Yule: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for the Winter Solstice (Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials (7))

I am very interested in Yule and the history of pagan traditions, especially Norse/Scandinavian. I just finished reading the book "The Old Magic of Christmas", another Llewellyn publication. I loved that book because it went into a lot of the pagan and pre-Christmas folklore, traditions, and stories. This book on the other hand is extremely Wicca-focused/based and I did not enjoy that about it. It doesn't go into enough detail about the history and origins of Yule. If you are Wicca, I'm sure you will find it to be a great little companion for celebrating Yule. But if you are like me, and are into the real traditions and folklore and origin of the holiday, check out "The Old Magic of Christmas" instead.

I'm not even 20 pages in and I already found some pretty common historical knowledge that is incorrect. The Romans didn't add January and February to the calendar, they added July and August for the emperors Julius and Agustus. Not sure how much more accuracy I'll find in this book.

Unfortunately, this book didn't provide what I was hoping for. I don't like writing a negative review because I know how difficult it is to recontextualize these old traditions and make them both new and true. The author has provided ideas as a starting point, and I applaud the effort. But I was disappointed, and I wish to offer an alternative viewpoint to help shoppers know if it makes sense to include in their basket. The content seems much more workable for a practicing witch, in particular a Wiccan. But many of us are not; rather we are simply drawn to the religious and folk practices emanating from Europe's past. Specifically, I don't notice the book making mention of Odin or of Sleipnir. I imagine this would feel awkward for many observers of Yule! Frigg is thankfully mentioned, but it appears more in passing than anything else. I don't see any mention of folkloric creatures such as elves. The recipes section has some good ideas, but I believe most are what you'd likely devise on your own anyway. I didn't really think the chili recipe made sense. I'm all for a great pot of chili, but this kind of food pulls us out of the moment because it's not necessarily tailored to the celebration. Along similar lines, there's a section on Tarot spreads to use or when to cast spells - I don't see how this fits in. Probably my favorite section in the book is gift ideas. There are small and humble gifts that some would appreciate more than anything else they might get, and they work well for stockings. My criticism is not targeted toward the author specifically who I think did a reasonable job putting forth her own views and enthusiasm. Rather my criticism is toward this publisher's series of 8 books in general for the wheel of the year, many of which I bought, and unfortunately which did not help me recreate the mood of these holidays at all (or that not all of the holidays have historical basis). It just isn't easy to do, and there aren't a lot of books clarifying because we just don't have much history preserved. If the shopper is interested in witchcraft/Wicca, has a lighthearted appreciation for modern fun, and is from America, the book may be a good fit and I can recommend it. But I honestly think for many shoppers, they'd be better off accepting that no book can provide great answers, and just to do their best celebrating the holiday by just treating it like an old-fashioned Christmas celebration: decorate a tree, stuff stockings, use holly, ivy, mistletoe, etc., warm up glogg, rely heavily on candlelight, and make new years resolutions at some point. I even think pre-20th century Christmas carols have a great texture (the lyrics are a matter of interpretation anyway depending on whose birthday we believe we're celebrating). This has worked great for me, I am able to have great parties that most people can enjoy regardless of beliefs, don't seem to dishonor my gods, and that truly tap into the power of the old Norse traditions we know about (particularly the ones that survive until present day in places like Finland or Norway).

It's a nice little book. Keyword: little! I like the stories about the Sabbats of the past and present being all together in one place as well as the correspondences and such, but not for the new price of $7.99. That's just ludicrous! These books are so brief and lacking in the number of spell samples and ideas they aren't worth more than $3. I can get all of the information they provide online for free. There's nothing wrong with the books, they're quaint, but new price is ridiculous. Llewellyn seriously needs to lower the digital price back to $2.99 and stop gouging for something that's completely not worth that price tag.

I totally love this little series of books and Yule, the latest of the eight major pagan festivals, is no exception. Does it dig into the deep, dark, interesting past of Yule in great detail? Nope, but it wasn't meant to. It is meant to be a overview of the festival with a bit of history, lots of cool ideas to help celebrate the time of year and the festival itself. Fun recipes that can be adapted to suit the persons personal needs or at least spark some ideas. If you need a quick ritual idea, craft idea, want a logical correspondence to evoke the mood and feeling of the season, this book is for you. It isn't trying to be anything it isn't. It is a great series for an intro to the sabbats.

Good book. Typo in kindle version where it states the book is only about Ostara, but it does talk about only Yule outside of the intro, just a heads up.

a must have book. I needed to get this book because i didn't know ti much about yule, it gives you the information that you need.. teaches you the old ways, new ways, spells and divination, recipes and crafts, prayers and invocation, rituals of celebration, correspondences for yule... the only problem i had with it the words are tiny I had to bust out my reading glasses

This is a pretty decent overview of the Winter Solstice holiday, with an emphasis on European traditions. it tries to be culturally inclusive, and succeeds to a point. Still, it is not a bad reference for basic neo-pagan approaches and ideas. It did seem silly that the author called the word "Yule" a modern Wiccan word, when it's been used so much earlier (though without the modern Pagan meaning)- and indeed, the Scandinavian version of "Merry Christmas" is "God Jul"! I did like this volume overall, though, and have ordered the Imbolc version.

If you want to celebrate a secular, pagan, or make-up-your-own holiday, this book has great information and great ideas. We used it all the time over the winter holidays and will use it every year. This is a great series.

I am in love with this series! This is the 2nd book I've purchased (I bought the Samhain book in September) and can't wait to order Imbolc soon. These petite size book pack a lot of pages of usual information -- everything from traditional stories, recipes, and usage of herbs to fun and interesting tidbits. I truly enjoy reading this !

I am very interested in Yule and the history of pagan traditions, especially Norse/Scandinavian. I just finished reading the book "The Old Magic of Christmas", another Llewellyn publication. I loved that book because it went into a lot of the pagan and pre-Christmas folklore, traditions, and stories. This book on the other hand is extremely Wicca-focused/based and I did not enjoy that about it. It doesn't go into enough detail about the history and origins of Yule. If you are Wicca, I'm sure you will find it to be a great little companion for celebrating Yule. But if you are like me, and are into the real traditions and folklore and origin of the holiday, check out "The Old Magic of Christmas" instead.

I'm not even 20 pages in and I already found some pretty common historical knowledge that is incorrect. The Romans didn't add January and February to the calendar, they added July and August for the emperors Julius and Agustus. Not sure how much more accuracy I'll find in this book.

Unfortunately, this book didn't provide what I was hoping for. I don't like writing a negative review because I know how difficult it is to recontextualize these old traditions and make them both new and true. The author has provided ideas as a starting point, and I applaud the effort. But I was disappointed, and I wish to offer an alternative viewpoint to help shoppers know if it makes sense to include in their basket. The content seems much more workable for a practicing witch, in particular a Wiccan. But many of us are not; rather we are simply drawn to the religious and folk practices emanating from Europe's past. Specifically, I don't notice the book making mention of Odin or of Sleipnir. I imagine this would feel awkward for many observers of Yule! Frigg is thankfully mentioned, but it appears more in passing than anything else. I don't see any mention of folkloric creatures such as elves. The recipes section has some good ideas, but I believe most are what you'd likely devise on your own anyway. I didn't really think the chili recipe made sense. I'm all for a great pot of chili, but this kind of food pulls us out of the moment because it's not necessarily tailored to the celebration. Along similar lines, there's a section on Tarot spreads to use or when to cast spells - I don't see how this fits in. Probably my favorite section in the book is gift ideas. There are small and humble gifts that some would appreciate more than anything else they might get, and they work well for stockings. My criticism is not targeted toward the author specifically who I think did a reasonable job putting forth her own views and enthusiasm. Rather my criticism is toward this publisher's series of 8 books in general for the wheel of the year, many of which I bought, and unfortunately which did not help me recreate the mood of these holidays at all (or that not all of the holidays have historical basis). It just isn't easy to do, and there aren't a lot of books clarifying because we just don't have much history preserved. If the shopper is interested in witchcraft/Wicca, has a lighthearted appreciation for modern fun, and is from America, the book may be a good fit and I can recommend it. But I honestly think for many shoppers, they'd be better off accepting that no book can provide great answers, and just to do their best celebrating the holiday by just treating it like an old-fashioned Christmas celebration: decorate a tree, stuff stockings, use holly, ivy, mistletoe, etc., warm up glogg, rely heavily on candlelight, and make new years resolutions at some point. I even think pre-20th century Christmas carols have a great texture (the lyrics are a matter of interpretation anyway depending on whose birthday we believe we're celebrating). This has worked great for me, I am able to have great parties that most people can enjoy regardless of beliefs, don't seem to dishonor my gods, and that truly tap into the power of the old Norse traditions we know about (particularly the ones that survive until present day in places like Finland or Norway).

It's a nice little book. Keyword: little! I like the stories about the Sabbats of the past and present being all together in one place as well as the correspondences and such, but not for the new price of $7.99. That's just ludicrous! These books are so brief and lacking in the number of spell samples and ideas they aren't worth more than $3. I can get all of the information they provide online for free. There's nothing wrong with the books, they're quaint, but new price is ridiculous. Llewellyn seriously needs to lower the digital price back to $2.99 and stop gouging for something that's completely not worth that price tag.

I totally love this little series of books and Yule, the latest of the eight major pagan festivals, is no exception. Does it dig into the deep, dark, interesting past of Yule in great detail? Nope, but it wasn't meant to. It is meant to be a overview of the festival with a bit of history, lots of cool ideas to help celebrate the time of year and the festival itself. Fun recipes that can be adapted to suit the persons personal needs or at least spark some ideas. If you need a quick ritual idea, craft idea, want a logical correspondence to evoke the mood and feeling of the season, this book is for you. It isn't trying to be anything it isn't. It is a great series for an intro to the sabbats.

Good book. Typo in kindle version where it states the book is only about Ostara, but it does talk about only Yule outside of the intro, just a heads up.

a must have book. I needed to get this book because i didn't know ti much about yule, it gives you the information that you need.. teaches you the old ways, new ways, spells and divination, recipes and crafts, prayers and invocation, rituals of celebration, correspondences for yule... the only problem i had with it the words are tiny I had to bust out my reading glasses

This is a pretty decent overview of the Winter Solstice holiday, with an emphasis on European traditions. it tries to be culturally inclusive, and succeeds to a point. Still, it is not a bad reference for basic neo-pagan approaches and ideas. It did seem silly that the author called the word "Yule" a modern Wiccan word, when it's been used so much earlier (though without the modern Pagan meaning)- and indeed, the Scandinavian version of "Merry Christmas" is "God Jul"! I did like this volume overall, though, and have ordered the Imbolc version.

If you want to celebrate a secular, pagan, or make-up-your-own holiday, this book has great information and great ideas. We used it all the time over the winter holidays and will use it every year. This is a great series.

I am in love with this series! This is the 2nd book I've purchased (I bought the Samhain book in September) and can't wait to order Imbolc soon. These petite size book pack a lot of pages of usual information -- everything from traditional stories, recipes, and usage of herbs to fun and interesting tidbits. I truly enjoy reading this !

Such a wonderful book. Provides a lot of information on the subject of Yule both in the Old Traditions as well as the New Traditions. Though seemingly small, this is definitely not your average 10 page booklet. Love it, can’t wait to get the other of the 7 remaining to complete my collection in the Sabbat Essentials series.

I loved this book! This was the first in the series that I had read. I loved all the history and stories, plus all of the great ideas and practices that were mentioned. Gave me a lot of great ideas for Yule that I will continue to practice each season. Great book for new witches or for those just looking for a good book to read during the holiday time.

So much useful information. I bought the set and each one tells you about that specific sabbat in detail. The first couple pages are all the same. Fun crafts and food and of course the good stuff. Wasn’t expecting it to be as many pages, but couldn’t put it down.

I wish it had more decoration crafts to make listed in the book. My friend and I make a craft each year at the start of the holiday season so I'm always looking for ideas for our next project but there wasn't anything in here that caught my eye. Everything else though was very interesting and informative and this would be a good book to get if one is just entering the Craft and seeking more information about the holidays.

I love how in this series they cover both old and new traditions and give many variations of things to do. I highly recomend these books to all starting out or even looking to broaden your horizons.

Very informative I love how you can learn so much from this book is is full of information is is full of recipes and rituals perfect gift for that little spiritual person in your life ;)

Not sure why, but i was expecting the book to be somewhat bigger than what it is. But it is a very well thought out and planned book, nonetheless.

Really enjoyed this book. Had some great information on history and the way the solstice and yule have been celebrated and ideas on how to celebrate yourself along with crafting ideas, rituals, and recipes.

This series is just one of the great books for the Sabbaths. I love them and will continue to purchase for other rituals and recipes. They teach the ones that do not know about the Sabbaths with all kinds of information about each.

My friend had been looking for ways to celebrate the winter holiday season including the Winter Solstice; this book is full of ideas and inspiration.

Its a cute little book! Packed full of great information about traditions, recipes, crafts and more. My daughters and I are super excited to read it together and start cooking and crafting. Any non traditional family should buy this book or gift it to the "odd" friend. Any pagan or neopagan, wiccan should get this set of books. Blessed be.

These cute sabbat books are fun and a great introduction to them when beginning. The sabbats can be confusing and overwhelming to a baby witch so this is an easy fun book to hep with that.

A wonderful book for general reference about the solstice with lots of great ideas, a great read to get in the holiday spirit!

So far I love this little book to fill me in on more Yule traditions and knowledge.

Very nice mix of a little bit of everything for Yule. Thank you😊

Great for each season. My wife bought the Samhain book in Autumn and I just bought her this one to keep the collection going.

Easy break down for beginners. Doesn’t confuse you with too much information and allows you to continue researching on your own.

The book itself was good. I chose a lower rating for it because of it all the religious connotations that it came with.

Solid source of information.

Enjoyed this very much

Good addition to the series. Informative. Easy to read

Very informative book. Prompt delivery

I enjoyed this book a lot. It had practical ways to celebrate Yule to have as big or as small of celebration as you would like. I also appreciated the history of Yule that was given. I would like to try some of the other books in the series!

Recipient loves it

Awesome informative little book! Glad to start this series!

love this series!

Love it

Great book and good info!

Loved this little gem of a book! I have the Beltane and Samhain versions and loved them so decided to give this a try. Super informative and educational. I loved learning about the origins of Yule throughout the world. Well written quick read.

Can't wait to read it

Very informative and well written. For the seasoned witch/pagan or beginner level.

Great series of books

Came just as decribed and holds everything one would need to know about Yule. As a rather new Wiccan the book was very insightful and I look forward to collecting all 8 books.

I loved everything about this book. The history, the recipes, just a wonderful book about Yule. I read it the last 2 years in mid-December and will be making that a nice little tradition. :)

Nice rituals for Christmas

Very beautiful cover and I can't wait to read it

will go good in my collection

Was a gift and super fast shipping appears to be great book as it was well recived

These books are amazing and will be used for many years to come!

A wonderful book full of all the information I never even knew I wanted to know. I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to learn about the wheel of the year or the original winter traditions of old.

Love these books

Love this book

I am enjoying the details of what Yule means through the eyes of different perspectives.

Well written for the more recent participate in Yule rituals, some excellent receipts.

I learned many new things about Yule that I didn't know. Perhaps I will put some of what I learned into our next celebration!

totally awesome and fun. nice and cute.

Exactly what i expected.

It was very good at describing the history and background of the "holiday". I'm definitely keeping the book and will use the recipes in it.

Loved all these books in the series.

Very informative. I bought it for my 12 year old daughter and she loves it.

Love learning about the historical and spiritual meaning of traditions, seasons, and the wheel of the year. Wonderful author!

I love this whole set!

This book was sort of a pleasant surprise. They are well-written and targeted to a broad audience rather than just Wicca practitioners. The mythology and rituals cover a broad range of traditions as well.

Great amount of information, love this series, I plan to purchase them all.

A reasonably thorough book on the subject of Yuletide. It fits in so well with my library of Winter Solstice subjects and research.

weve read it, looking forward to having a celebration !easy to read,

Awesome book! I absolutely love this. I would recommend this to everyone. A must have.

A good book detailing the holiday, its rituals, and customs. It's written clearly and has a lot of information without being boring. It would make a good gift . I think everyone will enjoy it; I did.

arrived as expected

Beautiful informational little books. I think it is a must have for anyone following the pagan path.

Nice book!

Best book about Yule ever! This book is helping me learn more about the history and it has wonderful recipes. I can't wait to make wassail!

Thank you for this knowledge 😍

Thank you !!!!

Its great came very fast and looks exactly like the pictures. Very informative

Nice book. I do not care for this one as much as the others. Each book is written by a different author.

very informational book

Excellent for solitary practicener

Love it.

love this book, very informative

easy to read- some new insight to other's beliefs

Good information. Rituals recipes. All very interesting and learned some new things as well

This is a great books serious. I wouldn't use these as a dependent everyday book but these do have useful knowledge and are just pretty read to add to your collection either way. This is a great little series with some info about common holiday crafts which makes it fun and interesting to read

Love this book! Tons of awesome info about Yule and reccomend this to everyone!

product arrived in timely fashion and was as described

Excellent

Love this series!

It's the reason for the season, good book!

love it

One of the better Yule time books

wish there were a few more recipes but love the history and rituals offered

I've been a Pagan for almost 20 years, but I still learned some new things from this little book. There's a good history, recipes to get you started, and some spells as well. This is not Everything Yule, but it is a place to get started. I also bought all of the other books in the Llewellyn Sabbat series. So far I've read Samhain and this one, and I've liked them both. The information is very generically Pagan, so if you follow an unusual path, you may not get what you want.

Very nice book in terrific shape

I love this entire series. A wonderful combination of history, personal practice, recipes and ritual ideas.

Very interesting book

a quick read and lots of interesting information.

I made a terrible mistake and by that mistake, accidentally had this book shipped back. I want it, so I'm giving the 5 stars.

Thank you!

Product was as advertised and arrived on time

thanks for everything ... love it

I would like to thank Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. for an ARC of this book in exchange for an open and honest review. This is a great reference book for any Pagan seeking to reconnect with the celebration of Yule and the Winter Solstice. Although I already celebrate the Solstice in question, I still got a lot of inspiration from ‘Yule’ as it not only gave me some new ideas to incorporate into our own celebrations; it encouraged me to keep doing things “my way”. So many books of faith and celebrations seem to dictate that their opinion is the ONLY way it should be done. ‘Yule’ encourages you to find your own footing on the path, giving helpful pointers along the way but allowing you to seek the balance right for you and your area of the faith. It did feel a little odd reading this book on a very hot spring day, with Yule months behind me and Ostara just last weekend… but that’s the fault of the reader, not the book. ;-) I will say this book is more focussed on Yule in the Northern Hemisphere as a lot of the rituals and festive ideas are closely linked to Christmas time. As a Pagan of the Southern Hemisphere, I celebrate the Winter Solstice/ Yule near the end of June. And so I did get some good ideas from this book, but not everything could be carried over as smoothly. This is not meant as a negative comment as you should write to what suits you and from what you are accustomed to. If the author comes from the Northern Hemisphere, they should focus the knowledge they’re sharing on those experiences. Again, different footsteps on the same path. The only other minor piece of constructive criticism I would give is I was a little disappointed in the food recipes. I’m a whole food, organic food, make everything from scratch person and so find recipes that are for a packet of this and a tin of that… they didn’t sit well with me. But, again, different footsteps on the same path. We need to find the balance that is true to ourselves and so if pre-made foods work for the author, then it’s how it should be in her book. The ARC did contain a couple of typos and misspelt words too, but I’m sure they were picked up in the final edit and I never mark a book down on such things as I’m good for a typo or two myself! Would I recommend this book to others? Yes I would. Just because it has a strong connection to Yule in the Northern Hemisphere, this book is still a very good reference book for anyone wanting to get back in touch with the Winter Solstice. Even those also located in the Southern Hemisphere like myself. It gives us a broader look at the world and our Pagan faiths within it. Would I buy this book for myself? I might. I do have some books that follow the Wheel that are more Southern Hemisphere orientated that work for me… but I did enjoy reading ‘Yule’ and so I won’t say no just yet. If I find myself thinking back over it and wanting to remember some of its advice next June… perhaps I will still get it. It has also made me keen to read the other books in the Wheel from this publisher as I feel they could contain the same fair guidance and inspiration. In summary: A well written book of reference for anyone wanting to get back in touch with the celebration of Yule and the Winter Solstice. And, although aimed more for those in the Northern Hemisphere, it is still a good reference books for Southern Hemisphere Pagans too. It’s a good nudge in the right direction, rather than a strict statement of how it should be. A perfect book to embrace into your faith, and to help you find more balance in how to live.

Very simple and sweet book. As far as the historical accuracy, it does a fine job. Not in great detail but enough. For example one reviewer had an issue with the reporting on the Roman calendar. Which could have been a bit more clear (though it isn’t a history book). The Roman calendar was 304-days when King Numa Pompilius changed it by adding January (Ianuarius) and February (Februarius) to the original 10 months. The month Quintilis was renamed July in honor of Julius Caesar and Sextilis was renamed August in honor of Augustus later. Still a really fun little guide on ideas for celebrating with some light references.

Going into this I was hoping for more history on the roots of Yule but it's pretty glossed over. There's some interesting rituals listed & I appreciate what they were trying to do here but I felt it left me wanting to find a better book on the subject. Beautiful presentation but ultimately disappointing.

I didn't buy the book offline but I wanted to add a review. This book os truly amazing! I found some very good information in this book which helped me to understand the season of yule a little bit better. What I loved about this book was how she talked about how many other counties celebrated and kept certain tradition of the holiday within their country. It was very hard to put this book down. A must read!

This book had a pretty good background on Yule and some decent craft ideas. But it did includes some weird suggestions of traditions such as putting a white crayon in your freezer to make it snow. Overall it was a ok.

Such a fun book with great information and things to do to get festive. Could have more info on the history of the season, but that’s just me being a huge nerd and wanting ALL of the information.

Extremely insightful! Filled with history, ideas, spells, rituals and lore, this book is a must have for anyone interested in the religious histories and current practices. Can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series.

This book has too many historical inaccuracies to be of serious use. The illustrations are cool though.

Five stars

I like this series of books. A pleasing amount of old and new more. The rituals are easy to adapt.

I found this book to be very informative and helpful to me and my family . we celebrated Yule this year.

I have not had the chance to read this book. I will change my rating once I have finished reading it.

Excelente información, muy útil para celebrar el sabbat con diferentes matices.

Beautifully written - Thank-You!

Really informative book. Came promptly.

The whole collection is both informative with great content

Cada entrega de esta serie es sin duda indispensable para cualquier wiccano. Muy bien!

Very basic and comprehensive...an excellent resource book with quick ideas. It will be nice to collect all the volumes as part of a reference library for the celebrations.

Its wonderful the perfect book to help celebrate yule. The recipes are great!

Titolo che non può mancare nella biblioteca

Absolutely a must have for every Wicca or Druid out there.

I love this set!

good book, good reading, lots of details and delivered on time

Fue un regalo y le encanto.. llego perfecto.. muy contenta con el vendedor.

Great reference guide and a wonderful addition to my collection.

Excellent! beaucoup d'informations!

Love it 10/10

awesome fincking awesome

Très bel ouvrage, extrêmement complet. L'un des rares aussi complet sur cette célébration. L'anglais est simple et le livre de qualité, on y trouve des travaux pratiques comme des choses plus théoriques. Je recommande