RE-IMAGINING CEREMONIES TRAINING 

CEREMONIES FOR EARLY LIFE

Unlike most trainings, this module is not just about planning the happy occasion of a Baby Welcoming. We acknowledge the truth of the pregnancy and birth experience, and we let this truth be our guide as we plan for the specific ceremony ahead of us, with the specific people involved.

In this module we will explore the many ways we come into being:

• Fertility/Infertility,
• Assisted Reproduction & IVF
• Planned & Unplanned Pregnancies,
• the rollercoaster of pregnancy and birth for parent and child,
• Birth as both a solitary and communal experience.
• We will also explore the losses of early life:
• Infertility,
• Miscarriage,
• Abortion,
• Termination for Medical Reasons,
• Stillbirth
• Neonatal Death
• Sudden Infant Death
• Sudden and Anticipated Death in Childhood

This module will equip participants with the knowledge and skills to hold intimate and precious funeral ceremonies for those babies and children whose lives come to an end before or soon after birth, or during childhood.

We will also cover family and community ceremonies for early life –

• Blessingway/ Baby Shower Ceremonies (before birth),
• Baby Welcome Ceremonies (age 0-3),
• Ceremonies of Family Connection (around age 7),
• and Ceremonies of Community Recognition (around age 12).

Living and Loving

Ceremonies of Marriage, Transitions and Threshold Moments:

In this module we will cover the various ceremonies of adult life – the major focus being Marriage Ceremonies, but also:

• Coming of Age (around age 16-18),
• Handfastings,
• Vow Renewals,
• Name Change Ceremonies,
• Menarche/ Menopause/ Croning,
• pre/ post Surgery,

and any and all transitions and thresholds of life.

Every ceremony is unique, and every ceremony requires a sensitive and skilled planning phase, which will culminate in a beautifully meaningful and transformational ceremony for the couple and their guests.

On a practical level we will cover:

• The structure of a wedding ceremony: what goes where, and why.
• Including children
• Blending Families
• Celebrating diversity
• Roles to incorporate others
• Music choices
• Poem/Reading choices
• Addressing the couple & congregation
• Choosing and writing vows
• Handfasting/Joining of the Hands
• Ring exchange options
• Ceremony enhancements- choosing wisely!
• Legal considerations
• Pronouncement and first kiss
• Cultural considerations & variations
• We will also cover wedding ceremonies where all is not as the couple might have hoped:
• Marriage in Anticipation of Death
• Hospice and Hospital Weddings (non-legal)

Funerals and End of Life

Everyone deserves a final tribute which not only reflects their own unique personality and approach to life, but that also honours and celebrates the unique gifts they brought to the world, and the legacy they leave behind. In this Module, you will learn to create and carry out a beautifully unique funeral ceremony, which reflects the character, personality and beliefs of the deceased.

This learning will include:

• Death, Dying, Grief and Bereavement
• Anticipatory Grief
• Planning a Funeral in Advance
• Managing anger and heightened emotions
• Working with Trauma & Unexpected Death- Suicide, Murder, Sudden Accidental Death, Death following recent diagnosis.
• Writing Eulogies
• Honoring the Truth
• Celebrating Diversity
• Dealing with Media Interest
• Holding Virtual Funerals
• Holding a Burial Ceremony
• Holding a Cremation Ceremony
• Visit to Funeral Home
• Visit to Crematorium
• Funeral Ceremony Enhancements
• Holding a Ceremony at Short Notice (as is usual in Ireland)
• Managing eulogies & speakers
• Death and the Funeral as a Community Experience
• Self-care: Recognising & Preventing Burnout & Compassion Fatigue

Setting up as a Professional Celebrant

• Online Presence: Website, Social Media & Marketing
• Finding and Engaging with Clients and Venues
• Streamlining your Systems and Payments
• Leveraging Media and PR Opportunities

The Art of Ritual and Ceremony

• Intention
• Structure
• Participants
• Holding and Healing through Groupwork/Ceremony
• Reading the Space, and Responding
• Inspirational Speeches & Use of Ceremonial Language
• Ceremonies without Scripts: Developing your Own Language & Structure
• Guided Meditations & Visualisations

Deep Listening and Co-Counselling Skills

• Boundaries, Consent and Scope of Practice
• The Importance of Right Relationship
• The Power of Silence and Space
• The Collective Unconscious in Ceremony
• Working with Unexpected Emotions
• Emotional Release Through Ceremony: Depression and Suffering, Anger and Rage, Joy and Celebration, Sadness and Grief.
• Exploring Emotional Edges
• Deep Listening in Ceremonial Work
• Confidentiality, Safety and Disclosure
• Supervision and Self-Care