My Story
Photo by Ema Suvajac
Celebrant work is a meaningful, heart-based calling for me.
I was drawn to offering meaningful ceremony and ritual to others because I saw the need in myself.
I grew up in a household that was a mix of Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox faiths. I went to Catholic school, attended church every Sunday, and even sang in the choir! When I entered my teens and questioned everything (as teens do!) I found that the Catholic faith no longer felt like my home. Still a deeply spiritual person, I struggled to find new practices and rituals that could offer me the same touchstones of meaning and belonging that church gave me.
When I met someone who was doing the work of a Life-Cycle Celebrant, something sparked within me. I was flooded with ideas on how ceremony could be re-imagined for those of us not part of a particular faith tradition. I finally gave myself permission to follow my instinctual need and intuitive pull to make meaning of the events of my life and the cycle of the seasons using ritual and ceremony. As I create more ritual and ceremony for myself I feel more grounded in my beliefs and what has meaning for me. I have more tools for those times I need to mark the shifts and changes in my life. I feel less shaken by our consumer culture that tries to distract us with stuff.
My Own “Big Special I Love You Party”
A powerful moment in my own journey with mindful, customized ceremony occurred in 2010 when my then partner and I got married. As a queer polyamorous couple, and after seven years together, we debated the politics of legal marriage. I argued against legal marriage at first because of its associated patriarchal baggage. My partner argued the importance of exercising the hard-earned rights of queer people and standing visibly as a queer couple. I agreed to marry feeling confident in our ability to reclaim and subvert the institution of marriage. The process of planning our “Big Special I Love You Party”, as we called it, was full of examined, mindful discussion on our ceremony and party; we took no tradition on unquestionably, instead always asking what fit and made sense for us. As a result, we ended up with a deeply moving ceremony that was truly reflective of us and our relationship.
Background and Training
My background is in theatre and academia. I hold an undergraduate degree in theatre from the University of Guelph where I focused on building my story telling skills as an actor. I also hold a Masters degree in Environmental Cultural Studies from York University where I examined the stories our Western culture tells about nature.
My Celebrant training is through the Celebrant Foundation & Institute (CF&I) based in Newark, New Jersey (the school is closing as of December 2024). For nine months I studied part-time the fundamentals of ceremony creation and ritual theory, specifically the creation of wedding ceremonies, commitment ceremonies, and milestone anniversary ceremonies. I have also studied the creation of funerals, memorials and end of life celebrations.
My ongoing learning is through the following teachers:
Inclusivity
I always seek to be an inclusive and welcoming celebrant, sensitive to people’s needs and experiences based on age, race, ethnicity, ability, religious or spiritual beliefs, sexuality, gender identity/expression, socio-economic status or political beliefs. As a queer, polyamorous person, I’m an active ally to folks who identify as queer, gay, lesbian, trans, gender nonconforming, two-spirit, kinky, and polyamorous. Who you are is honoured here.
As a white settler on Indigenous land I am sensitive to questions of cultural appropriation. I can help you honour your ethnic, cultural and religious ancestry in ceremony without disrespecting or appropriating tradition or ritual.
Honouring the Earth
I am in relationship with the lands which have been stewarded for thousands of years by several indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee, Anishinabe, Attiwonderon and the more recent treaty holders the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. May we continue form meaningful relationships across our communities and work toward justice and reconciliation.
I strive to operate my business in a way which is in tune with and honouring of the earth. Wherever possible I minimize my energy use, fossil fuel dependance and waste; purchase needed materials second-hand or from ethical and sustainable sources; and support other local, independent businesses.
I was drawn to offering meaningful ceremony and ritual to others because I saw the need in myself.
I grew up in a household that was a mix of Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox faiths. I went to Catholic school, attended church every Sunday, and even sang in the choir! When I entered my teens and questioned everything (as teens do!) I found that the Catholic faith no longer felt like my home. Still a deeply spiritual person, I struggled to find new practices and rituals that could offer me the same touchstones of meaning and belonging that church gave me.
When I met someone who was doing the work of a Life-Cycle Celebrant, something sparked within me. I was flooded with ideas on how ceremony could be re-imagined for those of us not part of a particular faith tradition. I finally gave myself permission to follow my instinctual need and intuitive pull to make meaning of the events of my life and the cycle of the seasons using ritual and ceremony. As I create more ritual and ceremony for myself I feel more grounded in my beliefs and what has meaning for me. I have more tools for those times I need to mark the shifts and changes in my life. I feel less shaken by our consumer culture that tries to distract us with stuff.
My Own “Big Special I Love You Party”
A powerful moment in my own journey with mindful, customized ceremony occurred in 2010 when my then partner and I got married. As a queer polyamorous couple, and after seven years together, we debated the politics of legal marriage. I argued against legal marriage at first because of its associated patriarchal baggage. My partner argued the importance of exercising the hard-earned rights of queer people and standing visibly as a queer couple. I agreed to marry feeling confident in our ability to reclaim and subvert the institution of marriage. The process of planning our “Big Special I Love You Party”, as we called it, was full of examined, mindful discussion on our ceremony and party; we took no tradition on unquestionably, instead always asking what fit and made sense for us. As a result, we ended up with a deeply moving ceremony that was truly reflective of us and our relationship.
Background and Training
My background is in theatre and academia. I hold an undergraduate degree in theatre from the University of Guelph where I focused on building my story telling skills as an actor. I also hold a Masters degree in Environmental Cultural Studies from York University where I examined the stories our Western culture tells about nature.
My Celebrant training is through the Celebrant Foundation & Institute (CF&I) based in Newark, New Jersey (the school is closing as of December 2024). For nine months I studied part-time the fundamentals of ceremony creation and ritual theory, specifically the creation of wedding ceremonies, commitment ceremonies, and milestone anniversary ceremonies. I have also studied the creation of funerals, memorials and end of life celebrations.
My ongoing learning is through the following teachers:
- Ancestral Medicine, Daniel Foor. Practical Animism course. Foundations of Ritual course
- Village Mystery School, rain crowe. The Burning Times Never Ended course. The Wylder Edge: Re-enchanting Ourselves to the Song of the World course
Inclusivity
I always seek to be an inclusive and welcoming celebrant, sensitive to people’s needs and experiences based on age, race, ethnicity, ability, religious or spiritual beliefs, sexuality, gender identity/expression, socio-economic status or political beliefs. As a queer, polyamorous person, I’m an active ally to folks who identify as queer, gay, lesbian, trans, gender nonconforming, two-spirit, kinky, and polyamorous. Who you are is honoured here.
As a white settler on Indigenous land I am sensitive to questions of cultural appropriation. I can help you honour your ethnic, cultural and religious ancestry in ceremony without disrespecting or appropriating tradition or ritual.
Honouring the Earth
I am in relationship with the lands which have been stewarded for thousands of years by several indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee, Anishinabe, Attiwonderon and the more recent treaty holders the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. May we continue form meaningful relationships across our communities and work toward justice and reconciliation.
I strive to operate my business in a way which is in tune with and honouring of the earth. Wherever possible I minimize my energy use, fossil fuel dependance and waste; purchase needed materials second-hand or from ethical and sustainable sources; and support other local, independent businesses.
"Thank you so much for your beautiful ceremony. I can't even express how many people have personally contacted us to say it was the most beautiful ceremony they have ever witnessed. People spoke of how personal it felt and how perfectly you portrayed Chris and I, and our relationship. Everyone thought we had known each other for years! The time and care you put into getting to know us made me feel so comfortable, and I never felt there was something I couldn't say to you or ask for you to include in our ceremony. You were always so quick to respond and flexible and professional throughout the entire process. And thank you for the extra time that you put in to providing us a rehearsal- it was the perfect way to organize everything and I didn't feel at all nervous on the wedding day knowing exactly what to do next! You have really perfected the collaboration process, and we always felt personally involved in the creation of the most important part of our day!" - Kaela & Chris
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Presenting the Love Quilt we made together at our Big Special I Love You Party
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