Easing a loss with the very young through Ceremony and Ritual
Recently I was asked by a young widow to create and officiate a funeral for her 35-year-old husband who died suddenly and unexpectedly from an undiagnosed cancer. This woman had two young boys, 2 ½ and 4 years of age. I asked her if she wanted to include her boys in the ceremony, but she […]
The Hero’s Return: Celebrating a New Life in Recovery
For those who suffer from a chronic substance use disorder (CSUD), and are incapable of being honest with themselves, there are usually only three eventual outcomes – prison, institutions, or death. These people become victims of their disease. Some CSUD sufferers however find another path – that of recovery. These people are heroes who deserve […]
Silken Purses from Sow’s Ears: Discovering wellness in chronic disease through ceremony and ritual.
The saying, “You cannot make a silk purse from a sow’s ear” is derived from a 16th century Scottish proverb meaning that you cannot make something good out of something that is naturally bad. Anyone suffering from a chronic illness, for example; arthritis, asthma, cancer, COPD, Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis, kidney disease, diabetes, epilepsy, heart […]
Rituals Against Relapse: Using ceremony and ritual as an affirmation of recovery.
One Saturday night, during the holidays in 2007, Joey B. went out to his favorite bar to have a couple of drinks. He remembers talking to the bartender when he first arrived but then nothing at all after that. “The next memory I have is of waking up in a hospital, hand-cuffed to the bed […]
How I came to be a Celebrant
My journey to becoming a Celebrant began a long time ago with a question that I intentionally posed to the Universe – “How can I live a more compassionate life?” The Universe answered me probably many times – though I missed most of those answers because I was too busy, or I had other more […]
