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We all seek more meaning in our lives, and this stunningly beautiful and inspiring book shows how to create unique ceremonies for occasions and milestones throughout the year. For as long as humans have existed, we have been performing ceremonies. We use ceremony to mark occasions and personal transitions, create meaning, and connect with the world, ourselves, and each other. Though ceremony is still a cornerstone of many cultures around the globe, modern rituals are largely confined to just three events: birth, marriage, and death. Without our ancestors’ sense of frequent and intentional ceremony, we have lost the power to bring meaning to our everyday lives.
The Book of Modern Ceremony is here to change that. Written by herbalist and ceremonialist Shari Dunbar Boyer, this book shares more than 30 ceremonies that can be easily incorporated into contemporary life. There are rituals for life transitions, calendar changes, and personal growth. Some celebrate familiar events, like the Untraditional Birthday or Vow Renewal ceremonies, but others mark important milestones that we often neglect, such as moving to a new home or entering menopause. And of course, there are seasonal rituals for every solstice, equinox, and moon cycle. Presented in easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions,
The Book of Modern Ceremony encourages readers to leave behind the daily stressors of life and connect more deeply with themselves, their loved ones, and their own spirituality.
List of contents
An Invitation
What Is Ceremony?
How to Plan and Hold a Ceremony
Circle Ceremony
Seasonal Ceremonies
New Moon
Full Moon
Vernal Equinox
Summer Solstice
Autumnal Equinox
Samhain
Thanksgiving
Winter Solstice
New Year
Ceremonies for Life Events
Celebrating Motherhood
Graduation
Mothers of Graduates
Coming of Age for Girls
Coming of Age for Boys
Remembering Home
Untraditional Birthday
Saying Goodbye to House and Land
Blessing a New Home
Commitment
Divorce
Retirement
Dealing with Illness
Menopause: Becoming a Wise Woman
Living Funeral
Ceremonies for Personal Growth
Cleansing and Renewal
Protection and Strength
Connecting to the Wisdom of the Heart
Changing Mindset
Integration
Celebrating Friendship
Honoring Land and Mother Earth
Plan Your Own Ceremony
About the author
Shari Dunbar Boyer is a ceremonialist and trained herbalist. She has been studying plant medicines, natural healing modalities, and the use of ceremony in modern and traditional cultures for over a decade. Shari came to ceremony after a long career in marketing, seeking ways to create more meaning and connection in her life and her community. Shari lives with her husband, Chris, two young adult sons, Tristan and Dylan, and two dogs on a property she is fortunate to tend in the shade of the San Gabriel mountains, with a suburban farm in Altadena, California. You can connect with Shari at shariboyer.com or @sharidunbarboyer.
Summary
We all seek more meaning in our lives, and this stunningly beautiful and inspiring book shows how to create unique ceremonies for occasions and milestones throughout the year.
For as long as humans have existed, we have been performing ceremonies. We use ceremony to mark occasions and personal transitions, create meaning, and connect with the world, ourselves, and each other. Though ceremony is still a cornerstone of many cultures around the globe, modern rituals are largely confined to just three events: birth, marriage, and death. Without our ancestors’ sense of frequent and intentional ceremony, we have lost the power to bring meaning to our everyday lives. The Book of Modern Ceremony is here to change that. Written by herbalist and ceremonialist Shari Dunbar Boyer, this book shares more than 30 ceremonies that can be easily incorporated into contemporary life. There are rituals for life transitions, calendar changes, and personal growth. Some celebrate familiar events, like the Untraditional Birthday or Vow Renewal ceremonies, but others mark important milestones that we often neglect, such as moving to a new home or entering menopause. And of course, there are seasonal rituals for every solstice, equinox, and moon cycle. Presented in easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions, The Book of Modern Ceremony encourages readers to leave behind the daily stressors of life and connect more deeply with themselves, their loved ones, and their own spirituality.
