Be Ceremonial

07/31/2026

For me, ritual is about stopping, paying attention and creating intention. So when I published a book earlier this summer, I knew I would find small, meaningful moments to stop, pay attention and creating intention!

On August 13th, I'm sitting by the fire with Chloe Hunter at Rivendell Retreat Centre on Bowen Island for an evening of conversation, exploring what it means to build ritual on our own terms.

We'll be asking questions like: Why is ritual needed now more than ever? How can ceremony show up in ordinary life? What becomes possible when a community decides to mark things together?

It's free, it's open to everyone, and no preparation is needed. Copies of Ritual Without Religion will be there if you'd like one signed. Link in bio to RSVP.

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And for those of you who aren't close by, I'm available for a virtual fireside chat! If you have a book club, an organization, a hospice team, or a community group that wants to explore Ritual Without Religion together, I'd love to join you.

Send me a DM to set something up.

The need to mark our moments with meaning is more important than ever. Let's dive in together. 🔥

07/30/2026

There’s more than one way to say goodbye.

Most people picture scattering cremated remains (aka “ashes”) into a body of water, or letting them fly into the wind, or keeping an urn on the mantel. But there’s another way that doesn’t get talked about as much: trenching.

A trenching ceremony involves digging a hole in the earth, choosing a spot that’s meaningful, placing the remains into the ground, covering them with soil, then marking the spot with flowers, maybe a letter or note, or a natural marker that honours the experience.

Today, I helped my dad release the remainder of his dear friend. We had an ocean scattering ceremony last weekend (see Seeking Ceremony 💛🖤 for the full story) but there was a lot of cremated remains to deal with and he didn’t know what to do with them.

So I went into our forest, found a quiet spot away from people and growing vegetation, and dug a hole. I placed the remaining ashes inside, covered them with soil, and chose flowers from our garden: yellow roses for friendship, pink roses for love, white hydrangeas for peace, and rosemary for remembrance. The same flowers from our scattering ceremony.

It was simple and it was meaningful. Not holding on to the grief, but releasing of it ~ letting it move through us, the way grief needs to.

⬇️

What have you done with cremated remains? Where have you sent them, or laid them to rest? Let’s normalize these stories and inspire people with options!

Also ~ my dear friend Christa Ovenell | Death Educator offers a free webinar on what to do with cremated remains if you want more ideas 💞

07/24/2026

✨ THE ART OF RITUAL ✨

Join me and Christina Baldwin this Sunday at 10am PT as we dive into the art and craft of ritual design. We’ll explore:

🔸 How to open and close sacred space together
🔸 Working with uncomfortable and challenging conversations through ritual
🔸 The power of the circle
🔸 What to do when things go wrong
🔸 Weaving storytelling and symbolism into ceremonial spaces

This is a conversation for anyone who holds space — celebrants, doulas, facilitators, or simply those who want to bring more intention into the ceremonies of everyday life.

⏳ Spots are limited — grab yours before they’re gone.

📍 Sunday, 10am PT

🔗 https://www.beceremonial.com/the-ritual-series/the-art-of-ritual/

07/17/2026

Last chance ~

This Sunday, Dr. Gordon Neufeld joins us for Session Two of The Ritual Series: The Science of Ritual. Neufeld Institute

Gordon is coauthor of *Hold On to Your Kids* with Gabor Maté. He’s spent decades studying attachment, development, and the nervous system. Now he’s turning that lens on ritual itself.

We’ll explore what actually happens in our brains and bodies when we practice ritual ~ and why it matters more than ever for our mental health.

Some of what we’ll get into:

~ Why ritual helps us process emotion.
~ How ceremony regulates a dysregulated nervous system.
~ What ritual looks like through the science of play.
~ How ceremony can offer us the rest we’re so hungry for.
~ The role of consciousness in ritual.

This will be a phenomenal conversation you don’t want to miss!

DM us for a discount code ~ last chance to join.

07/15/2026

Chapter 5 of my book, Ritual Without Religion, begins with this quote:

"Rituals are like electrically powered transmitters sending stimulating sparks of electric current or inspirational feelings that connect us to our inner being." ~ Wes Adamson

As part of The Ritual Series, I'm leading a session with Dr. Gordon Neufeld Neufeld Institute this Sunday, July 19th surrounding The Science of Ritual.

We're moving from the nature of ritual into the science of it ~ the structure, the behaviour, and exploring what ritual actually does to our nervous systems.

Why does a ritual gesture calm our nervous systems down? Why does the structure of ceremony create safety? Why does the body need ritual, especially when holding complicated emotions?

Dr. Neufeld has spent his career understanding attachment and development, and I can't wait to bring that lens into my own views and perspectives.

Session two of The Ritual Series is this Sunday, July 19th at 10am PDT. It's recorded if you can't join live.

[link in bio to join]

07/14/2026

What's actually happening in your brain when you light a candle, mark an anniversary, or pause before a big change?

This Sunday, I'm sitting down with Dr. Gordon Neufeld Neufeld Institute ~ developmental psychologist and author of Hold Onto Your Kids ~ for Session 2 of The Ritual Series: The Science of Ritual.

We're getting curious about the mechanics of ritual, asking questions like: What fires in the nervous system when we ritualize a moment? Why does ritual helps us process emotion in a way that talking alone doesn't? How does ceremony regulates a dysregulated nervous system? Why does shared ritual connects us to the people we do it with?

If you've ever felt something shift in a ceremony and wondered whether that was real or just sentiment ~ this one's for you.

Sunday, July 19
Single session $30 ~ full series $100
Recorded if you can't join live.
Subsidies available ~ email me for a code.

https://www.beceremonial.com/the-ritual-series/

07/12/2026

Session one of The Ritual Series: The Nature of Ritual is complete 💝

Today I sat down with Bruce Feiler to explore the nature of ritual through the lens of his book, *A Time to Gather*, and mine, *Ritual Without Religion*. The result was a powerful conversation and reminder of the power of ritual to connect us.

We asked the questions that started it all for me: Are we naturally ceremonial? Do we invent ritual, or do we remember it? How does our relationship with ritual need to evolve as our lives change?

Bruce took us across sixteen countries and back through time, into the essential humanness of ritual. The thing he realized is that we need to move from “I to we”, and ritual is how we do it (and we need that now more than ever).

Missed it? Purchase an all-access pass and you can still receive the recording!

Three sessions to go:
→ The science of ritual, with Dr. Gordon Neufeld Neufeld Institute
→ The art of ritual, with Christina Baldwin The Beekeeper’s Question by Christina Baldwin
→ The practice of ritual, with Jessie Harrold Jessie Harrold

So grateful to be welcoming my book into the world through these conversations. Session two is next Sunday 10am PT. I hope to see you there!

[link to sign up in bio]

07/09/2026

Last chance to join live for the first session of The Ritual Series!

https://www.beceremonial.com/the-ritual-series/

This four part series explores Ritual Without Religion with guests Bruce Feiler, Dr. Gordon Neufeld, Christina Baldwin and Jessie Harrold.

07/09/2026

✨ I’m so excited to welcome Christina Baldwin (The Beekeeper’s Question by Christina Baldwin) to The Ritual Series ~ a 4-part exploration inspired by my new book, Ritual Without Religion.

Each week, I sit down with a fellow author and expert in their field to dig into questions like: Are we naturally ceremonial? What happens in our brain when we perform a ritual? How do we hold space for others and ourselves? Why does it matter to build our ritual muscles in everyday life?

Here’s the lineup:

🕯️ This Sunday — Bruce Feiler joins me for The Nature of Ritual
🧠 July 19 — Dr. Gordon Neufeld (Neufeld Institute) on The Science of Ritual
🎨 July 26 — Christina Baldwin (The Beekeeper’s Question by Christina Baldwin) on The Art of Ritual
🌀 Aug 2 — Jessie Harrold on The Practice of Ritual

Can’t join live? Every session is recorded, so you can explore ritual and ceremony from each perspective at your own pace.

You don’t want to miss this!

👉 Comment RITUAL and I’ll send you the direct link to register — plus a discount code just for you.

07/05/2026

My fav bookstore 32 Books & Gallery finally got Bruce Feiler’s new book in!

My ritual birth story is featured in Chapter 11: The Placenta Chronicles and it’s so wonderful to read how others have ritualized their own experiences.

Join me and Bruce July 12th as we discuss The Nature of Ritual, the first in my four part series 🙌

https://www.beceremonial.com/the-ritual-series/