Christen and I delve into the lore and meaning of The Cailleach, and then I guide us through a meditation.

Conversation

We explore the significance of The Cailleach in Celtic folklore, highlighting her role as a symbol of winter, wisdom, and the land. With our personal connection to her, we reflect on how she is the earth itself - land, sea, and sky. She is primordial, she before she had a name, and offers us deep attunement to her wild, natural world. We discuss our annual winter solstice ritual that honours the Cailleach with stone and story offerings. We encourage everyone to find and decorate stones, write letters sharing their stories, and engage in community discussions about their experiences, fostering a deeper connection to this powerful figure, and the power of place.

Meditation

Embark on a meditative journey to The Cailleach's Cave. Sacred smoke from juniper and pine resin sets the tone for reflection and connection. Attune the three selves and journey into her Cave, offering stones as symbols of burdens and gratitude to the Cailleach, the Stone Mother and Bringer of Winter. The meditation invites wisdom and insights from winter's challenges, fostering a deeper connection to nature and personal growth before concluding with a renewed sense of purpose.

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In this episode, Christen and I talk about the profound connections between Hekate and the themes of darkness, night, and the afterlife, while contrasting her illuminating aspects. The discussion highlights the importance of embracing darkness as a sacred journey towards personal healing and empowerment, featuring rituals and practices guided by Hekate. Christen and I share personal stories illustrating the challenges of confronting one’s shadows, alongside insights from psychological theories on dreams and shadow work. We encourage a mindful exploration of inner darkness, seeking community support and the gradual nature of healing, ultimately unlocking Hekate’s transformative darkness.

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Suitable for The Night of Hekate on November 16, this meditation evokes the threshold of light and dark, symbolized through Hekate's torches and the cave-womb of the divine feminine. Through an exploration of the three selves, attune to the power of the dark mysteries, for shadow healing and empowerment.

It's been eight years exactly since I first wrote about November 16, and the entire month, being a time for sacred darkness. As Christen reminded me, I declared back then that the "holy darkness is nigh." Perhaps a bit too-Scorpio, but that's my nature. Here's an excerpt from that original article:

"November 16 is a night for deep spiritual work, of offering Hekate Borborophorba our internal refuse so we may work toward healing our shadow and beginning the process of rebirth. Hekate welcomes her chosen home, but the profane will be banished. Seek her out of sincerity, or risk her fierceness. This ritual will open you to the spirits of the Underworld. Participants have received messages from departed loved ones, animal allies, and Hekate's companions. Persephone, in particular, often meets those who perform this rite.

In the same way we leave offerings at a crossroads for Deipnon, during this ritual, we need leave our spiritual junk, the miasma, in Her underworld, and we don’t look back. We offer her the toxic parts of ourselves that we are ready to let go of, in order to make space for our rebirth, space to take up her keys and move forward as sovereign, fire-walking, truth-weaving witches."

What I wrote about in that article, and the ritual I included, has since evolved into The Animarum Catharsis in Hekate's Keys on the Scorpio New Moon each year. I also included a DIY version of that ritual in my book, Entering Hekate's Cave.

While we are not accepting new students in The Gate of Release, the course within the Hekate's Keys program where the Animarum Catharsis is the concluding ceremony, enrollment is open for the next gate, The Gate of Retrieval. The first month is dedicated to Hekate's sacred darkness, through her epithet of Skotia. Christen and I just recorded a new class on Hekate's Darkness that's available in The Gate of Retrieval Playlist now.

I recorded this podcast episode back in 2019, exploring Hekate's Holy Darkness. You can listen to it, and the meditation I shared above, wherever podcasts are found, and on the Keeping Her Keys website.

Key themes:

• Standing at the threshold between light and darkness
• Following Hecate's torches into the sacred darkness
• Releasing what no longer serves before crossing the threshold
• Connecting with Chthonia (of the earth) through root visualization
• Opening to the season of the moon's dominion during the darkest time of year
• Letting go of perfectionism and preconceived notions

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