Turning the Wheel.
Illuminated Half Day
Ritual Retreat™
Ritual. Embodiment. Photography. Five sacred half-day gatherings held across the turning of the year in Oregon. For those ready to be seen & find soul community.
It is time...
Connect Deeper To The Wheel, Nature, Community And Yourself.
The world is loud right now.
And somewhere underneath the noise... you are longing for something real.
Not another online experience. Not a solo practice in an empty room.
A circle. A fire. A group of souls gathered in nature, held by the turning season, witnessed by each other.
This is what these gatherings are for.
Five times a year — at the equinox, at Beltane, under the full moon of midsummer, at the first harvest, and in the dark of Samhain — up to ten people come together in sacred outdoor spaces across Oregon... to remember themselves, to reclaim their bodies, and to be photographed in the truth of who they actually are.
This is not a retreat you attend.
It is a threshold you cross.
And you may cross one. Or you may walk the whole Wheel with us.
Welcome to the Half Day Ritual Retreat, where community and connection flourish. Our sessions provide a half-day immersive ceremonial experience, culminating in capturing photographs of both group and individual embodied moments.
What becomes possible when we gather in her light:
What becomes possible when we gather in her light:
A return to your body as a place of safety, not something to hide or fix or manage... but a living, breathing altar that deserves to be honoured.
A deeper belonging to the natural world and its rhythms... the antidote to the relentless pace that leaves so many of us depleted and disconnected.
The particular courage that only comes from being witnessed by others... the moment you realise you are not alone in your fear, your longing, your becoming.
The joy, the power, the sensuality, the aliveness that ritual unlocks...the parts of you that have been waiting quietly for permission to emerge.
And images. Soul images. Not of who you perform yourself to be... but of who you actually are, in the fullness of this moment, in the warmth of this circle.
Images you will look back on for a lifetime as proof.
Time to shine your light
IF YOU WANT TO …
embody your power, beauty, and magic under the light of the moon then I invite you to experience the half day ritual retreat! Anything done with intention is only amplified. A few intentions we can hold together are to…
Feel safe expressing your shadow and weaving the dark goddess energy into your session.
Play with your shadow in a ritualized ceremony before transmuting it into light.
Explore the depth of your shadow and light body as alive, sexy, and sacred.
Have a fresh start and a chance to set new personal goals.
Ground this moment of reset, recharge, and refocus with a photo session.
To celebrate a recent transformation and express your fullness.
Connect deeper to nature and like-minded community.
Capture your unique expression of ritual.
Express your joy, sensuality, and power.
Walk a full year of ceremony and watch yourself change across the seasons.
Five gatherings. Ten seats each. Choose one, choose three, or walk the whole Wheel.
"There is something deeply healing about sharing space with others in the old growth forest. These offerings really ignite something in my soul that feels so grounding and healing."
Logistics & What to expect
So You Can Prepare With Clarity And Grace...
Immersive Half Day retreats in Nature
Pre Session
prep
Upon signing up, we will send you a Ritual Guide to help prepare and a recorded guided meditation. We welcome you to bring your own items and wardrobe.
After the Session
Remember
Prerequisites
Requirements
No photo session, art, meditation, or movement experience is required. Come as you are!
Please note!
The Half Day Ritual Retreat requires an adventurous spirit, a “go-with-the-flow attitude”, and an open mind. Accessibility: We will be walking and hiking on uneven ground for a number of our outings, so please take that into consideration when booking. Group size up to 10 people.
What's included:
goodies
It's time to remember
you will recieve
Half-day photo session experiences with group and individual photos (up to four hours). Here’s what you will receive during your session…
Recorded Goddess Womb Meditation
Pre-Session New / Full Moon Ritual Guide
Group Whats App to connect before
Cacao Offering & Ritual Ceremony
Guided Meditative Journey
Embodiment Movement Session
Ritual altar build in nature
An option to bring friends at discounted rate
5 group photos
5 edited high resolution individual photos
The Mirror of the Soul
DISCOVER WHERE YOU STAND ON THE CEREMONIAL PATHWAY
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single moment of clarity. Before you can descend into the depths of your transformation, you must first understand where your spirit currently resides. Are you in the first stirrings of Awakening, or are you standing at the threshold of Devotion?
Unveil the current stage of your journey through this sacred self-assessment. By identifying your place on the pathway, you gain the clarity needed to choose the experience that will most deeply serve your evolution and ignite your inner radiance.
Let's go create magic!
There are only 5 gatherings for the whole year, and they fill from the inside out.
The Half Day Ritual Retreat brings together up to ten people in a small, sacred circle... held by the season, guided by ritual, witnessed by each other.
This is not a workshop.
It is not a photoshoot with strangers.
It is a sanctuary... a few hours carved out of the noise of the world where you are invited to remember who you actually are, in the company of others doing the same.
Past guests are offered their seats first. What remains is what you see.
Anchor you deeply to your natural cycles of growth and expansion.
The Wheel does not hurry. Each gathering meets you at a different point in your own turning — planting, releasing, flowering, harvesting, resting.
Amplify the intentions, dreams, and desires you wish to embody.
Anything done with intention is amplified. Anything done with intention in a circle is multiplied.
Activate your full expression and confidence to be seen.
You will leave with images that are not of who you perform yourself to be. They are of who you were, that day, in that light, among those people.
"WAS ABLE TO PULL ENERGY OUT FROM ME I KNOW WAS DEEP IN THERE. i was able to fully disconnect and be surrounded by beautiful sisters that are pure love, to be able to embody and feel that. I am so grateful for these retreats, i cant wait to do it again"
Magic of the Half day ritual Retreat
Why Together?
There is something the world has quietly stolen from us.
Not all at once. Slowly. Incrementally.
The experience of being truly seen... not through a screen, not in passing, not in performance...but in the flesh, in the body, in the sacred presence of others who witness you as real.
We were not built for this much aloneness.
We were built for circles.
For the particular medicine that only happens when a small group of souls gathers with intention... when the masks come down and something ancient and true rises up to take their place.
This is why we gather.
How I met the goddess
A little about me...
I understand the struggle of self-acceptance; as a person with body dysmorphia and experienced mental illness, I know how difficult it is to trust and express yourself fully and be SEEN. When I started integrating nature-based somatic practices, meditation, and moon ritual work into my daily self-care, I experienced a profound shift in my confidence and trust in the natural rhythms of life. Tuning into something larger than me, like the cosmos, supported me in knowing I am held, and it is safe to be seen. Now I align my work and life with the moon's cycles, including my moon cycle, to feel confident and relaxed throughout my day. During your half day ritual retreat, I am here to support you along with the power of the moon to find the confidence to express yourself fully too.
The Wheel is our guide.
She has been holding women, queer souls, and all who live by feeling since before memory.
Her turnings mirror our own — the planting and the flowering, the harvest and the long dark, the seed that waits under frozen ground.
When we work with her intentionally — whether she is asking us to begin, or to release, or simply to rest — something aligns in us that cannot be forced.
We stop performing.
We start being.
Why We Walk This Path Together
20+ Years of Experience: A seasoned guide in leading thousands through the transformative journey of the lens.
Safety & Depth: A trauma-informed, somatic approach that ensures you feel fully seen, held, and supported.
Mastery of Ritual: Expertly woven retreats and ritual experiences designed for those ready for sacred evolution.
A NOTE FROM MELISSA:
These gatherings exist because I know what happens when souls who have been hiding finally find each other.
Something opens that cannot open alone.
The season will turn. The land will hold us. And for a few hours... you will remember that you were never meant to do this becoming by yourself.
Come. The circle is waiting for you.
“The location was phenomenal — I couldn't dream of a better place to experience the fullness of the forest and ground myself. I've never felt so close to a community. I was able to be vulnerable, which was a refreshing feeling."
sAVE THESE DATES
The Wheel of 2027
CHOOSE ONE · CHOOSE THREE · OR WALK THE WHOLE WHEEL
MARCH 20 · Ostara, the Spring Equinox
Old growth forest in Rhododendron, Oregon
The moon is almost full in Virgo, with her fullness arriving two days later in Libra. Light and dark in perfect balance. The turning of the year toward growth.
The ceremony of beginning again.
MAY 1 · Beltane
Mossy river forest in Rhododendron, Oregon
The fire festival of the year, with the moon waning in Pisces… only a fifth lit. Beltane asks for your desire; the balsamic moon asks what you are finally willing to lay down to make room for it.
The ceremony of fire and surrender.
JULY 18 · Full Moon in Aquarius
Where the forest meets the sea — Arch Cape, Oregon
The moon of breakthroughs, belonging, and the freedom to be fully, strangely yourself.
The ceremony of being seen.
AUGUST 7 · Lughnasadh, the First Harvest
Oregon (location to be announced)
The sun reaches the exact midpoint of Leo with a young crescent moon rising in Scorpio. The first harvest — what has grown, what is ready, and what must be cut.
The ceremony of gratitude and the blade.
OCTOBER 31 · Samhain
Dark Goddess session, old growth forest in Rhododendron, Oregon
Samhain itself, with the moon only seven percent lit in Sagittarius — two days past dark. The thinnest veil of the year. Our deepest ceremony, and the one that fills first.
The ceremony of the ancestors.
Who is it for...
This retreat is for the ones who are tired of being alone in their becoming.
Schedule a call if you need support or have questions >>>
Is it for me?
For the healers and the lightworkers and the artists and the quietly brave souls who carry so much for others and so rarely let anyone carry something for them.
For the women and queer folks who know, in their bones, that the world needs their gifts right now — but who need a circle of witnesses first before they can fully offer them.
For anyone who has been waiting for a space that feels safe enough to be real in.
This is that space.
This is sacred work...and sacred work asks for a sacred exchange.
What the circle holds for you
💫 The value breakdown:
→ A private 1:1 session with Melissa — valued at $1,555
→ Your Half Day Retreat investment — $666 early, $777 standard
→ What you receive: ritual, community, ceremony, and images that show you who you really are.
→ What you save: over $778. What you gain: immeasurable.
Payment Options:
→ $222 deposit to hold your space now
→ The balance is due before your ritual
→ Early bird $666 closes 30 days before each gathering. After that, $777.
*Spots are capped at 10 per gathering and sell out quickly.
*Alumni of past retreats receive priority access.
Not sure if a gathering, the Wheel, or a private session is right for you? Book a free 15-minute vision call and we will find your perfect container together.
For those walking the whole year — The Wheel
Some of you will come once, and once will be exactly right.
And some of you are going to feel it the moment you read the dates — that this is not five separate afternoons. It is one year of ceremony, and you want all of it.
The Wheel is for you.
You hold your seat at every gathering before anyone else is offered one. You receive double the images. You choose your location preferences first. And at the close of the year, we sit down together, just the two of us, and look at who you were in March and who you have become by Samhain.
Five ceremonies. One turning. $555 each.
Save $1,110 against booking all five at $777. Only 3 full Wheel passes available.
Save $666 against booking three at $777. Only 4 Choose-Three passes available.
Clarifying the Path
Commonly asked questions
Stepping into a container of transformation often brings up questions of the heart and the mind. Below, we address the practicalities of our sessions, retreats, and rituals to help you feel fully held and informed as you prepare for your journey of becoming.
It means your safety is our highest priority. I use somatic techniques and nervous system awareness to ensure you never feel pressured or pushed. We move at the pace of your body, creating a container where you can remain grounded and empowered throughout the entire process.
Most of the people I work with feel this way initially. My process is designed specifically for those who feel unseen or disconnected. Through ritual and guided embodiment, we move past the "pose" and into a space of presence, where the camera simply witnesses your natural radiance.
If you are a mermaid like me and love the ocean, July 18 at Arch Cape is yours. If you need the forest and the river, come to Ostara or Beltane in Rhododendron. If you want the deepest one — the one where the veil is thinnest — that is Samhain, and it always fills first. And if you genuinely cannot choose... that is usually the Wheel calling. Take all five.
Not at all. Whether you are a seasoned practitioner or this is your first time stepping into a sacred circle, you will be guided every step of the way. All that is required is an open heart and a willingness to be seen.
I recommend starting with our Pathway Quiz to see where you currently stand. Generally, Half day ritual retreats are perfect for a soft introduction, while the 6-day Pilgrimage is designed for those ready for a deep, life-altering commitment to their leadership and devotion.
Your investment — $666 early bird, $777 standard — covers all ritual facilitation, somatic guidance, and sacred photography. The Wheel pass covers all five gatherings at $555 each, with double the images.
Your images are treated as sacred medicine. Following your session or retreat, within one week you will recieve a proofing gallery to select your photos. After you select you will receive a high-resolution digital gallery within 2 weeks, providing you with a permanent mirror of your transformation.
You travel to me for these specific dates but I do offer these on retreats all over the world and private session for witchy bachlorette parties, friend gatherings and more!
Absolutely. In fact, there is no better time to anchor your mission. We do offer slightly different pricing from brand useage.. reach out to us if you have any questions!
Of course, I only share with your permission. Please let me know if you require more privacy.
Still have questions?
If your heart is seeking a different doorway or you feel a specific nudge that hasn't been addressed, please reach out. We are here to hold space for your inquiries and help you discern which container best aligns with your current season of becoming. No question is too small for the path of devotion.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Transformations
Explore Our Gallery of Empowered Souls
Dive into our curated gallery showcasing individuals who have walked the path of self-discovery and empowerment with us. Each photo is more than just an image; it's a story of transformation, a testament to the power of intentional photography.
