As the Wheel of the Year continues its sacred turn, many of us find deep meaning in the cycles of nature and the seasonal energies that guide our spiritual practices. I’ve often spoken about the Season of the Witch as a time for reviewing and reflecting on the past year—where we honor our shadow work, embrace the lessons we’ve learned, and prepare ourselves to move into the stillness of winter. Likewise, I’ve called for an expansion of Yule as a Season, encouraging us to see this time as more than just a single night, but as a sacred pause—one that invites us to slow down, rest, and plant the seeds of our dreams for the coming year. (If you missed the article where I discuss the necessary overall expansion of the wheel of the year, you can check it out here.)
In this article, I want to share with you the magick that Rauhnächte—the ancient Twelve Nights tradition—offers us in this regard. Rauhnächte is a powerful and natural complement to the other practices we often see represented within modern spiritual teachings of the Wheel of the Year. It provides us with a magical framework that aligns perfectly with both the Season of the Witch and the early part of Yule.
Let’s explore how Rauhnächte can serve as a spiritual bridge, helping us integrate the wisdom of the past year while preparing to create and manifest our intentions for the year ahead.
The Season of the Witch: Reviewing and Reflecting on the Past Year
For many of us, the Season of the Witch (from Samhain to the Winter Solstice) is a deeply introspective time. This is when we tune in to the darker half of the year, reviewing our experiences, our growth, and the challenges we’ve faced. During this season, we engage in shadow work, connecting with the unseen forces around us and within ourselves. We honor the turning inward, the quiet, and the necessary letting go that autumn and the approach of winter calls for.
The Season of the Witch is essential for clearing out what no longer serves us. It gives us the opportunity to gather our inner resources, distill the lessons we’ve learned, and prepare our souls for the next chapter. By the time the Winter Solstice arrives, we’re ready to take this wisdom with us into the stillness of Yule, where we pause and hold space for the new light about to be born.
Yule as a Season: Slowing Down and Preparing for the Year Ahead
In my earlier work, I’ve called for an expansion of Yule as a Season—moving beyond the idea of a single night of celebration and instead, seeing it as a stretch of time for deep rest, rejuvenation, and setting intentions for the year ahead. Yule is a season of stillness, when the earth is quiet, and we too are invited to enter a state of inner peace, giving ourselves permission to rest deeply before the new year begins. Like the earth, however, rest doesn't mean "do nothing".
During this season, we’re called to reflect on our dreams and desires for the coming year. We plant the seeds of our intentions, visualizing what we wish to create as the light begins to return. It’s a time to honor the cyclical nature of life—balancing the rest and reflection of winter with the eventual action and manifestation that spring will bring.
How Rauhnächte Complements and Deepens the Yule Season
This is where the sacred tradition of Rauhnächte comes in as a perfect complement to both the Season of the Witch and the early part of Yule. Historically, Rauhnächte traditionally began on the night of December 25th and continued for twelve nights, ending on January 6th. However, many modern practitioners have adapted this sacred tradition to begin at the Winter Solstice, which allows for a seamless integration into the Yule Season.
During Rauhnächte, we are given twelve nights to reflect, divine, and set intentions for the year ahead. This aligns beautifully with the energy of Yule and the stillness it invites, while also drawing on the deep wisdom we’ve cultivated during the Season of the Witch. Let's explore a bit more in depth three of the themes of Rauhnachte that align so beautifully in this way.
Reflection and Intention-Setting During Rauhnächte
Rauhnächte’s core purpose is to create space for deep reflection and intention-setting. Each night represents a month of the coming year, and we are invited to spend this time tuning into our dreams, desires, and long-term vision for what we wish to create. In many ways, this mirrors the work we’ve already begun during the Season of the Witch, and we set out to do during Yule—taking the insights and lessons from the past year and transforming them into powerful intentions for the future.
By setting intentions during Rauhnächte, we’re able to consciously align our energy with the returning light, allowing our dreams and goals to be planted in the fertile soil of the winter season. This time also invites us to attune to our inner guidance through nightly divination, journaling, and working with the subtle energies of the dream world. This ensures we will have a beautiful and grounded plan of action to support these intentions well into the year, and that they will have time for cold stratification - the natural process required before they germinate in spring and grow in summer, so that we have a rich and abundant harvest season throughout the year ahead.
Divination and Dreamwork
One of the most magical aspects of Rauhnächte is its focus on divination and dreamwork. These twelve nights are considered an optimal time to receive guidance from the unseen realms, as the veil between the worlds remains thin. Many practitioners use tarot, oracle cards, or other divinatory tools to pull a card for each night, offering insight into the corresponding month of the coming year. Likewise, paying attention to dreams during this time can provide powerful messages and guidance for the year ahead.
This practice beautifully complements the Season of the Witch, where we’ve already honed our intuition and connected with our inner knowing. By continuing these divinatory practices into Yule, we’re able to refine our vision and gain clarity on what is truly calling to us in the new year.
Cleansing and Clearing
Rauhnächte is also traditionally a time for cleansing and clearing both our physical and energetic spaces. This echoes the work we’ve done during the Season of the Witch—where we’ve released what no longer serves us. In the early part of the Yule season, we’re called to further purify our homes, altars, and personal energy fields, ensuring that we enter the new year with clarity and openness. By continuing these cleansing rituals during Rauhnächte, we create a purified space for our intentions to both be realized and for them to take root.
The Sacred Bridge Between the Seasons
By viewing Rauhnächte as a sacred bridge between the Season of the Witch and Yule, we deepen our connection to the natural cycles and align our practices with the energies of the season. We honor the work of reviewing and reflecting on the past year, we give ourselves the space to rest and slow down, and we use the Twelve Nights of Rauhnächte to set clear, divinely guided intentions for the year ahead.
In this way, Rauhnächte becomes not just an ancient tradition revived, but a vital spiritual practice that enhances our journey through the dark of winter and prepares us to step into the light of the new year with purpose and clarity.
An Invitation To Experience a Modern Rauhnächte Celebration
This year I am hosting an event inside of my free community that is inspired by Rauhnächte, as well as the Yuletide Season. I invite you to learn more about the event and join us for this magickal free manifesting event as we celebrate the season together! CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE!
What did you learn about Rauhnächte and how will you use this information in your own preparations for the year ahead? Let me know in a comment below.
Want to know more about Rauhnächte? This is part of a three-article series! Click here for part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 (you're currently here).