Ceremonies and Rituals
“Ritual and ceremony in their due times kept the world under the sky and the stars in their courses. It was astonishing what ritual and ceremony could do.”
Terry Pratchett, Discworld: Pyramids
Welcome. Below you will find information on a variety of ceremonies that might be appropriate for you or your loved ones at this time. I would be really privileged to be able to provide the support and ministry needed through these times and I welcome any enquiries if you are looking for a celebrant.
I not only offer my services for the more ‘traditional’ ceremonies but am also happy to craft a ceremony for any occasion as you will see from the ‘milestones’ section below.
In today’s society we often forget how powerful and meaningful ceremony and ritual can be; it holds communities, partners, friends, families and our relationship with the world and other species together. Ceremony can bring hope, joy and solace into our Iives at exactly the right times, and bring great healing. So I really look forward to working with you to create beautiful memories, loving spaces and new paths.
Weddings
Weddings, vow renewals and handfastings
My wedding day was the most amazing day of my life and it was a day that truly expressed who my partner and I are as a couple. We created a ceremony in a way that we wanted it to be, with those around us we loved.
That is what I hope to be able to craft with, and for you, as a couple – a wedding, handfasting, commitment ceremony or vow renewal, that truly reflects what you want it to be; a ceremony as you have envisaged it will be, not as something out of your hands. I will help you create a day that lets the world know how much you love each other!
What will the process look like?
Well, we will initially set up our agreement that you wish me to act as your celebrant on your big day and I will ask you to sign a contract confirming this. I will ask you to secure the date with a small deposit. I will also guide you through any legal requirements for your ceremony.
We can then move on to preparing your fabulous day!
We will meet as many times as we need to, in person, by Skype/Zoom, and/or by email, to gather together all the thoughts and ideas that you want to incorporate for your ceremony. Between us we will craft your perfect event. There are many traditional rituals that you can incorporate – from handfasting to jumping over the broom and more. In some cases, couples may also wish to take advantage of some spiritual counselling beforehand and I will offer this if requested.
When the day arrives I will deliver your ceremony in the way you wish and give you as much support as you need.
Baby blessings & naming ceremonies
What could be more important than welcoming a new life into the world with a ceremony expressing the love of surrounding family and friends either in the form of a baby blessing or naming ceremony? Or, as a child grows, what could be more powerful than re-affirming that love, as school starts, or before your child embarks on any new adventure or phase of life.
Blessing ceremonies can be held for children of any age and are an expression of love and support. These ceremonies allow parents, grandparents, friends, and extended family to have a ceremony reflecting a wide range of beliefs and to be able to voice their hopes for the future of a new life and give the gift of love in whatever way seems appropriate, at whatever stage in a child's life, when it is most needed. I will help you create a bespoke ceremony for any new/young members of your family.
Memorial services
When we lose someone in our lives I believe that the most important gift we can give is to honour them with a ceremony that respects their last wishes and which truly celebrates their life. Being able to respond with a heartfelt memorial service can help us too as we travel our own grief.
Memorials can be really healing ceremonies where the life that was lived can be remembered with joy, love, tears, music and hope. If I can help you prepare a ceremony that really honours your loved one, and in which you celebrate their lives as they, and you, wish it to be remembered, please contact me and I will do all I can to help.
Rites of passage
A rite of passage ceremony or ritual marks a time of transformation in life and it aids and supports whatever change is needed for an individual or group. Such ceremonies have been held for millennia, for a variety of reasons and can mark important moments of change in our lives. It is especially important to honour such ‘passages’ in life ; for instance, paths through childhood into adulthood, or moving on from, and coping with, emotionally bruising situations and forging a new way of being. Any vital life transition.
These ceremonies can be challenging and exhilarating or as gentle as need be – the secret is to provide the individual or group with whatever support is necessary to create a successful journey from one state into the next.
Perhaps you, or someone you are close to, feels that this kind of ceremony would be beneficial. If so, I am happy to work with you to create a beautiful moment in time.
Ceremonies for
companion animals
I am a member of the Animal Interfaith Alliance which is an expression of my commitment to honour animals through my work as an interfaith minister. I have always been an animal lover and have a large family of rescue animal companions including 6 dogs, 9 cats, and rescue hens.This is an important part of my life and I really honour that in offering services for animals and their humans! If you have lost an animal companion and wish to commemorate their lives, or wish to celebrate and honour the lives of animals in any other way, then please don’t hesitate to contact me.
House Blessings
House blessings are wonderful rituals that are performed in many ways around the world and I love the whole process because of its simplicity. A house blessing can be incredibly powerful and can involve several people or simply yourself and the celebrant.
Why would you to choose to have a house blessing?
You might have moved into a new house recently and you feel that you want to not only clear the energy of the space you are moving into, but also let some of the things in your personal past go too. Or this may be about simply clearing the space that you already live in and which you feel needs a breath of fresh air in some way. So the process, though simple, can be extremely powerful, allowing us to feel comfortable and move forward with clarity into the next part of our lives in a space free of any negativity.
Milestones
What do I mean by Milestones? Well, whether we follow a faith path or not, sometimes in life we just need to mark a space in time that is of particular importance to us, for whatever reason we feel that, that is appropriate. This could be anything from moving into a new house, starting a new job, beginning a trip around the world, or acknowledging a divorce or separation, and/or everything inbetween.
Ceremonies don’t have to ‘fit’ into expected patterns at ‘expected’ times of life. And they certainly don’t have to be in any set formulas. This means that significant moments that you wish to celebrate or acknowledge, and perhaps share with others close to you, can be marked with rituals that are totally personal and meaningful to you.
If you feel the need for such an individual ceremony then go for it! I am here to help you create and craft your bespoke one-off ceremony as you wish.
