Ceremony has been a part of human existence since its very beginning. Ceremonies help us make sense of our lives, help us transition to a new aspects of lives, help us find our place within our families and communities, provide support for us in the happiest and saddest moments of our lives. In essence, they give heart and structure to the human experience.
The United States has many ceremonies that are routinely honored within our culture, such as weddings and funerals. However since most of these ceremonies are tied to religious traditions, this leaves people who do not identify with a specific (or any) religious tradition in a quandary. For this reason I chose to become ordained through a church that is founded upon the practice of healing and serving humanity. It does not involve or endorse any religious doctrine or affiliate with any specifically defined deity. This allows me to provide the ceremonies that are traditional in this culture, such as weddings, funerals, and ceremonies that celebrate the birth of a babies, in ways that honor people’s personal beliefs and values, without the issue of any undesired religious doctrine. Some of the ceremonies from this culture I perform:
- Weddings
- Funerals
- Welcoming Ceremonies for new additions to the family.
“The human soul can always use a new tradition. Sometimes we require them.”–Pat Conroy
There are also many of us in the this culture that wish to use ceremony to honor and acknowledge aspects of our lives that are not traditionally part of our culture. Other cultures have ceremonies they celebrate that can also be meaningful to us in this culture. Some of the ceremonies from other cultures that I conduct include:
- Blessingways (a Navajo Ritual created to spiritually support and empower the new mother for her journey of birthing and motherhood)
- Cronings (a ceremony honoring the transition into the final stage of womanhood)
- Adulthood or Puberty Ceremonies
- Ceremonies to dissolve a marriage or other partnership (which can be profoundly healing)I am also always open to creating an individualized ceremony for any life event that you would like to honor.
