Journal Prompts for Yule
The Wheel of the Year begins its cycle at Yule, during the winter solstice, with rebirth and the return of the sun—a magic beacon of hope in the depth of winter’s embrace. The winter solstice season is a time of celebration and of gathering with community. It is also associated with Christmas; many older pagan traditions that reflect winter have been given Christmas meaning and ideas.
Celebrated at the winter solstice, December in the northern hemisphere and June in the southern hemisphere, Yule marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. It is one of the eight sabbats of the Wheel of the Year celebrated in contemporary paganism, including Wiccan traditions. (More on the Wheel of the Year here.) It is a time of gathering with loved ones to practice beloved rituals, light a fire in the darkness, celebrate the light returning after the darkest winter night, and look ahead to the bright new year and how you will fill it with light and warmth together.
Yule is also a perfect time for writing in your journal. The beginning of the year is a natural time to listen to the stillness of winter, reflect on what you accomplished and what happened during the past year, think about what you are grateful for, and look ahead to your life in the coming spring, summer, first harvest, fall, and through to next Yule. All of these are wonderful prompts for your writing.
25 Journal Prompts for Yule
How do the themes of light, hope, and renewal manifest in your life during the festive season of Yule?
How do you balance the social and spiritual aspects of Yule in your life?
What are your intentions or goals for the coming year? Break them down by winter solstice season, the rest of winter, spring, summer, and fall. Set intentions carefully for each season.
How do you incorporate nature and its magic into your Yule celebrations?
Reflect on the significance of the winter solstice. What does this turning point of the wheel of the year mean to you?
Write about the importance of stillness and introspection during this festive season.
How do you connect with your ancestors or spiritual guides during Yule? Who gives you inspiration?
Reflect on how you practice gratitude during the Yule season. What are you grateful for in your life or in the world this time of year?
Describe the decorations you use for Yule and their significance to you. How do you prepare your home for Yule celebration and the whole winter solstice season? What makes it magical and brings you joy? Describe any special cleaning or decorating rituals you have as well.
How does the changing of the seasons from fall to winter influence your emotional and spiritual well-being during the Yule season?
What are your favorite Yule foods (or festive season foods in general), and what are their meanings in your life?
How do you stay mindful and present during the busy holiday season, when you never seem to have enough money or time or energy? Also, it can be particularly difficult to rest as much as you need to during this season. How do you make space for both rest and joy?
What are some of your favorite Yule-related myths or legends, and why do they resonate with you?
Reflect on the symbolism of the Oak King and the Holly King. (More on the Oak King and the Holly King here.) How do you see these magical archetypes in your own life?
Write about how you use Yule as a time for personal reflection and growth. Set intentions for the coming season of your life.
What does the return of the sun symbolize for you personally and spiritually?
Reflect on the past year. What are you ready to let go of in your life, and what are you looking forward to? Set intentions for both the festive season and for the next year.
How do you celebrate and honor the animals and wildlife during the Yule season? What rituals do you have for taking care of the world around you?
Write about how you honor the winter season themes of death and rebirth in your Yule practices. How do you honor darkness and shadows in addition to new life, magic, and joy?
How do you celebrate the balance between darkness and light during the festive season of Yule?
How do you honor the cycles of nature during Yule? As the wheel of the year turns, the winter solstice season may bring darkness, with the shortest day of the year. The earth may be cold. How do you find beauty in nature even in the darkness and cold?
What messages or lessons have you received during Yule meditations or reflections?
How do you integrate the spirit of giving into your Yule season traditions? Write about a Yule gift (or Christmas gift) that was especially meaningful to you.
Write about the ways Yule helps you connect with your inner self and the natural world. Think about what the winter season looks and feels like where you are, and consider the lengthening shadows that winter brings as the sun shines less light and the darkness comes earlier every day, until the winter solstice.
How do you involve your family or friends in your Yule celebrations? What role does community play in your Yule celebrations? How do you celebrate new beginnings and the return of the sun to the world with your loved ones?
The Wheel of the Year
The Wheel of the Year is a spiritual calendar that underscores the cycle of the seasons. It details a web of holidays, or sabbats, that celebrate the natural rhythms of the earth. By honoring this calendar, we can reflect on how the world around us changes, and we can think deeply about the same changes in ourselves.
Living in harmony with the Wheel of the Year can uplift our spiritual practice and ground us in the cycles of the natural world. It's a trip filled with joy, introspection, and interpersonal connections that enhances our lives and provides us with profoundly beautiful and thought-provoking moments. Celebrating the Wheel of the Year invites a deeper, more meaningful life experience characterized by a rhythm that nourishes the spirit and develops a deep appreciation for the wonder around us on earth during every season that passes.
The festive season of Yule, or the winter solstice, marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. The Wheel then turns to Imbolc (February in the northern hemisphere; August in the southern hemisphere), when the earth begins to awaken from its slumber and the sun begins to drive back the shadows. It's the depth of winter, so Imbolc is a perfect tie to review the lessons learned last year and set intentions for the coming seasons. Next is Ostara, the spring equinox, when light and darkness are balanced and the earth officially greets the spring season. The winter season of reflection represented by Imbolc turns to spring celebration at Ostara.
Beltane (May in the northern hemisphere; November in the southern hemisphere) marks the beginning of the summer season. The sun is strong, light abounds, and the earth is full of life. The Wheel of the Year then turns to Litha, or Midsummer (the summer solstice), the longest day and shortest night of the year. The light of the sun is at its strongest and the bright summer season is in full swing. Fire rituals and community celebrations fill the air!
The first harvest festival, Lammas, arrives at the end of summer (August in the northern hemisphere; February in the southern hemisphere). Lammas marks the start of the harvest season, a time of giving thanks and recognizing the yield of our efforts. The sun is starting to shine less every day and the shadows are starting to stretch longer. The second harvest festival, Mabon, is another festive season. The autumnal equinox brings balance to the earth once again, as day and night equalize, inviting us to reflect on harmony and thankfulness.
Finally, the Wheel of the Year's end and beginning is at Samhain, the final community harvest festival. The veil between worlds is thinnest, the world is in shadows, and it is a time for reflection on the past and looking to the future with wisdom. The sun is appearing less every day, and we must light a fire to perform our harvest rituals.
More About Yule
Now that you have plenty of Yule journal prompts, would you like to learn more about this festive season? Here are some places to start.
The winter solstice (December in the northern hemisphere and June in the southern hemisphere) marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. Celebrate the end of fall and beginning of the winter season, set intentions, fill the earth with bright light, and chase away the dark shadows with your community.
Yule Associations. The crystals, herbs, and elements associated with Yule, or the winter solstice season.
The Oak King vs. The Holly King. The eternal battle between the Oak King and the Holly King, meaning the summer light and winter darkness, that ties Yule and the winter season to Midsummer and the summer season.
Yule Meditation. This meditation is intended to celebrate winter and the longest night during the winter solstice. You can use these words or the meaning behind the reflection for your own winter meditation practice.
Why Keep a Journal?
Journaling is surprisingly beneficial! Writing down your thoughts and experiences can help you process emotions, track personal growth, and even spark creativity. Journal prompts are a good way to get started. As you describe your favorite winter solstice memories, try to write with as much detail as possible to make the memory come alive.
Writing Practice
First, in case this needs to be said, writing more improves your writing skills. Like anything, practice matters when it comes to writing. That means choosing each word as you are writing in your journal can help improve the writing you do in other areas of your life! And these journal prompts are a great place to start your practice.
Reflect on Your Goals
Depending on what you journal about, writing can be an opportunity to focus on your dreams, goals, and in-the-moment progress. Set intentions and write about why you want to achieve the goals you’ve set and brainstorm ways to achieve them. Write about the lessons you learn along the way, too. And don’t forget to track your progress in your journal!
Similarly, you can use your journaling time to think through an aspect of or situation in your life—even simply yourself—to sort out how you feel about it and how you want to address it.
In addition to using the journal prompts above, consider writing in your journal about your plans and goals for the upcoming school year, winter, work season, or stage of life.
Improve Your Health
Studies are showing that writing in your journal may also reduce stress, improve your immune system response, and even boost your memory. Here’s an article from Intermountain Healthcare about how writing in your journal can improve your life.
How to Start Your Journal
The new year is the perfect time for reflection and to set intentions for achieving your goals and dreams, so it is a great time for journaling. Here’s how to get started!
Choosing Your Journaling Materials
Fortunately, you don’t need much. You need something to write with and something to write on, and at journaling’s most basic, that’s it.
Choose a journal that you like, because if it makes you happy, it will be easier to pick it up and start to fill it with your writing. Consider selecting a journal that reflects something you set intentions on for the winter solstice season and beyond.
If you want to use your journal as a book of shadows (a collection of resources for your spiritual craft), look for a book where you can add pages.
Physical Journals
If at all possible, wait before ordering and try to hold your journal in person before you buy it so your expectations are accurate. Get a sense of whether you will reach for it and enjoy using it for your journal prompts. If you must buy it online, read the review section carefully and listen to the specific ones.
Journal Binding
Determine if the journal will lay flat. That is, can you open it to start writing and have it rest open? This will go a long way toward a more pleasant experience for you.
Is the journal’s binding sturdy? It might be difficult to tell when the journal is new, but check reviews or try to get a sense of whether the cover is going to get detached from the block of pages as you write.
Careful with spiral bindings, too. They lay flat really well, but sometimes they’re too loose and pages start to fall out. Look for a sturdy one.
Journal Size
Think about whether your journal’s size suits you. If you’re going to leave it on your desk and write there, maybe you want a bigger trim size. If you’re going to be writing your journal prompts in the coffee shop or reflect on life and art at the art museum, does the journal fit into the space in your purse?
Journal Paper
Consider the paper texture. If it’s too glossy, that limits your pen options. A standard ballpoint will probably write well, but if you want to use pencil or other type of pen, it might not make a mark or it might smear easily. Check the pages too; is there enough space between lines for your words to fit?
Journal Extras
This isn’t necessary, but a ribbon marker is a nice touch on a journal.
If this is going to be a portable journal, an elastic closure keeps it from splaying open inside your bag. Other clasps can be bulkier, so make sure the journal still lays open comfortably for writing if you look at those.
Digital Journals
What the world of digital journals lacks in book-nerd cache, it more than makes up for in portability and convenience. (And you'll never fill all the space and have to buy another!)
They’re especially handy if you’re journaling about ideas you might want to use later—don’t underestimate a good search feature.
You also have plenty of free and very inexpensive options, from Google docs to specialized apps like Penzu.
Tips for Establishing a Journaling Habit
Establishing a habit can take time, and that amount of time varies. So while you are starting out, it’s worth it to focus on intentionally creating space and time for your new practice and exploring some journaling ideas that you might like to incorporate. There's really no perfect time or right moment on the wheel of the year to get started. So set intentions, grab some journal prompts, and just try to just start in the moment.
Preparing a Journaling Spot
Think about what will invite you in. Create an irresistibly comfortable place to write. Stock it with your favorite pens and journal (and journal prompts!). Will you fill your mug with tea (or coffee or water, or mulled wine since it's the holidays) while you write? What else will help you get writing in your journal?
While you’re at it, remove any obstacles that will keep you from your writing rituals.
Setting an alarm
Pick a time of day to write and set up a recurring calendar appointment to remind you.
Intentionally make space to write at that exact time for the next few weeks, until you’re comfortable enough with the habit to vary it. The perfect time may vary after that, but you'll always remember to spend time with your writing.
Setting a timer
If it feels overwhelming to sit down and write for an indeterminate amount of time, explore setting a timer for 10 minutes and telling yourself to write that long.
Too long? Try to write for 5 minutes.
Still too long? Try writing one line a day.
Trying a habit tracker
Add journal prompts to your favorite habit tracker, be it standalone or in your planner. There’s nothing that brings as much joy as filling in another habit tracker box! Do check in with yourself occasionally to see if the tracker is still serving you or if you can give it a rest. In the meantime, make your rituals second nature by tracking them.
(We have a few downloadable habit trackers if you need one!)
Make Journaling Your Future
Please feel free to try and discard—or just use for inspiration—any of these journaling ideas. Personalize your practice, choose prompts to write on if you want to, and create something that works for you throughout the entire wheel of the year. Happy journaling!
More Journal Prompts
If you have set intentions about journaling and are looking for more journal prompts after winter solstice, you can find plenty of options here.