Christine Matteson - Creating Your Health

29/12/2025

The Yule Goat.

29/12/2025

Writing a new Substack for tomorrow's post:
"Counterbalancing the Psyche."
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When a society becomes dominated by purity narratives, exclusionary identity, or ideological rigidity, the collective unconscious pushes back with symbols of inclusivity, embodiment, and global connection.
The resurgence of Yule is one such symbol — a reminder that winter is not about winning, but about turning inward, resting, and remembering our place in the larger cycle of things.

28/12/2025

🦌 The Deer Mother & Yule
The Deer Mother is an ancient winter goddess figure found across northern Eurasia and associated with Yule.
The Deer Mother is said to be the bringer of the returning sun and to carry the sun in her antlers. (Female Reindeer keep their antlers in the winter while males shed theirs.
She is often pictured running through a field, barely touching the ground. (This predates the "flying reindeer" of the Santa Claus lore)
She symbolizes hope and protection, and renewal.
In old Finno-Ugric cultures, deer were believed to travel between the worlds, serving as guides between realms.
🌲 Yule & the Deer Mother
Yule is a nature‑based celebration marking the shift from darkness to returning light.
The Deer Mother brings back the sun.
She protects the community through the harshest part of winter.
She represents fertility, endurance, and the quiet strength of the season.

28/12/2025

"The light is not just sunlight, but a presence that can be nurtured in hearths, hearts, and minds." Enjoy your week and nurture the light within and without. 💡

The Ninth Day of Yule – Welcoming the Light

By the ninth day of Yule, the returning light feels closer. The nights are still long, but the darkness softens and the sun lingers a little longer each day. In ancient Celtic traditions, this time of Yule was sacred to the turning of the year, when communities would honor the Wheel of the Year, the sun, and the spirits of the land. They believed that by observing the small rhythms of the season, they could invite health, protection, and fortune into their homes and hearts.

The Celts understood that light was not just sunlight, but a presence that could be nurtured in hearths, hearts, and minds. They tended fires, decorated homes with evergreens, and made small offerings to honor both the ancestors and the land itself. Even a single candle or a bundle of herbs held meaning. It symbolized warmth, safety, and the hope that the new year would be kinder than the last.

This is a day to notice those small lights around you, glimmers that remind us that hope and happiness can grow quietly, even in the darkest season. For many, Yule is a time of family, food, and celebration. For others, it can feel quiet or even lonely. If you are spending this day alone, know that the turning of the Wheel touches you too. Solitude does not mean absence. The light finds every heart that welcomes it.

Today, allow yourself to feel the comfort of the returning light. Let it fill your heart. Let it remind you that joy, support, and kindness are still moving toward you.

Here are a few gentle ways to welcome positivity, luck, and quiet blessings today

Light a candle or a small lamp and let its glow remind you that happiness and warmth can shine even in the stillest corners.

Take a moment to breathe outside even briefly and imagine the coming year bringing ease, support, and good fortune.

Stand tall and stretch toward the sky. Imagine the growing sunlight filling you with energy, light, and protection. Feel yourself aligned with the returning warmth of the year.

Create a small protective charm using herbs like rosemary, bay, or thyme. Place it near a door, a window, or somewhere in your home as a reminder that you are held and watched over.

Place a small token of hope somewhere visible, like a stone, a sprig of greenery, or a charm, as a quiet reminder of the blessings ahead.

Offer kindness to yourself with a warm drink, a favorite song, or a few moments of rest. These small acts of care were always believed to draw happiness and luck.

If you are alone tonight, hold this thought close
“I am seen. I am held. The light is here with me.”

May this day bring you peace, small joys, and the quiet reassurance that you are part of the turning Wheel.
May luck, warmth, and happiness find their way to you in gentle, lasting ways.

11/12/2025

14/11/2025

Love Tara Brach! Look for the good in others this weekend!

10/11/2025

Often our deepest suffering is the sense that something we have done—something about us—is fundamentally wrong and unacceptable. Finding a way to make peace with our human imperfections is the ground of all healing.