Ceremony.

An earth-based approach to marking the transitions of human life

As human beings, we go through different phases of our lives. Ceremonies are important ways to mark the transition into a new phase of life.

What is Ceremony?

CELEBRATORY

Embodying the joys of being alive in order to change and grow more into ourselves.

COMMUNAL

Being witnessed and held by those around you enables your role in your community to shift.

SPIRITUAL

Including spirits or energies that are larger than human facilitates the transition from one phase of life into another.

What is Earth-Based Ceremony?

Being earth-based means that I will be engaging with the earth, including the land and the elements, as the greater-than-human energies that support us in moving from one phase of life into another. This will include journeywork on your behalf to co-create with my spirit guides an effective ceremonial structure for your process.

The ceremony can look as animistic/shamanistic as you want it to: It can include divination, drums and cosmological directions or it can involve a lighter touch, weaving the earth-based approach more subtly.

While I am not religiously trained, God and religious traditions can be included if you so choose, as can other kinds of energies and spirits.

There isn’t a one-size fits all to ceremony. If you decide to work with me, I will be your guide, and we will be crafting the process together to ensure that it speaks to your particular heart, dreams and transition in your life.

Why Earth-Based Ceremony?

There are so many life transitions that we all go through. Yet in our culture there are not many ways in which we know how to navigate these life transitions. And the few traditions that do exist often involve customs that are superficial, expensive, and do not resonate with most of us.

By going with an animistic approach to ceremony, we can reconnect with the true essence of our particular life transition in a way that supports our growth and expansion into our new roles and relationships with real power, love, and beauty. Basically, an earth-based ceremony creates new traditions that help us to authentically align with who we are becoming.

Weddings

I have officiated several kinds of wedding ceremonies - from black tie in downtown LA to a private apartment living room.

While my primary focus is on the essence of True Love, these ceremonies have ranged in how earth-based they appear. Some have felt entirely secular while in others couples have chosen to work directly with each element as the foundation of their ceremony structure.

Each couple is also welcome to choose the level of engagement they want in constructing the wedding ceremony. With some weddings, I have worked carefully step-by-step in building a specifically catered ceremony together with the couple, and in others the couple has chosen to have me take the reins completely so they can focus on other matters.

Baby showers

Birth marks a huge transition for the baby themselves, the mother, the family, and the community at large.

An earth-based baby shower is a sweet way to get loved ones involved in welcoming the baby earthside, often through the communal engagement of the elements. For example, water may be brought into the ceremony through the communal dyeing preparation of a special baby blanket. Air may be brought into the ceremony through the communal creation of a poem for the child. There are so many possibilities.

Blessingways

Blessingways are more specifically catered to the mother’s transition. This is a time in a woman’s life when she moves from her maiden phase into her mother phase. Blessingways are often already aligned with earth-based approaches, and we can cater yours specifically to you. In a culture that fundamentally does not honor motherhood in the way it is meant to be revered, deeply honoring motherhood through a blessingway is powerful medicine for the mother, child, family, and the culture broadly.

Additionally, baby showers + blessingways can be merged together as one ceremony.

First Moon

When a girl first starts to bleed during puberty, she goes through the transition into becoming a maiden. First Moon ceremonies bring together the women in a young girls life to help her take this step into her womanhood and align herself with the power of her female body.

Other Ceremonies

There are a wide variety of other transitions we humans go through: Bridal showers. Moving into a new home. Graduation. Divorce. Combining families. Adoption. Etc.

Each of these transitions can include a ceremony to help facilitate the process of moving from one phase of life into another. If you’d like to mark a life shift, reach out to book a consultation to co-create the perfectly aligned ceremony for where you are.

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TESTIMONIALS

"When my partner and I started planning our wedding we knew we wanted our ceremony to be purposeful and inspiring, but we didn't have a clear vision of how to get there. Working with Madeline could not have been more perfect. She was thoughtful and responsive within our planning conversations and asked questions that made us reflect on the importance of our relationship and how we exist in the world together. What resulted was a powerful ceremony that left our guests (and us) in tears. She also weaved subtle details of the stories we shared, and it was so special. We recommend Madeline to any couple looking for a truly meaningful ceremony. "

JEAVON & TOM LANG
"Ever since we met Madeline, we could instantly tell she was someone who deeply cared about the people around her and was genuinely interested in getting to know them, their approaches to life, and the perspectives their experiences brought to their relationships. When we thought of who we wanted to be part of putting such a momentous day into words and who would truly understand how we wanted to step into this new chapter as a unit, Madeline instantly came to mind. She worked closely with us to set our intentions, to understand our emotions and mindset going into this big day, and helped co-create a message we wanted to share with our loved ones. As two people raised of different religious backgrounds, we knew we wanted something that felt more uniquely "ours" together than our cultures could offer independently. Madeline helped us navigate a balance that felt special to us, and we'd highly recommend having her officiate your special life moment too!"

Claudia Preciado + Daniel Jacobson
“Rather than having a long engagement, my fiance and I decided that a private elopement would be more special to us. My partner thought of Madeline and her work as a shamanic practitioner right away. She was professional and created our ceremony with deep reverence and skill. Madeline asked us meaningful questions about our relationship with the God/Higher Power(s) that helped us slow down and sink into juicy rich conversations about Love and God. We weren't expecting this part of the service, but she really added incredible intimacy to such a special day. The ceremony she created for our wedding day was a work of art and made us both cry tears of joy more than once…”

KATY & SEAN KENNEDY
“Madeline gifted a beautiful baby shower for our little girl. She brought together my dispersed community of women to weave a story and blessing that held me and baby so fiercely during a tender transition into motherhood. Even months later, we feel those blessings, and my community of women with us daily as I nurse, rock, and love my little one through the full experience and journey of motherhood. ”

MEG SCALES

Book a consultation to share your dreams, ask questions, and confirm that we are the right fit for one another.

Because of the diverse kinds of ceremony offered and the uniqueness of each particular ceremony, there is no standard fee for Madeline’s ceremonial services. Please reach out to book a consultation to discuss rates together.

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ceremony FAQ

There are so many life transitions that we all go through. Yet in our culture there are not many ways in which we know how to navigate these life transitions. And the few traditions that do exist often involve customs that are superficial, expensive, and do not resonate with most of us.
By going with an animistic approach in ceremony, we can reconnect with the true essence of a particular life transition so that we may be able to grow and expand into our new roles and relationships with real power, love, and beauty.
After an initial consultation we will confirm we are the right fit with one another, you will share the fullness of your dream for your ceremony.
In my own time, I’ll do a journey on your behalf where I will connect with my helping spirits in order to co-create an effective and powerful ceremonial structure for your process.
Afterwards, I’ll write out your ceremony, along with as much guidance and input as you feel called to share.
I can be the actual officiant or guide at your ceremony, or you can hand off our crafted script to someone else of your choosing.
Because of the diversity of kinds and styles of ceremony, pricing differs individually. Please reach out here or at madeline@madelinereno.com to inquire further.
Absolutely.
Reach out here or to madeline@madelinereno.com to connect with references.
Yes, Madeline is often available for travel.
Yes, many ceremonies can be effectively done online and I have experience in guiding this kind of spiritual process over zoom.