Ceremony in Our World Today

“…As long as you remember what you have seen, then nothing is gone. As long as you remember, it is part of this story we have together.” ~ Leslie Marmon Silko

---

We can all agree that we still find tradition, ritual, pomp and circumstance in our modern world at celebrations such as weddings, birthday parties, and graduations. ​

But elements of ceremony can also be discovered in our local and national customs, at funerals, and in marking the seasons and days of sustenance.  

​It’s during these times when we have the opportunity to reflect on who we are, where we came from, and how we thrive as individuals and together as a society.

Ceremonies serve to honor life's landmark events; they allow us to bring into light acknowledgment of a transition or a rite of passage. They reflect our beliefs and hopes and fears and draw forth the quieter aspects of spirituality. 
 
A ceremony, done correctly, is a transformative process and allows us to serve as witnesses to each other, bringing people together to show that they are united, and to strengthen the bonds in relationships and communities.​

---

A personalized ceremony motivates us as an individual, honors our own Hero's Journey, allows us to accept and embrace our varied emotions, prompts our memories, and compels us to move forward after a significant life event.  
 
Ceremonies recognize the social life, history, and material and spiritual beliefs of the people who came before us and who it is we choose to be in the future. They also provide a valuable opportunity for a tradition to be passed down from generation to generation.

Cultural ceremonies are essential because they define our identity and help us better understand our ancestors and family values. For example, the long-standing Olympics have both an opening and closing ceremony that includes every country’s participation.  

---

Historically, ceremonies and rituals were associated with organized religion. Nowadays, an option to a church-based ceremony service is to engage a “Celebrant.”  
 
A Celebrant is a professionally educated and trained storyteller, one who believes in the power of using personal symbolism and ritual to craft a ceremony intended to heal, transform, honor, and commemorate life’s meaningful moments.  
 
Celebrancy does not represent any particular faith tradition but blends together the modern day desires, beliefs, and needs of the client.  As we enter new paradigms, opportunities still exist to explore and express our evolving rites of passage.

Here are three examples how a Celebrant might be an option for marking your next milestone:  

• Wedding Celebrants write personalized love stories and are also officiants who are legally able to perform marriages and union commitments.
  ​
• Funeral Celebrants commemorate end-of-life events and write personalized eulogies, often working alongside funeral homes or the client directly in end-of-life planning. 

• Celebrants co-create ceremonies across the life cycle, such as gender reveal gatherings or baby blessings, adolescent rites of passage, finalizing of a divorce, downsizing, house warming events, or to honor retirement.  

 
The hallmark of a Celebrant is to co-create a ceremony using the client's beliefs, personal storytelling, ritual, and symbolism to commemorate and honor the lives of individuals, families, and communities.   
​​