Ceremonies are part of our daily rituals. We often refer to them as major transformative moments that need to be acknowledged, addressed, and, if possible, also have witnesses.
Many of us in the Western Modern world aren’t aware of the many daily rituals we perform or are part of. We narrow our perception of ceremonies to graduation ceremonies, birthdays, and major holiday traditions.
Ceremonies are a sacred pathway into the more that we each are.
When held together with others, either in a circle or as witnesses to a sacred step, they offer us a glimpse and an opportunity to embrace the more that we are, together, as a family, a circle, community, and as humanity.
Children, at a young age, begin practicing rituals and holding their ceremonies. Families who embrace the possibility offered by small ceremonies open a door to tremendous healing and expanded shared family consciousness.
There is much to say about sacred ceremonies with children and teens, and about offering children and teens the respect and holding of positive, empowering ceremonies. But this short post is more about books that can open the door for you…
The Book of Ceremony By Sandra Ingerman
The Book of Ceremony by Sandra Ingerman offers Shamanic wisdom for evoking the sacred in everyday life. In this inspiring book, Sandra Ingerman goes into what a ceremony is, the power embedded in ceremonies, and applies the ceremonies to connecting with nature, life stages, including challenging ones, and more. All based on shamanic practices.
It’s not about working with children, but it does address issues, for example, like creating energetic balance for a family, including the children, when parents are separating.
The Art of Ritual: Creating and Performing Ceremonies for Growth and Change By Renee Beck and Sydney Barbara Metrick
The Art of Ritual invites us to recall what’s behind ceremonies that have lost their meaning to us. It is a practical healing manual, focused on supporting life changes, with a combination of traditional, seasonal, life moments, and additional ideas for ceremony. It offers guidance on how to construct rituals, and is great for beginners, who wonder how to create more ceremonial moments in their lives.
Rites and Rituals: Harnessing The Power of Sacred Ceremony By Ahrianna Platten
Rites and Rituals power is in the personal stories.
The book starts with the authors offering a doorway to the difference between rites, rituals, and ceremony and the importance of intention. Then, it shared many personal stories, presenting the power of ceremonies, the various life spaces they apply, and empower the reader to explore and create their own ceremonies.
Sacred Celebrations: Designing Rituals to Navigate Life’s Transitions by Elizabeth Barbour
Sacred Celebrations by Elizabeth Barbour adds a personal touch to the other books I’ve mentioned earlier. It covers almost every life transition you can think of, and the invitation is, in many ways, simple, inviting, and compassionate. The author weaves in her own experience, both personal and as a weaver of ceremonies for others. More for personal use than for parents, it may be the simplified doorway many need to become aware and bring ceremony into their lives.
