Yule 聖誕節的前身：橡樹聖王
The day is short – and life so long
Sit vigil this night, singing sun-songs
Each night since Midsummer,
At last solstice the Oak King was bested –
But now at last, the Sun slowly returns
Minute by minute, he also yearns
To come to his people, to spread his light
On this darkest day he conquers the night.
這一天是短暫的，但生命還很長
一邊守夜、一邊唱著太陽之歌
就這樣每天數著漫漫長夜 直到至夏、橡樹聖王到來的那天（註1）
如今，太陽即將再度征服寒冬
他將依隨人們的期盼
用祂的光芒穿破最闇黑的這一夜
At this time of year, you need all the light you can get. String lights in your home, fill the house with baked goods and happy scents, and have friends over. Prepare hot drinks of teas, chocolates, and coffees, the better to warm the feet and trigger endorphins in your light-starved brain.
每年到了這天，我們會將家裡佈置得光鮮亮麗、然後請朋友一同來到家裡，用豐盛的食物與喜悅的氣氛，來點亮家裡的每一盞燈。準備好熱呼呼的熱茶、巧克力與咖啡，用這些熱飲來暖身子、同時也可以刺激我們腦袋自己分泌出嗎啡—讓我們更徹底的放鬆。
The winter is always dark and ling, but having friends makes it all bearable – especially since holiday stress can induce family angst. Have a tree or poinsettia to focus and filter all the energy that comes from living in a closed space. Sing songs whenever you can. The carol “Joy to the World” has a verse that starts “Joy to the Earth”, and can just as easily be about Pagan stories of winter survival. Be simple, be fancy, but be sure it all comes from the heart.
冬天會讓人感到灰暗，尤其是每當假日帶來的一股壓力、引發家庭的焦慮時，我們身邊的朋友卻讓這些變得可以忍受。家中如果有聖誕紅，將能聚集並過濾生命能量；大家一起唱歌（註2）、朗誦、分享各種神話故事，這些簡單而有趣的事情，卻能啟發心中的喜悅。
註1
Yule是指用太陽位移的方式、來計算從冬至（最短白天和最長的夜晚）到夏至（最長白天和最短的夜晚）的日數；在以前人們相當重視這天，因為從現在開始晚上會變得越來越短、而白天會變得越來越長。因此Yule又被稱為異教徒的聖誕節；在這天他們會慶祝太陽的重生（太陽神Ra/Re），而據賽爾特人的民間傳說中，橡樹聖王一體兩面，一面是掌管一年的光明（Litha），而另一面則負責監督每年較黑暗的部分（Yule）。
在北半球，Yule一般慶祝滿月到達的當天，通常是12月21日。
註2：
文中「joy to the world」是首很著名的聖誕歌曲，而且許多歌手（如瑪麗亞凱莉、）都翻唱過唷！歌名翻譯中文叫做「普世歡騰」- 聽聽看，說不定很耳熟唷！
採自：《witches’ datebook》, Llewellyn worldwide, 2011.
潤飾：小嵐塔羅
