SOULful Transitions

08/08/2024

Thanks so much to my friend and colleague Mila Martin for this excellent article regarding ...... Why use a professional Celebrant?

I wrote the following because so many people think that "Uncle Joe" or "Cousin Sue" will do a great job as their officiant...
Can Anyone Officiate at a Wedding?

MY FRIEND WILL MARRY US Because it looks so easy, hey, anyone can do it, right? Well no, when the rubber hits the road, it's terrifying for many.

Don't pick a family member OR pastors who don't really do this very often; because they can be just as nervous and inarticulate as a family member.

Please don't put professional officiants in this category. This is what professional officiants do; that's why we're good at it, and that's why we charge for what we do. We make a living doing this; it's not a sideline. So, let's unpack this together.

"It'll be more personal because they know you." Maybe but they'll probably just go to the internet, copy a ceremony from some website and be happy to get through it without throwing up. OR they will attempt to make it personal by telling rambling stories about you that might or might not be appropriate.

They're legal in my state. Eh, maybe. But if there is a glitch in the license, do they know how to spot it before hand or fix it afterwards? Probably not. I know how to check questionable documents before it goes to the records office so the process is streamlined.

"They're great public speakers; they do corporate training" It's not just public speaking; it's orchestrating an arc of emotion and sentiment that is inspiring and meaningful to the couple, with empathy for their parents and relatives. It's not just a recitation; this is very, very specific work delivered to an emotionally charged audience, not a legal brief (no offense to lawyers; I could never do that.....)

With all due respect, while personal stories are a gorgeous addition to the ceremony IN THEIR PLACE, stories about when you were a baby do not belong in a ceremony. Even if it's a civil ceremony, it's still a sacred experience and it should be constructed that way, with specific things said to elicit specific emotions from the guests. Of course, we want them to be happy for you, but ideally, they are inspired by your story, renewed by talk of love and soulmates and they should leave thinking they know you better. And themselves better.

Hire a pro. Not just because I am one, but because it's a better idea. And don't forget, if you hire a great officiant, they can lead you to other great pros, they can work with your venue, they can put your processional together; they're like a mini wedding coordinator.

Your cousin probably isn’t this knowledgeable and would be much more comfortable being an honored guest at your wedding.

01/27/2024

Dear owners, this is what happens with your dog in his final moments. It's sad, so don't make the goodbye even sadder by leaving your dog alone.

01/27/2024

As hard as this is to read and contemplate...I urge you to read and understand this and feel it deep in your heart. Please.

Dear owners, this is what happens with your dog in his final moments. It's sad, so don't make the goodbye even sadder by leaving your dog alone.

11/03/2023

Interesting thoughts.

When You Die You Know You Are Dead, According to Scientists... Check the comments 👇👇

10/21/2023

Love this idea

In Connecticut and across the United States, ‘wind phones’ provide spaces for people to hold one-way conversations with their loved ones who’ve died.

06/13/2023

Why the heck not?

04/05/2023

ON THE DAY I DIE..

On the day I die a lot will happen.
A lot will change.
The world will be busy.

On the day I die, all the important appointments I made will be left unattended.
The many plans I had yet to complete will remain forever undone.
The calendar that ruled so many of my days will now be irrelevant to me.

All the material things I so chased and guarded and treasured will be left in the hands of others to care for or to discard.
The words of my critics which so burdened me will cease to sting or capture anymore. They will be unable to touch me.

The arguments I believed I’d won here will not serve me or bring me any satisfaction or solace.

All my noisy incoming notifications and texts and calls will go unanswered. Their great urgency will be quieted.

My many nagging regrets will all be resigned to the past, where they should have always been anyway.
Every superficial worry about my body that I ever labored over; about my waistline or hairline or frown lines, will fade away.
My carefully crafted image, the one I worked so hard to shape for others here, will be left to them to complete anyway.
The sterling reputation I once struggled so greatly to maintain will be of little concern for me anymore.

All the small and large anxieties that stole sleep from me each night will be rendered powerless.
The deep and towering mysteries about life and death that so consumed my mind will finally be clarified in a way that they could never be before while I lived.
These things will certainly all be true on the day that I die.
Yet for as much as will happen on that day, one more thing that will happen.

On the day I die, the few people who really know and truly love me will grieve deeply.
They will feel a void.
They will feel cheated.
They will not feel ready.
They will feel as though a part of them has died as well.
And on that day, more than anything in the world they will want more time with me.
I know this from those I love and grieve over.
And so knowing this, while I am still alive I’ll try to remember that my time with them is finite and fleeting and so very precious—and I’ll do my best not to waste a second of it.

I’ll try not to squander a priceless moment worrying about all the other things that will happen on the day I die, because many of those things are either not my concern or beyond my control.
Friends, those other things have an insidious way of keeping you from living even as you live; vying for your attention, competing for your affections.
They rob you of the joy of this unrepeatable, uncontainable, ever-evaporating Now with those who love you and want only to share it with you.

Don’t miss the chance to dance with them while you can.
It’s easy to waste so much daylight in the days before you die.
Don’t let your life be stolen every day by all that you believe matters, because on the day you die, much of it simply won’t.
Yes, you and I will die one day.

ಌ John Pavlovitz
But before that day comes: let us live.

02/05/2023

This right here

We say pretty words about dead people. There’s something about Death that forces the poet in us to the surface. When we lose someone we love, we suddenly feel free to speak beautiful, flowery sentiments of gratitude, and affection, and admiration; words that we’d kept bottled-up for years; words...

02/03/2023

Beautiful

In Bulgarian folklore, 1-3 February is the first of two annual Wolf Holidays, and in some parts of the country they were marked by ritual precautions to protect against wolf attack throughout the year. It was taboo to spin, weave, sew or open scissors, and no clothes are made or mended at this time because such clothes attract wolves.

In the Christian calendar 2 February is Candlemas, the day when the Virgin Mary presented baby Jesus at the temple, and there is a popular Bulgarian legend about an encounter between Trifon Zarezan, the patron saint of vineyards, and Mary (“bogoroditsa” - the mother of god) on this day.

But in some parts of Bulgaria 2 February is also known as the Winter Mother of God or the Wolf Mother of God. She is the patroness of pregnancy and childbirth.

The Bulgarian beliefs and tradition associated with this day contain echoes of the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia on 15 February. There are also parallels with the Polish Matki Boskiej Gromnicznej, the Mother of God of the Thunder Candle, who is celebrated at Candlemas and is also associated with wolves, as well as with the Irish St Brigid.

In some regions the three days from 1-3 February are called the Trifontsi, after Trifon Zarezan, and on 1 February there was a ritual pruning of the vines (now usually carried out on 14 February). St Trifon and the traditions associated with him have their roots in ancient Thracian times and the rites of the wild wine-loving god Dionysus.

Wolves, mothers, vines, Christian saints, Dionysus, Lupercalia – there are many mythological layers associated with this period!

Image: Matki Boskiej Gromnicznej, the Polish Mother of God of the Thunder Candle, illustration by Edyta Marczyńska
Source: internet

02/02/2023

Beautiful and straightforward...a really good read.

Final months filled with grief, gratitude and life lessons

01/07/2023

Me in 20-30 years.

"Growing up my mother would let me put on anything I wanted to wear and dance around the house. And I still believe in that. I made this hat from toilet paper rolls."

12/12/2022

12/09/2022

Beautiful.

Created and conceptualized by Japanese designer Aya Kishi, ‘After the Rain’ re-interprets the meaning of a memorial. Its design incorporates a series of optical prisms into the centers of tombstones, which as a result, create a spectrum of light on the ground where the grave would be situated. Influenced by rainy days and the grieving process, the project takes these elements and translates them into a visual intervention, helping ease the pain and suffering after losing a loved one.

[ID: A digital graphic displays the prototype for the idea of rainbow prisms built into tombstones]

12/05/2022

A beautiful childhood memory and rite of passage was watching Sesame Street. Rest in Peace Bob.

Sesame Workshop mourns the passing of Bob McGrath, a beloved member of the Sesame Street family for over 50 years.

A founding cast member, Bob embodied the melodies of Sesame Street like no one else, and his performances brought joy and wonder to generations of children around the world, whether teaching them the ABCs, the people in their neighborhood, or the simple joy of feeling music in their hearts.

A revered performer worldwide, Bob’s rich tenor filled airwaves and concert halls from Las Vegas to Saskatchewan to Tokyo many times over. We will be forever grateful for his many years of passionate creative contributions to Sesame Street and honored that he shared so much of his life with us.

09/09/2022

👑 Beautiful 👑

08/20/2022

08/19/2022

Beautiful tradition….take a look.

Join this FREE video event with Grace Alvarez Sesma and explore how to connect with the original spirituality of your ancestors — with spiritual, familial, and intergenerational customs that align with your cultural identity, honor your ancestors, and heal generational wounds

08/08/2022

I truly hope it’s just like this. 🖤

I often talk about dying as moving to a new neighborhood, somewhere out of sight, but not completely off the map.

We're still connected, it's just that those connections are different when someone leaves their body.

Thanks for these wise words (Twitter).