Whatever spiritual path we follow, whether we follow any path, we're far more alike than different. We all understand the importance of hard work and the value of sacrifice. We know how good it can feel to finally lay a burden down. We know how it feels to give or receive comfort. We know what it is to grieve. In this Summer Solstice ritual, I showcase the partnership between the Sun as the exhausted provider and the Moon as the nurturing caregiver. Knowing the Moon was about to enter Capricorn,...
Sep 10, 2024•21 min•Ep. 58
Are you an artisan, a craftsperson, a maker? It's February. It's time to affirm your faith in your talent, prepare your tools, and get to work on your big dream. If you lived in the Old World in the land of the Norse, you'd be preparing your iron plow. You'd be honoring the Dwarves whose skill and knowledge are forged into your plow. You'd cleanse your plow. You'd charm it with herbs. Listen for a ritual to charm your tools.
Feb 11, 2022•22 min•Ep. 57
After 2 challenging years, I found hope attending the virtual conference of the Parliament of the World's Religions. Its 1893 conference is considered the beginning of the interfaith movement. The Oct 2021 conference offered 583 programs, panel discussions, religious ceremonies and spiritual observations. Presenters included Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Jains, Bahhais, Sikhs, Hindus, Pagans, Native Americans, Indiginous people and more. The Dalai Lama spoke to the gathering, as did the ...
Dec 31, 2021•17 min•Ep. 56
Think of your home as a living entity. A simple gratitude ritual can change your perspective on what your home really means. Your walls provide structure, shelter, and a sense of security. The floor supports you and keeps you grounded. Running water helps you get in touch with deep emotions. This episode contains a simple ritual to help you see and appreciate what you have.
Nov 26, 2021•16 min•Ep. 55
My husband and I have been married for 40 years. He has Alzheimer's Disease. Late stage. I'm his full-time caregiver. I'm fortunate to have a social worker on our medical team, and to be a member of an online dementia support group. Still, there are potholes in the emotional road we're traveling. This episode shares respected data, personal stories, real mistakes I made, and three rituals I created to help me cope. If you are caring for a spouse with Alzheimer's or other form of dementia, this e...
Sep 23, 2021•24 min•Ep. 54
Imagine the story of your life. What happens to you after, "Once upon a time"? The ancient folktale of Fatima the Spinner is reimagined to support a woman's right to choose. Let it inspire your own story. The Power of Your Warp & Weft, a workshop designed by author and professional weaver Paula Chaffee Scardamalia, is included with her permission. For more, visit her website and read her book: Weaving a Woman's Life: Spiritual Lessons from the Loom....
Sep 10, 2021•29 min•Ep. 53
What does a wedding arch have to do with a king’s scepter, a flag planted on the moon, and a Thomas Kincaid painting? Weddings are filled with symbolism. One that has been lost over the years is the original meaning of the ceremony arch. Hint: The meaning can be found in the night sky and the ancient belief, "As above, so below. "
Aug 26, 2021•14 min•Ep. 52
Yemaya, the Yoruba orisha , the Mother of All, is associated with cowrie shells, symbols of fertility, prosperity, and a woman's voice. This episode offers rituals using various shells, and a ceremonial ritual to discover your authentic self. Learn about the millions of Africans who died crossing the Atlantic Ocean in the horrors of The Middle Passage and why August 25 has been declared the Day of Healing.
Aug 16, 2021•25 min•Ep. 51
In the frigid waters of the Arctic Ocean, we find the Inuit goddess Sedna. There are several versions of her origin story, each one horrific. At the heart of each is the theme of betrayal. The rituals I created for Sedna are designed to help us reframe childhood beliefs, especially those beliefs that can keep us from thriving as adults. That's the message in the language of the Pink Mouth Murex shell. (See "Ocean Oracle: What Seashells Reveal about Our True Nature" by Michelle Hanson.)
Aug 10, 2021•24 min•Ep. 50
Getting married at the beach? Mother Nature always leaves messages for us. Unfortunately, we don't always know how to read them. What messages can you find in seashells? The answers are important if you're having a beach wedding. Resources mentioned: Ocean Oracle: What Seashells Reveal about Our True Nature by Michelle Hanson Sea Magic: Connecting with the Ocean's Energy by Sandra Kynes
Jul 21, 2021•21 min•Ep. 49
Renewing your wedding vows can be a powerful ceremony You'll remember the happiest times in your marriage. You'll also remember the most painful. This episode offers two vow renewal rituals. One of them, The Growing Flame, can easily be adapted for any personal vow you make to yourself.
Jul 12, 2021•22 min•Ep. 48
Did you fall in love in Paris? Or Podunk? Use that info to personalize your wedding ceremony. Use that same info to create a ritual for a birthday or retirement party. Use it for a student who is leaving home to study abroad. As often happens, this ritual was inspired by one of "my" couples, Thomas and Raffaele. They shared their first kiss in Rome's ancient Garden of Oranges on the Aventino, one of the city's seven hills. The men made their wedding vows on an oathing stone hand-painted with ora...
May 19, 2021•18 min•Ep. 47
Imagine that you're a parent and your child is leaving home for college, or for a job, or some other grand adventure. You've equipped your son or daughter with all the necessities and you're excited to see your child take those first big steps away from home. But something doesn't feel right. This is a milestone in your young adult's life and in your own. Yet it feels empty. What's missing? A ritual!
Apr 12, 2021•23 min•Ep. 46
The falcon is the consummate hunter. It teaches us how to make progress by blending speed and focus. The falcon wants you to see beyond your limits. The hawk's medicine is inward and deep. It wants you to see your life from a broad perspective and let go of unnecessary baggage. The hawk awakens us to the vision we have inside us. This is the 3rd in a series of how the magic and mythology of birds of prey can be used to create safe and simple rituals. See episode 43 for the Eagle, and episode 44 ...
Feb 01, 2021•21 min•Ep. 45
Imagine an owl. Did you feel a sense of apprehension or foreboding? No surprise. Owls have long been associated with death. Or, did you picture Harry Potter's owl, Hedwig? Beliefs about owls are contradictory because the owl is the symbol of death, and wisdom, and magic. At the heart of owl medicine is the ability to discern the truth. In this episode, you'll learn how to use a paper template of a feather in celebrating baby blessings and birthdays, funerals and memorials, and how to find answer...
Jan 21, 2021•24 min•Ep. 44
Central to all birds of prey is their association with death and the cycle of life. This episode is the first in a series of how birds of prey can inspire rituals for a variety of situations: funerals and memorials, projects that require focus or the ability to see the big picture, and life events that require courage. As Lesley Morrison writes in her book, The Healing Wisdom of Birds, a t the heart of eagle medicine is reaching the place where we realize our freedom to soar. This episode shares...
Jan 02, 2021•18 min•Ep. 43
Discover your secret sound. Take a lesson from crows about adapting, from parrots about diplomacy, and from dolphins about communicating with other species. Build an altar to the element of air. Visit RitualRecipes.net for more details.
Nov 30, 2020•22 min•Ep. 42
To a writer, the blank screen can be exciting or daunting. Find helpful rituals with magic pens, stones, and draw on the special qualities of lions, ants, cardinals, and whales. This episode also looks back in history at cultural changes brought about centuries ago by the Black Death, the invention of the printing press, and why having books became a status symbol. (New podcast music by Hal Aaron Cohen! See HalAaron.com)
Nov 07, 2020•29 min•Ep. 41
Did your grandmother's house have a parlor that was used to care for the dead? Mine did. When the time comes, which do you want: a funeral home or a home funeral? Burial or cremation? Fancy casket or cardboard box? Ashes in an urn or scattered someplace special? Who have you talked to about what you want? No one? I'm not surprised. Death hasn't been a popular topic of conversation -- until now. This episode explores the national death-positive movement through Death Cafes, Death Doulas, Speaking...
Oct 25, 2020•25 min•Ep. 40
Most couples don't get married expecting to get divorced. But when a marriage is dissolved, can ritual help the couple move on? Rocky Road is a marriage maintenance ritual. Untying the Knot is a funeral ritual for the death of a marriage. As heretical as it might sound, I don't believe that all marriages are meant to last. I believe we're meant to learn from those relationships and share what we've learned with others. The two rituals in this episode are more complicated than my usual. They're w...
Oct 10, 2020•33 min•Ep. 39
Over 11 million dogs and cats die in the United States every year. Because of the close bond people have with their pets, the people are often referred to as "pet parents." So, what do we do when a beloved pet dies? How do we celebrate the life that gave unconditional love? The first pet cemetery in the U.S. was created in 1970. The burials were held at night because "clients were too ashamed to be seen treating an animal that well." Today, there are approximately 700 pet cemeteries in the U.S. ...
Sep 26, 2020•22 min•Ep. 38
She's a woman of "a certain age." Our culture thinks those words are better than saying "she's old." Well, I'm a woman of a certain age. I'm certain of who I am, certain of what I want, and certain of what I have to offer the world. I'm 72 and I'm a Crone. I claimed that title in a ritual called "Croning." A croning can never be like a surprise birthday party or a married-at-first-sight reality show. When a woman decides to claim the title of Crone, she needs to prepare herself. Doing so could t...
Aug 01, 2020•37 min•Ep. 37
At 9 years old, I didn't care that my mother wasn't funny like Lucille Ball, or that she didn't wear circle skirts and twirl around the house like Loretta Young, or that she was no longer pretty like Miss Kitty on Gunsmoke. I wanted my mother to be brave, like Annie Oakley. Not long after Rosa Parks sat on that bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in the whites-only section, I found out how brave my mother really was...and that Black Lives Matter. This episode contains a simple ritual I call "Colored." D...
Jun 16, 2020•20 min•Ep. 36
Do you believe in fairies? I do, but not in the way you might expect. My childhood ideas have changed. Now I think of fairies as thought forms of good energy -- helpful spirits, invisible, accessible. Hear about Ho Hsien Ku, "the immortal woman," one of the 8 fairies in the Chinese legend. Learn how to invite the fairies into your world, how to connect, what to offer. And, most of all, how to see them in the mirror. Mentioned: "Spirits of the Earth: A Guide to Native American Nature Symbols, Sto...
May 21, 2020•26 min•Ep. 35
Long ago, when sailors navigated by the stars, when seabirds carried the spirits of sailors lost at sea, and when everyone knew that the bust of a naked woman on the bow of a ship would calm rough waters, a sailor would carry a cord with three knots. Bound in each was the wind itself. Inspired by the ancient lore of knots, I created the ritual "Love Knots" using the arbor knot, the lovers' knot, and the Celtic marriage knot, with possible additions of the double fisherman's knot, and the sailor'...
May 02, 2020•14 min•Ep. 34
The power of this ritual comes from exploring the past, getting to know your ancestors and what they might have survived -- plagues, natural disasters, persecutions, wars, genocide. Whether or not you know who is on your family tree, they existed. You're the living proof. What do they have to tell you about facing fear, seeing the truth, finding courage, and helping others? Build an ancestor altar and honor your heritage. Don't know anything about your ancestors? Do what the ancient Greeks and R...
Apr 15, 2020•19 min•Ep. 33
Why was the death toll in the Spanish Flu of 1918 so high? Why were the details not shared with the public? Why were Black doctors and nurses so key to the survival rates of Americans not serving in WWI? Zita Christian interviews retired Connecticut state senator and history professor Mary Ann Handley about the Spanish Flu of 1918. The interview originally aired in May 2018 on episode 123 of Page 1. Find it on YouTube.com/zitatvnetwork . The interview was to help writers determine character, set...
Mar 20, 2020•31 min•Ep. 32
All over the world, the presence of a key indicates there's something to protect. When you love someone, you trust them with a metaphorical key to your heart. Based on this understanding, I created a ritual called "The Key to My Heart." As part of a wedding ceremony, this ritual acknowledges how the couple was influenced by their parents and grandparents. The ritual offers an opportunity for the parents to be involved in the ceremony. The ritual can also be used in the couple's "first look," as ...
Mar 06, 2020•20 min•Ep. 31
Every Maiden isn't young. Every Mother doesn't have a child. Every Crone isn't old. What distinguishes the three is not age, but energy. Let me show you how the three faces of the Goddess can be used in a group ritual for your Moon Circle, or as a ritual you can do by yourself. If you don't have white quartz crystals for the Maiden, red garnets for the Mother, and black obsidian for the Crone, no worries. Use white-yogurt-covered raisins, dried cherries, and regular raisins. Imagine yourself in ...
Feb 21, 2020•16 min•Ep. 30
Long before organized religion, people found meaning in the stars. People saw the night sky as a canopy with four corners watched over by four bright stars: Aldebaran, Regulus, Antares, and Fomalhaut. In time, those watchers became royal stars, and those stars became archangels: Michael, Raphael, Uriel, and Gabriel. Ancient beliefs can show how we're all connected under the same sky -- a good foundation for an interfaith wedding ceremony.
Jan 28, 2020•15 min•Ep. 29
