Debated whether to use the holiday tag or personal milestone tag. It’s pretty relevant to both so I don’t know.

I’m still fairly new to paganism (a month or two I’d say), and so this is the first Yule/Winter Solstice (or holiday in general) that I’m celebrating.

But before I get into that, I first made my altar about a month ago, but soon after that I’d stopped talking to the deities I follow quite so regularly. So much that I even began to wonder if it was all just a phase. In the end I decided it wasn’t, as if it were I wouldn’t be giving that so much thought, nor would I have gotten so emotional when I did next spend time at my altar. So that in itself was really affirming and gave me a lot of peace of mind.

Now back to my experience with Yule/the Winter Solstice..

None of my friends know I’m pagan, but the date of the holiday just happened to coincide with a Christmas party one of them was hosting. We exchanged presents, ate lots of food together and were talking about our plans/goals for the next year. When I got home, I then sat by my altar and discussed it all with the deities I follow. I also thanked them for all the help they’ve given me recently (another story). Tomorrow (or technically today since it’s past midnight), I plan to sit and observe the sunset for the solstice and generally reflect on the past year and what I hope to achieve in the coming year.