Hello! My name is Emily (she/her) and I offer ceremonies for people who feel a spiritual connection with nature, however they define or describe that.
The ceremony I write for you is bespoke, using rituals, imagery, symbolism, and values that are in line with your connection to the earth and to spirit. My work is very much tailored to the physical ceremonial space I am working in, and I love to bring the ‘spirits of place’ into the ceremony: the history of the land and the landscape, as well as the energy of the season. I weave those into the ceremony so it feels grounded in that place and time, and in the story of those I am working with, both in your journey to date and in your dreams for the future. The ceremony is very much co-created, so the rituals we choose, the words I use, and the words said to each other are deeply meaningful to you. I’m also always happy to find ways to include the people (both human and non-human) who are most important to you, if you would like a role for them in the ceremony.
I trained as a celebrant with the School of Celebrancy in the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids, and with the Fellowship of Professional Celebrants. I am also a member of OBOD, the founder and co-ordinator of Elder & Gorse Druid Grove in Edinburgh, and I recently trained as a labyrinth facilitator with Veriditas. As a celebrant approved by the Scottish Pagan Federation, I am proud to be able to solemnise legal marriages and civil partnership ceremonies for same-sex and mixed-sex couples anywhere in Scotland. I am also a member of SICA, the Scottish Independent Celebrants’ Association, through which I am insured, PVG-checked, and regularly participate in peer review.
Originally from Canada, I grew up where the prairies meet the Rocky Mountains. I completed undergraduate and master’s degrees in Anthropology and went on to earn a doctorate in Environmental Studies from York University in Toronto. I moved to the UK for love in 2015 and now live with my family in beautiful Midlothian, just outside of Edinburgh. Meeting new people, hearing their stories, and finding ways to bring heartfelt magic into their rite of passage truly brings me joy. In my work as a celebrant, I use the curiosity, listening, writing, and presenting skills that I honed throughout my career as an anthropologist, and combine these with more than 20 years of experience writing, leading, and holding sacred space for group ceremony in Pagan communities.
Please do get in touch if you feel that my approach to ceremony would be a good fit for you. You can find out more about working with me through my website.