I recently arrived home from an overnight hiking trip with a group of inspiring women to celebrate my sister’s 50th birthday.
My dear sister, being the earth loving woman she is, organized her dream celebration in the woods. I too started visualizing about how we could honour her in an intentional, memorable and unique way.
I envisioned a plan for a Ritual that we could do as a group to honour this right of passage and this next chapter in her life. We would each choose an ethically sourced crystal or stone that in some way was symbolic of her essence, a personal experience or a special memory we shared together.
By gathering seasonal items from nature, we created an altar and placed a candle in the centre. To my sister’s surprise, I asked everyone to come with their special stones to make a circle around the altar.
First, we lit the candles and took some time to be in silence and to connect to our breath. Then I shared some words around gathering intentionally to honour our sister in her light and her beauty.
Note: I highly recommend writing a little script so you can express everything you planned on. Sometimes when leading, we can get a little nervous and forget what we wanted to say!
We went around in a circle, offering our special stone to the altar, while sharing our stories and memories of how our sister is so special to us. Of course, there were tears. There was a deep feeling of connection to each woman in the circle and it was authentic, real and raw.
When we step into intentional ceremony, whatever it may be: a birthday, an anniversary, a death, or honouring the Moon and seasonal cycles, there is a right of passage felt, heard, and integrated. It contributes to a feeling of purpose and connection and allows us to see and feel our life from another perspective.
The Most Important Aspect of Creating a Ritual With Friends
The most important aspect of planning your own ceremony is to clearly set your intention.
Once you have your intention (in this case, it was to honour my sister’s 50 years on this planet), then you can be creative and follow your intuition. Let it be fluid, yet let the others in the circle know what they are sharing. For example, share your gratitudes or share a story.
The more concise you can be the better. Often shorter ceremonies are more effective and succinct.
Holding the container for sacred space and heartfelt sharing takes us out of the “mundane” of everyday life and allows us to step into the “sacred.” Here, time stands still, hearts open, vulnerability and intimacy arises, and glimmers of the the non-ordinary realms come forward.
Why You should Create Rituals With Friends
Ceremony gives us an opportunity to gather in an intentional and creative way; to listen, to speak our truths and give energy to our prayers.
It’s a way to come together as a community, to release the stress and anxieties of the daily life and to step into the realm of possibility.
Enjoy creating unique Rituals with your family, friends, communities, and also for yourself.
To learn about how to weave Ritual and Mindfulness into your daily life to increase inner peace, balance, creativity, and personal transformation, please click here.
To learn more about my upcoming events and attend one, please click here.
With Love,
Mara