How to create a ceremony
Here are the steps:
1. Find your intent, alone, with your client or with a group of people
2. Decide how you want to create the ritual. I’ll give you an example in point 7.
3 Define the space: I usually use stones to create a circle. The ceremony takes place inside the circle. Anything that is available can be used as long as it clearly defines/marks the space.
4 Call in spirit in a way that is comfortable for you and the people you are with. Do this aloud e.g. “I am calling in spirit to help us with the ceremony we are about to do”. You can create a bit of background sound whilst you do that. Use a rattle, drum or Tibetan bells or a piece of music.
5. Transform the space into ‘sacred space’. Cleanse it by walking around it with smudge or use sound in form of a Tibetan bell, a singing bowl, a drum or rattle. Build a little altar. A simple cloth on the floor will do. Then put a centrepiece on the cloth that represents the intent of the ceremony… a candle, some flowers, a stone whatever. When you put it on the altar, speak the intent aloud. Then have every person place an object on the altar. They can speak whatever they want to speak while doing that. Last but not least, put something there to represent the spirits you want to be present. I usually use fire, water, earth and air as well as something that represents ‘spirit in general’. What you use must relate to the intent, the people involved and the spirits you want present.
6. Call in spirit again. State your specific intent and ask for help to achieve the intent.
7. Do the ritual, involving everybody as much as possible. There are many, many ways. Use your imagination. I’ll give you an example. Lets say you want to call something in and let’s say there is a group of you. So, get some wool or ribbons and a few branches. Put the branches in a vase in the centre of your circle. Then have everybody get up, go round the circle to the middle, take a piece of wool and wrap it round the branches whilst calling into their life what they want to call in. It works better when it’s done aloud.
8. When your ceremony is finished, do something to mark the end – e.g. drum, rattle, chant, meditate for a few minutes or whatever else you can think of. Then thank the spirits you called in for being present.
9. Clear the space. In the above example we would burn the branches, sending the ‘wishes’ symbolically up to ‘spirit’.
10. Walk away! It’s done. Go back to normal reality.
Re-connect with nature as often as possible.
Retreat from the sensory input of your surrounding on a regular basis. Be still.
Let your body vibrate – dance, sing, make music, surf the waves, run along a beach, climb a mountain.
Don't consume - create!
Surround yourself with beauty rather than with ‘stuff’.
Get away from the TV and be with people.
Create ceremonies in our lives.
Connect with ‘the sacred’.
Celebrate that you are alive.
Love a lot!
