Alternative Blessings & Rites of Passage
Light
Will someday split you open
Even if your life is now a cage.
For a divine seed, the crown of destiny,
Is hidden and sown on an ancient, fertile plain
You hold the title to.
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~ Hafiz
Life holds so many opportunities for ceremonies, blessings and rites of passage. Throughout our lives there are many threshold moments and portals of transition in which a profound change or loss may take place – some which touch us more deeply than others. Ceremonies and rituals offer a kaleidoscope of ways to:
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celebrate, honour or affirm something in your life
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invoke a blessing
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find space for healing and transformation
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Below you'll find a selection of different ceremonies to give you a sense of what is possible. Whether it is one of these, or something completely unique to your life, I would be delighted to create something meaningful for you.
House Blessing – whether you are moving home, or acquiring new business premises or studio space, this allows an opportunity to bid farewell to the old and/or welcome the new.
______ Blessing – whether you are launching a new business, publishing a book, opening an exhibition, or starting a new venture – invoking a blessing on your project can be a powerful ritual that brings consciousness to your intent, as well as gathering support in tangible and intangible ways. It can also be a beautiful way of gathering people together to celebrate something that is important to you.
Naming Ceremonies – whether you are changing your name, or feel that you were never fully welcomed into the world, a naming ceremony can be a powerful opportunity to ground yourself in this world and fully welcome your being-ness.
Rites of Passage/First Blood – not necessarily for adolescents. This is an opportunity for women of whatever age to honour the threshold that we cross with first blood, and to invoke a blessing on our wombs.
Mother Blessing – a ceremony marking a woman’s rite of passage into motherhood, which oftens takes place in the weeks before the birth. A sacred alternative to a baby shower, which can also be adapted to include both parents.
Divorce/Separation – bringing consciousness and ritual to the separations and endings in our life can be deeply transformative, allowing us to space to reflect, learn and heal.
Last Blood – just as we rarely honour first blood, so we rarely mark (let alone celebrate) last blood, or menopause. Deeply connected to the Croning ceremony below, this is an opportunity to reflect on life’s evening, to enquire into all that must fade and end in the cycle of our lives. This has the potential to be deeply powerful and healing.
Croning – perhaps one of the thresholds we fear the most, as the wheel of our life turns towards aging and ultimately, death. A croning ceremony honours the grandmothers, the wise women, and the aspects of ourselves that we most fear, but this is an opportunity to reflect on life’s evening, to enquire into all that must fade and end in the cycle of our lives. This has the potential to be deeply powerful and healing.
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Living Wakes – people often say to me that they wish they could be at their own funeral. They long to have their families and friends gathered around them, celebrating and affirming their life and all that has been precious to them – so why not now? It is not for everybody, but has the potential to be a deeply joyous and healing occasion.
Seasonal Celebrations – whether we ground them in the Celtic Fire Festivals, the equinox or solstice, or the more traditional celebrations on your average family calendar, seasonal celebrations allow us to engage with and explore the cycles of life, death and rebirth in relation to the world around us.
"Thank you for your gentle holding of space into which you poured gifts for all my senses. I had a strong sense of the divine through the gathering invocation and with everyone throughout the service. Her presence was articulated by you. Thank you for your lovely and beautifully respectful humour - you hit just the right note!" Anne C
"We can't thank you enough for all your help through our difficult 'journey' over the past few weeks, which ended very happily last week." Jan S.
"Thank you so much for all your help and your kindness through this very sad time of my life. Also the time you spent with my mum." Sharon I.