Ceremony

Ceremony is an integral part of an animistic, Earth/Spirit centered life. It is a way we can either change the dream we are dreaming for Life, or deepen the one that feels best to us. In ceremony, we link with others in the Dreamtime as we imagine and focus on what truly moves us, what matters to us and what we wish to create. And by doing so, we even alter the neural pathways in our brains so that it becomes ever easier to be the people who can bring these new dreams into being.

There are ceremonies for honoring different times of the year such as the solstices and equinoxes or phases of the moon. There are ceremonies for transmuting limiting energies from the land or human spaces as well as for re-inspiriting them. There are ceremonies for healing sites of ecological devastation and also for imperiled species. There are ceremonies for calling in healing energies for people. There are rituals for expressing recent as well as long-suppressed grief and others for honoring the Ancestors and asking for their guidance. What ceremony and ritual can address is too numerous to list here, but simply know there are ceremonies for all kinds of blessings, healings, celebrations, initiations, creations, transmutations and sheddings. Each kind of ceremony will have different aspects and each ceremony will reflect whatever lineage the participants or the ceremonialist are part of.

It is common to do ceremony outside, although many are done in some form of shelter, and often some sort of circle will be drawn, either with rocks, shells, sand, seeds, tobacco, cornmeal, or whatever organic material is most naturally available, or the circle will form around some focal point like a fire, altar, person, animal, or power object. And ceremony utilizes the act of invocation. Many traditions will invoke at least in some way the elemental directions of South, West, North and East and some will include above, below and within as well. And different cultures sometimes assign specific elements to each direction as well as different qualities and some have more or less than four elements. None of this is universal by any means, for most traditions rise out of their geography and how people have best thrived in relation to that geography. However, what is universal is that there will be some sort of statement of what outcome is desired by the making of the ceremony and then at the conclusion, a blessing for the outcome, a statement of gratitude for all the assisting energies supporting that outcome, and a closing off of the circle by acknowledging that the ceremony is complete and all assisting energies may depart.

Ceremony often includes some kind of music or percussion, dancing and/or singing, but there are quieter prayer and silent ceremonies as well. Some ceremonies have very ritualized, formal aspects and might use different power objects as part of the ritual and others will be very loose and simple and mainly energetic. Much depends on the purpose of the ceremony and the specific tradition or lineage the practitioner is part of.

And most importantly, ceremony initiates the embodiment of intention, which is the deepening of our alignment with our creativity.... i. e. how we manifest, through our bodies, our intentions and desires in the world. In ceremony, we use our bodies to walk circles; to build and/or shape gathering spaces; we collect things to bring that inspire us, that create beauty, that remind us of who we are and what we intend, and we add things that hold power. We plan and prepare for the features of nourishment, safety and inclusiveness. We act, share, pay attention, give voice to, move...... and we use our bodies to create a good ending, to close, to leave our space in a clear, energized way. In ceremony, we come into our bodies to signify all of what it takes to create in this world.

I have purposefully not deeply aligned myself with any specific lineage or tradition. I was not born into one. And so, being a mongrel with no roots, I've done this largely to experiment and discover what rises out of the human/spirit/land bond when there hasn't been a lot of conditioning and dogma. On one hand I find this way of doing all of my work extremely powerful as I am free to follow Spirit's guidance in each moment in response to who I am, who I'm working with, the purpose of the ceremony and what the conditions are. On the other hand, I feel the loss of ancestral beauty, known, communal patterns and understandings. In light of both acknowledgements I feel that people of modern culture need to discover how to work with purpose, focus and from their heart in relationship to Spirit in a trial-and-error way so that the relationship is authentic, vital, and responsive to conditions. When invited I absolutely love being in ceremony with people of a certain tradition, whether it is Peruvian, Lakota, West African, Celtic, etc. There is so much beauty that's been shaped over the long generations and power has grown in these shapings. And when there is a known ceremonial form to follow, all participants are able to come together in the shaping and making with strong commitment through the energy of familiarity and that is a remarkable experience. If you find that you resonate with a particular lineage/tradition and the original people of that lineage welcome you in, then by all means, accept the beauty of that gift with humility, respect, accountability, reciprocity and care!

However, being a full part of a particular lineage is simply not possible for many if not most people, and many indigenous groups simply aren't trying to assimilate others into their traditional ways. However, the true power of ceremony is based on the power of the relationships of those in the circle to themselves, to the community, to Spirit, to the Earth and her constituents, to the cosmos and all its various manifestations and to the various spirit helpers, and that can take almost infinite forms. You can be a solitary practitioner and do powerful ceremony and/or you can find your people and create your own forms for ceremony and it will be the sincerity, concentration, harmony, application and love above everything that will drive the work and make it potent.

I often do not charge a fee when I'm asked to do ceremony, depending on the constituent nature of it. If interested in a ceremony, go to Contact Me to be in touch.