Yule

Yule was a Midwinter festival celebrated by the indigenous Northern European people (Sámi) since the 4th century. Yule is celebrated at the time when the dark half of the year relinquishes to the light half. The events of Yule generally centered on feasting, drinking ale, and gift-giving. Yule was celebrated for three nights, beginning at Midwinter night (Winter Solstice). During the Christianization of Europe, the Yule Fest was co-opted by the Christian church as Christmas to help convert the Sámi people to Christianity.




Many of the Yule traditions continue to this day, including the “Christmas” tree, which originally symbolized eternal life (the conifer remains green throughout the Winter), and the use of reindeer (to this day, the Sámi engage in reindeer herding). Since many of the Sámi people live above the Arctic circle, the idea of “Santa Claus” living at the North Pole is also part of this mythos.




From a modern perspective, we can surmise that Yule was a festival to help the Sámi deal with what we now call “Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD),” or the Winter blues. After spending several months inside because of the dark and cold Winter, the Midwinter Yule festival helped lift people’s spirits so they could make it to Spring without first committing suicide due to a combination of the long, dark days and “cabin fever” (having to stay inside for weeks at a time).

The Right Tool for the Job

You wouldn’t want to use a hammer for a job needing a chain saw (or vice versa). And even if it did “work” to some degree, it wouldn’t do as good or efficient a job. Likewise, using the wrong “tool” to understand the Universe and our place within it will either not work, or will partially work–but not as well.

I am speaking about the science versus spirituality pseudo debate. Science is the right “tool” for understanding some aspects of our experience, whereas spirituality is a better “tool” for other aspects. Using the wrong tool for the job at hand is what creates this false dichotomy.

For example, if you want to explain HOW the Universe and the life within were created, spirituality–particularly organized religion–is a poor tool. Science is a superior tool for understanding the “how” of  experience. However, knowing how the Universe, etc. came into being doesn’t tell us much about WHY these things happened. In other words, science as a tool can only tell us so much and only about some things. Beyond this, we need a different tool. Spirituality, philosophy, metaphysics, and–yes–even organized religion can provide us with information beyond the scope of science.

One place where I see this most clearly is in the field of psychology. At one end you have the Medical model Behaviorists who desperately want psychology to be a “hard” science. On the other, are the Humanists who believe the complexity of the human psyche can never be reduced to brain chemistry and simple stimulus-response reactions. Yes, there is a “science” aspect of psychology, but there is also an “art” aspect. Every study shows that the best psychotherapeutic outcomes result from a combination of appropriate medication (when warranted)–the science piece–and counseling/therapy–the art piece.

In trying to understand our place within the cosmos, we need the same combination of science (astrophysics, quantum mechanics, etc.) and art (philosophy, spirituality, metaphysics, etc.).