A ceremonial retreat · Baja coast
January 7–10, 2027
First Light
Before the year
asks anything of you,
meet yourself.
Held by Obsidian Whyte & Cam McGrew
✦ The invitation ✦
You know what it feels like
to have your heart wide open.
Something softened. You could feel what mattered. You could hear yourself under the noise.
Then life filled back in, and the old protective patterns came back with it. The guarded heart. The busy mind. The conversations you kept putting off. The memory stayed. The open heart got harder to reach.
How do you keep your heart open in an ordinary week?
That's the question at the heart of First Light. At the start of the year, we gather to slow down and meet what's asking for your attention. Ceremony opens the door. Preparation, rest, connection and integration help you understand what you find, and carry it home.
Bring what you're ready to release, what you want to grow, and what you don't have words for yet.
Begin the year with your heart open.
Let everything else grow from there.
A small circle.
Profound transformation.
Imagine finally setting down everything you've been carrying.
The stress. The guilt. The fear. The need to control everything. The weight of what's happened before.
For many people, ceremony opens into a profound surrender. The mental noise quiets, and the struggle to hold it all together falls away, if only for a while. What emerges is a deep peace.
People often describe coming away lighter, more accepting of themselves, and freer from what they couldn't let go of before.
The real opportunity is what comes next: bringing that peace, acceptance and freedom into your everyday life.
For seasoned journeyers
You know the terrain.
You've sat in ceremony before, maybe many times. Maybe you're usually the one holding space for everyone else. Here, you get to be a participant again.
Cam has spent more than a decade studying and refining the ceremonial process he facilitates, and has guided hundreds of people through it. Between the two of us, there's over twenty years of experience in the room, and a circle of six who bring the same reverence to this work that you do.
Come ready to go further than you've gone before, and leave with commitments for the year your circle will help you keep.
What we'll weave together
Fewer explanations. More truth.
✦
Ceremony
The heart of the retreat, with Obsidian and Cam guiding together. We discuss the sacraments, the process and whether it's right for you personally, before you reserve.
✦
Personal preparation
A dedicated conversation before you arrive, for your intentions, your questions and what you're bringing with you.
✦
Tea ceremony
Quiet cups and shared presence. Time for your experience to settle.
✦
Breath & sound
Guided breathing, bowls, chimes and gong: ways back into your body, and into reflection.
✦
Integration circles
Putting words to what you experienced, hearing others, and asking what it means for your life after the retreat.
✦
The ocean & each other
Walks, rest, shared meals, and the company of people willing to meet themselves honestly.
Before and after
The experience begins before you arrive,
and continues after you leave.
Ceremony can bring insight, emotion or a new perspective. Making sense of it takes attention and time. That's why preparation and integration are built into First Light from the start.
Before
We get to know you
We talk openly about the ceremonial work and decide together whether this is the right fit. Your preparation call is for your intentions, your questions and guidance before you arrive.
During
A whole rhythm of care
Ceremony sits inside a wider rhythm of nourishment, rest, connection and reflection. Saturday is given entirely to integration, so you begin processing before you travel home.
After
Bringing it home
A personal integration call with Obsidian and Cam, and a group call with your circle, to reflect and choose your next steps. And in the spring, a letter arrives: the one you wrote to yourself at First Light.
An insight may ask for a difficult conversation. A boundary. A new practice. A gentler way of responding to yourself.
We help you find what to carry forward, and how to begin.
The rhythm of our days
Three days on the Baja coast.
Thursday · January 7
Arrive & open
Private transportation from San Diego to the coast. Settle in, meet your circle, and gather around your intentions for the retreat and the year ahead. In the evening, we begin in ceremony.
Friday · January 8
Deepen
A slow morning by the sea to rest and reflect. Then we return to ceremony, with Obsidian and Cam guiding together.
Saturday · January 9
Integrate
A full day to let it settle: tea, breath, sound, time by the ocean, and an integration circle on what you met and what you want to bring into daily life.
Sunday · January 10
Meet the first light
Before dawn, we walk down to the beach together and meet the first light of the day in a sunrise closing ceremony. Then breakfast and a closing circle. We leave at 8:30 a.m. for San Diego airport. Please check your return travel with us before booking flights.
Meet your guides
Obsidian Whyte & Cam McGrew
Obsidian Whyte
Obsidian chose her own name at eighteen, as a promise to keep finding her way back to who she really is. For eleven years she has helped others do the same. Drawing on her extensive study of Internal Family Systems, along with somatic work and Nonviolent Communication, she guides individuals and couples through work that starts in the body and the heart, not just the head.
She founded House of the Goddess, supporting women in their wellness and purpose, then spent three years holding Temple of the Heart, a ceremonial community in Las Vegas that welcomed more than a hundred people. She now lives and works on the Baja coast.
For First Light, Obsidian leads preparation and holds ceremony and integration alongside Cam.
Cam McGrew
Cam is a veteran and integration coach. His own healing journey and academic background in psychology shape his work, which brings together breathwork, practical tools and empathy to help people find clarity and a stronger relationship with their own agency.
He has spent more than a decade in this work, wrote his thesis on the ceremonial process he facilitates, and has guided hundreds of people through it. Integration is central to how he works: how a deep experience can shape the choices, relationships and practices that follow.
Held together, from preparation through integration.
We hold every ceremony side by side and share the work of integration. As partners in life and in this work, we bring our own lived experience of relationship, communication and learning into the circle. We'll meet you with presence, care and respect for your own process.
In their words
What stays after.
“There are very few people who can hold a mirror to you without trying to change you. Obsidian is one of them. I didn't walk away with more answers. I walked away trusting myself more deeply, and that's changed the way I lead, the way I create, and the way I move through my life.”
Stephen G.
“She has a powerful ability to see people clearly, hold them with care and guide them back to themselves with both grace and precision. Her impact is lasting, it continues to ripple in my life far beyond the work we did together.”
Dr Lara Varden
“One of the best things I've done for myself in a long time. I was hesitant to commit at first, but immediately upon talking with Obsidian during our first call, I felt at ease. Obsidian is so intentional and thoughtful in everything she does.”
Katie Brooks · Retreat guest
“Obsidian has a rare combination of wisdom, vulnerability, and authenticity. Through her guidance I expanded in ways I hadn't expected. Some people come into your life for a season. Others leave a permanent imprint on your heart.”
Dave K. · Scottsdale, AZ
The setting
Beachfront on
the Baja coast.
Our home for these three days sits on the beach, chosen for privacy and quiet.
Wake to the waves. Take your tea outside. Share meals around one table. Let the hours between gatherings hold a walk on the beach, a conversation, or the rest you've been needing.
Accommodation, meals and round-trip transportation from San Diego are included, so there's less to manage and more of you present.
Step inside
Swipe to explore
Who it's for
Is First Light for you?
It may be if…
- You've invested in your inner work and want more of what you know to show up in how you live.
- You've had meaningful experiences in therapy, retreat or ceremony and want real support with preparation and integration.
- You're entering a new chapter and want to listen before deciding what comes next.
- There are patterns, choices or relationships asking for your attention.
- You value a small group, thoughtful facilitation, and connection without performance.
- You're willing to prepare beforehand and keep reflecting after you return.
Previous ceremonial experience is part of our conversation, but it isn't the only thing that decides fit.
If you're in crisis or need clinical care, this retreat isn't a substitute. Our call helps us both see whether this work is right for you now.
You don't need to have everything figured out to book a call.
The conversation is where we begin.
Your retreat includes
Held from the first call
to the last.
Before you arrive
- A personal conversation with Obsidian and Cam before reserving your place
- A preparation call before the retreat
During your stay
- Three nights of beachfront accommodation on the Baja coast
- All retreat meals, nourishing and made with care
- Private round-trip transportation from San Diego
- All scheduled ceremonies, practices and circles
- A full day dedicated to integration before departure
- A sunrise closing ceremony on the beach
After you return
- A personal integration call with Obsidian and Cam
- A group integration call with your retreat circle
- The letter you write to yourself at First Light, mailed to you in the spring
Your investment
$2,500
per person
1. Answer a few short questions.
2. Meet with us on a discovery call to talk through your intentions, the ceremonial work, and whether the retreat is a mutual fit.
3. If it is a mutual yes, reserve your place with a $500 deposit.
The remaining $2,000 can be paid in full or in two $1,000 installments on November 15 and December 15, 2026. All balances are settled by December 20, 2026.
Six guest places. Each begins with a personal conversation.
Flights not included.
Questions
Good to know
What ceremonial work will we be doing?
We discuss the sacraments and ceremonial process personally on our call, before you reserve. This is your chance to understand what the experience involves, ask questions, and explore suitability with us. Your decision deserves clear information.
I have never sat in ceremony. Is this for me?
It can be. Schedule a discovery call and we'll talk through your experience, intentions, health history and questions to explore whether this retreat is right for you. The call begins that conversation; it doesn't commit you to attending.
How do you approach safety and suitability?
Every prospective guest speaks with us before reserving. We ask about health, relevant history and what you're navigating, and we discuss the ceremonial work so you can make an informed decision. Both guides hold the ceremonies together, and preparation and integration are included. Ceremony carries risks, and screening can't eliminate them; we'll discuss these on the call.
I've already done a lot of inner work. What might this offer me?
First Light connects your inner work to your life as it is now. The small group, personal preparation, a full integration day and follow-up calls are there to help you put what you know into practice.
Can I apply with my partner?
You're welcome to express interest together. Please let us know before your discovery call so we can discuss suitability for each of you, accommodation, and what you're hoping to experience. First Light is a retreat for individuals within a shared circle; it isn't a dedicated couples program.
How do I get there?
Private round-trip transportation from San Diego to the retreat is included. We'll coordinate pickup details with accepted guests. On Sunday, January 10, we leave the retreat at 8:30 a.m. for San Diego airport. Please confirm travel arrangements with us before booking flights.
What to bring: a photo ID is enough to enter Mexico, but to return to the US by land you'll need your passport or passport card. A driver's license alone can mean extra screening at the border for everyone in the vehicle.
What support is included afterward?
Your retreat includes a personal integration call with Obsidian and Cam and a group integration call with your circle. These conversations offer time to reflect on your experience, explore what is emerging, and consider practical next steps.
During the retreat, you will also write a letter to yourself. We mail it to you in the spring, a reminder of what you met here, arriving just as ordinary life has had time to fill back in.
What if my plans change?
Your $500 deposit is non-refundable, but it never goes to waste: it becomes credit toward any retreat within 12 months. If you cancel 30 or more days before we gather, your balance is refunded. Within 30 days, your balance becomes credit toward a future retreat within 12 months. You're always welcome to transfer your place to someone else. If we ever need to cancel, you'll receive a full refund.
✦
Begin the year
from what matters.
The ocean. A small circle. Three days to listen closely to your life, and one sunrise to carry home.
First Light is an invitation to meet yourself honestly and with care, and to carry that into the year ahead.
The first week of the year · January 7–10, 2027 · Six guests