A Weekend of Ceremonies
Ceremonies Nourish the Spirit and Soul
Declaration of Eternal Union
ב×ַשערט
Bashert
Destined, predestined, fated, meant to be.
We have chosen to create our own ceremony and to write our own vows for the declaration portion of our wedding weekend.
The ceremony and its structure are inspired by both of our connections and love for the Earth, the Elements, our Families and each other. Instead of bridemaids and groomsmen, there are 4 women representing the four elements and 4 men representing the 4 directions. Every aspect of our ceremony is derived from the meaning of harmony: harmony between the sexes, harmony in the environment and harmony between heritage and tradition. Thus you will find that there is an equal number of men and women in the ceremony.
There is no single religious faith, dogma or doctrine presiding over our ceremony. We have chosen the essence of Life and the Spirit of Universal Creation as a guiding presence. Out of a deep reverence for Devin’s Jewish ancestry and current spiritual path, we will observe a number of Jewish wedding traditions. Our wedding bands are engraved with the Yiddish word Bashert (pronounced basheert), which means soulmate, destined, fated, and meant to be. The Hebrew spelling of Bashert is written above.
Two of our closest and most trusted friends will be officiating the ceremony on our special day. One is a man, the other, a woman.
Due to the sheer size of our wedding, we have chosen to have two ceremonies
- During the day - a solar ceremony (the primary declaration on Saturday morning)
- In the evening - a lunar ceremony (occuring some time after the bonfire is lit and the moon is out on Saturday evening)
This allows for all to be present for at least one of the ceremonies.
The Summer Solstice
Celebrating the Summer Solstice
With the warmth of the season caressing the land, the celebration of the Summer Solstice brings forth a truly joyous recognition that we can now enjoy the fruits of our labors in the past season. It is not surprising that this same spirit of pleasure and fun had carried over into our modern-day recognition of this, the longest day of the year.The Summer Solstice is a time of light and of fire. It is a time to reflect upon the growth of the season: the seeds that were planted in the earth and the seeds planted in our souls. It is a time of cleansing and renewal. It is a time of love and growth as well.
Understanding the Summer Solstice
The summer solstice falls close to June 21. The longest day of the year the daytime hours are at a maximum in the Northern hemisphere, and night time is at a minimum. It is officially the first day of summer.
Return to The Heart - A Fire Effigy Celebrating Love and Compassion.
Upon darkness, we will burn a structure in the tradition of the burner spirit: respect, release and revelry.This effigy is a metaphor for compassion and love above the physical world. As we burn away the physical world, what we discover is the heart. The heart is the source-connection to the divine grace of love and compassion for all living things.
Guests are invited to leave their message of love and compassion to be burnt with the structure. It is our hope to treat this burn with reverence and spiritual introspect as we celebrate the union of marriage and our collective desire for a-world-waiting-to-be-born, where compassion guides our conscience above material and personal gain.
The structure will be built using 15 sheets of premium negative-space 4 by 8 sheets of wood from the Carpenters Union Training Center with an interior structure from SOFA EXPO. All this wood was salvaged. Additional materials are paper, fabric, twine and sheet metal. The objective is to use as much recycled and as little toxic material as possible as we consult with fellow fire experts.
We welcome cord-wood, kindling, bails and other forms of natural combustibles from those with such resources.
Namaste,
Philamonjaro and CKurt
If you have any questions or want to donate materials please email
“Phillip Solomonson“