The Heart of Your Home
Every day that passes sees the Sun gain a little strength and spread its light a little further. After time in darkness and returning to light with loved ones, it’s time to expand our Yule celebrations a bit further as well. The sixth day of Yule is dedicated to our dwellings, represented by the “heart of the home”: the hearth.
A traditional hearth was a fireplace that doubled as a way to cook food. It provided warmth, a way to cook, and a place for everyone to gather together. Modern hearths don’t have to be fireplaces - a hearth could be a gathering spot like the dining table, a living room, an altar, or a sofa. It could also be a spiritual hearth made of the collected energies of people coming together within their dwelling space.
Whatever your hearth is, consider cozying up and spending some warm time there today.
Feast of Sol Invictus
Blessed Birthday of the Invincible Sun! Today marked the annual feast of the sun god in ancient Rome. Beliefs and celebrations of the sun god (sometimes multiple sun gods) shifted over the course of the Roman Empire into Christian times, but records of the Feast of Sol Invictus tie the festival to the winter solstice and astronomical “rebirth” of the sun.
Sol Invictus, also known as the invincible sun or the unconquered sun, was the official sun god of the late Roman Empire. He was a later version of the classic sun god Sol, and he was dusted off and revived as “Invictus” in AD 274 under the emperor Aurelian.
Aurelian attempted to use Invictus Sol as his chief god of the Empire. The main feast and festival day of Sol Invictus was on the 25th of December which was the date of the winter solstice on the Roman Calendar. It was called the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (Birthday of the Invincible Sun).
From Historic Mysteries
The Feast of Sol Invictus came at the heels of Saturnalia festivities, providing even more reasons for the ancient Romans to party hard and enjoy time off. Celebrations were believed to involve chariot races, as chariots were a popular symbol of the sun god Sol.
Consider celebrating the occasion with fire spells, solar magick, the tarot card The Chariot, and decorations that honor light and warmth.
First Day of Rauhnächte
Rauhnachte are the days and nights of liminality between December 25th and January 6th. This period is acknowledged by some Germanic cultures and practices.
It takes 365 days for the Earth to go around the Sun, but the Lunar Calendar, measuring the time it takes for the moon to wax and wane 12 times, takes only 354 days. How did people deal with those missing 11 days (and 12 nights)? By treating them as a seperate entity, as an in-between time from the end of the old year to the beginning of the new one.
Those 12 days from Christmas, December 25th, until midnight, January 6th, the Epiphany, were known as the Raunachte. During these cold, dark Winter days, without electricity or central heating, staying close to the hearth meant safety. This wasn’t a time for working.
From German Girl in America: Rauhnächte - In Germany, it’s the Time Between the Years
While the origins and meaning of the term “Rauhnachte” vary, it may relate to the smoky incense popular during this time or the wild beasts that roam during this mysterious and liminal time.
Whatever you choose to believe, consider honoring the Rauhnachte with spooky tales of winter ghosts and seasonal frights - enjoyed safely in the comfort of the home by the warmth of the hearth.
Mother Goddess of the Hearth: Frigg
While Odin often takes a central role in Norse Yule traditions, many Yule celebrations also dedicate a time to honor His wife. The Goddess Frigg/Frigga is a motherly deity of the hearth, family, weaving, and home.
At the heart of Norse mythology stands a revered goddess who weaves the threads of fate and watches over the home. Frigg, also known as Frigga, is herself a symbol of wisdom, motherhood, and foresight. As the Queen of Asgard and wife of Odin, she holds a place of great power and influence.
Though often associated with hearth and family, her knowledge extends beyond the domestic sphere—she alone is said to know the destiny of all, yet she keeps her secrets well.
From Spells8: Frigg: Norse Goddess
Consider honoring Frigga today with home spells, giving offerings, or doing handicrafts by the hearth.
Other Deities of Hearth & Home
In addition to Frigg, there are many deities and spirits who help tend the hearth and guard the heart of a home. Other deities you might honor today include Fire Goddess Hestia / Vesta and Spirits of the Home.
Consider working with Them, making offerings, or saying devotional prayers in Their honor today.
Want to celebrate? Here are a few spells and other ways to honor the energies of the day.
Rauhnachte Ritual of 13 Wishes
The 13-Wish Ritual is a modern custom for the Twelve Days of Christmas. You think of 13 wishes for the new year, write them down on slips of paper, and then burn 12 of them, asking the universe to grant them. The 13th wish is then left entirely up to you …
The ritual begins on the night of December 24th to 25th. The procedure is as follows for each of the twelve nights.
Step 1 : When it gets dark or dusk falls, go to a secluded place. There, focus on the month of the Twelve Days of Christmas and draw a wish list.
Step 2 : The note is handed over to the spirit world or the universe by burning it unopened in a fireproof container. It is important not to know which wish is being burned.
Step 3 : While the piece of paper dissolves into ash and smoke, remain completely still and observe your own thoughts and feelings. If you wish, you can take notes.
Step 4 : It’s normal for pieces of paper to burn with varying degrees of success. Make sure that only ash remains. Then, return the cooled ash to the earth and thank the universe.
After burning one slip of paper each during the twelve nights of Christmas, the remaining one is ceremoniously opened on January 6th. The wish revealed is the one that one can then take care of in the new year.
Ritual from Rauhnächte 2024: Rituale (German - translated via Google Translate)
TWELVE NIGHTS OF YULE COUNTDOWN:
0. Intro and History of the Twelve Nights
1. Mother’s Night and The Longest Night (Dec 20)
2. The Winter Solstice and The Wild Hunt (Dec 21)
3. Day of Light & Reflections, Sacred to Ancestors (Dec 22)
4. Day of Family, Sacred to All-Father Odin (Dec 23)
5. Day of Gifts & Miracles, Jolabokaflod, Night of Animals Talking (Dec 24)
6. Day of Hearth & Home, Sol Invictus, First Day of Rauhnächte, Sacred to Frigg (Dec 25)
7. Day of Cleansing (Dec 26)
8. Day of Snow, Sacred to Deities of Winter, Skadi & Ullr (Dec 27)
9. Day of Preparation (Dec 28)
10. Day of Community (Dec 29)
11. Day of Mischief, Sacred to Tricksters (Dec 30)
12. Oath Night, Twelfth Night, Day of Wassailing, Gregorian New Year’s Eve (Dec 31)
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