Hello and welcome.
Find a comfortable seat or place to lie down.
Together we will take a guided meditation practice honouring Samhain and rooted in Scottish mythology.
We will meet with the Cailleach,
The woman goddess who,
In mythology,
Created all of Scotland.
She is a powerful force,
A woman to guide,
A woman to honour and a woman who will challenge you.
Samhain marks the turn of the year,
The end of the old and the beginning of the new.
It is also the time when the veil between the worlds is thinnest,
Where you can meet with ancestors or spirits and learn from what they can tell you.
As we journey together today,
We'll mark the transition of the year and you'll be invited to both release the past but also look forward to the year ahead.
Close your eyes now and take a long,
Slow breath in.
Let your shoulders drop,
Your hands rest easy.
Allow your mind to start to settle,
Your body to relax.
Feel the air softly caress your skin.
We will go on a journey together now.
Just be guided by the sound of my voice.
Start to see the mist swirling through your mind's eye.
Hear the sounds of the glen as you make your way to Scotland,
Scotland of the past,
Where myth and magic filled the land.
The air feels cool against your skin,
It's tinged with the scent of rain and peace.
You're standing at the edge of autumn,
Where the darkness has started to gain and where the veil between the worlds grows thin.
In the stillness,
You hear the faint cry of geese overhead,
A reminder that the seasons are turning.
Before you lies a winding path through the mist,
It glimmers faintly as though lit from within and you begin to walk,
Slow,
Steady,
Each step carrying you deeper into the heart of the Scottish landscape.
Heather brushes your fingertips,
Sprigs of purple and brown all around.
The ground is soft,
There's moss beneath your feet on the path,
Hushing your steps.
You hear a raven call in the distance,
Its voice harsh but wise,
And somewhere thunder murmurs across the hills.
You feel a smurf drizzle brushing your skin.
The path climbs gently upward and you see a cairn of ancient stones ahead.
You pause before it now.
You feel the hum of age,
Of memory,
Of power all around.
Samhain has opened the doorway between the worlds and the land is alive with presence.
From the mist ahead,
A figure begins to take shape.
She's tall,
Cloaked in grey and blue.
Her hair streams like seaweed in the wind.
Her eyes are dark and deep as moths.
This is the Kayak,
The Veiled One,
The Old Woman of Winter,
The Shaper of Mountains,
The Creator of Scotland,
The Guardian of Endings and Beginnings.
This time of the year is hers.
This land is hers.
You feel no fear,
Only awe.
Her presence is vast,
Ancient as the stones around you.
When she speaks,
Her voice carries the sound of waves striking rock.
Child of the turning year,
She says,
Do you know the gift of release?
You feel her words move through you,
Not as a question,
But a blessing.
Samhain is the time to let go,
To lay down what no longer serves,
So that new life may take root in the quiet dark.
You know what you need to let go of.
Place your hands upon the earth.
Perhaps in your head you whisper a name,
A memory,
Some burden you wish to release.
Feel it pass from your hands into the earth.
The Kayak nods.
She lifts her staff of rowan wood,
And with a gentle sweep,
The mists come forward and gather your offering,
Carrying it away.
It's transformed into the wind.
The air shifts.
You stand feeling lighter,
Clearer,
Able to let go of what no longer serves you.
You have released your burden.
The Kayak turns to you now,
And she smiles.
Samhain marks the end of the year.
It is a time to let go of what's been,
What no longer serves.
So the dawn of our new year is here.
What will you grow in this year to come?
She smiles at you,
But there is challenge in her eyes.
It's a deep question for you and only you to answer.
Kayak raises her eyes then to the sky where an eagle flies overhead,
And she takes your hands in hers.
You feel her strength,
You feel her warm fingers against yours,
And she places a stone in your palms.
It is smooth and warm and fits snugly.
Take a moment now to set an intention,
Perhaps a word or a phrase,
Something that you will focus on for the year ahead,
And feel the stone warm as your commitment and your words reach it.
See a soft glow come from it.
It's charged with your intention.
The Kayak's eyes soften as she looks to the horizon where the light wanes,
And she says,
Even in the cold and the dark,
Spring will come again.
I am the keeper of cycles,
Not endings,
Only change.
She steps back from you now,
And her form begins to dissolve into the mist.
She is returning to mountain and to sky.
You stand alone beside the cairn and place your stone down among the others.
Its glow starts to fade as it finds its place in the landscape.
You feel your intention flow from that stone into the land all around you.
The earth will help you hold your focus,
Support you when you need,
And guide you if you want.
The distant storm has passed,
And the heather glows gold in the setting sun.
You breathe deeply,
Feeling rooted,
Calm and renewed.
The veil begins to lift,
Like the mist lifting from the glen.
All is quiet around you now.
Feel the breeze through the heather,
The pulse of your steady breath,
And the deep knowing that you are part of this eternal turning.
Whilst it feels like winter will come and the darkness will reign,
It is always spring will come again.
Take one more slow breath in,
And when you are ready,
Gently return.
You carry with you the strength of the mountains,
The wisdom of the old ones,
And the peace of release.
As you slowly blink your eyes open and come back to now,
Perhaps in the next few days,
If it feels right,
You will find a stone or a crystal to focus your intention into.
It can hold that focus for the year ahead,
And remind you of your journey with the kayak.
As we close this practice,
I'll leave you with a blessing.
May your path be clear,
Your heart steady as stone,
Your spirit bright through shadow and storm.
The kayak watches with kindness,
The land remembers your steps.
Peace be upon you in all worlds.
