The Way of Ceremony

A Prayer for How We Gather

We take this time to talk about the ceremony each time.
These things are often hard to remember, but try—
they are part of the container for your healing.
And your healing is our healing.

My prayer is to communicate what I can from what I’ve learned, in a good way.
I say it with love for all of us—with a prayer to let this all continue,
with a prayer for us to make it all a little easier for each other,
a little more beautiful, and a little more honoring of Spirit, ancestors, and each other.

No one is in trouble. No one is wrong.
We will protect the sacredness of the ceremony, the altar, and the medicine.

Opening Invocation & Intention

Honor the lineage: Rosebud Reservation — Norbert Running, adopted Eagle Bear, George’s teacher.

Aho – your prayer is my prayer. Agreement, affirmation, reverence.

Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ – for all our relations. Recognize interconnectedness. Our prayers are for everyone.

En hochica – vulnerable people praying together. Sacred space. People who humbly ask for help, learning to recover.

Kikta po – wake up! Honor the medicine. Sit up, pay attention. Be ready. Align yourself to receive.

Pilamayaye – you make me grateful.

Wopila – gratitude, giving thanks.

 

The Way of Being Here

This is a ceremony. You haven’t done this one before. Let it inform you.

All are welcome who come in a good way.
You chose to be here. Be here in a good way.

If you don’t know—and err on the side of considering that you might not know—ask, learn, pass it on.
Don’t forget to include yourself in the good way. No martyrs.

This is not performance. This is presence.
Tune in, don’t tune out. The more you align, the more you receive.
Ask for help when you need it. Give help when you can.
No one is above the work. We are all beginners.

Sacred Reciprocity & Participation

Learn how to be inside a living altar.
This is moment-to-moment presence.

Don’t just watch. Participate.
Everything matters—how you arrive, how you sit, how you walk, how you pray, how you clean up.

We are learning to live in sacred community.
Be in right relationship with each other, the space, and the unseen.

The Practice of Prayer

Praying is not dumping. It’s not performing.
Don’t tell stories about yourself. It’s between you and Creator.

Say what’s hard. Ask for help—that is most helpful.
Do not get lost and forget where you are and what you are doing.

Ask yourself: Is this the truest prayer I can make? Can I go deeper?
Vulnerability is a gift—not a performance, not a proving ground.
Keep your prayer concise and true. If you need help closing, ask.

Respect time. Ten minutes maximum per prayer.

Respecting the Altar & the Home

This dome is a sanctuary. Treat it with reverence.
Keep your belongings together and organized.
Leave the bathroom better than you found it.
Clean as you go. Make beauty.

Ask before acting. There is a specific way for everything.
How can I do this in a good way?

Learning from the Circle

Some of us over-consider the group and under-consider ourselves.
Some do the reverse. This is a place to practice balance.

Notice what’s working. Study it. Let the circle teach you how to be.
Learn by listening, watching, observing. There is always more to learn.

Remember: many hands make light work.

Being in Right Relationship with the Medicine

It’s not “What can the medicine do for me?”
It’s “What can I learn from this mystery?”

Soften. Open. Allow.
The medicine is the teacher. You are the student.
Approach with reverence, not control.

Bring offerings—to the water, the plants, the spirit.
Let yourself be taught how to ask for help.

The Body as Ceremony

Ask yourself: How do I want to inhabit my body as a woman? As a human?
Be present in your physicality. Let your body be the prayer.

Support your nervous system. Take care of your body as part of the collective.
Awareness is healing. Awareness transforms.

Hard and Beautiful

Ceremonies are hard. They are supposed to be.
What is given freely is often forgotten.

We are walking the beauty way—even in the challenge.
Everyone’s threshold for hard and fun is different. Respect that.
Let the hardship carve you deeper into prayer.

Healing Ego, Gender & Cultural Awareness

No one is special. No one is exempt.

Patriarchy has made men feel complete and entitled without learning.
Women often carry more, quietly. We are healing that.

Let us not perpetuate this here.
Don’t overpraise men. Don’t withhold from yourself.
This is a circle of equity and shared work.

Closing Reminders

Don’t swear. Speak sacredly.
Be on time. It matters.
Use the whole day to pray.

You can offer gratitude by supporting this church.
It is a legacy of generosity—a place of real healing.

The altar is alive. It is watching you as you are watching it.

Final Words

You are not here to prove anything. You are here to remember.
You’ve never done this ceremony before.
Let it change you.
Let it teach you.
Let it heal you.