How many times have we heard people, media, or advertisements talking about getting into the spirit of the holiday and the magic of the season? Have you every wondered what spirit magic might entail?You’ve probably heard of the classical elements like earth, air, fire, and water, but there is a fifth element as well. It’s called Spirit, or “aether,” and is often described as the binding force and the unseen essence that connects all things. The magic can tap into the energy of the departed (yes, I’m talking ghosts) to give us guidance and show us what it means to really live, not just exist. Through rituals, storytelling, or a sense of wonder, the magic finds a way to connect us all. So, what better time to explore the idea than during the holiday season when the air itself seems charged with a certain magical warmth.
The Yuletide season is rich with tales of spirits and ghosts. Long before Christmas as we know it existed, winter solstice celebrations often involved honoring the dead or seeking blessings from ancestral spirits. In Scandinavian Yule traditions, the Wild Hunt was a spectral procession of otherworldly riders thought to roam the skies on cold winter nights. People left offerings to appease these spirits and ensure their safety. As Christianity absorbed these customs, the supernatural lingered in subtle ways from the idea of the Nativity star guiding travelers to legends of ghostly visitors at Christmastime. Even today, we talk about the “spirit of the season” as if it is something living, breathing, and walking among us.
Fast forward to the Victorian era and the supernatural became inseparable from Christmas storytelling. Ghost stories were a staple of Victorian Christmases with fireside tales spinning chilling yarns about restless souls. Charles Dickens solidified this connection with A Christmas Carol by weaving the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future into a morality tale about greed, redemption, and compassion. Dickens’ spirits do more than haunt, they transform. Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey through time and possibility is not just a story of one man’s redemption. The ghosts challenge him to reflect, connect, and change. In doing so, these spirits offer a powerful lesson about empathy, generosity, and joy–themes that resonates even now.
The idea of spirit magic, with its connection to the unseen and its ability to guide, transform, and inspire, fits right into the holiday season. Think about it. From ancient solstice rituals and pagan festivals like Yule to Victorian ghost stories, spirits have always been part of helping us reflect on our lives and how we treat others. These traditions celebrated the cycles of life, honored the dead, and embraced the magic of the season. We can all experience connection, transformation, and the sense of magic that comes when we open ourselves up to change. The holiday spirit is more than lights and gifts. It is the collective belief in a magic that transcends the material and inspires us to be better versions of ourselves.
So that is my wish for this holiday season…that we get into the spirit by opening ourselves up to the magic of connection and transforming into the change we want to see in the coming new year.