Hygge Like a Witch: How Cozy Up Your Hearth & Home

Hygge, the Danish word with no true translation in English, is the latest lifestyle trend to hit Pinterest.

It’s a cup of spicy chai latte on a snowy day, it’s a pair of fuzzy socks on frosty toes, it’s the sound of your hearth fire crackling and popping.

Easier to experience than to explain, hygge captures the essence of making yourself comfortable for comfort’s own sake.

The months of Yule time through Imbolc, take the time to shut out the cold and warm up your soul with these cozy ideas for the hibernating witch.

Try sacred hot oil massage.

You don’t need to be a knuckle master to appreciate the luxurious, soothing benefits of massage.

Gently (very gently) heat a nourishing oil, like olive oil, jojoba, or coconut.  Use a thermometer to test the temp and make sure it isn’t over 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

Then, have your partner lie face down on a yoga mat.  Use your intuition to draw out tension and soreness.

Take turns and make the most of a night when it’s too cold to leave the house!

Empower Your Yule Fire

If your home features a wood fireplace (not gas), take your magical practice hearth side.   Building a roaring fire.  Then, toss in seasonal herbs for a fragrant inferno to bless the home.  Here are some suggestions:

-Try cinnamon sticks to ignite romantic love.

-Toss in some evergreens for home purification.

-Go with dried orange peels for creative energy.  Then pick a hygge-worthy witchy winter craft to work on.

Plan a Tarot and Tea Party.

Gather your friends for a night in front of the fire.

Skip Netflix.

Nothing creates a sense of warmth and connectedness like an evening shared with friends and the cards.  Do a group reading for insights on group dynamics, or draw a card and let the group guess who it best describes.

Serve hot tea.  Or, better yet, brew up some mulled wine.

Bless your blankets.

As soon as the first frost rolls in, I round up every blanket in the house.  Then, I put on on just about every soft surface.

Bust out heavier blankets from storage, give them a good clean, then toss them in the drier with a piece of clean cloth dotted with a few drops of essential oil.

Try:

-4 drops of sage essential oil + 2 drops ginger essential oil or

-3 drops rosemary essential oil + 5 drops frankincense or

-3 drops clove essential oil + 5 drops lavender essential oil

Brew a Wintry Sacred Bath

This time of year, I practically live in the bathtub.

Make yours magical with candles, evergreens, peppermint essential oil and milk to sooth chapped, dry skin.

Check out this sacred bath for a beautiful way to celebrate Imbolc.

Make chai tea from scratch.

Chai, an Indian milk tea, happens to include some spices that are particular to winter witchcraft.

Key ingredients like cloves, cinnamon, brown sugar, milk and peppercorns warm up chilled bones from the inside out.

Better still, they encourage us to ignite our inner fire and burn through the winter months with a passion for life.

Try this slow-cooker version on your next snow day.

Keep a spirit flame.

While at home, keep a flame lit to dispel winter darkness.

With the days growing shorter, it’s easy to get stuck in a never-ending night.  Stay close to the light by maintaining candlelight on the altar.  Choose candles with natural ingredients like beeswax, essential oils and herbs for a natural scent that doesn’t fill your home with toxic fragrance oils.

Have breakfast in bed.

Here’s a project for the kitchen witch!

Wake up early and surprise your partner with a plate of piping hot breakfast goodies.

Witch it up with a vase of sacred herbs, and be sure to bless the meal for love and happiness.

Choose wintry foods like smoked sausage pancakes with maple syrup.