What is Ceremony and Ritual?

If you’re curious about what it means for the Sacred Rebel Collective to engage in ceremony, ritual and sacred circles at one of our retreats, we invite you to read the descriptions below for more insight into our intention within these intuitive, heart centered practices.

Elena Dominguez

Sacred Ceremony

“Ceremony is a bridge to help us connect with the sacred. There are many different ways different cultures practice ceremony, but the main component is an intentional act to connect to the divine, Mother Earth, the universe.

I love guiding ceremonies as a way to help bring a deeper sense of connection to all of life and to each other. We can receive deep healing, messages, inspiration and solace through ceremony.

The intention and clear space is vital to ceremony, sometimes the intention is simply to connect with Mother Earth, sometimes it is to connect with the water or fire element, sometimes to receive guidance for our journey and healing.

In ceremony, I use a center grounding space where I use some combination of candles, incense, essential oils, crystals, singing bowls - all as a way to create a safe container, and keep us connected to our intention.

Another important component to ceremony is a clear ending where we can practice gratitude to the divine and go back to ‘ordinary life’ with the gifts received from ceremony.”

Sacred Circle

“Sacred circle is a time to do group work, creating a safe space where all are seen as sacred and worthy of a voice, of taking up space, of being messy, of being brilliant.

In sacred circle we can learn new teachings and discuss our challenges and ideas and questions as a way to allow these teachings to go deeper and become real for us, not just another book, but a real way to heal our interpersonal wounds, and feel deeper connection and peace.”

Amelia Nicodemus

Sacred Ceremony & Ritual

“Ceremony has a beginning time and end time. I actually see this human experience as ceremony. The beginning time being when we are born and death when it ends. Then we can create many ceremony’s within our human experience ceremony.

Entering into ceremony can allow a non linear way of thinking and moving. We set the masculine structure (linear) that includes the opening and closing, boundaries and commitments. This supports the establishment of safety and freedom of expression for the feminine energy within ourselves to move in a non linear way.

Depending on the intention of the ceremony, this nonlinear way of being in ceremony creates space for mystery, surprise, and guess what..this is free flowing sacredness. Perhaps we laugh one moment and are crying the next. What’s feels edgy one moment my feel comfortable the next.

Ceremony is embodied - all 5 senses are utilized, this brings us into Presence. Along with the 5 elements. That’s why in ceremony, rituals may include lighting a candle, burning an herb for the aroma and clearing effects, using water to mist, expressing gratitude, etc

“Intentional surrender transforms in action into an element of ritual”

-Unknown source

For example, I have many friends that enter into a ceremony time with the their ritual of tea making each morning. With every action it is a ritual to them. Filling and boiling the water, picking out the tea they feel most drawn to that day — maybe they smell the dried tea, feel it, give thanks for it. Each moment is embodied presence. Activating the senses, enjoying the moment with your felt self with each action.

“Instead of simply acting, we can imbue our activity with focused energy. It is the intention to surrender into sacred space that transforms a walk in the park into an inner journey into the chamber of healing”.

-Unknown source.

Ritual opens the seemingly mundane parts of life to become sacred as we shift our perspective to one of awe, presence, and wonder.