Other Ceremonies

Other Ceremonies

In addition to weddings, I work one-on-one with people who want to mark other important life passages in distinct and powerful ways as well. We co-create these ceremonies in one or two planning sessions, either in person or on the phone. My intention is to empower them to set up and enact the event on their own, but I’m happy to step in and act as facilitator if they want.

Baby Blessings

Many families look forward to the birth of a child (or grandchild) and are excited to celebrate the joyous occasion with a baptism or bris. If you’re looking for an alternative to those more traditional events, there are lots of fun and different ways to honor the arrival of your child, acknowledge the grandparents and/or god(dess) parents and create some unique, symbolic rituals to bless their path forward. Planting a birth tree, creating a “birth day” candle, and offering a rose or water blessing are a few. Intrigued? Let’s talk!

Personal Ritual Coaching For Other Life Transitions

While I was researching my Master’s thesis, I discovered that each discipline – anthropology, religious studies, psychology, drama, to name a few — had their own definition of “ritual”. The one that most resonates with me is actually a blend and focuses on the notion of ritual as “transformance” – transformative performance. Ritual becomes transformative when we direct our intention and attention to create a particular outcome, when we activate all of our senses, and when we participate in powerful, symbolic actions. Sharing bread becomes an act of community building; throwing a rock into a stream signifies the letting go of old wounds; lighting a candle sheds new light and hope in a time of uncertainty.

In the technically brilliant sterility of our modern age, I believe we’re aching to find new ways to make meaning in our lives. Truly transformative ceremonies and rituals allow us to infuse a sense of the sacred into our ordinary lives, to recognize major life events in profoundly satisfying ways, and to re-member our connection to our deepest selves and to each other. It is such a joy and privilege for me to be able to participate in the creation of these moments with my clients, my co-conspirators in the art of ritual-crafting.

The enactment of these special rituals, which can be performed privately or with family and friends, serves multiple purposes:

• to celebrate new beginnings… blessing a new baby or a new home; baby and bridal showers, promoting healing.
• to imbue those special occasions and personal milestones in our lives with a sense of the sacred… from first birthdays to retirement and everything in between; menarche and menopause, promotions and retirement, engagements and anniversaries.
• to ease difficult transitions … memorial services; relationship endings; releasing old “baggage” and challenges, either physical, mental or emotional.

If you’ve got a special occasion coming up that you want to imbue with depth and meaning connect with me today!