Custom Rituals

Why hold a ritual?

Rituals are present in all known human societies and the first depictions of ritual acts date back over 70,000 years. We still have many living rituals today such as marriage ceremonies, birthdays, inaugurations, holiday traditions, graduations, funerals, pre-performance customs, and many more. Rituals allow a container for monumental moments in time to be honored, celebrated, and remembered. Ritualistic behavior can give us a sense of social bonding, collective creation, and comfort in community.

There are so many occasions to have a ritual but in our busy modern world, we often forget to make the time. Below you'll find some examples of the types of custom rituals I can create and facilitate. If you don't see what you're looking for, feel free to schedule a 15 minute free consult and I'll let you know what I have in my wheelhouse. Ritual creation is one of my favorite things to do!

Examples of rituals

Blessing Way

A Blessing Way is a ceremony that is focused on empowering and celebrating the expecting mother as opposed to the sole focus being on the baby in our common “Baby Shower”. Blessing Ways typically consist of the mother’s inner circle of female friends and kin. In this ritual space we help the mother process any fears and anxieties around the birthing process and motherhood. We can pamper her, nourish her with good food, tend to her body, sing to her, give her words of affirmation, craft meaningful objects for her, etc. Our intention is to simply provide a space for her to be recognized for the BIG work she's currently doing. It's common practice to have the closest person (i.e. best friend or sister) host the Blessing Way for the mother. Whoever this person is will be my point of contact for customizing the ritual and for organizing the linear details. There will be no “work” for the mother to do in preparing for our gathering.

Crone-ing

A Crone-ing marks the point in which a woman enters elder-hood. The actual age depends on the individual but is typically somewhere over the age of 50, once a woman has entered menopause. This important and profound time for women is often unrecognized, veiled, and downplayed in our society. As the Crone emerges, she often feels overlooked and invisible walking through the world she has always known. This ritual helps her feel seen, recognized, and celebrated. Together with her closest friends, we will weave a story of her grandness, achievements, wisdom, and revive wild tales of her younger years. We will help her imagine what the second half of her life will look like as she walks through the world deeply confident in who she is, caring less and less what others think of her. To create this ritual I like to work directly with the Crone and one of her dearest friends or relatives to get a good sense of what is needed to support her through this right of passage.

End of Life Ritual

The End of Life Ritual is available for those that are terminally ill and looking to deeply connect with their friends and family prior to their death. This time brings up intense emotions and affects everyone connected to the person who is dying. The intention of this ritual is to bring together those closest to them for story sharing, tender connection, and to create a safe container for everyone to be able to say what needs to be said before their final goodbyes. Instead of shying away and tiptoeing around this painful time, we gather to celebrate a life well lived and make sure that the one we’re celebrating feels loved and supported while providing them the opportunity to say their peace and experience their living remembrance. I will work closely with the individual to set intentions for the ceremony and create the right environment for gathering under times of high emotion.

Home Blessing & Land Clearing

A Home Blessing and Land Clearing is a great way to connect with your new home as you step into the role of stewardship. There are often many layers to making a new place your own, especially if it's an older home with many past residents. It's important to think about the land itself and all the beings living and non-living that already reside there. This often includes but is not limited to the Tomte (the longtime house spirit that cares deeply for the welfare of the home and land), past deceased residents, ancestors of the land, and various land, tree, water or animal spirits. I will come to the land and help you connect with whomever already resides there and consider it to be home. We will make offerings for mutual peace and respect. If I sense anything that is going to be problematic, I'll deal with it then and there. I'll also equip you with regular practices to keep the energetics of your home in tip top condition and health.

Menstruation Celebration

Also known as a “Period Party”, the Menstruation Celebration marks the point in which an adolescent female experiences menarche, her first menstrual cycle. This ritual is held to demystify what it means to step into womanhood, to celebrate her next chapter, to bestow wisdom, and to help her navigate any worries or unease around what it means to bleed. Even though we've gotten better as a society about equipping our young women for this big shift, there can still be a good amount of shame, embarrassment, and insecurity that may occur as their bodies experience immense change. The celebration is typically hosted by the young woman’s mother, grandmother, auntie or elder sister. Together we'll come up with just the right amount of playfulness and sacredness to mark this important milestone and celebrate stepping into womanhood.

Naming Ceremony

A Naming Ceremony is for someone who is taking on a new name for themselves and is marking the moment in time when they want to walk forward being known solely by this new name. This ceremony often takes place in a small group setting among family and friends that you want to share this moment with. It can be a big transition for people that have known us our entire lives by one name to now start referring to us as another. This type of formal recognition can ease this transition for those that we love and empower the name taker to step fully into their new identity. The intention of this ritual is to proclaim and speak this new name into existence while honoring and releasing the former name. I will work with the individual to carefully curate a custom ceremony that reflects who and what they are at a core level as this process is incredibly personal.

Pet Remembrance

Loving and being loved by an animal is one of the purest and simplest expressions of devotion that we can experience in life. Our beloved pets become our family members and when they leave us, we’re left with giant holes in our hearts and that emptiness can permeate our homes and barns. Because of their shorter lifespans this is also often the first death that we’re faced with as children. Coming together to remember our furry friends can help bring closure and healing for everyone that loved them. I'll work directly with the owner/family to create a ritual to send off our sweet ones with gratitude and reflection on all the ways in which they made our lives richer more colorful. I've found that sending our animals back into the Earth can be one of the most direct ways to bring peace. If that resonates, I can incorporate a sacred burial of either the body, ashes or a representation of the deceased animal into the ritual.

Seasonal Ceremony

Seasonal ceremonies represent the life and death cycles that we witness within nature. In Western culture we tend to focus on the four seasons: Fall, Winter, Summer and Spring. Yet, different cultures from across the globe recognize other significant seasons such as wildfire, drought, harvest, or the dark months. Through the lens of what specific seasons represent, we can relate them to our outer world and the inner workings of our own personal experiences. Seasonal ceremonies are a fantastic way to connect more deeply with nature and to find relation to the regular cycles that are continually happening all around us. Seasonal shifts are an excellent time to gather for ceremony and can add an additional layer of potency whether you're celebrating fertility and renewal in the Springtime or letting go, shedding and releasing as the mighty oak does so effortlessly in the Fall. I can work with any group or individual that wants to create a specific ritual with nature as the focus and inspiration.

Solar Return

Also known as your Birthday, is an astrological event that marks the return of the sun to it’s same position in the sky as the day you were born. Have you ever considered intentionally celebrating your Birthday? The Solar Return is a wonderful occasion to drop in and create some magic together. Ways in which we can honor the person is through affirmations and acknowledgements of who they are at their core and the positive ways in which we witness them show up in the world. We can pamper them, sing for them, and help them call in their biggest dreams for the coming year. We can look back at where they’ve come from and help them observe the wisdom and experience they’ve gleaned from their numerous trips round the sun. Some Solar Returns feel more significant than others. Especially if we’re entering a new decade or coming out of a specific era. This is an opportunity to celebrate the gift of life! I will work directly with the Birthday person and/or host to create a unique experience that intimately reflects the personality and needs of the person we’re celebrating.

Wedding Ceremony

I am ordained through the Universal Life Church and I specialize in creating non-traditional/non-Religious wedding ceremonies. My intention as an officiant is to provide my clients with custom wedding scripts and rituals/practices that reflect their inner workings as a couple and are just as unique as they are. I've worked extensively with Agnostics, Pagans, Wiccans, Witches and LGBTQ+ couples, that find the traditional language around marriage limiting and often excluding. Because of my lineage, I have an inclination towards Celtic and Nordic wedding traditions but of course am not limited to such. As an officiant I will work closely with the couple making sure that we find the best fit of language, titles, traditions, spiritual practices, and content to illuminate, elevate, and commemorate their wedding day.   

Rates

Custom Ritual or Ceremony: $300-$600

Depending on the ritual length, depth, and location will determine the final price. I will connect with the host(s) in person or via phone for up to one hour to gather information and set the bones of the ceremony as well as discuss the budget and linear details (initial check in duration depends on the magnitude of the ritual). We'll have one more brief check in a few days prior to the event for any clarifying or additions that need to be made.

Please note that I spend HOURS of preparation behind the scenes when creating a Custom Ritual. That time spent is reflected in my fees. No two ceremonies are ever the same.