Ceremonial Training: The Elements of Ritual
Join us for a 6 week guided journey exploring the roots of ritual and the framework of ceremony within a compassionate community of care. We will draw from the five elements, our sensory experiences, and the collective power of storytelling.
Why
Together we will explore our relationship with ritual and ceremony. With a strong lens on decolonization, we will explore the symbols and metaphors associated with rituals and the five elements, as well as the modern needs and opportunities for reimagining ceremony to mark visible and invisible rites of passage.
When
This training takes place over six weeks, with live virtual sessions on Sundays 10am - 12pm PT (1pm - 3pm ET) and prompts throughout the week to deepen the learning. We encourage you to join live to co-create the community experience, yet the sessions are recorded if you miss a session. The next cohort will run from Sunday Sept 13th to Oct 18th 2026.
Where
We host our weekly workshops + gatherings on Zoom. We have a virtual classroom that connects us throughout the 6 week journey, including a community forum to share ideas, ask questions and connect with one another. All recordings, notes, slides and resources will be added to the virtual classroom and made available each week.
What
Each week will follow a similar format: Opening ritual ~ Connecting ~ Learning (with slides) ~ Sharing ~ Questions ~ Closing ritual. You will have access to the recording each week, along with slides, resources, a community chat, and an opportunity to stay connected to the group after the training is completed.
Who
This course is ideal for anyone wanting to deepen your own understanding about ritual and ceremony and connect with others in a community of care. It is designed for both newcomers to the ceremonial space as well as those who have been creating ceremonies for themselves and for others. There is a focus on sharing and witnessing so we can learn with and from each other.
Investment
The cost for this 6 week course is $450 USD (or $450 CAD for Canadians) Your tuition includes access to all live workshops + recordings, presentation notes, reflection prompts, resources and a community forum. For those facing financial challenges, you can apply for a $100 subsidy.
Winter 2026 ~ Application
Course Overview
Session 1: Earth
Opening gathering to connect and ground as a community, with a focus on grounding and the earth element.
Session 2: Water
Diving into the element of water, we will explore rituals that heal and cleanse, with a focus on grief and loss rituals.
Session 3: Fire
Exploring the element of fire and rituals that fuel and ignite us, we will focus on the role of storytelling in ceremony.
Session 4: Air
Tapping into the air element, we will explore rituals that move and shift us, with a focus on time, cycles and seasons.
Session 5: Ether
Exploring the ether element and the rituals that expand and connect us, with a focus on how to construct a ceremony.
Session 6: Closing
You will co-create the closing ceremony to share what you’ve learned and experienced as a community of care.
Presented by:
Megan Sheldon
Megan is a Humanist Celebrant, Cultural Mythologist, and End of Life Doula. She is also the co-founder of Be Ceremonial, the world's first self-guided ritual app. She's been crafting and convening ceremonies across the life cycle for years, with a focus on grief and loss. She is inspired to explore the evolving nature of ritual, especially in connection with the less visible moments of change and transition.
FAQs
This 6 week online course involves different types of learning: we will learn from ourselves, from each other, and from our course facilitator, Megan. There will be slides shared along with the recording each week, and an opportunity to connect with fellow participants during our 6 weeks together.
Each week, the session will follow a similar outline:
~ Welcome + opening ritual
~ Knowledge offering and theme exploration
~ Breakout sessions for more intimate conversations
~ Group Q & A
~ A closing ritual
Each session will be recorded and made available to the group the following day. If you can’t join a session (or any of them live) you can still access the same information and learnings. You will miss the breakout session each week, and an opportunity to ask questions in real time, but you can email questions ahead of time and we will answer them during the session.
This course is designed for anyone wanting to learn more about ritual and ceremony. It’s designed with a beginner mindset, although most participants will likely have some ritual and ceremony experience. We recommend watching our free Introduction to Ceremony workshop in the App before joining. Participants will likely be drawn to this course wanting to create rituals and ceremonies for others, either as a Celebrant, Doula or Ceremonialist. This training focuses on the essential elements of ritual design and ceremony practice, and does not cover the business side of setting up a celebrant or ceremonialist profession, although I can happily answer any questions that arise in this regard.
Payments are non-refundable because all sessions will be recorded and made available to you even if you can’t join live.
Yes! We offer a $100 subsidy to reduce the course fee from $450 to $350 for participants facing financial challenges. We believe everyone should have access to this training regardless of their current financial situation. If the full course fee would create hardship for you or your family, please don’t hesitate to apply for the subsidy – no detailed financial documentation is required, just a brief note about your circumstances. Simply add a note in your application to request the reduced rate. All subsidy requests are handled confidentially and with care.
We welcome participants from all over the world. We tried to choose a time that worked for as many time zones as possible, and will be recording all sessions to ensure everyone can access. If the timing doesn’t work for you, we will be offering this course again in the near future.
