Since the emergence of our species, humans have desired to mark the special, life-changing occasions in their lives with ceremony and ritual. These rites of passage connect us with our ancestors, allow us to make promises to future generations and reaffirm the significance of birth, marriage and death to the human condition.
Neolithic monuments like Stonehenge prove that even in pre-history we needed structure to our rites. They make us feel part of a whole and give us a sense of belonging and purpose. I have observed other cultures, like in Thailand, where people live much more spiritual and ritualistic lives day to day, and wonder if those populations enjoy a collective contentment, or at the very least a sense of belonging, that we seem to lack.
The need exists in our all our hearts to publicly proclaim and share with our kith and kin what is truly important to us as human beings. Those life-altering events, the hatches, matches and dispatches, still warrant public recognition and that is why I became a Civil Celebrant.
I have enjoyed writing, dressing up and public speaking for my entire life. Almost 20 years ago I put together and presented the funeral service for my father-in-law who had been adamant that he didn’t want “some random stranger banging on about him in some church he’d never been to”. That was the first time a funeral director approached me about becoming a celebrant. It happened again when I lost my partner in 2017 and I finally began to listen to what the universe was trying to tell me.
Our ability for abstract thought, and to effectively communicate those thoughts, are the traits that saw our species develop from the first ape-like humans to walk across the Savannah into the complex and fascinating people we are today. My passion is to help you communicate your own thoughts across the generations, in meaningful and memorable celebrations of life’s greatest occasions.