Ritual Recipes

Whatever spiritual path we follow, whether we follow any path, we're far more alike than different. We all understand the importance of hard work and the value of sacrifice. We know how good it can feel to finally lay a burden down.  We know how it feels to give or receive comfort. We know what it is to grieve.  In this Summer Solstice ritual, I showcase the partnership between the Sun as the exhausted provider and the Moon as the nurturing caregiver. Knowing the Moon was about to enter Capricorn, the sign of the elders, I opened the ritual by calling in the Grandmothers of the four directions.  During the ritual, we recalled the seeds we planted the previous December at the Winter Solstice. What was it we wanted to nurture and grow? What came of all our hard work? Did we do a good job?  Of course, the deeper purpose of these questions and the ritual as a whole was to acknowledge our own burdens and admit our need for self-care.  My husband died two years ago. He had Alzheimer's. It wasn't until I created this Summer Solstice ritual that I saw the correlation between the astrological symbolism and my experience as a caregiver. I didn't expect the ritual to help me navigate grief, but it did. It still does. That's why I'm sharing the ritual now, almost three months after the Solstice.   

Are you an artisan, a craftsperson, a maker? It's February. It's time to affirm your faith in your talent, prepare your tools, and get to work on your big dream. If you lived in the Old World in the land of the Norse, you'd be preparing your iron plow. You'd be honoring the Dwarves whose skill and knowledge are forged into your plow. You'd cleanse your plow. You'd charm it with herbs. Listen for a ritual to charm your tools. 

After 2 challenging years, I found hope attending the virtual conference of the Parliament of the World's Religions. Its 1893 conference is considered the beginning of the interfaith movement. The Oct 2021 conference offered 583 programs, panel discussions, religious ceremonies and spiritual observations. Presenters included Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Jains, Bahhais, Sikhs, Hindus, Pagans, Native Americans, Indiginous people and more. The Dalai Lama spoke to the gathering, as did the Pope. Also sharing their wisdom were an Inuit shaman, a Curandera Esperitu, an African elder, and a Lakota grandmother -- and more.  Links: Episode 9 of Ritual Recipes about Spirit Spoons and a Ritual for Soup to Heal the World https://parliamentofreligions.org/home  

Think of your home as a living entity. A simple gratitude ritual can change your perspective on what your home really means. Your walls provide structure, shelter, and a sense of security. The floor supports you and keeps you grounded. Running water helps you get in touch with deep emotions.  This episode contains a simple ritual to help you see and appreciate what you have. 

My husband and I have been married for 40 years. He has Alzheimer's Disease. Late stage. I'm his full-time caregiver. I'm fortunate to have a social worker on our medical team, and to be a member of an online dementia support group. Still, there are potholes in the emotional road we're traveling. This episode shares respected data, personal stories, real mistakes I made, and three rituals I created to help me cope. If you are caring for a spouse with Alzheimer's or other form of dementia, this episode might help you navigate this painful path.

Imagine the story of your life. What happens to you after, "Once upon a time"? The ancient folktale of Fatima the Spinner is reimagined to support a woman's right to choose. Let it inspire your own story.  The Power of Your Warp & Weft, a workshop designed by author and professional weaver Paula Chaffee Scardamalia, is included with her permission. For more, visit her website and read her book: Weaving a Woman's Life: Spiritual Lessons from the Loom.

What does a wedding arch have to do with a king's scepter, a flag planted on the moon, and a Thomas Kincaid painting? Weddings are filled with symbolism. One that has been lost over the years is the original meaning of the ceremony arch. Hint:  The meaning can be found in the night sky and the ancient belief, "As above, so below. "  

Yemaya, the Yoruba orisha, the Mother of All, is associated with cowrie shells, symbols of fertility, prosperity, and a woman's voice. This episode offers rituals using various shells, and a ceremonial ritual to discover your authentic self. Learn about the millions of Africans who died crossing the Atlantic Ocean in the horrors of The Middle Passage and why August 25 has been declared the Day of Healing. 

In the frigid waters of the Arctic Ocean, we find the Inuit goddess Sedna. There are several versions of her origin story, each one horrific. At the heart of each is the theme of betrayal. The rituals I created for Sedna are designed to help us reframe childhood beliefs, especially those beliefs that can keep us from thriving as adults. That's the message in the language of the Pink Mouth Murex shell. (See "Ocean Oracle: What Seashells Reveal about Our True Nature" by Michelle Hanson.)

Getting married at the beach?  Mother Nature always leaves messages for us. Unfortunately, we don't always know how to read them. What messages can you find in seashells? The answers are important if you're having a beach wedding.  Resources mentioned: Ocean Oracle: What Seashells Reveal about Our True Nature by Michelle Hanson Sea Magic: Connecting with the Ocean's Energy by Sandra Kynes

Renewing your wedding vows can be a powerful ceremony You'll remember the happiest times in your marriage. You'll also remember the most painful. This episode offers two vow renewal rituals. One of them, The Growing Flame, can easily be adapted for any personal vow you make to yourself. 

Did you fall in love in Paris? Or Podunk? Use that info to personalize your wedding ceremony. Use that same info to create a ritual for a birthday or retirement party. Use it for a student who is leaving home to study abroad.  As often happens, this ritual was inspired by one of "my" couples, Thomas and Raffaele. They shared their first kiss in Rome's ancient Garden of Oranges on the Aventino, one of the city's seven hills. The men made their wedding vows on an oathing stone hand-painted with orange blossoms.  Not getting married? This ritual can inspire a daily exercise in gratitude. 

Imagine that you're a parent and your child is leaving home for college, or for a job, or some other grand adventure. You've equipped your son or daughter with all the necessities and you're excited to see your child take those first big steps away from home. But something doesn't feel right. This is a milestone in your young adult's life and in your own. Yet it feels empty. What's missing? A ritual! 

The falcon is the consummate hunter. It teaches us how to make progress by blending speed and focus. The falcon wants you to see beyond your limits. The hawk's medicine is inward and deep. It wants you to see your life from a broad perspective and let go of unnecessary baggage. The hawk awakens us to the vision we have inside us.  This is the 3rd in a series of how the magic and mythology of birds of prey can be used to create safe and simple rituals. See episode 43 for the Eagle, and episode 44 for the Owl.  For full shownotes, go to RitualRecipes.net

Imagine an owl. Did you feel a sense of apprehension or foreboding? No surprise. Owls have long been associated with death. Or, did you picture Harry Potter's owl, Hedwig? Beliefs about owls are contradictory because the owl is the symbol of death, and wisdom, and magic.  At the heart of owl medicine is the ability to discern the truth.  In this episode, you'll learn how to use a paper template of a feather in celebrating baby blessings and birthdays, funerals and memorials, and how to find answers in your dreams.  This episode is the second in a series about birds of prey and how they can inspire rituals. 

Central to all birds of prey is their association with death and the cycle of life. This episode is the first in a series of how birds of prey can inspire rituals for a variety of situations: funerals  and memorials, projects that require focus or the ability to see the big picture, and life events that require courage. As Lesley Morrison writes in her book, The Healing Wisdom of Birds, at the heart of eagle medicine is reaching the place where we realize our freedom to soar. This episode shares the gifts, challenges, history and mythology of the eagle in various cultures from the ancient world to now. For example, an Irish tradition says Adam and Eve are alive today, having shape-shifted as two eagles that live in Galway. The eagle's ability to shape-shift explains why two eagles, formerly two Druids who changed themselves into eagles in order to protect the grave of King Arthur.  See RitualRecipes.net for a list of references used in this episode and for information on Zita's guest appearance on the paranormal podcast "See You On The Other Side."    

Discover your secret sound. Take a lesson from crows about adapting, from parrots about diplomacy, and from dolphins about communicating with other species. Build an altar to the element of air. Visit RitualRecipes.net for more details. 

To a writer, the blank screen can be exciting or daunting. Find helpful rituals with magic pens, stones, and draw on the special qualities of lions, ants, cardinals, and whales.  This episode also looks back in history at cultural changes brought about centuries ago by the Black Death, the invention of the printing press, and why having books became a status symbol.   (New podcast music by Hal Aaron Cohen! See HalAaron.com)

Did your grandmother's house have a parlor that was used to care for the dead? Mine did. When the time comes, which do you want: a funeral home or a home funeral? Burial or cremation? Fancy casket or cardboard box? Ashes in an urn or scattered someplace special? Who have you talked to about what you want? No one? I'm not surprised. Death hasn't been a popular topic of conversation -- until now.  This episode explores the national death-positive movement through Death Cafes, Death Doulas, Speaking Grief, the National Home Funeral Alliance, and more. It also includes "The Memory Box." That's a funeral ritual I created to help anyone, especially children, find a way to grieve.  Mentioned in the episode: National Home Funeral Alliance  (This is where you’ll find the Quick Guide to Home Funerals) Speaking Grief    Death Cafe   The International End of Life Doula Association (INELDA)   Mary’s Place (A Center for Grieving Children and Families)   Death’s Summer Coat: What the History of Death and Dying Teaches Us About Life and Living by Brandy Schillace The Celebrant Foundation & Institute    This episode is the 3rd in a series related to funerals. Others are: Ritual Recipes Episode 38 / Funerals for Pets Ritual Recipes Episode 39 / Funerals for the Death of a Marriage  

Most couples don't get married expecting to get divorced. But when a marriage is dissolved, can ritual help the couple move on? Rocky Road is a marriage maintenance ritual. Untying the Knot is a funeral ritual for the death of a marriage.  As heretical as it might sound, I don't believe that all marriages are meant to last. I believe we're meant to learn from those relationships and share what we've learned with others.  The two rituals in this episode are more complicated than my usual. They're worth the effort. If you're going through a divorce, recognizing the gifts hidden in these rituals may keep your heart from becoming bitter. That's important. Because someday you might want to take the risk again. When that happens, you'll be ready.   Hear personal stories from three people who went through a painful divorce. One is a bride from the first wedding I officiated.  One is podcast coach Dave Jackson. And one is my own story. In case you're wondering, we're all doing just fine. 

Over 11 million dogs and cats die in the United States every year. Because of the close bond people have with their pets, the people are often referred to as "pet parents." So, what do we do when a beloved pet dies? How do we celebrate the life that gave unconditional love?  The first pet cemetery in the U.S. was created in 1970. The burials were held at night because "clients were too ashamed to be seen treating an animal that well." Today, there are approximately 700 pet cemeteries in the U.S. If you've been asked to lead a funeral for a pet, or if your own pet has died and you want to create a funeral -- whether public or private -- what can you do?  If your pet is being euthanized, what kind of ritual can you have for the moment of transition? What might your vet think?       

She's a woman of "a certain age." Our culture thinks those words are better than saying "she's old." Well, I'm a woman of a certain age. I'm certain of who I am, certain of what I want, and certain of what I have to offer the world. I'm 72 and I'm a Crone. I claimed that title in a ritual called "Croning."  A croning can never be like a surprise birthday party or a married-at-first-sight reality show. When a woman decides to claim the title of Crone, she needs to prepare herself. Doing so could take a full year, or more.  There are many kinds of croning rituals. The one I created is detailed in this episode.   Mentioned in this episode: Deeply Into the Bone: Re-Inventing Rites of Passage by Ronald L. Grimes Crones Don't Whine: Concentrated Wisdom for Juicy Women, by Jean Shinoda Bolen , MD The Grandmothers, an oracle deck, by Megan Garcia

At 9 years old, I didn't care that my mother wasn't funny like Lucille Ball, or that she didn't wear circle skirts and twirl around the house like Loretta Young, or that she was no longer pretty like Miss Kitty on Gunsmoke. I wanted my mother to be brave, like Annie Oakley. Not long after Rosa Parks sat on that bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in the whites-only section, I found out how brave my mother really was...and that Black Lives Matter.  This episode contains a simple ritual I call "Colored." Done with a group, the ritual can open the door to conversations about race.  Mentioned in the episode:  The 10 must-watch documentaries about Civil Rights, compiled by PBS.   Speak up! Use this link to contact your state legislators. 

Do you believe in fairies? I do, but not in the way you might expect. My childhood ideas have changed. Now I think of fairies as thought forms of good energy -- helpful spirits, invisible, accessible. Hear about Ho Hsien Ku, "the immortal woman," one of the 8 fairies in the Chinese legend. Learn how to invite the fairies into your world, how to connect, what to offer. And, most of all, how to see them in the mirror.  Mentioned: "Spirits of the Earth: A Guide to Native American Nature Symbols, Stories and Ceremonies" by Bobby Lake-Thom, Medicine Grizzly Bear Mentioned:  "Enchantment of the Faerie Realm: Communicate with Nature Spirits & Elementals" by Ted Andrews

Long ago, when sailors navigated by the stars, when seabirds carried the spirits of sailors lost at sea, and when everyone knew that the bust of a naked woman on the bow of a ship would calm rough waters, a sailor would carry a cord with three knots. Bound in each was the wind itself.  Inspired by the ancient lore of knots, I created the ritual "Love Knots" using the arbor knot, the lovers' knot, and the Celtic marriage knot, with possible additions of the double fisherman's knot, and the sailor's breastplate knot. The ritual can easily be adapted for two people entering a partnership of any kind.   See the website RitualRecipes.net for a picture of the three knots used in the wedding ceremony. For couples who have had to postpone their wedding, please read the blog post by my Life-Cycle Celebrant colleague Karla Combres about how and why to mark your original wedding date with ritual. You can find it at The Celebrant Foundation and Institute's blog.

The power of this ritual comes from exploring the past, getting to know your ancestors and what they might have survived -- plagues, natural disasters, persecutions, wars, genocide. Whether or not you know who is on your family tree, they existed. You're the living proof. What do they have to tell you about facing fear, seeing the truth, finding courage, and helping others?  Build an ancestor altar and honor your heritage. Don't know anything about your ancestors? Do what the ancient Greeks and Romans did and build a wind tomb.     

Why was the death toll in the Spanish Flu of 1918 so high? Why were the details not shared with the public? Why were Black doctors and nurses so key to the survival rates of Americans not serving in WWI? Zita Christian interviews retired Connecticut state senator and history professor Mary Ann Handley about the Spanish Flu of 1918. The interview originally aired in May 2018 on episode 123 of Page 1. Find it on  YouTube.com/zitatvnetwork. The interview was to help writers determine character, setting, plot, and conflict from an actual historical event.  

All over the world, the presence of a key indicates there's something to protect. When you love someone, you trust them with a metaphorical key to your heart. Based on this understanding, I created a ritual called "The Key to My Heart."  As part of a wedding ceremony, this ritual acknowledges how the couple was influenced by their parents and grandparents. The ritual offers an opportunity for the parents to be involved in the ceremony.  The ritual can also be used in the couple's "first look," as well as in anniversary celebrations to come.  The ritual is particularly useful for anyone going on a journey of self-discovery. 

Every Maiden isn't young. Every Mother doesn't have a child. Every Crone isn't old. What distinguishes the three is not age, but energy.  Let me show you how the three faces of the Goddess can be used in a group ritual for your Moon Circle, or as a ritual you can do by yourself. If you don't have white quartz crystals for the Maiden, red garnets for the Mother, and black obsidian for the Crone, no worries. Use white-yogurt-covered raisins, dried cherries, and regular raisins.  Imagine yourself in the click-your-heels scene near the end of The Wizard of Oz movie. Discover the inner power of your own ruby slippers, or ruby boots, or ruby stilettos. Websites mentioned: WendyRule.com / JanPhillips.com / Writeyes.com / SusanTiberghien.com / JudithSearle.com / MarshaMcGregor.com / DiviningTheMuse.com Etsy.com/shop/MoonRiverRituals  

Long before organized religion, people found meaning in the stars. People saw the night sky as a canopy with four corners watched over by four bright stars: Aldebaran, Regulus, Antares, and Fomalhaut. In time, those watchers became royal stars, and those stars became archangels: Michael, Raphael, Uriel, and Gabriel. Ancient beliefs can show how we're all connected under the same sky -- a good foundation for an interfaith wedding ceremony. 

Trees shape the mythology of cultures all over the world. Trees show us where the fairies live. Just as the forest is the place where untried heroes are transformed, we, too, can be both lost and found among the trees. That's because trees have messages for us, if we'll just listen. I offered 14 of those messages to those who attended this year's Winter Solstice ritual.  Which one of these trees calls to you: Alder, Apple, Ash, Birch, White Birch, Cherry, Elder, Hawthorn, Hazel, Hickory, Locust, Red Oak, White Oak?  Each message comes with an instruction. Are you ready to follow the wisdom of the trees?  Mentioned in the episode:  This Winter's Night, a CD by MotherTongue / Available at http://EarthSpirit.org  Wise Trees, a book by Diane Cook and Len Jenshel / Available wherever books are sold.    

The Game of Thrones Season 1 relationship between Khal Drogo and Daenerys Targaryen reveals the Venus-Mars energy in the wedding ritual of Circling. The ritual can also be used in a vow renewal celebration. Once you understand the power of the Moon, the Circling ritual isn't as patriarchal as it might seem.

When life feels anything but abundant, sometimes the smallest gesture can transform that feeling. That's a lesson I learned from my daughter when she was a teenager working at a candy counter.  She wasn't the only employee selling gourmet jelly beans that day. I watched as customers politely declined to purchase from the other woman and, instead, waited for my daughter. Why? Because the way my daughter scooped the candy affirmed the worth of both the beans and the buyer.  

A pregnant bride in her early thirties didn't want to carry a bouquet and asked me if she had to. I assured her there were no requirements that she carry flowers. I also explained why she might want to reconsider her decision. 

In August of 2008, I was one of six women gathered on Cape Cod, laptops in tow, to work on a manuscript begun by our friend Liz Aleshire. At the time, Liz was in the cardiac ICU unit of Hartford Hospital. Liz was a multipublished author. This latest book was to be a tribute to her son who had died 12 years earlier of bone cancer. He was 16 at the time. The book's title? 101 Ways You Can Help: How to Offer Comfort and Support to Those Who Are Grieving.  Earlier that year, Liz had signed a contract and accepted an advance from a publisher, Sourcebooks. After receiving a one-month extension to the original June 30 deadline, Liz's condition deteriorated even further. That's when six of her friends stepped in. What happened next includes an unusual arrangement with Sourcebooks.  That day in August, I led the six of us in two rituals. One to help our dying friend let go of the pain she had known in this life, and one for each of us to honor her many gifts. Letting go and holding on -- that's what this episode is all about.    

For years, "Grandmother Mechi" Garza had been channeling a spirit entity named Lothar. In her dreams, he dictated 12 volumes of information and a type of healing called "Kolamni." He said the knowledge would save our world from the destruction of his world, Atlantis. He told her to tell her story to Zita. At the time, Mechi and I didn't know each other.   I met Mechi in the registration line at the annual conference of the International Women's Writing Guild in the summer of 1996. I was teaching a class on genre fiction. She was teaching a class on finding the medicine woman in every writer. By the end of the week, we knew we would be friends. She called it destiny. Four years later, Mechi invited me to attend one of the most significant events in her life and, as it turned out, in mine. She was to be officially installed as a Medicine Woman in the Choctaw-Cherokee tribe. A Pueblo Medicine Man named Little Elk (Art Tequaesche) would anoint her. Doing so would fulfill a childhood premonition. Destiny.  The two-day ceremony was held in a meadow near the top of a mountain in West Virginia. People came from all over the country to witness the event. I came to observe, until Mechi asked me to be part of the ritual itself. I said yes and that's when I felt the hand of destiny.  Twelve years after we met, Mechi and I were in ritual again. It was the closing ceremony for the writers' conference. Four hundred women had come from all over the world to share their voices. This time, I officiated. This time, Mechi was in a wheelchair.  Mechi Garza died in 2017. In the social media world, we speak of influencers. Grandmother Mechi is one of mine. 

It was 2005. I was in New Hampshire, in the woods, with a small group of men and women who had come to study astrology and Goddess spirituality. One of the men, Dan Graham, commented on the red sweater I was wearing. He was totally blind.  That simple comment opened a discussion about how he could see color vibrations and how he could hear the subtle nuance of a smile or clenched jaw. Then he told me about this new thing called a podcast and how it had opened a new world for him. At the time, I couldn't grasp the concept of an ordinary person like me being able to communicate from my desk to the world. He assured me that not only would I grasp the concept, I'd be good at it.   I didn't launch Ritual Recipes until February 2018. Dan died several years ago. Now, whenever I sit down to record a podcast episode, I put on my headphones, turn on the mic, close my eyes for a few seconds, and give a good thought to Dan.   

The dark half of the year is fertile ground for fears. In this year's Samhain ritual, I incorporated a map of fears, a community fire, animal spirit guides, and the energies of the Maiden, Mother, and Crone.  Mentioned in the episode is the oracle deck "The Illustrated Bestiary" by Maia Toll, a beautiful, powerful, and poetic tool.  

Can't have everyone you want in your wedding party? Don't give those special people boring tasks! Give them a meaningful role in your ceremony. How? With a creative wedding ritual.  Here are 3 of my "gift-giving" rituals. One involves bamboo and is based on the couple's love of Giant Pandas. One uses lifelike, laser-cut moths. One was inspired by the groom's profession as a pastry chef. That ritual is based on the mythological properties of flours.  See episodes 5, 6, and 10 for other gift-giving wedding rituals.  Not planning a wedding? These rituals can easily be adapted for birthdays, retirement parties, and other occasions.  

  The ritual described in this episode honors the harmony between the Sun and Moon. Too much heat, crops burn. Too much rain, crops drown.  Like crops, our personal wellbeing depends on our ability to balance work and rest. Seeing the cycle of light and dark play out between the Winter and Summer Solstices can help us harness our own energy and live a relevant life.  

The Celtic festival of Beltane, celebrated on or about May 1, is associated with fertility, flowers, fairies, the Hawthorn tree. From the Hawthorn, we get the story of Bloddeuwedd, a woman created from nine plants and trees by two magicians who wanted to make the perfect bride for a young man. All went well for a while, until Bloddeuwedd met another man and fell in love. What follows is a story about death, transformation, and the power of a woman’s authentic self. Books mentioned in the podcast: The White Goddess by Robert Graves; A Compendium of Herbal Magick by Paul Beyerl; A Modern Herbal by Mrs. M. Grieve; Voice of the Trees by Mickie Mueller; Midsummer: Magical Celebrations of the Summer Solstice by Anna Franklin

Spring is here! It's time to break the bonds of winter. How? This episode offers safe and simple rituals for groups and individuals, adults and children, to celebrate spring: Break chains. Plant symbolic seeds. Plant metaphysical seeds. Wake up the trees! As one season begins, another season ends. In the excitement of welcoming the new, don't forget what has been left behind.  Mentioned: Episode 27 of "5 Minute Feng Shui," a podcast by Kathryn Weber, in which she talks about wood and paints a vivid picture of the power of spring. A 2017 article written by Arjun Walia in Collective Evolution, talking with Dr. James Oschman, a biologist from the University of Pittsburgh, about the benefits of going barefoot.     

Combine acts of kindness and generosity with safe and simple rituals designed to open the heart to give and receive love. Each of us has something to give. That may be time, or money, or things, or energy. How much we have will vary. What's important is to recognize that these gifts have an endless return on investment. Whether you volunteer at a nursing home, help comfort and socialize animals at a shelter, or put extra effort into donating items to your local thrift shop, you can add create rituals that could change your life.  Mentioned in this episode is an episode of "On Being," a podcast hosted by Krista Tippett, in which she interviewed Richard Davidson, a neuroscientist. They talked about love as the next frontier for science!   

Unity candles and sand ceremonies are lovely but couples do have other options. On this episode, you'll find ways to personalize the meaning of the traditional rituals and discover new rituals inspired by the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water. Any ritual can fall flat without context. For example, the fire of a Unity Candle can symbolize the porch light a parent leaves burning until her "child" -- of whatever age -- arrives home safely. That same flame will mean something else to an Eagle Scout who had to learn how to make fire to survive.   For a water-inspired unity ritual that blends wine, look to Wine Spectator magazine. Draw some wedding wisdom from what they have to say about the top wines of the year.  Use silk-like butterflies for a ritual inspired by air. Unite the couple and all their guests in a unity ritual around the Om chant. Plant a tree for a ritual inspired by earth. Or, designate personal meaning to the colors poured in a sand ceremony. Or talk about the origin of the sand if that's what distinguishes is. 

The Celtic fire festival of Imbolc is celebrated in early February. It honors Brigid, patron Goddess of blacksmiths, brewers, and bards, also referred to as smithcrafters, healers and poets. For an individual, follow a simple ritual using a red or white candle and something to symbolize Brigid -- a cast iron skillet, a mortar and pestle, or journal.  For a group, create a ritual using white ribbons to represent the swans that migrate from Iceland to Ireland for the winter. See Episode 2 for an Imbolc ritual inspired by the magical properties of root vegetables, especially potatoes, carrots, and onions.  See MegsInspirations.com for a calendar of upcoming rituals conducted by Life-Cycle Celebrant Zita Christian.

A Rite of Passage ritual has three steps: Separation, Transformation, and Incorporation. Seeing those steps in a wedding deepens the meaning to the elements of the ceremony. Those same rite of passage steps can also be seen in the process a contestant goes through to win the television reality show, The Voice. Zita shares personal stories about the power of reflection, about a groom whose grandfather died at the reception, about how her own husband's struggle with Alzheimer's, and about how a bride's request for gravitas led Zita to write about the emotional weight of wedding vows.  Zita also talks about closing a wedding ceremony with the magic of three kisses!  

What does the Winter Solstice have to do with gifts and candles, pigs and wine, freedom and fear, New Year’s resolutions, handfastings and the infinity symbol? A lot! Helpful links:  For the associated blog post with photos - http://moonriverrituals.com/blog  For "Light is Returning" on the CD "The Winter's Night" by MotherTongue - http://www.earthspirit.com/category/mothertongue For Crystal Journey Candles - https://www.crystaljourneycandles.com/ For astrologer Donna Woodwell - https://donnaphilosophica.com/  For Astrology Hub - http://astrologyhug.com For Meg's Inspirations - http://megsinspirations.com For the 19th century Webb Barn in Old Wethersfield, CT, home of a beautiful sun dial in the wedding garden - https://webb-deane-stevens.org/historic-houses-barns/the-webb-barn    

I learned a valuable lesson the day a skunk crossed my path. It was about animal totems and the magical medicine they offer. Seeing animals as spirit guides is at the heart of a public ritual I created for Samhain, the Celtic festival that marks the death of summer. The mysteries of Samhain are at the heart of the holiday we call Halloween.  The ritual offers ways you can connect with an animal totem that chooses you. Yes, it chooses you, not the other way around. You'll get a taste of the magical medicine of the bear, the bee, the hawk, the salmon.  You'll see how those gathered for the ritual called on the animals to help the survivors of the synagogue shooting in Squirrel Hill.  Books mentioned in the episode:  The Druid Animal Oracle by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm Animal-Speak by Ted Andrews

How to use the physical and metaphysical properties of butterflies to create rituals for wedding ceremonies, funeral services, and memorial celebrations of life.  Did you know that in some Native American traditions, a butterfly is thought to be a living piece of a rainbow? That's just one of several nuggets from folklore and cultures around the world used to create the "Butterfly Blessings" ritual.  Originally created for a wedding, the ritual is easily adapted for birthdays and as a self-affirming activity for children.  The Butterfly Blessings ritual uses butterflies made of feathers, cloth, or paper. No live butterflies!  See the book, Animal-Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small by the late Ted Andrews.   For other gifting rituals, see Garden Gifts (Episode 5) and Gifts from the Trees (Episode 6).  

If you want do DO something to help heal the world, consider making a pot of healing soup. You won't find the ingredients in your pantry. You'll find them in your heart.  In this episode, I share a harvest ritual I created to empower each of us to be part of the solution, not the problem. The ritual involves receiving ingredients we need to heal ourselves and sharing ingredients we believe will help heal others. What kind of ingredients? Ask / Bridge / Courage / Dialogue / Friend / Honesty / Link / Protect / Seek / Team / Twinkle (yes, twinkle!) / Wisdom / Wish.  These are just a few of more than 200 ingredients available for the soup.  What ingredient would you add? Let me know on Facebook.com/MoonnRiverRituals or email me at zita@ritualrecipes.net .  We'll be making a new pot of soup for the Spring Equinox next March. 

The Celtic harvest season honors the sacrifice of the Corn King, a/k/a John Barleycorn. Time to celebrate community and settle debts, and compete in the Highland Games. Ask yourself: What debt will you pay? What debt will you forgive?  Mentioned in the podcast:  2018 Highland Games in Scotland, CT Meg's Inspirations, an inspirational and spiritual boutique in Manchester, CT Viriditas Beautiful Skin Therapies, my daughter's skincare clinic in Providence, RI Amazon's Alexa device