Winter Solstice: Traditions and Tarot Spread
The Winter Solstice is upon us here in the Northern Hemisphere, marking our longest night of the year. Until recently, Yule's brighter midsummer twin was my favorite solstice to celebrate. Born on June 20th—a day that aligns with the longest day of the year—I always preferred the daytime and warmer months. But now, as I watch the distance between Crone and myself narrow and my Maiden fade in the rearview, I find this darker, cooler celebration is my treasured time of year.
Age and hormones also have me feeling differently about summers in Florida nowadays. So I’m definitely digging lighting a bonfire in December over June as I get closer to the big 4-0.
Today's collective reading and tarot spread are inspired by my recent deep dive into paranormal winter solstice connections. This journey down the rabbit hole started with learning about the fascinating ghostly folkmyth of the Wild Hunt. And now I'm kind of obsessed with dark winter tales.
But rather than overwhelm you with details, I'll share a brief overview of this solstice, one short version of the Wild Hunt, then the spread and notes, present my reading, and wrap up with holiday wishes.
The Winter Solstice is on December 21 in the Northern Hemisphere and:
The longest night of the year;
Historically marked ‘midwinter’ between Samhain & Imbolc; today it marks the first day of winter;
Is customarily celebrated with a variety of fire rituals, feasts, and decorating with evergreens—holly, fir, pine, etc.
Symbolically represents descending into the darkness;
Symbolically represents entering the Crone age in the maiden-mother-crone archetypal cycle;
And many of our traditions today—hanging holly wreaths, giving gifts, feasting, getting merry with the libations, hanging mistletoe, decorating trees, and lighting candles, etc. all have pagan solstice-related roots.
And, if you’re really interested in the roots of Christmas tree decorating history, I’ll include the infographic I made at the end anyway.
A brief, super-generalized version of one variation of many Wild Hunt myths is…
A group of spectral riders led by Odin—known as the "Yule King" in Germanic-Norse versions—conducts a supernatural hunt during the Winter Solstice. This event was seen as an ominous sign that foretold wars, plagues, or death.
Witnesses weren't merely spectators, either. Legend has it that the ghostly riders might snatch them away, never to be seen again.
The spread is based on the concept of these ghostly riders—who I believe symbolically represent the past coming in to haunt us, possibly taking us if we don’t protect ourselves from their force, or leaving us to begin anew.
Card 1: The Energy of the Hunt
Card 2: What the sun is setting on
Cards 3 & 4: Together enlighten us about the roots of what is haunting us and how it relates to what the darkness holds
Card 5: The Energy that the sun will rise on
Card 6: The Action we need to take moving forward
Card 7: The Advice
Card 8: The Outcome
As always, if you've made it this far down the page with me, I love you bunches for that! Below, you’ll find my brief and highly condensed look at the origins of the tradition of decorating evergreen trees at this time of year. If you’re as intrigued by the Wild Hunt or other eerie winter folklore as I am, I’ve also included a list of my sources for anyone curious to dive deeper into these chilling tales. Happy winter solstice, everyone ♥️
References:
The Mythillogical. “Mythillogical: The Wild Hunt.” Libsyn.com. 2024. https://mythillogical.libsyn.com/the-wild-hunt.
“Chilling Holiday Folklore with Dr. Sarah Cleto & Dr. Brittany Warman.” Smithsonianassociates.org. 2024. https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/chilling-holiday-folklore.
Raedisch, Linda. “The Old Magic of Christmas: Yuletide Traditions for the Darkest Days of the Year". Llewellyn Publications. 2024. https://bookshop.org/a/101141/9780738733340
Hutton, R. (2019). The Wild Hunt in the Modern British Imagination.
Folklore, 130 (2), 175-191. https://doi.org/10.1080/0015587X.2018.1493861
Greenberg, Mike. “The Wild Hunt.” MythologySource. November 30, 2020. https://mythologysource.com/the-wild-hunt.
