Ceremony & Ritual
Make it meaningful
As life moves faster and faster these days, we need moments to pause, reflect, and integrate more than ever. Meanwhile, many of us have distanced ourselves from religious and cultural traditions that feel irrelevant or problematic. We know now is not a time to just go through the motions, but what do we do instead?
Investing a little time and intention into crafting meaningful ritual and ceremony can help us navigate transitions, connect to self and community, and make the most of our precious lives.
If it feels daunting to approach this alone, enlisting the services of a creative and trained ritualist or officiant may be the best thing to add depth to your life moment in a way that also allows you to be fully present. We'll work together to gather stories in advance, find the right language, weave in some beauty, and open up space where whatever needs to happen can happen with everyone who needs to be there.
“As a former wedding planner myself, I've seen dozens and dozens of wedding ceremonies and worked alongside many different wedding officiants. Sarah is the best I've ever seen, bar none.”
Molly Beaton, NC
My style
What and How I Lead
I am ordained as an interfaith minister, but that does not mean I think I can just lead anything I please from any faith tradition. On the contrary, it means I've spent a lot of time studying and considering what is appropriate for me to practice on my own and what I have ethical and authentic ground to lead publicly. It means I know how to get creative about bringing in other voices and leadership to make any ceremony or ritual component as deep and genuine as it can be.
My own spiritual practice is deeply informed by the earth-based Celtic spiritualities of my ancestors and the spaces where that overlapped with early Christianity. I was raised Protestant, but I've spent a good bit of time wrestling with the faith of my upbringing. I've also been profoundly nourished by decades of yoga practice, by study of Sanatana Dharma and Vedanta, by Buddhist teachings, and by the mystical voices of other Abrahamic faiths. If you're spiritual but not religious in a particularly traditional way, I've got you.
The arts have always felt like a spiritual discipline to me, which goes a long way in the creation of ritual and ceremony. While I assume everyone gathered will have distinct views and beliefs, I especially like to find creative and accessible ways to allow everyone present to feel included and involved in what's taking place.