I am looking forward to the Super Winter Moon—also known as the Cold Moon—on December 4th at 3:14 p.m. PST.

The Cold Moon is traditionally understood as the final full moon of the year and has been associated with stillness, endurance, and introspection. The name “Cold Moon” appears in the traditional lunar calendars of several Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern United States, including the Mohawk, who used the term to describe the deepening cold and the natural slowing of the world. Other cultures—such as early European agrarian communities—also recognized this moon as a marker of winter’s threshold, a time of rooting inward and preparing for spiritual renewal.

I will be offering a Grounding Ceremony at the Grove of Hecate on Saturday, December 6th, where we will honor the season by calling the Cailleach—the ancient winter goddess of Scotland and Ireland—into our practice. The meditation below is one I created specifically for this ceremony to support grounding, clarity, and connection during the Winter Moon.

If the meditation aligns with you, please feel free to use it in your own practice, or join us in person on Saturday.
May this season bring deep rest, insight, and renewal.

🧊 Who Is the Cailleach?

Pronunciation: KY-lakh (the “kh” like a soft clearing of the throat)
Origins: Scotland, Ireland, and the Isle of Man
Domains:

• Winter, storms, and the fierce cleansing cold
  
• Ancestors, the ancient ones
  
• Transformation, endings, thresholds
  
• Bones, stone, mountain magic
  
• Sovereignty, the wisdom of age
  
• Renewal through stillness
  

Her imagery:
An ancient blue-faced crone, tall as a mountain, with white hair streaming like winter waterfalls. She carries a staff or hammer that freezes the land. She shapes cliffs and valleys, raises storms, and guards the thresholds between seasons.

Her teaching:
The Cailleach is not a “gentle” goddess—she is honest, raw, clarifying.
She strips away illusion, clears what must die, and makes space for new cycles.
Winter is not absence—it’s gestation, the deep dreaming that precedes rebirth.

Invoking her means:

• Honoring endings
  
• Honoring ancestors
  
• Honoring the deepest inner knowing
  
• Stepping into personal sovereignty
  
• Allowing the cold to purify and sharpen intuition
  

She is perfect for cord-cutting, deep release, and intuitive messages.

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🌬️ Grounding + Centering Ritual Script

Opening & Smoke Cleansing

(Light the sage)
“Sacred smoke, we welcome you.
Carry away what clings, what obscures, what weighs upon spirit or breath.
Leave only clarity, presence, and the soft hum of truth.”

(Pause and let the smoke pass)

Settling Into the Body

“Please find a comfortable seat.
Let your spine lengthen softly, as if a thread of moonlight is drawing the crown upward.
Let your shoulders melt down your back.
Let the jaw unclench.
Allow the belly to soften.”

“Close your eyes if you wish,
and bring your awareness to the sacrum—the root of the spine—
the ancient bone where instinct, memory, and ancestry live.”

🌱 Rooting Into Gaia

“Imagine roots unfurling from your sacrum,
spiraling down through the floor,
through soil and stone,
reaching deep into the warm heart of Gaia.

With each inhale, feel those roots thicken.
With each exhale, feel the Earth rise to meet you.”

“Call in your ancestors—those of your blood, your spirit, and your path.
Feel them settle behind you like a warm cloak.”

🫁 Breath Through the Chakras (Guided Visualization)

“And now that we are rooted, we come into the breath.

We will be breathing in through the nose, slowly and intentionally,
inhaling for a count of four…
holding the breath for a count of four…
and then exhaling through the mouth for a count of six.

The longer exhale signals to the body and spirit that it is safe to soften,
safe to open,
safe to release.

We will use this breath as we move through the chakras —
taking a few breaths in each chakra,
first bringing our awareness to the energy center itself,
and then breathing life into it.”

(Pause)

“Let’s practice three rounds together before we begin our ascent.”

Breath Practice
“Inhale through the nose for 1…2…3…4…
Hold for 1…2…3…4…
Exhale through the mouth for 1…2…3…4…5…6…

Again —
Inhale…2…3…4…
Hold…2…3…4…
Exhale…2…3…4…5…6…

One more —
Inhale…2…3…4…
Hold…2…3…4…
Exhale…2…3…4…5…6…”

(Pause, let the energy settle)

“When we move through each chakra,
you will take several breaths just like this —
first feeling into the energy of the center,
and then letting the breath illuminate it.”

“Now we begin our ascent.”

1. Root

“Inhale into the base of the spine.
A deep red glow forms—steady, grounding, anchoring.”

Take a slow inhale through the nose, feeling the pelvic floor gently expand downward. Exhale through the mouth, imagining heaviness draining into the Earth. Feel warmth gather in the hips like glowing coals.

2. Sacral

“Let the breath rise to the pelvis.
A warm orange tide moves through you,
igniting creativity, flow, and sensual presence.”

Let the lower belly swell softly on the inhale like a rising wave. Exhale and imagine the water smoothing your emotions from the inside. Feel a gentle sway or natural rocking in the hips

3. Solar Plexus

“Breathe into the belly.
A golden ember brightens—your power, your autonomy.
Let it expand with your inhale,
and soften with the exhale.”

Inhale and feel the diaphragm press outward in all directions. Exhale with intention, softening the stomach. Feel heat spreading across the ribs like sunlight breaking through clouds.

4. Heart

“Draw breath into the chest.
A green flame unfurls and opens like a blooming rose.
With the exhale, release anything gripping the heart—
old stories, old hurts, old armor.”

If comfortable, place a hand over the sternum. Inhale as though your breath widens the collarbones. Exhale and let your shoulders melt. Imagine a breeze traveling through the lungs, clearing space.

5. Throat

“Inhale into the throat.
A blue ring of truth begins to spin,
clearing space for your authentic voice.”

Inhale slowly, cooling the back of the throat. Exhale with a soft sigh, releasing tension in the jaw and neck. Feel a subtle vibration at the throat—your inner tuning fork.

6. Third Eye

“Bring breath to the space between the brows.
An indigo star brightens, opening intuition, insight, and inner sight.”

Inhale and imagine breath traveling upward behind the eyes. Exhale slowly, smoothing the forehead. Sense a slight pulsing at the brow, like an inner lantern igniting.

7. Crown

“And finally, inhale to the crown of the head.
A white-gold pillar ignites,
shooting upward into the night sky,
connecting you to your higher self—
the luminous, timeless version of you that has always known your way.”

Inhale and feel the top of your head gently lift. Exhale gently, letting light rain down through the scalp and spine. Feel yourself become a conduit—open, luminous, receptive.

👁️ Receiving a Message From the Higher Self

“Allow that light to pour down into you.
Ask silently:
What do I need in this moment?
What truth wants to come forward?

Maybe your higher self cradles the inner child
in the soft cavern of the belly.
Maybe forgiveness rises like thawing snow.
Maybe a manifestation shimmers on the horizon.
Maybe a cord appears—thin, frayed, ready to be released.”

✂️ Cord-Cutting / Release

“If there is something pulling at you—
a fear, an expectation, a sorrow, a person, a pattern—
see it now as a strand of shadow.

With your next exhale,
imagine the strand dissolving into frost
and blowing away on a winter wind.”

“Feel the space that opens.
Feel the light that replaces it.”

❄️ Inviting the Cailleach

“And now, we invite the Cailleach,
Ancient Mother of Winter,
Shaper of mountains, Keeper of endings,
To stand at the edge of our circle.”

“Feel her presence like crisp winter air—
sharp, honest, clarifying.
Her blue gaze sees truth without fear.
Her cold wind sweeps away what is dead,
leaving room for what is becoming.”

“Cailleach, grandmother of storms,
we honor you.
Cleanse us.
Strengthen us.
Guide our steps through winter’s threshold.”

(Pause to let the energy settle)

🌕 Closing Gratitude + Three OMs

“Thank you, higher self.
Thank you, beloved ancestors.
Thank you, Gaia, for holding us.
Thank you, Cailleach, for standing guard over this sacred space.”

“When you are ready, place your hands at your heart.”

Instructions for Leading Three OMs

Speak calmly:

“We will close with three OMs.
Each OM is one long breath—
Inhale fully, then let the sound roll out in three parts:

Aaaah…
Uuuuuh…
Mmmmmm…

Let the M vibrate in the skull,
as if you are ringing a bell inside the body.”

“First OM—
Inhale deeply…
OMMMMMMMMM…”

(Let the sound fade completely before speaking again)

“Second OM—
Inhale…
OMMMMMMMMM…”

(Pause)

“Final OM—
Inhale…
OMMMMMMMMM…”

Let silence hold for a moment, then:

“Blessed be.
The circle is grounded, the work is done.”

Mote it be.