Ceremonies/Celebrants

Why "rituals"? My thinking was set in motion by those who, knowing I was a parish minister for many years, have asked me for advice about ceremonies and celebrations.
They wanted words to use at graduations, funerals, and the welcoming of children. They inquired about grace at family meals, the reaffirmation of wedding vows, and ways to heal wounds suffered in personal conflict. People requested help with the rituals of solitude, such as meditation, prayer, and contemplation.
Rituals do not always involve words, occasi... read more

The authoritative handbook for anyone planning any personal ceremony or celebration. Ceremonies & Celebrations gives details of how to organise a celebration or ceremony, with example ceremonies, a wealth of suggested readings and music, together with checklists and advice on how to write and structure your own ceremonies. Ceremonies include: weddings (formal and informal), commitment to partnerships, renewal of vows, name giving/naming, graduation, coming of age and other birthdays, divorce, stepfamily acceptance, hous... read more

The mysteries and delights of life on earth are illuminated in this richly eclectic collection of poetry, wisdom, prayers, and blessings from thinkers, writers around the world. Here you will find the poetry of Hildegard of Bingen and Gary Snyder; the political wisdom of Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr; a treasury of women's prayers and much more. A joyous affirmation of the human journey in all its forms, in all its struggles and glories.

Contains a wealth of information that is immediately useful for practising celebrants and for those planning or studying to be a celebrant.

The Big Day covers every aspect of arranging a wedding - from the simplest ceremony through to a lavish affair featuring a cast of many hundreds. Key to this book is information about what a couple must do to comply with the law in New Zealand and the range of options for choosing a celebrant, the venue, and all the various details that add up to making a wedding day special. No other New Zealand book addresses all the practical information associated with getting married as comprehensively as this book. Includes a useful ... read more

A collection of poems, prayers, readings and prose pieces suitable for reading aloud at weddings or commitment ceremonies. It offers a wide range of material, from traditional to contemporary. It's an indispensible resource for couples, family members, civil and religious celebrants, wedding planners - in fact anyone involved in the fast-growing wedding industry. The increasing popularity of non-religious ceremonies mean couples are free to - and do - use a wide range of texts in their wedding service. Today's couple is looking for... read more

The book has been written to help anyone who is dying from cancer or other terminal illness. Drawing on years of practical experience as counsellors in the field, Sue Wood and Peter Fox discuss what they and others have found happening in the terminal stages of illness - what the dying person can expect, what others have found important to do - and generally how to respond positively and practically to situations that are likely to arise on this difficult journey. The authors also address those involved in the day-to-day care and n... read more

A collection of very special poems, for those special occasions.

Updated and expanded, the 10th anniversary edition of this pioneering work is even more valuable as a resource book than its predecessor. Exploring the natural world, astronomy and ancient civilisations, it shows how we can use tradition, intuition and ingenuity to adapt existing ceremonies and create our own. As the twentieth century drew to a close, a pioneering book brought rituals and ceremonies down to earth and closer to home.  Celebrating the Southern Seasons showed how the traditional European festivals we inherited ... read more

Sasha's Legacy: A guide to funerals for babies is for celebrants, funeral directors, social workers and healthcare professionals who, alongside grieving parents, face the difficult task of organising a funeral and burying a child. It describes parents' experiences, raises issues to consider, gives practical advice from celebrants and funeral directors, and offers guidelines for the ceremony. With resources, poetry, music suggestions and websites parents may find helpful, this book is a resource for grieving parents and those who help them.

The earth's longest living organisms, trees exemplify nature's great strength as well as its majestic beauty. Serving as virtual lungs for our planet, trees provide us with food, medicine, and our most versatile building material. To plant a tree is to plant hope, and as an act of commemoration, it literally gives life to that remembered. While it is in-deed a practical book that explains exactly how to plant and care for a tree, How to Plant a Tree is so much more. Drawing on the ancient rituals and folklore that surround particul... read more

Includes planning checklists for weddings and advice on developing a marriage relationship, as well as multi-choice material for the content of weddings and birth celebrations. Pratt lectures in Religious Studies at Waikato University. This 3rd edition published 1996.

Earthly Farewell provides all the necessary information for planning a funeral. From advice on wills and trusts to planning funerals of different types, examples of funeral ceremonies and eulogies, readings and hymns. This book will be a valuable resource for everyone. First published 2004.

This book is a resource to assist people facing infertility in all its stages and forms to create ceremony and ritual that will help them find their own way to peace and acceptance. Personal stories and examples of ceremony are included, as it is often not easy to find this information elsewhere. It is a resource for infertile people, counsellors, spiritual companions, celebrants and clergy, health professionals working in the field of reproductive medicine and family and friends of those who are infertile.

Two years ago, author Virginia Lang stood poised over the toilet bowl, a goldfish in hand, when she was struck by the sorrow in her daughter's eyes at losing her first pet. She pulled back. Mother and daughter then performed an impromptu ceremony in the garden, placing a wildflower on the site and speaking about the loss of a friend.<p>How to Bury a Goldfish instills meaning in the passages of everyday life. It melds many of the world's oldest traditions with contemporary celebrations, allowing people to honor life's events i... read more

Make your civil marriage ceremony your own A comprehensive guide to creating and organising the perfect modern civil wedding ceremony. The writing is on the wall. Traditional weddings are on the way out, and civil ceremonies are in. But while many people know what they don't want - no church, no priest - most are left wondering what they can do instead. Packed full of ideas, inspiration, stories and excerpts from real weddings, How To Say I Do is a snappy pint-sized handbook that provides all the answers for brides and grooms... read more

Rituals are an important part of our lives and for centuries we have celebrated birth, marriage and death as significant events. In today's society rituals are often overlooked or forgotten as the old ways, often linked with places of worship, feature less in our everyday lives. This new book provides spiritual rituals and meditations which can be used at times of celebration and grief, in public and private. They can be used at a large gathering such as a wedding or in a private moment of reflection. With eight books already publ... read more

Promises of love, loyalty and friendship on your wedding day are probably the most sincere words you are likely to proclaim in your lifetime. They are heartfelt sentiments that will resonate with meaning for years to come. "Wedding Vows and Traditions" contains hundreds of vows drawn from all faith, as well as touching lines from treasured poetry and simple declarations of love and fidelity. Whether you want to find out about the significance of age-old wedding customs from around the world, or uncover the perfect vow to exchange w... read more

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When Maori gather for a hui, they have immediate access to a world of history, mythology and traditions which remain a vital reality for as long as the hui lasts. Hui incorporate all Maori ceremonial gatherings: openings of new marae, tangihanga (funerals), hurahanga kôhatu (unveilings), birthdays and anniversaries, and tribal policymaking. This book introduces us to all aspects of the hui and its significance to Maori. It is a definitive study of ceremonial gatherings and the rituals that are the life blood of the marae. ... read more