The past few Mays, it seems like I’ve stumbled into wedding season. In the last three years, I have had the good fortune to attend three beautiful weddings, one of which I officiated. The ritual of a marriage ceremony, no matter how formal or casual, is a powerful type of community energy raising, and the more I work magic alone and in a group, the more I’ve come to love weddings.
Love is an incredibly powerful force, and weddings celebrate an abundance of love. It’s not just about the love of the couple, as the minister at last weekend’s wedding reminded the guests; weddings are a celebration of community, built on the love of the couple and strengthened by the love of their family and friends.
The ceremony itself, whether in a church, a park, or a family home, is an act of creating sacred space; the bubble that surrounds a wedding is much like the one that exists in a ritual circle, and as in formal magic, the intentions and energy of all people present combine to create the experience of the wedding.
I’ve been to church weddings and Pagan weddings, simple weddings and grand weddings, and there are amazing moments of beauty in each and every one. Since my own wedding nearly six years ago, I’ve noticed another aspect of the magic of weddings; no matter how different they are, each wedding my husband and I attend together sends us back in time to our own vows, leaving us misty eyed and mushy. That feeling cuts through whatever stress may have accompanied the celebration, at least for me, and that’s truly magical. I can only imagine what is going through the minds of other wedding guests while I’m strolling down memory lane, but the outpouring of love from all sides is tangible at each wedding I’ve attended.
Our lives are so busy, so rushed, so stressful, and it’s rare that we slow down, with our community, to simply breathe love for a day. That, I think, is what makes weddings so powerful. And who’s to say that the energy raised in the space of a nuptial ceremony doesn’t pulse and ripple into the universe, sending a jolt of love out away from our community and into the world? There are always effects from conscious energy raising, and I hope the ripples from every joyful wedding carry love far and wide.
I think that all events that bring people together, whether for celebration or sadness, are powerfully charged. As we slide into wedding season this summer, ask yourself what you bring to rituals of love and commitment that you participate in. Whatever you offer to the lovers and the universe, do it with a joyful heart.
The Busy Witch is published on alternate Tuesdays. Follow it via RSS or e-mail!
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