Woven Threads - Handcrafted Ceremonies

Drop by the NEW date of the Q***r Service Provider fair to meet all sorts of friendly, local q***rs here to help in so many areas of your life!

Free event! At the Guelph Farmer's Market, on Sunday, August 23 from 2pm to 5pm

I'll be there to talk to folks about how ceremony can be a support as you move through important milestone and transitions, or to help you celebrate or grieve. There might even be a roaring dinosaur mask involved.

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Together in the peace of their backyard we gathered to honour and celebrate their love. This was an early COVID wedding, when there was a five person limit for weddings–the couple, their two witnesses (in the case of a legal wedding), and me, the officiant. I still officiated quite a number of ceremonies in 2020 and 2021 because for some folks, the gathering restrictions created an opportunity to have a small gathering without the pressure to have a lot of people, or a bigger, more costly event to plan and host. Some people are super excited to host their community when they get married. And some folks would much rather a quiet, intimate, more casual celebration.

I’m glad that COVID gave more people permission to have micro weddings. There is too much pressure to have weddings look a certain way. I’ve done plenty of tiny gatherings of a few people in the forest, on a picnic blanket near the river, or standing right in the river!

In general, my wish is for you to know you can create ceremony–of any kind–in the way and manner that works for you and your people. I would like ceremony to be a source of support for those who choose it–instead of a stressful set of obligations and conventions. And that includes permission to create ceremony for the milestones, healing, or grieving that you need and that matter to you. Who says that the only ceremonies we can have are weddings and funerals? They’re just the most common in our current secular culture. Have a commitment ceremony with your best friend! Or to yourself! Or have an annual ritual to dedicate yourself to serving our collective liberation! We get to choose what to mark with ritual.

If you’re curious about creating a ritual of any kind, I’d love to help you chat through your vision and needs. I begin with a free 30 minute consult to help you explore and refine your ideas, and see if we’d be a good fit to work together. It would be my honour to walk beside you.

Photo by Oak and Olive

One of the gifts of perimenopause for me is that it made my hair go from pin straight to wavy! So fun! It also significantly increased my anxiety and hence has encouraged me to find the approaches that now have drastically reduced my anxiety. Wild ride!

The shift at menopause is one of those changes that our western mainstream culture feels lacking in meaningful ritual or processes to honour or sit with the myriad of feelings and experiences that can arise.

I’m curious how other folks are making meaning of this time. Is ceremony something you have offered yourself or been part of for other folks in your life? I know ritual (solo or in group) isn’t an approach that resonates with everyone.

I’ve pictured offering a menopause labyrinth walk (or several walks), to create a meditative space in community where we can reflect on what this transition is inviting or asking of us. Is that something people local to me would find supportive? From a q***r, gender inclusive perspective obviously.

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“Can you officiate as the musician Hozier as a Woodland Fairy?” the couple asked me. Can I?! With delight! I will also happily spend about 20 hours sewing a vest and adorning it with leaves and lichen and butterflies. It was so fun to gently weave the character through the ceremony—referencing it a few times without trying to take centre stage away from the couple’s story.

I’ll be at this fair on Sunday if you want to stop by! You can meet many individuals and organizations who are passionate about creating spaces welcoming to 2SLGBTQIA folks. Q***rs caring for q***rs 🥰🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️
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