On the Purpose of Ceremony
Why choose to step into a ceremonial space? What does Ceremony mean in this day in age?
Ceremony is an ancient practice of gathering at a Soul level, choosing to step outside the rhythm of the ordinary, everyday tasks and cycles that make up life, and step into the extraordinary. In crossing the threshold into ceremony, we step into sacred space…literally, we step into a current of energy that is focused by the intention of that gathering, and on an energetic level (whether or not we are conscious of it), we attune ourselves to the level of our Soul. We step beyond the confines of linear time and physical space, and into the fabric of the quantum realm of reality where we can create great change on both an inner and outer level.
Ceremony is both a practice and an art cultivated by those who are called to bring their own creative gifts to create a transformative experience. The foundation of any ceremony will be built upon the five elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water & Ether, the eight directions and the connection on both the vertical and horizontal planes to the ancestors, angels, guides, archetypal forces and masters that are being invoked to infuse both the space and the beings in attendance with their frequencies.
What you can expect when you attend a ceremony:
-You will be led through a series of practices and rituals that expand your sense of self from the everyday personal reality into the perception of the Soul. Those practices may be guided meditations, breath patterns, movements or words that you may be asked to repeat. You may feel challenged by this, you might feel silly, you may also feel your heart expanding in a feeling of homecoming you cannot name but have always wanted. You will be invited to relax into all of it, trusting that everyone is on their own unique journey of evolution and there are many doorways into the space of the Soul that these practices open. All you have to do is keep breathing.
-Some ceremonies will offer sacraments—sacred foods or drinks that are created and held with deep respect for their capacity to shift you into an altered state of consciousness where profound insights can be discovered or for their capacity to alchemize or change you at a cellular level. Bee pollen, for instance, could be a sacrament offered in ceremony for its hexagonal property and relationship to the bees that reestablishes your own connection to nature at levels beyond what your mind could rationally try to create.
-Know that you never have to do anything that you are invited to participate in and every “round” is an opportunity to deepen with yourself first and foremost. You may be asked questions, offered inquiries to contemplate, and invited to share if and only if you feel called. What you will find is that your answer, no matter how vulnerable you feel in sharing it, will often create a connection with someone else who was feeling the very same thing. Ceremony connects us with both the innately divine aspects of ourselves as well as the parts of us that are so very human that we hide them…and we find great comfort and connection when we find out others are human also.
-You will be guided to let go of the thinking mind and to enter into a state of awareness, where you are able to perceive your life, yourself, and the world differently. From this place of awareness, you can become aware of repeating patterns, beliefs you are ready to let go of, new insights you want to integrate, and you can create conscious change.
-If you are open to it, you will be changed. If you feel the ceremony is being held on a foundation of unconditional love, that energetic cannot not infuse you at a cellular level, and you will leave feeling transformed, lightened, and expanded.
