ded•i•cate v. ded-i-keyt; adj. ded-i-kit]
–verb (used with object)
 
1. to set apart and consecrate to a deity or to a sacred purpose
2. to devote wholly and earnestly
3. to offer formally…in testimony of affection or respect
4. to mark the official completion or opening…usually by formal ceremonies.
5. to set aside for or assign to a specific function, task, or purpose.

A dedication ceremony is a very powerful way to link up your Story-Beads with whatever practice you’re looking to pursue.

The dictionary defines “dedicate” as “to set apart and consecrate to a deity or to a sacred purpose.” Spiritual practices, whether writing, retreating, meditating or self-improvement all fall under the category of “a sacred purpose.” When I formally dedicate my Story-Beads to a practice I am recognizing the sacred nature of it. A dedication ceremony brings into focus the promise I’m making not only to myself but to That Which Is Bigger. To dedicate myself to a practice brings the promise to a whole new level – one of sacred contract. When I go the extra step and dedicate myself to a practice I am allying myself to the Sacred and opening myself up to support that I might not find muddling through on my own.

The dictionary goes on to say that to dedicate is “to devote wholly and earnestly.” When I work with my beads as a symbol of my dedication they remind me of my desire to devote myself wholly and earnestly to my practice. At times that desire may lie close to the surface and be effortless to pursue. At other times that desire is buried under a pile of laundry three feet high waiting to be folded, not to mention the dishes in the sink and the cookies calling to me from the cabinet. When life stands squarely between me and that original, deeper desire it becomes infinitely more difficult to pursue.

My Story-Beads remind me that once upon a time, for a brief moment before the laundry, I was in touch with a deeper knowing, an intuition. I had found something that was important, something that I needed to do because it would nurture my soul. It was something I chose to consecrate – to make holy – to recognize the importance of. By connecting my Story-Beads with that intuition I acknowledge its importance and hopefully keep it from getting lost in my day to day routine. I touch them and I know that what would be best for me is to ignore the laundry for twenty minutes and go write. I see them and remember the weight I want to lose, so I grab the bag of carrots instead of the bag of cookies.

To dedicate – “to offer formally…in testimony of affection or respect.” Dedication is an act of self-love and self-respect. It’s not your beads you’re dedicating – it’s yourself. A dedication ceremony acknowledges your deeper knowing, holds those deepest desires as sacred and carves out space for them.

Examples of Dedications

• I retreat once a month. I dedicate myself to this practice each year when I begin working with a new set of yearly beads.
• I am a writer. It’s what I do. It’s my spiritual practice and my vocation. It’s good for my soul and I know it but often I have trouble getting myself to sit down and do it. I need extra support and I find it in the writer’s set that I have dedicated to my writing practice/process.
• I want to stop beating myself up for the short-comings of my body. I also want to eat in a way that supports my emotional well being. To remember these wants amid the distractions of my busy day, I dedicated a set of Nourish Your Soul beads and hang them in my kitchen window so I see them throughout my day and on every trip to the fridge.
• I want to remember what I learned during my weeklong retreat, surrounded by circle sisters who recognized my soul and nurtured me. I want to remember: to receive, and not just give and give; to rest my weary soul, and not just push, push, push; to love my body for all the great stuff it can do, like create Story-Beads! For this I have dedicated a remembrance set to remind me of those days and my commitment to living into those realizations.

How to Perform a Dedication Ceremony

Dedication ceremonies can take infinite shapes and forms. Every ceremony follows the same pattern: the creation or acknowledgement of sacred space; the declaring of an intention, or the why of the ceremony; the body of the ritual, or what you actually do; and a closing. Here are two slightly different versions to get you started:

For my birthday I did a dedication ceremony:

I created sacred space: I closed the bedroom door. I lit candles. I set up an altar with my beads and a symbol of the Divine. I asked the energies of the four directions and Spirit to be present. I took a bath.

I declared my intention: I outlined and asked for help on all the things I wanted to accomplish in the upcoming year.

In the body of my ritual: I dressed up and put on make-up (a rarity for me.) I sat by my altar and wrote on index cards in indelible marker all the things I wanted to accomplish in the upcoming year. I made my beads and promised myself I would retreat once a month. I sat in the warm sunlight pouring in my bedroom window and rested.

I closed my ritual: I ate a peach and drank water. I let the candles burn down and put a pearl in the candle wax. I thanked all the energies I had called and released then. I tucked away my cards. I went and picked up my son from pre-school and carried on with the rest of my day.

Suzie did a dedication ceremony:

Suzie’s intention was to link up her prayer beads with the powerful and moving experience she had at a week-long creativity retreat.

She went out to her special “secret” spot that she had stumbled upon early in the week, a place where a little waterfall emptied into a pond. She rested her beads on the rocks, basking in the sunlight that infused both her and her beads. She thought about everything that had happened during the week and everything she wanted to remember. The warm feeling inside her grew and grew; she picked up her beads and put all that warmth and positive energy into her beads. She imagined it flowing from inside of her, through her heart, out her hands and into her beads. She focused on those sensations for a few minutes more, closed with a simple but heartfelt “thank you” and joined the rest of the group.

One of the things I take great pleasure in doing is intuitively designing ceremonies and rituals to meet people’s needs. If you have a question or would like some advice on designing a ritual around a set of Story-Beads please email me here.

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