Blessings for New Beginnings

       This section offers blessing ceremonies to celebrate and bless the new beginnings that occur in life. Samplings of common events that can be blessed with a simple ceremony are described, and you are encouraged to develop your own unique components. If you are experiencing an event that is not listed here, please feel free to e-mail Becky to ask about ideas. Chances are she has an outline of a blessing ceremony for your situation.
       Blessing for Beginning a New Project. This ceremony will enhance the beginning of a new project to set it on the path of positive energy flow. Are you beginning a graduate degree program? Developing a community-based recycling effort? Managing a new account at work? Any project where you feel passion will be sparked “alive” by this ceremony.
       Blessing for a New Space. This simple ceremony imbues a new space with the energy of positive intentions. Perhaps you are redesigning a room in your home for a new function or creating a meditation garden in your backyard. This blessing ceremony creates harmony and flow toward the intention of the new space.
       Blessing for Entry into Womanhood. This is a group ceremony to honor a young girl as she becomes a woman. It can be as simple as a mother and daughter ceremony or as complex as a family and close friends group ceremony. The young woman is involved in many of the ideas, and as a result will enter womanhood empowered with strength.
       Family Blessing. The family blessing ceremony can be completed whenever there is a significant event that affects the family unit. “Family” is any group of individuals that function as mutually supportive group, which could include a biological family or a family of persons that share a mutual bond. An event such as a new job can be celebrated with this ceremony, while an event that is difficult, such as an impending surgery, can be supported through this ceremony.
       Blessing for Beginning Retirement. A blessing ceremony that guides energy toward the transition of retirement allows the spirit to redefine itself in the context of reaching new goals and dreams. A time of reflection prior to the ceremony helps to orient the retiree to a purposeful direction, enhanced by the freedom of choice.
       Blessing for an Empty Nest. The time of life when a parent transitions as adult children move from home is a tender time for the spirit. This blessing ceremony acknowledges the strong foundation that has nurtured the child to adulthood, while honoring the individuality of that child as they enter the world.