Weddings Create Good Vibes

7-7-11 wedding

                             

When I'm not preparing or conducting weddings, a lot of my time is spent working on my book:"The World According to Love" and writing for my other blog: "Building Bridges of Oneness." But I find that my wedding work is part of my spiritual work, too. Participating in weddings is a luscious way to increase the level of joy and love in the world, and I get to do this way more often than the average Emily (and I know there are thousands of Emily's - maybe millions).

Every time I conduct a wedding ceremony, evoking, with my words, laughter and tears of joy from the bridal party and guests, and I pronounce the couple husband and wife, I feel a thrill of joy, and I know that waves of light and love are rippling out into the world from each person present. This energy is contributing to the growth of peace and harmony on earth!

Some will wonder how mere feelings can have any effect on the state of the world. Just think about how heavy you feel when you are angry, fearful, or worried. These emotions lower our energy and consequently the vibratory rate of our environment. By the same token, think how light you feel when you are in gratitude or full of love, joy, and appreciation! Many people are realizing how our attitudes and feelings effect the world we live in, and so they are making an effort to enjoy and appreciate all the little moments in their lives.

So, going back to wedding ceremonies - I recognize that it is a great honor for me, as a wedding celebrant, to be an important member of the wedding, over and over. So far this spring and summer I have pronounced twelve couples to be united in blessed matrimony, and there will be at least 14 more, including my daughter and future son-in-law! Each bride and groom brings his and her unique personalities to the ceremony creation process, and it's always fun to witness the results.

There was the bride who wore a bright aqua wedding gown with her white veil and tropical-colored flowers. The groom hailed from New Zealand, and so for the wine sharing ritual they combined wines from New Zealand and New York to symbolize the blending of their two lives. Then they took turns stomping on the glass - even though neither one of them is Jewish!

Another couple had roots in Iceland and Ireland, so for them I created a honey-mead ritual to honor the cultures of these countries. In days of old, newlyweds in Ireland and Iceland would spend a month together drinking honey mead, and so the term for "honeymoon" was born. I don't know if my bride and groom drank it all month, but they shared a cup of honey mead at the wedding and said it was quite tasty!

On the evening of July 7th, a couple came to my home to be married in my back yard. This is what I wrote for the opening to their little ceremony: 

"We have gathered together for the marriage of Susan Smith and Ronald Brown at 7:07, on the 7^th day of the 7^th month of the year. This has always been a special date for Ron and Susan, and after today they will celebrate it as their wedding anniversary. Seven is a significant number in many ways. There are seven colors in the rainbow, seven notes in the musical scale, and seven days in a week. The Eastern mystics tell us there are seven chakras or spiritual centers in the body. Because of its connection with music, light, and subtle energy, seven is considered to be the number of spirit. A marriage that is born on this day of sevens is certain to be one in which husband and wife will love each other at the deep soul level – completely and unconditionally."

The next wedding I performed, again in my back yard, was for two women who had been together for twelve years, just waiting for the first day that they could be legally married in New York. I believe the fact that they could get married now, and legalize the commitment they had already made in their hearts and minds (and two other states!), is a sign that the world is becoming a kinder, gentler place. As more people spend more time feeling gratitude, love, appreciation, and joy, the world will continue to grow more peaceful and harmonious.. Participating in weddings is one way to create good vibes for the world, but there are many other ways, and each of us can contribute in the ways that feel best to us.