Her arrival in Hollow Cove is interesting as the first person to greet her as she steps off the bridge is not her aunts but Martha the town gossip and salon owner. The exchange, if you can really call it that is one that had my eyes rolling. One thing Martha seems to be good at is ferreting out information.
Arriving finally at Davenport House the first person to greet her is Ruth, she even has Tessa’s favorite cookies waiting. Ruth is about to tell Tessa what’s going on in town when Dolores comes home, followed shortly by Beverly. With everyone present, Tessa is informed she’ll need to join them in the Merlin Group that protects the town. The thing is Tessa hasn’t used her magic in a very long time and really has no idea where to start using it.
They’ve already got a major problem and they think Tessa can solve it. Then a body is discovered. This is when we meet Ronin the vampire and Gilbert the grocery owner and mayor. However the one who makes the biggest impression is Marcus the Town Chief. He really doesn’t like Tessa and wants her gone.
This is a favorite scene.
Marcus stepped around the bloody mess on the ground and walked toward me. “Who are you?”
“Tessa,” I answered, not sure I liked his tone.
“Do you have a last name, Tessa?” he ordered, again with the tone, and stared at me with eyes that were hard and unyielding like stone.
Yup. I liked him as much as I liked ticks.
“How’s it going, Chief?” said Ronin, and I knew he was just trying to smooth the mood a little. Didn’t seem to work.
“Last name,” Marcus commanded again, like I was his servant.
If he thought he could scare me with his hard stare, he was in for a surprise.
I shrugged, keeping my eyes on the chief. “How about you give me yours, and I’ll give you mine,” I answered, making Ronin snort. The half-vampire was growing on me.
Marcus’s eyes narrowed, and he closed the distance between us until I had to look up at him.
“You’re tall,” I observed, and Ronin snorted again.
The chief’s face hardened. “I make it my business to know everyone in my town. I want to know who you are and why you’re here.”
Jeez. Why are the pretty ones always so nasty? “Your town? I thought this was Hollow Cove, not Marcus Cove.” Oopsy.
“I like her,” expressed Ronin, all smiles. “She’s entertaining. Let’s keep her.”
Marcus let out a breath. “Last name. Or I’ll have you arrested.”
My mouth fell. “For what? Breathing?” The nerve of this guy. If I knew how to spell him, I’d choose a deflatable spell, to deflate all those muscles and his ego, and give him a lanky twelve-year-old boy body. Yeah. The thought made me smile.
The big man pointed to the blood and guts. “Maybe this is your handiwork. I don’t know. I don’t know you.”
I balled my hands into fists. “It’s not. I’m here to help. To figure out what happened and to protect the town.” Yes, I was new and had no idea what I was doing or how I would protect the town. But so what? This guy was really pissing me off.
Marcus kept staring at me and then his eyes widened, something flickering behind them. “You’re Tessa Davenport.” It wasn’t a question.
I put my hands on my hips. “Yeah. So?”
Marcus’s jaw clenched. “You should leave. I don’t want you here.”
A slip of anger lit through me. He was just asking for me to punch him across the face. “Is it against the ‘law,’” I made quotes with my fingers, “that I’m standing here?”
Marcus blinked. “No.”
“Then I’m staying, Chief.” I heard Ronin laugh as I turned away from Marcus and made my way around the dead, looking for clues. That’s what I guessed I should be doing, though I had no freaking clue how to find clues—pun intended. And yes, I knew that sounded bad.
I caught Martha’s eye, and the witch gave me a thumbs up. I was not going there.
Kneeling as close as I would let myself get to the slop of remains, I could feel Marcus’s gaze on me, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of a look in his direction. I wasn’t here for him. I was here for my aunts. I told them I would help them with this case, and that’s exactly what I was going to do. He would not scare me away.
“Marcus doesn’t like me either.” Ronin was next to me, staring down at the blood. “He’s jealous because I’ve got better hair. Are those fingers?” He pointed to three small cylindrical shapes resting in the pool of blood and guts.
“Those are definitely fingers.” I stared at what I thought was some flesh with hair. The scalp maybe? Yikes. Don’t throw up. “He doesn’t scare me.” I didn’t want Marcus to see how this scene was affecting me because it was.
Ronin flashed me his perfect white teeth. “So, what are we looking for?”
I couldn’t help but notice he used the word “we,” like we were a team or something. “Anything that’ll tell me who this person was.” My aunts never mentioned that I couldn’t ask for help, and right now, I needed it. “If I knew, I would be a little closer to finding who did this and why.”
“His name was Avi,” came Marcus’s loud voice. The bastard had been listening in on us.
I looked across from me to the handsome but seriously irritating chief. “And you got all this just by looking at this splatter of blood and guts?”
Marcus’s gaze was locked on the blood. “Werewolves have a distinctive smell. Just like each person here does.”
I was impressed, but I kept my face blank. He had to be a werewolf or a shifter to have that kind of keen sense of smell. The guy was good. I pegged him for a werewolf, which meant his buddies were probably werewolves too.
“You sure?” I asked. The chief didn’t answer, and I took that as a yes. It also saved me the time and effort of going around door to door to see who was missing in town. Too bad he was being such a dick. He could’ve been useful for other information as well.
A name was better than I’d hoped. I stood up. “Thanks.”
Marcus issued a sound like a growl. “You should leave.”
My temper went into overdrive. “What is your problem?” My voice rose, aware that everyone had gone quiet around us. Ronin took a step back from me. Smart vampire.
Marcus smiled coldly. “You. You’re my problem.”
“Really?” I cocked my hips, my face all smiles, but my guts were having a wrestling competition. “Why’s that, hot-stuff?”
Just like my ex, he knew all the right buttons to push. But he didn’t even know me, so that made it worse. So much worse.
Marcus crossed his arms over his sizable chest, no doubt to show off all those hard, bulging muscles. “You have no investigative skills. Clearly, you don’t understand what you’re doing. You’re not even a real witch,” he snarled, his brows furrowed.
“Dude. You’re way out of line,” said Ronin, and I was surprised by the anger in his voice.
Marcus ignored him, his attention never wavering from me. “You’re just going to get in the way. There’s nothing you can do to help this town. Just like your mother.”
My lips parted, and I frowned, my heart thrashing. “You know my mother?” When he didn’t answer, I continued, “I don’t work for you, Chief. I work for the Merlin Group.”
Marcus laughed. “Just like your mother did until she left—in the middle of a case. More trouble than she was worth.” He gave me a hard stare. “Your mother is a waste of space.”
Something inside me snapped.
A rush of energy overflowed my aura. My breath caught, a force hammering inside me as I homed in on Marcus.
I didn’t speak a word of magic. I didn’t even conjure a spell.
I just… let go.
My instincts hit, and I raised my hands. A gust of wind flung through my palms. It hit Marcus in the chest and the big guy went rocketing back like he was hit by a missile. He let out a windy grunt as he hit the hard pavement fifty feet away.
I wavered a little as a slip of dizziness hit. I knew this was payment for using magic. All magic required it. No witch could do spells indefinitely. That would most certainly be deadly. Magic always took what was owed—a piece of the witch, a bit of aura—and made it its own, aiding in the spell.
But I barely felt it over the pumping energy of my anger.
“Screw you, Marcus.”
I turned on my heel, grabbed the still-hovering orb, and left.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is an exit.
Richardson, Kim. Shadow Witch (The Witches of Hollow Cove Book 1) Kindle Locations (441-501). FablePrint. Kindle Edition.
Gilbert is certainly one to cause hysterics and Martha is a bit of an instigator. Then we have Marcus, the Town Chief, he’s certainly got a lot of issues with Tessa. Although that’s on him since it’s really her mother he dislikes immensely.
That’s not the worst of it either, with demons breeching the wards, Marcus dissolves the town’s contract with The Merlin Group. Of course, that doesn’t stop them from protecting the town, it does however bring in another issue, The Unseen. They are mercenaries the town has now hired for protection. They also want Davenport House. So not happening.
I love Davenport House, it’s a truly unique structure in more ways than one. Tessa learns more about the house and studies all types of magic spells and potions to aid in protecting the town and learning about her own abilities.
Demons, Dragons, a Sorceress and so much more make this a page turning read, full of action, laughter, tears and is that a romance blooming?
Warding is a practical means of magickal protection using physical objects as anchor points for energy. It is a preventative measure that uses your skill as a witch to tap into wild and ancient forces in order to take very ordinary objects and render them powerful wards.
This can be done by setting up a collection of natural objects like pinecones, evergreen branches, and candles. These items are placed with intention to honor the Earth and invoke the energy of the season. Offerings of food, drink, or herbs are often left as an expression of gratitude to nature and the spiritual forces at work. Ceremonies and rituals are also conducted during Yule to honor the cycle of life and to give thanks for the blessings received throughout the year. These may include meditations, spellwork, and divination to seek guidance for the upcoming year. Many Wiccans also participate in group gatherings or solstice festivals where they come together to share in the spirit of Yule. Overall, Wiccan Yule practices are deeply rooted in nature and the changing of the seasons. They are a time of reflection, connection, and celebration, as Wiccans honor the rebirth of the sun and embrace the magic and nourishment of the winter season..
Reviews for "Wiccan Yule Feast: Recipes and Rituals for Sacred Food"
1. John - 2 stars
I was intrigued by the idea of exploring different spiritual practices, so I decided to attend a Wiccan yule practice. However, I was sorely disappointed. The whole experience felt more like a theatrical performance rather than a genuine spiritual gathering. I didn't feel any connection or resonance with the rituals that were performed, and it all seemed rather forced and contrived. Overall, I found the Wiccan yule practices to be underwhelming and lacking in authenticity.
2. Sarah - 1 star
As someone who is open-minded and curious about different belief systems, I decided to give Wiccan yule practices a chance. Unfortunately, it was a complete letdown. The event was poorly organized, with no clear structure or purpose. It felt like a hodgepodge of random rituals and chants, leaving me feeling more confused than enlightened. I also found the atmosphere to be overly gimmicky, with excessive use of props and costumes that seemed more for show than actual spiritual significance. I cannot recommend Wiccan yule practices to those seeking a genuine and meaningful spiritual experience.
3. Robert - 2 stars
I attended a Wiccan yule practice out of curiosity, hoping to gain insight into pagan traditions. However, the whole experience felt inauthentic, almost like a parody of what Wicca is supposed to be. The rituals lacked depth and substance, and it all felt more like a performance rather than a solemn spiritual gathering. Additionally, there seemed to be a heavy emphasis on consumerism, with various items being sold that supposedly held magical properties. It left me questioning the sincerity and genuine nature of the Wiccan yule practices.
4. Emily - 3 stars
While I appreciate the effort put into organizing Wiccan yule practices, I personally didn't resonate with the rituals and beliefs. The whole experience felt a bit outlandish and disconnected from my own spiritual journey. However, I can understand how it might appeal to those who are fully immersed in the Wiccan tradition. The members of the group were friendly and welcoming, and I appreciated their openness to sharing their beliefs. Despite my personal reservations, I can see why some people might find value in Wiccan yule practices.