A few simple tools of the trade.
Ceremonies
& Rituals
with Emily
To schedule a Consultation or ask a quesion:
P: 716.725.7184
E: EmilyBallLMT@gmail.com
The focus and goal of my Ritual & Ceremonial practice is holding space in harmony and working towards the best outcome for my clients. These spiritual events are customized to the individual occasions and people involved.
Ceremonies
To me, ceremonies are celebrations and acknowledgements of a significant change that is upcoming or has taken place. These can be personal goals achieved or aims of a spiritual nature. I am honored to have participated in and led a variety of deeply spiritual non-denominational ceremonies and rituals for over two decades. As for belief systems, my faith is in the interconnectedness of all things, with no particular religion in the forefront and all religions bearing relevance.
Some ceremonies I’ve performed combine well with my massage therapy and/or reiki expertise, such as actively participating in transitions of birth or death. I also have experience in performing weddings, house blessings, cleansings and warding; Earth-based semi-religious ceremonies & rituals, Full & New Moon ceremonies, and animal passings. Most ceremonies I’ve had the pleasure of participating in have been what many would consider “casual”: not in a church, light in ritual, etc., though I have taken part in formal weddings involving a variety of religions.
At the HEAT Center’s Niagara St location and beyond, I facilitated monthly New Moon Ceremonies from 2017-2019 . These Ceremonies held elements of ritual combined with psychological exercises intended for looking deeper into shadow aspects of the self as well as guided meditation and space holding for self-initiated, shamanic-style internal journeys.
With 30 years of experience in ceremonies and accumulated knowledge of mysteries, the current value of one hour of my time in crafting personal ceremonies is generally $150. I am willing to negotiate cost with anyone that is sincere about working in ceremony, I would rather they have ceremony in their lives!
General Ceremony Layout
This is a basic framework, the very least we will accomplish in your personal ceremony.
Opening: Welcoming resolved ancestors & whomever else you requested & stating why we are gathering in ceremony.
Acknowledging your personal goal or focus for the ceremony.
Asking resolved ancestors & whomever you requested for help in your pursuits
Closing: Gratitude
Other aspects that may be of use in your ceremony:
Any energy healing that may need to take place. This is generally to remove possible blocks to whatever purpose you dialed in for your ceremony.
An internal journey asking resolved ancestors & whomever else you requested to help guide and protect you as you evolve through a specific mental exercise during the ceremony.
A guided meditation. These generally focus on one area where strength or courage needs to be built, or where further release needs to happen.
Ceremonies generally last between one and two hours.
Alongside focusing on your personal goals and the purpose of the ceremony, some other things I take into consideration when crafting ceremonies are:
Specific god(s), goddess(es) or deity(ies) that you work with, or those you are interested in asking to participate in this ceremony which are acknowledged in the opening of the ceremony. There's no judgment here! I consider all religions and spiritual practices relevant so long as they have genuine meaning for you.
Any specific ancestors that you'd like to invite. We can ask them to be present for witness, guidance, and support through your ceremony.
Payment plans. No matter your economic status, a ceremony can be achieved.
New to Ceremonies or Looking for a Specific Ceremony?
Meet & Greet your Resolved Ancestors, Guardians or Spirit Helpers
Since Ceremonies usually involve working with resolved ancestors, guardians & spirit helpers, one of the beginning ceremonies we can do is a meet & greet! For quality, I’ve found it’s best to meet with one of these aspects at a time. With patience and guidance we can enter sacred space and request that a resolved ancestor, a guardian or a spirit helper who is ready to make themselves known come forth. With genuine respect and honor, you two would have the opportunity to meet and share with each other.
This can be a very empowering ceremony. All of these beings quite literally have your spiritual back, and this is a chance to offer thanks and develop a relationship with them.
Once this ceremony is complete you will have a more direct line to work with these allies. You can meditate to them and request guidance, you can offer them thanks as often as you like, you can ask them to surround you in times of great emotional turmoil or danger.
This type of ceremony may include a guided meditation and/or an internal journey.
Honoring Your Personal Growth
Often times, when we make a sincere endeavor to grow, our efforts can’t be seen and are rarely recognized. Making meaningful investments in our personal growth can feel like a lost part of ourselves coming home. Let’s welcome those back!
These ceremonies can offer you space to acknowledge your efforts and:
what those efforts mean to your present and future
what sacrifices you have made in order to make positive changes in your life and how these changes have impacted your relationships
offer you space to mourn the parts of the self that you willingly leave behind
acknowledge how your positive changes will have a meaningful impact on the future of everything
We will work with your resolved ancestors and spirit helpers in their seat of witness and ask for assistance if that is required during this ceremony. This type of ceremony may include a Coherence Energy Healing segment, a guided meditation and/or an internal journey.
Your Personal Ceremony
Your ceremony starts with your desire to mark an occasion. This could be an acknowledgement of your personal growth in any or all aspects of your life, or something more specific.
To begin our journey together I will email you a short list of questions to help dial in the focus for your ceremony.
A follow up phone call or online consultation may be necessary to make sure your goals and purpose are understood and articulated.
I then take time to craft the ceremony. This includes the layout or framework, who is invited from which realms, and action items based on our conversations. I then present this to you along with a cost analysis.
After we reach an agreement and settle on a date for your ceremony, I continue to be available to answer questions leading up to our time together.
On our chosen date, I lead your ceremony either virtually or in person with you according to the uniquely crafted design.
After the Ceremony is complete, I will send you an invoice to be paid upon receipt.
Celebrations, Acknowledgements, Transitions
Honoring your personal growth*
Marriage or Union preparation ritual, ceremony*
Acknowledgement of Change: coming of age, gender transition, menses or menopause onset, elderhood
Birth preparation ritual, labor support*, home celebration ceremony
Death preparation ritual*, transition ceremony, celebration of life & honorable closure *
Honoring losses: relationship separation, beloveds who crossed over years ago, miscarriages. *
Home Blessings*, Home Wardings*, Home Cleansings*
New and Full Moon Ceremonies*
General Blessing and Focus Ritual for a Large Group of People that Gather Together* (think tribe or coven)
* = ceremonies and rituals that I have direct experience with
Rituals
In my work, rituals are utilized when there is a desired outcome for an event. This could be a work promotion, a birth, looking for new living arrangements, seeking help from our guides about making a decision or if we feel we need extra protection for a period of time. These are petitions to the Divine for a specific result. Many rituals require sacrifices or offerings to specific deities. If you’re unsure about your dieties and what they require to work with them, then I urge you to consider a ceremony rather than a ritual until you’re better aquinted.
A General Ritual Layout
Below is a basic framework. The details of your or your groups ritual will be specific and honed through consultation.
Specify what the ritual's purpose is: The ritual begins with a few words on why it is being held in the first place, with emphasis on the spiritual significance of the event and the goal of the ritual.
Say a prayer: Ask a higher power to bless of all those involved in the ritual. For example, you could petition the universal divine, the elements that help create and maintain our lives, and/or a specific deity you’d like to work with.
Emphasize your desired transformation: Participants may share words on how they expect things to change because of this ritual, while also acknowledging the change about to take place.
Perform transformational aspect of the ritual: It's the moment everyone's been waiting for, time to convey to all those present exactly what is transforming. This can be accomplished through a mix of symbols, actions, and recitation. This is also a time in the ritual when things that were planned in detail may change. We are working with divine beings - asking for their help and assuming they know more than we do. Therefore, they may nudge us to alter our plans a little (or a lot). It’s nice to leave some time and space for intuitive guidance in this portion of the event.
The ritual's close: Give thanks whatever spiritual being you spoke to at the outset and all present for participating. Ease the ritual to an uplifting end.