The Twelve Nights of Yuletide—the authors answer questions

Why are the Twelve of Yuletide so special?

Anne: The period between the evening of December 21, the winter solstice, when the sun tilts in its orbit, and the night of January 3 is, in ancient spiritual tradition, the great pause in the year. In this time, in the silence, the moment between breathing in and breathing out, all the secrets of creation lie hidden. Creation in this instance simply means creativity, design, and manifestation, when the spiritual is transformed into the physical. Time, in effect, stands still.

Each day during the period of the Twelve Nights has a very special energy, perfect for drawing things to a conclusion, breaking any stubborn and obstructive ties to the past, looking forward to the new year ahead, and especially embracing new goals and recognizing the direction in which our soul wants to take us. It is a time when the windows onto other worlds, the spiritual and natural worlds, are open, as they are to those who accompany and support us from other realms, and indeed to ourselves and importantly to our Higher Selves. Our intuition and spiritual communication are stronger during this time, helping us to recognize our true soul path and goals.

Is it a coincidence that at a time when we should be reflective and introspective, many people are very busy?

Werner: Of course not. It is because in Western culture, especially at the Christian Christmas and New Year celebrations, the energetic high points of the year, there are so many unrestful distractions. This perhaps represents something of a challenge for anyone wishing to tune into the special energy of the time, because they must consciously make time to be silent, meditative, introspective, and take time for themselves.

How can we avoid getting caught up in pre-Christmas stress?

Anne: From our own experience, we can say it is a question of how consciously we decide to put aside this time for ourselves. Preparing well in the weeks running up to Christmas and the Twelve Holy Nights is very useful, which is precisely why we always end our workshop year before the first day of Advent. After all, it is entirely your personal choice as to whether you allow yourself to be carried away with Christmas, with all its events and activities and the lure of consumerism. Or whether instead you choose to priorizize the spiritual and make time for peace and contemplation.

Can the practice of the Twelve Nights of Yuletide be adopted to become a regular occurrence each year?

Anne: Absolutely. We know many people—individuals, couples, or even whole families—have now decided to adopt this practice, adapting it to suit their own circumstances, and they really look forward to it. But equally, many others prefer not to follow the Twelve Nights of Yuletide every year, but instead only when they feel a special need to review their path and direction. We ourselves always take the time to do this. Incidentally, our intention is to sugggest how to derive as much benefit as possible from this important time of year in terms of personal development. It is not about starting a new trend or establishing a tradition. To what extent you make use of the magic of these Twelve Nights is entirely up to you.

In your book you propose many different questions and meditations. Should the reader follow them all?

Werner: Not at all. You do not have to embrace or follow any of them. The questions that we put forward and the exercises that we suggest are intended to help even the less experienced reader to better engage with the energies and themes of the day in order to make the best use of the infinite possibilities of this magical time. So these should not be seen as rigid instructions but instead as guidelines and suggestions. This means that the reader can also incorporate their own impulses and ideas into the practice.

Which parts of the process should never be omitted?

Werner: Some of the exercises are more preparatory in nature, for example helping the reader to feel inner peace. However, if I actually feel the need to change something in life or to have some certainty about a new approach or direction, then the energies of Nights 8 to 12 are the most useful and should not be omitted from the practice

Will the ritual be less effective if one day of practice has to be skipped for some reason?

Werner: This is not the case. The decisive factor is what a person needs most urgently at the time and what is rather less important. One missed day will not spoil the success of the entire program.

What are your best recommendations for a fulfilling Twelve Nights of Yuletide?

Werner: It is important to approach the Twelve Nights without feelings of fear or trepidation, but equally without excessively high expectations. Be open to everything that comes your way, however unexpectedly, and whether in the form of a surprise, gift, or sign that is sent to you, or an insight confronting you with something that has been suppressed. Nine of the themes alone relate to your quality of life, the things that we all look for, that help us to feel fulfilled and happy, such as peace, serenity, and trust. We recommend, therefore, that you simply engage with the exercises, without any particular expectations, and use this occasion each year as an opportunity to become more self-aware and to find more joy and happiness in life.

Can you tell us about your most magical experience during the Twelve Nights of Yuletide?

Werner: As healers and geomancers, we ourselves are always well connected to the spiritual as well as to the natural world. Time and again, many of our clients and students who follow our guidelines to practice the Twelve Nights of Yuletide report wonderful experiences and discoveries. They often find that whatever they manifest or perceive during this time then occur in exactly the same way the next year.

Do you think that the manifestation of the future is the most interesting part of the Twelve Nights of Yuletide?

Werner: It is not always primarily about making some fundamental life change every year— a new job, a house move, or a change in a relationship or partnership. The focus can simply be on being more true to yourself. What about self-love and opening your heart to others? Are you at peace with yourself, with others, and with the world? How well can you trust? It is therefore important at this time to simply be aware of the prevailing energies and allow them to flow into you.

How should we react to “negative” omens, such as bad dreams or events?

Anne: Bad dreams do not necessarily mean that bad things are about to happen. Mostly they are an indication that certain experiences or topics have not been faced up to or dealt with adequately. The prayers of resolution, for example, can be useful in this respect. In addition, you can seek to contact the people involved and, of course, take additional steps after the Twelve Nights are over. You can also look for astrological or healing help, or work on specific issues in constellations. However, just as in astrology, there are basically no bad and inevitable predictions. Everything that we are allowed to experience serves to expand our consciousness. And it is often through experiencing crises that we are able to achieve some lasting improvement in our lives.

If we should receive information about a dangerous situation, it is ultimately in order to help us to deal with it. And even if it should concern death, it is only traumatic if we have an unconscious relationship with death itself. Most of the apparently bad signs that we encounter simply point to issues that we can work on ourselves.

Are the Nights of Yuletide only relevant in countries in the northern hemisphere, where the winter nights are long and dark?

Werner: Of course, the time of year when the evenings and nights are long and dark is seen as being more suitable for exercises of a more meditative nature. But even in our part of the world, depending on the topic or theme, the spiritual exercises involved in the practice can be spread throughout the day. It is also expressly about including the experiences of the respective day. Finally, the energy of the Twelve Nights is relevant all over the world but is subjective, being perceived differently according to various traditions, or even not at all. We, ourselves, are very much looking forward to the new experiences that, with the help of our notes and records, readers of the English-language edition may now experience in other parts of the world and perhaps even share with us.

Can you give us some examples of positive omens?

Anne: When we cite something as being good or positive, just as when we say something is bad or negative, we are making value judgments. But it is only the ego that evaluates and judges, never the soul, because the soul does not yet know what the ego intends. Any advice to do or not to do something would not correspond to the spirit of this book and this spiritual healing work. Every single aspect during this time can be important or even vital. Whether you make a certain choice may depend on the time available. But if time is not an issue, it makes sense to feel or sense for yourself which theme is really important to you—or even better, to your soul—during the Twelve Nights. At least, that is what we have found in all the years that we have been consciously reconnecting with this ancient knowledge. You don’t need to take a fundamental change of direction in your life path every year. It may be more a question of ending a relationship with someone that has become strained and tense. In which case, this can take priority at the appropriate time. Your work with and for yourself in these Twelve Nights can be seen as a gift that you give yourself, rather than as something you have to do.

Why is it so important to keep a Yuletide journal?

Anne: On the one hand, we have found that when writing intuitively, information seems to simply flow directly from our higher consciousness through the pen onto the paper, in a similar way to channelling, surprising us with what we write. But it is also the case that as the months pass, few people remember their dreams and experiences, or any inspirations and signs sent to them in any detail. We often forget a dream after just a few minutes. It is therefore of particular value to be able to refer back to the notes of all the things we experienced in the Twelve Nights, perhaps even regarding it as a foresight. And finally, the notes of our experiences are also a great help when looking back and coming to terms with the year that has just passed, taking stock of the situation, and drawing conclusions for the year to come.

We would like to offer our sincere thanks for this chance to share our thoughts and would be delighted if readers shared with us their experiences of spiritual exercises, meditations, and the Twelve Nights.