Light your Yule fire with a handful of this Winter Solstice ritual incense.
With seasonal ingredients like juniper berries, cinnamon, and rosemary, this easy Winter Solstice DIY project makes a great addition to any Yule ritual.
Or, give it away to a witchy friend to warm the hearth and the heart!
Magical Correspondences
Whenever you whip up a batch of ritual incense, always bear in mind the meaning of the ingredients.
Choose elements that correspond to the season, as well as the energies and objectives of the holiday or spell.
Here’s a breakdown of the ingredients in this recipe, and their meaning in the context of the Winter Solstice.
Star Anise
Star anise represents the guiding light of hope in the darkest, coldest months of the year.
The darker the sky, the brighter the stars! In this season of retreat and contemplation, we turn to this metaphorical light as a reminder that there is joy even when the land appears to be barren and dead.
Juniper Berries
Juniper is a purification herb. The berries themselves are toxic when eaten, but burned in small amounts, they produce a lovely cedar smell that is cleansing to the spirit.
In this recipe, they help to produce clarity of the mind, which can become cluttered & chaotic from so much time spent indoors.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a classic fall/winter ingredient in everything from incense blends to kitchen witch spells.
Cinnamon heightens psychic awareness—-a skill that is especially well established in the winter months when the spirit turns inwards during the periods of solitude that often come naturally with cold weather.
Frankincense
People around the world regard frankincense as a sacred substance.
However, if you cannot find or afford responsibly sourced frankincense, please skip this one!
Rosemary
Rosemary is an evergreen. If you have some in your garden, go gather it up!
Magically, it’s used as a protection herb and to cultivate the warmth of love.
Here, we include it as a symbol of slow growth and skills acquired over a long period of time—exactly the kind of skills to work on during the indoor season!
Pine Needles
The clean, fresh scent of pine needles evokes the smell of winter in a powerful way we all recognize (if you live where they grow, anyway!)
You can also substitute crushed pine cones.
Either way, make sure they are well-dried.
Ginger
Ginger is perfect for spiritual healing and “heating up” internal coldness.
Use it in both spells and kitchen witch recipes during the winter season for an extra spicy seasoning of joy.
Yule Ritual Incense Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 parts dried rosemary
- 1 part dried juniper berries
- 2 parts pine needles
- 1 part frankincense
- 2 parts star anise
- 5 drops cinnamon essential oil
- 10 drops ginger essential oil
Instructions
- Combine first five ingredients in a clean glass jar.
- Add essential oils and give it a quick stir.
- Store in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.
