Feb 28, 2007

February's Imbolc Altar & Ceremony


This is my personal Imbolc altar.

Imbolc, also known as Candlemas, is the Celtic celebration that took place this year on February 2. The Imbolc time of year is about looking at what “seeds” you are planting in your Life. It is the time of inceiving and conceiving of what you want to create in your year ahead with the Intention of nurturing and sustaining these plans in the garden of your own life. This celebration is also about the returning rays of the Sun and that now is the time to nourish and give fuel to the unique light that you are in the world.

This was also the first ceremony of my practicum this year and with the snowstorm going on outside, we had a cozy group of 6 participants! In part of the ceremony, we did a ritual where we literally planted seeds in the pot of Earth in the center of the altar, speaking aloud that which we are Intending to sustain as commitments in our lives this year. The pot and the candles surrounding it were all in white, like the snowy outdoors. I had a picture of the ceremonial altar, but the photo didn’t turn out!

Instead, I offer you a look at my own. I use my personal altar to align to looking at my life symbolically. In this case, the eight candles around the center symbolize the eight turns of the Celtic Year Wheel at the same time as each of the directions (North, South, East, West) and the cardinal points in between. I already have committed to co-creating ceremonies at each of these times in the year. The candle in the center is a symbol of me. The “altar jewelry” is for the seeds of Intention and the fun to be had, and the artwork on the upper part is about the Cycle of Life. (It is also a photo of the quilting extravaganza of a local fabric artist and teacher, Liane Thiry-Smith.) Isn’t it beautiful?

Feb 10, 2007

Welcome Winterluders!

If I met you today at my Winterlude Booth, welcome! It was nice talking to you and I'm glad you came to check out my site. Come by in a couple weeks when I'll have photos up of ceremonies that I've officiated, the seasonal changes I make to my altar, and more thoughts on ceremonies and how you can help make ritual an important part of your life either with my help or on your own initiative.

What is Ceremony?

Ceremony is a time and space consciously intended to be apart from ordinary life, in which we create connection, to ourselves and to the cycle of Life. Every culture in the world has ceremonies that acknowledge and incorporate the major life events of those within the community, whether it be wedding vows, funeral rites, coming-of-age rituals, or anything else they culturally value and consider important to mark collectively.

What is the Purpose of Ceremony?

Traditionally, there are 3 main reasons for having ceremonies.
1) For Community Building – cultivating and deepening relationships
between people to create more harmonious and sustainable communities.
2) For Earth-Honouring – consciously experiencing our lives as part of the cycle of Life in order to create connection with our place in the natural world.
3) For Healing – coming together with a specific Intention to create more Well-Being and Wholeness.
Any of these Intentions may be
incorporated into the ceremony you would envision. Traditionally, the Shamans in the community Journey for the appropriate Intent and form of ceremony that is best-for-the-whole. Journeying in this way is my specialty and experience, which you are invited to include for your unique ceremony.

Weddings: What can I expect from working with you as a Ceremonialist?

Initially, I meet with the parties involved to find out who you are and what you envision. What happens next depends on the kind of ceremony you are looking to create.

For weddings, I would meet with you for a free no-obligation 45-minute consultation. At this point, we would look at your ideas and discuss various possibilities that I can contribute based on my expertise. At the first consultation I give you an estimate of the time involved to create your personalized ceremony and provide you with a quote of my fee based on my rate of $50/hour.

If you decide to hire me, I would leave you with a questionnaire to learn more about you and based on what you share I would begin drafting a ceremony. You can expect about 3 drafts for you to review and edit, but we can do more if required. I can do a rehearsal and I can also co-ordinate with the other members of the day, ie. photographers, musicians, etc. I would also give you a written copy of your unique ceremony as a keepsake.

Funerals and Other Ceremonies: What can I expect from working with you as a Ceremonialist?

Initially, I meet with the parties involved to find out who you are and what you envision. What happens next depends on the kind of ceremony you are looking to create.

For funerals, I would give you a quote over the phone based on your needs and we would hold a family meeting to share about your loved one. From your stories, we would create an appropriate form of tribute. I would also then officiate at the funeral, and conduct a graveside service or internment if needed.

For other types of ceremonies, I can offer any or all of the following: I would be responsible for hosting the ritual, guiding people’s experiences and assisting anyone who is participating. I would bring you ideas about structure and content, and I would give you a quote based on those services contracted. In all cases, I create ceremonies based on extensive consultation with you, until we arrive at a ceremony which reflects your experience of your life.

Ceremony Packages

Here are the different kinds of ceremony packages I offer:

1) Personalized Ceremonial Consultation - I act as a constultant to craft a unique ceremony that you participate in without me as an officiant.
2) Personalized Officiated Ceremony — I act as a consultant and create a ceremony that reflects your vision and at which I officiate.
3) Ceremony for the Benefit of the Whole — I do a shamanic journey for a ceremony on your behalf.
4) Officiating of a pre-determined ceremony — I preside over at a ceremony you have already created, ie. a wedding or a funeral/memorial.

Feb 9, 2007

Carrie's Bio and Qualifications

To tell you a little more about me, here is the official bio that I use:

Carrie Rathwell has a passion for celebration that brings all of her life experiences together as Ceremonialist.

Growing up on a farm, she was deeply connected to nature and her rural community. She graduated from Queen’s University with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in 1995 and then lived for 7 months in Burkina Faso, West Africa and got first-hand experience of a culture rich with ceremonial traditions.

In 1999, she began studying intensively with Kathleen Leeson, R.H., Clinical Herbalist and Shamanic Healer. While completing the 3 years of the Wisdom of the Plants Apprenticeship and by participating in a Women’s Circle, she began to regularly gather in ceremony. Carrie felt at home in this practice of healing, connection and grace.

She spent the next years getting further involved. She graduated in 2006 from the Traditional Healer Internship offered by Kathleen Leeson, took courses in 2005-6 with Michael Harner’s Foundation for Shamanic Studies, and in 2006 became a Certified Funeral Celebrant with In-Sight Books, taught by Doug Manning, a leader in the field.

Carrie became a Certified Celebrant in April 2007 by graduating from an 8-month course offered by the Celebrant Foundation and Institute. She has been also spending this year acquiring practical experience creating and leading various ceremonies. She feels it is an honour and a joy to offer her services as Ceremonialist in the Ottawa area.
 
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