Funerary Celebrancy~

What is end of life celebrancy? It can be end of life care, funeral and memorial services or celebration of life events ~there are many options. Nowadays, you can approach your end of life with dignity and compassionate spiritual support, design exactly the ceremony you or your loved one wants with or without an 'official' funeral. Even if it is you that is needing the end of life support, this process of creating such an important celebration of someone’s life can be overwhelming for families–especially if you are planning the ceremony while you are the one grieving. To help support this time of transition, many people now turn to a funeral celebrant or funeral officiant. End of Life Celebrancy can begin at any point you or a loved one is ready to prepare and transition into this part of life. Celebrants are sometimes called into service years before a death, in palliative / hospice care or after a death has occurred. A celebrant is trained to help the dying and or the bereaved through this transition with support and dignity.

"Funeral celebrants also known as funeral officiants are professionals who work with families to design custom personalized funerals and memorial ceremonies. The celebrant’s role is to make sure that the ceremony reflects the deceased’s personality, culture, values, and wishes." Source~ Funeral Wise.

Celebrants are trained and experienced in personalizing ceremonies in accordance with the wishes and needs of the families they work with. Even though we often associate funeral officiants with ceremonies that are secular, many are also trained in conducting spiritual and religious services. In fact, it is not uncommon to find funeral celebrants who are ordained ministers. The main point is that a funeral celebrant or funeral officiant will work with you to create a ceremony that is highly personalized and reflects the wishes of the deceased and his or her family.

Do You Need To Work With a End of Life Celebrant?

Individuals and Families choose to work with a celebrant for any number of reasons. A key benefit is that having access to someone with a celebrant’s expertise can be a great comfort and support during a time of dying and grief. These professionals have the training, knowledge, and skills to help you with end of life spiritual support for the dying and can help create a truly unique once-in-a-lifetime ceremony, and you can rest easy knowing that you’ll have the ceremony you want within the timeframe and budget you set.

Celebrants work in collaboration with you since you are the one who knows your loved one best. They know the questions to ask, the issues that may arise, and how to work with people who are grieving.

Celebrants and funeral directors often work together on funeral arrangements and the elements of a service. If you are working with a funeral home and are interested in using a celebrant or officiant, consult with your funeral director. If they do not have someone on staff who is a trained celebrant, they may be able to refer you to someone who is.

When it comes to planning the ceremony, celebrants and funeral directors do many of the same things. However, these are two distinctly different professions.

Funeral directors have the technical training to handle the care and preparation of the deceased, including embalming. Celebrants are not trained to handle these aspects of a funeral.
Celebrants may focus specifically on supportive end of life spiritual care, personalizing the funeral memorial ceremonies. Their certification involves many hours of training to develop the skills to help the dying and bereaved families at a time of loss and to personalize services that reflect the lifestyle and individuality of the person being honored.
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Choosing a funeral celebrant or funeral officiant is much like choosing any other professional. Each has his or her unique approach and style. Much of your decision will have to do with how compatible you think you are with the celebrant. There are questions you can ask and factors to consider that can help you narrow down your choices. Reputable celebrants are happy to answer questions and provide references. They want their clients to be fully informed and confident about their services.

The funeral celebrant profession is relatively new to the U.S. It took hold in Australia in the mid-70s where it grew from the practice of using secular professionals to officiate at weddings. Today we find funeral celebrants and officiants practicing worldwide.

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As your end of life / funeral celebrant I will provide you with my spiritual support, kindness, compassion and my keen ability to listen to your voice and to your spirit whilst upon this journey.

My commitment is to walk the path of Funeral Celebrant with honor, dignity and respect to each I serve. With my experience not only as a Spiritual mentor / non denominational minister but as a hospice spiritual care assistant for human and animal kind, I will be able to help you and your families navigate the path of death and dying with creativity, compassion and gentle direction. I think and visualize very diversely and am a good storyteller as well as an enthusiastic listener. I am humble in sharing of the truth with others and as such I work well as mediator, seeing all sides of a situation to be able to problem solve for good balance. Utilizing one of my best assets I see/feel others I work with not for their class, color etc. but for their Soul/Spirit, to serve and celebrate them as the beautiful energy they are.
As an empathic and caring person, I will do my best in supporting the dying and the bereaved.

And lastly as an Interior Designer, I hope to work side by side with those in need to visualize, create and transform the spaces and environments to blend their mundane and spiritual needs, manifesting Sacred Space accordingly.

With humility I look forward to being of service to you and yours.

About Me~

Our strength lies in our individuality. As an Intuitive I am aware of the distinct privilege it is to serve the needs of others and to extend the most supportive services when they are in need. I have over 25+ years of experience in the field of spiritual services as an ordained minister, Intuitive healer, spiritual life consultant and advisor. I have been a Druid Grade Member of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids of Sussex, England since 2008 and have received my certificate in Funeral Celebrancy through their extended education courses. I previously worked as a spiritual mentor and advisor in my spiritual community in Michigan. I have been a spiritual support assistant in palliative / hospice care for humans and animals alike for 20+ years.

I find my path one of a more humanist/philosophical foundation. I am a believer in Truth and Divine ways of Nature as we live out our individual and collective journeys here on this Earth. I am 52 years old~ a Woman of conviction, balanced morals, spiritual integrity and an Awen Enthusiast. I believe in Philosophy over religion as Philosophies allow us to learn and live freely from the knowledge attained thus becoming wise. I believe we have the right to live our lives free of dogmatic control by living with good virtues ~ similarly as the Stoics of the past have ~ through Wisdom* Courage * Justice * Temperance . This choice is of the individual to make and I respect all faiths and their members. I have always striven to help others to find the correct path to the Higher Self and to Great Spirit / All / Creator etc. I also respectfully support the right to not believe in any of those paths.

I recently went back to school to attain my certification in Interior Design and Decor after being a lifelong enthusiast of the field. I use my gifts and talents in this design career combined with my intuitive and spiritual path to help create sacred spaces for the body, mind and spirit of my fellow Earthlings. I work passionately to bring Balance to these spaces with Function * Mood * Harmony .

I have been a lover and rescuer of animals since my childhood. I have rescued over 100 kitties here at Ravenwyck some finding new adoptive families and some living their lives out with us. I have holistically / herbally helped to heal those that were sick and gave comfort to those that were terminal. We have always given the animal the dignified support at the end of their lives choosing comfort care over euthanasia unless absolutely necessary. As with humans, I believe it is imperative to allow the Spirit / Soul to leave when it is ready on their own terms.

When I'm not mentoring or cat wrangling I enjoy reading books on Quantum Physics, Woman's Health ( Menopause ) Stoicism, Medieval History and Poetry. I am an avid researcher into my genealogy. I am addicted to fountain pens and ink so I journal daily for myself and have journals I share with family and friends. I love Classical music of all genre. I am an herbalist taught by my mother and have organic gardens throughout our land. I am a Sagittarius Sun, Aquarius Moon and Gemini Rising Astrologically. I am a Mother to my beautiful Arielle and a life long companion to my beloved Michael.

Aine Marie Ouellette

Founder / Celebrant / Interior designer

My mission~

I will strive to share my knowledge from teachings and experiences with you and to use my gifts as a Spiritual mentor/minister and intuitive to guide and support you during such emotional times in the most loving, compassionate and humble ways possible. I will strive to deeply see and sense you and your loved ones and to be moved and inspired by yours and their Soul/Spirit. It is deeply important to me to know who you/they are/were as a beautiful energy during this life as an Earthling allowing us a good rapport as we journey on this path together.

And lastly should the need arise and time is allowing; I hope to work side by side with each of you to visualize, create and transform the spaces and environments to suit your mundane and spiritual needs, manifesting the most Sacred Spaces accordingly.

Visions for the Future....

I believe that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. But the teacher can come in many forms and pathways. Books, music, a seemingly random comment made by a stranger on the street, a symbol seen in passing clouds above....these are all teachers if we let the knowledge in and dig deep into the lessons with humility. Teachers are everywhere if we only open up to their presence.

My vision is to help the world be a better balanced and healing space by assisting others in connecting with the most accurate support that they need in life. I hope to educate those with Truth, Love and Divine Knowledge. I wish to see all stages of life be honored with respect and dignity allowing our spirits / souls to flourish even at the end of this life. I hope to share my love and understanding with others in need in good times and in challenging ones. If I can inspire just one person to find courage and strength...to follow their divine inclinations in life...encourage others to set healthy boundaries and learn to love themselves more unconditionally~ I am doing my job. Although I believe that we are the only ones that can heal / save ourselves from our wounds, I firmly believe that without some kind of support system we will be trapped in those wounds. Where we put our attention matters. My vision is to help others connect to the Divine energy in this world and find the true support on their paths. The Universe allows us to build from the field of Infinite possibilities from our thought seeds and the energy that flows with those seeds. When we have a support person or persons or another form of support we have their thought seeds upon our well being it then amplifies and flows more quantitatively in our life. And thusly allowing us to energize our well being and in turn heal and be healed. We all need support, without that we cannot thrive. Period. I hope to be that support to those that are truly in need and share respect and integrity for our time together.

"Our Live Are Not Our Own. We Are Bound To Others, Past And Present, And By Each Crime And Every Kindness, We Birth Our Future" ~ David Mitchell Cloud Atlas

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