I’m still sick, so my brain isnt’t really cooperating and I wasn’t able to write something yesterday. But today is the 8th day of Yule and 8 is my favourite number, so I’m going to try.
I’ve read that one of the themes that can be reflected upon for the 8th day of Yuletide is protection. The darkness of winter could also induce fear in people. You have figures such as Grýla, Perchta and Krampus, who are all some sort of winter demons. To cope with the dark forces during winter time, people had their rituals to keep evil spirits at bay. These rituals included making salt barriers on thresholds, ringing bells, burning a Yule log and hanging mistletoe.
When I think about protection in a spiritual sense, I have a few rituals of my own. When I first moved into the house I live in now, I didn’t feel quite safe at first. So I sprinkled some salt in front of all the doors and did a little shielding visualization. I also sometimes carry black stones such as tourmaline or obsidian when I go to events where I feel I need my boundary setting skills at the forefront of my brain. Wearing black also helps me feel shielded sometimes. When I use spices such as black pepper or chili, I add them to my meal with the general intention of protection, wherever I might need it. And then there’s music that makes me feel protected. I have a playlist that when I listen to it, makes me feel like I am the one that is dangerous, and that people need to be scared of me, not the other way around. It feels great to put it on when I go for a walk in the evening when it is dark. Dancing to those songs also feels really powerful. Damn it, now I want to do that, but I don’t think my head will appreciate that. Still, listening to one of the most bad ass songs I’ve discovered this year couldn’t hurt, I think.
Tea Time With Amber 