In certain parts of the world, having a porch or verandah was integral to the home. Over time, with new builds, these are often omitted. I’ve been reflecting a lot about this in light of the many benefits which come from having an outside extension and living space to the home. In my homeland of Australia, a Queenslander (type of home) always had a verandah, and often wrapped around three sides. It connected one to the outside world while providing some shelter from the weather. A porch or verandah was a meeting place for friends and family. A gathering place of community and connection.
For almost 26 years now, I’ve made my home in rural Cumbria in the north of England. Our home has a porch. It’s an outdoor area with a roof that allows us to be outside and, if necessary, have cover during rain.
And it is to the porch I come for many reasons: morning cuppa, quiet time in my day, meditation, a chat with husband, lunch with friends, to cook damper over the firepit with loved ones, watch the birds at the bird-feeding station, to breathe in the calm of the night-time stars and Moon before I head to bed, and I come here to write ceremonies and books. Although I have a lovely writing room, I’ve found that sitting out here at my table gives me a view that, even though it’s the same as from my writing room, feels more connected. In many ways, this space has become my psychic sound chamber: where I consider, digest and live with my many thoughts and feelings on all manner of things.
There are two views from the porch; the view I can see before me, and the inner vision that evolves from these daily pockets of porch time.
Last Christmas, I decided to treat myself to a week’s hire of a hot tub. Warmth, particularly warm or hot water, is my idea of bliss. Christmas week is a full one: our celebration of Christmas on Christmas Eve as per my German ancestors; my birthday on the 28th, our wedding anniversary on the 29th. I figured being able to soak for a few hours each day would help me unwind from a busy work year. What I learned, by sitting outside in the middle of an ice-cold Winter, was that even though it’s a time I’d traditionally hibernate, the world outside couldn’t have been more alive. I’d be up long before sunrise delighted to step into that warmth and relax. Beneath starlight, I enjoyed watching the skyline change from ink-black to blue. At other times, I soaked in the warmth while a thunderstorm raged around me. I was in that tub at least twice a day, and for a good couple of hours each time. The changing colours of the sky, the dance of clouds, watching the flight of birds, and so on, were beautiful reminders that nothing stays still. Life is always changing.
What I’ve learned from porch life is that no matter how crazy-busy my work days get, or if I’m working seven days a week from before sunrise right through to deep into the night, stepping out onto the porch transforms me. In some ways, it’s become a healthy addiction. This view is what allows me to keep going.
Being connected to the natural world in this way is the equivalent someone else might feel when they see a regular counsellor. Are you ok? What’s been happening? Want to talk about it? How do you feel about that?
https://veronikarobinson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/james-garcia-3Cch4FRDqPg-unsplash.jpg12801920Veronika Sophia Robinsonhttps://veronikarobinson.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Updated-logo-colour.pngVeronika Sophia Robinson2024-12-13 10:07:362024-12-13 10:13:13View from the porch
The world is changing. There’s no question of that. I’ve long held the belief that to live and thrive in this world it’s not so much ‘survival of the fittest’ but ‘survival of those who can adapt’. And this has always served me well both in terms of being a risk taker and rolling with life’s pulls and punches. It’s a kind of shape shifting that allows me to bend, like a willow, and make my way in the world no matter what. Increasingly, though, there’s an aspect to this world, and specifically how it impacts my work as a celebrant, celebrant trainer and author, where I have been questioning just how much I adapt to those changes. Am I just an old ‘fuddy duddy’ now I’m almost 56? Am I behind the times? Is it time to hang up my celebrant hat? I’m referring to the widespread use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Bit by bit I’ve watched changes in the celebrant world, for example: celebrants using Kindle or some other technology to read their script from during a ceremony or various apps and programmes to store their client information. The latest intrusions into this world include celebrants outsourcing their scripts to other celebrants/writers and also the use of AI to write their scripts.
Here’s where I stand: I will never use a technological device from which to read my script. Apart from the aesthetics (my main aversion), there is also the risk of the device not performing on the day (for all manner of reasons). I also use good old-fashioned diaries and calendar to keep track of my dates (no risk of technological failure/theft), and use my funeral and wedding planners for essential details. I’m not suggesting it’s wrong for a celebrant to use a Kindle or to use an app like 17 Hats. I’m simply saying that it’s not my way. In the same way that I feel holding an A4 folder looks clunky compared to a smaller A5 one.
When it comes to outsourcing the writing of scripts to AI or other celebrants, I feel ill at the thought. (Ditto the number of professional authors now using AI to write books so they can publish more often.) What happened to heart? What about the joy of creativity? Surely this is what we want to bring to this work?
If someone employs me to be their celebrant, then they are choosing ME to create and dream and write their ceremony into being through my experience, imagination, creativity, wisdom, intuition, awareness and so on. AI CAN NOT DO THIS.
When someone buys one of the books I’ve written, they are buying non-fiction books based on my experience, skills and wisdom, or fiction books based on my imagination and creativity. AI CAN NOT DO THIS for me.
Are we, as humans, becoming so far removed from what it is to be human that we think and feel it’s ok, indeed preferable, to rely on technology rather than heart and the creative fire?
And if we’re going to outsource to another human then for reasons of ethics, integrity and data protection this needs to be clearly stated at the outset on one’s website and in all communications. The buyer of your services needs to know that they’re NOT getting your services! Outsourcing the writing of scripts has become prevalent in this industry.
The celebrant industry (and make no mistake, it has become an industry whereby some celebrant trainers and celebrants have completely forgotten or never knew or understood the true purpose of ceremony and the place of a celebrant) is changing rapidly, for better and for worse, in ways that would have seemed incomprehensible to me when I started on this path in 1995. I’ve had so many moments in the past few years of not wanting to be part of this changing ‘industry’. It’s so far out of alignment with my approach to celebrancy that, despite my view and ability to ‘adapt’ to changes, I’ve contemplated walking away many times. And yet, I’m still here. I remain, for now. Why? I’m here for those people who understand (even if they can’t articulate it) ceremony to be a liminal place in time whereby the celebrant holds the space for those crossing the threshold (regardless of the rite of passage). I don’t, and never will, see rituals (such as handtying) as some sort of parlour game or joke or that it’s acceptable for people to arrive at a ceremony half drunk.
I can hand on heart say I will never outsource my work to AI or another celebrant. My sense of reverence for ceremony and the rituals within it don’t mean that I’m devoid of humour or can’t create a bespoke ceremony for a fun-loving couple or family wishing a joyous celebration of life. Far from it. What it does mean is that I understand the purpose of ceremony, and at each step of the way bring my whole heart, creativity, reverence, integrity and care.
To be clear: I’m not against technology. I’m writing on a laptop. I am grateful that I have a car and that a washing machine cleans my clothes rather than me standing all day long scrubbing them and wringing the water out of each item. These things all have a place in this world. I’m not against change or advancement. Ceremonies and storytelling, though? Let’s keep the heart there. In this rapidly changing world, we need it more than ever. Let us not lose touch with compassion, empathy, kindness, humour, wisdom, awareness of body language, curiosity and creativity, and dare I say: our innate sense of spirituality.
The day I don’t bring the human touch to my work as a celebrant, celebrant trainer and author is the day I step away.
Veronika Robinson has been a celebrant since 1995, officiating across all rites of passage, and is the co-owner and co-tutor at Heart-led Ceremonies Celebrant Training in Cumbria. It brings her great joy to, alongside her husband Paul, teach others the sacred art of creating ceremonies from the heart.
She’s the author of over 30 books including the popular books for celebrants: Write That Eulogy; The Successful Celebrant; Wedding Celebrant Ceremony Planner; Funeral Celebrant Ceremony Planner; and coming soon: Funerals for Children; and Discrimination-free Celebrancy. On a daily basis, she is connected to the natural world and draws her inspiration from there.
https://veronikarobinson.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/seedhearts.jpg360360Veronika Sophia Robinsonhttps://veronikarobinson.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Updated-logo-colour.pngVeronika Sophia Robinson2023-07-22 12:07:472023-07-22 12:07:47The Human Touch: why AI won't be part of my work as a celebrant and author
I have explored this module through extensive reading, podcasts, interviews, weekly writing exercises, and culminating in my creative project: a novel, The Soapmaker. My reflections about the novel cover three main points: creating place, being out of place, and point of view in relation to place.
The idea for The Soapmaker came from breathing in the exquisite scent of handmade lavender and geranium soap; my sense of smell was keenly activated before I wrote a single word and it took me to a place I wanted to write about, and one my target readership would enjoy. Amanda Curtin, Five Things: Creating a Sense of Place, writes “Most writers fall very naturally into visual description, but the other senses have as much, perhaps more, potential to engage a reader’s sense of being there.”
My first decision was where to set the story. It would have been easy to set it in my native Australia, so I challenged myself to place it here in Cumbria. Although I appreciate the beauty of this county, it still isn’t home to me after twenty-one years. I decided to make my character, Grace, an immigrant like me. It would also mean, due to her use of plants in the soap, we’d both have to learn about Cumbrian flora. As a result, I have connection to this place in a new way.
Grace moves from an easy going way of life in warm Australia to cold and conservative (meteorologically, culturally and politically) Cumbria. This is an excellent example of my relationship between place and the written word. Cumbria has been a difficult place for me to settle in for the above reasons.
For the first five drafts, Grace was from Alaska. Although I felt that I’d researched the location well, upon discussion with my tutor about the intended learning outcomes, I changed it to Australia. The storyline didn’t change too much but her experience (and my writing) of place most certainly did. Naturally, readers will have a completely different experience of place when reading about the heat of Australia compared to the frigidity of the Alaskan climate. Milford A. Jeremiah, The Use of Place in Writing and Literature, quotes William Zinsser: “Every human event happens somewhere, and the reader wants to know what that ‘somewhere’ is like.” The opening page starts with the soap’s place in the vat, and in the soapmaking studio where they are made, and place in the world.
As part of my research into soapmaking, I followed two botanical soapmakers on Instagram , to learn more about their work through beautiful photos. I found the imagery seductive, and I felt at home in their studios. This was something I wished to recreate through my written word. I had lengthy discussions with Lynda Cook Sawyer from Nevada Moon about the soapmaking method and process, the procuring of plants, and relevant terminology. This, and the images, shaped the sense of place I created for Grace’s soapmaking studio.
Other people’s philosophies and ideas influenced my writing, such as the podcast from week one of this module. This had a huge influence on me, and shaped the storyline. The topic, Out of the Garden, was an exploration of the Garden of Eden, the Fall, and our desire to have paradise on Earth. Although scholars argue that the fruit Eve offered Adam wasn’t an apple, it remains so in the cultural psyche. My response to this was to include references to apples in the novel. The element of the forbidden fruit is also shown in the emerging relationship between Grace and Caleb. The Fall, as expulsion from Paradise, inspired my choice for the character’s name, Grace. Biblically, eating the forbidden fruit meant falling from grace. The novel is about falling for Grace. Caleb has to choose between everything he’s ever known for a new land: an unknown place.
Introducing a Jehovah’s Witness allowed me to explore both place and being out of place. Many people think of Jehovah’s Witnesses as simply another Christian religion when it is, by definition, a cult. , I engaged in extensive research about the organisation through reading books, online forums, and conversations with a number of friends who were all once active Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Curtin writes, “Before you can create a sense of place on the page, you need to immerse yourself in the world you’re writing about so that it comes alive for you.” The places I’ve written about were augmented through further reading, research and imagination. “If you have direct experience of a place, or somewhere similar, you have a well of impressions to draw on.” I have long enjoyed the feeling of being in natural light, so a large conservatory was an appropriate setting in which to make Grace’s Cumbrian soapmaking studio. I knew, from my experience of place, that she would be missing the light from Australia enormously. As I wrote, I could feel the light coming in, and the view into the garden. I could hear the woodpecker in her garden as readily as I hear the one in my own.
When illustrating ways to create place, Curtin writes: “I’m strongly influenced by skyscapes, and there are many ways the sky can be used metaphorically or imagistically in fiction—as messenger, mirror, portent, signal…” An example of this, from my novel, is found in the opening chapter: Without warning, the unbridled sunshine which had filtered in through the windows and glass roof all morning, was eclipsed by sombre clouds. Grace shivered. Something in the air had shifted. “You’re safe,” she whispered, looking around the room in case she’d missed something. Or someone. “You’re safe.”
Curtin continues: “Skies are often associated with place—for example, through colour or atmospheric elements, constellations or position of the sun.” When describing Grace’s childhood, I wrote: “As an only child, she learnt to make her own fun under the canopy of the ‘mac trees’, as she called them. They offered magical shadows on days when the clouds hung low, and glorious streams of light between leaves when the Sun was beaming bright.” Madge’s disregard for the real place of environment is due to her belief in an imagined place: The New World, when Jehovah restores Paradise to Earth. Although Grace is incensed and finds this selfish and irresponsible, they both have the same end goal: a Utopia. On our residential for this module, I was fascinated by the differences and similarities my cohort shared about ‘what makes Utopia’. We all agreed that having shelter (a sense of place and security) was a priority.
The use of different time frames appears throughout the novel: A glimpse into Grace’s childhood; living in Australia; and Cumbria. Curtin writes “A strong sense of place helps readers to make the imaginative leap into another world, whether that world is in the past, present or future.”
Modern versions of The Fall include ‘enclosures’ and ‘gun powder’. Having been kicked out of paradise, Grace creates a new world. Milford writes “Another feature of place in literature is that it serves to activate the reader’s senses and to evoke an emotional response on the part of the readers.” As I wrote a traumatic scene for Grace, I could feel the terror of being in an enclosed space with no ability to escape, and the fear each time the gun fired.
Due to Post-traumatic Stress Syndrome, Grace is also somewhat out of place in her body and constantly vigilant for intruders or anything that’s out of place. Examples include brushing off the soap flakes off the curing rack, and dropping the compost bucket, or her response to Caleb’s reaction when he refuses the gift of soap for Madge. Again, I know that if I am out of sorts emotionally then everything in my place (home) irritates me if it is not in order. Caleb, too, is out of place. He’s wrestling with doubts, not only as a Jehovah’s Witness, but also his marriage. If he openly questions his religion, he’ll be labelled apostate and, if disfellowshipped, will be shunned by everyone in his community. He’s been brainwashed since birth, and realising that there is no Armageddon or New World means that he will grow older and die. He straddles a fine line between the psychological places of breakdown and breakthrough. Grace becomes his place to rest. This sanctuary (emotionally, but also in her lovely, welcoming home and garden) is an imitation of Paradise. We see ‘place within place’.
Dystopia is feared due to the belief in the place of Armageddon. At the time of writing, many Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world believe Covid-19 is the start of the much-awaited and prophesied Armageddon, the precursor to the perfect New World.
Grace fears living in climate-change dystopia if we don’t act urgently.
I deliberately chose different points of view to experience place: Grace in her soapmaking studio, the kitchen, garden, the road to the village.
I have also written about the natural habitat of dragonflies, and the connection Grace makes to her inner landscape; as well as their first beachcombing experience on a Cumbrian beach.
Through flashback, another indicator of time and place, we are at The Channon markets; the Macadamia Nut Grove; the seaside town of Byron Bay; inside the police car and police station.
Through Caleb’s view, we’re in his bedroom, and shower. As he’s driving to the Kingdom Hall, the radio announcer says “BBC Radio Cumbria”. Milford states that “In the literary world, place is usually combined with time and events to establish what is known as the social setting or the social context of a literary work.”
Madge has several experiences of place: home, the garden shed, car, and Carlisle city centre. I had planned to write about the Extinction Rebellion rally from Grace’s point of view, and it certainly would have given me more freedom but I chose it from Madge’s point of view to illustrate being out of place.
There are the imagined places of Armageddon and the New World; as well as the place of one in their own skin; and the emotional and psychological realities of one’s place in relationship.
Curtin writes “Before you can create a sense of place on the page, you need to immerse yourself in the world you’re writing about so that it comes alive for you.” My writerly self has felt alive in each of the (real) places I’ve explored. Philip Hensher, writing on The Importance of Place in Fiction, “A novel has to place the psychologies of individuals in a delicate relationship with the world that formed them.“ For my purposes as a writer, this included the soap. By nature of the novel’s genre: magical feminism (a sub genre of magical realism), the soap, too, has a voice. The Seaweed, Spice Orange and Cedar soap is explored through three different points of view, and therefore, place: the soap itself; memory flashbacks of when and where the ingredients were gathered (oranges hanging from trees in sunny Spain; cedar from high in the mountains; and seaweed from the ocean); and when Caleb’s showering. Right from the start, the soap’s place in this world is noted.
Based on feedback, I have made significant changes in the writing of drafts so that the descriptive text was broken up in various ways through flashback, dialogue, changes of point of view. I can see the value of this now that I’m at draft seven.
Having lived in six countries within the span of six years, and as a new mother (with daughters born just 22 months apart) living in three countries within just seven months, my experience of place, and being out of place, readily forms my writing practice. This module helped me make sense of my conflicting needs: to settle, and to move on. I am an Australian born to German immigrants. My New Zealand-born daughters have immigrant parents, and my Welsh granddaughter has immigrant parents. This theme of being uprooted and transplanted continues down the family line and, indeed, in my writing.
The Soapmaker serves as contemporary nature writing as it highlights the urgency of climate change through references to ecology, environmental issues, fair-trade products, composting and recycling, the ‘Make it, Bake it, Grow it’ movement, and the Extinction Rebellion.
These weeks of lockdown due to Covid-19 have highlighted that the experience of place is the foundation for all aspects of my life and writing, and I remain grateful to live rurally with a lovely garden and mini orchard; my own paradise.
Amanda Curtin, Five Things: Creating a Sense of Place <https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/articles/five-things-creating-a-sense-of-place> [Accessed 10th April 2020] Jeremiah A Milford, The Use of Place in Writing and Literature; Language Arts Journal of Michigan, Volume 16, Issue 2, Article 7 (2000) <https://doi.org/10.9707/2168-149X.1352> [accessed 9th April 2020] Nurturing Soul (@nurturing_soul) <https://www.instagram.com/nurturing_soul> [multiple access dates] Nevada Moon Soap Company (@nevadamoonsoap) <http://www.instagram.com/nevadamoonsoap> [multiple access dates] Bonnie Zieman, Exiting the JW Cult: A Healing Handbook For Current and Former Jehovah’s Witnesses (North Charleston: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015) Steven Hassan, Combating Cult Mind Control, Fourth Edition (Newton, MA: Freedom of Mind Press, 2018) Curtin, Five Things Curtin Curtin Curtin Curtin Milford Milford Curtin Philip Hensher, The Importance of Place in Fiction <https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/may/17/philip-hensher-importance-place-fiction> [accessed 10th April 2020]
For many writers and artists, shame is detrimental. It can hold you back for years, or even a lifetime.
In this workshop, I will show you how you can transform your shame into a powerful creative force. Through a combination of astrology, mythology, and writing exercises, I will help you turn your monsters into the ultimate muse.
Persephone, Pluto and Power is a 90-minute-long workshop, launching on March 3rd. The workshop will be pre-recorded, so that you can engage with and move through its content at your own pace.
In this value-packed workshop, I share all the secrets I’ve learned in my years as a writer and astrologer. By the end of this workshop, you will: • understand the role of shame in creativity • work intimately with your shame through powerful writing exercises • have actionable tools to clear shame blocks • utilise archetypes and symbolism to help you journey through shame and transform it into power
Who is this workshop for? • You do not need any prior knowledge of astrology or writing to gain immense value from this workshop. It is designed for people at all levels, from beginners to those who have been writing for years. Shame can stop us in our tracks at any point in our journey. I am here to guide you through the underworld, and teach you how to alchemise your shame into creative power • This workshop is open to people of any gender, but there is a focus on feminine archetypes and experience
Are you ready to transform the monsters under your bed into a muse?
It is time to allow your shame to transport you to a deeper level of creative power!
If you’ve loved the first two books in the Gypsy Moon trilogy, then you’ll be pleased to know that the final book, Flowers in Her Hair, is now available. Copies can be bought from online retailers, good bookshops, loaned through your library, or for signed copies visit my website.
In due course, I shall be uploading some videos to my YouTube channel where I’ll share about my writing life, what inspires my writerly self, and upcoming projects.
If you’d like a signed copy, do let me know (in paypal notes) if it is for someone else.
https://veronikarobinson.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/All-three-square-.jpg12001200Veronika Sophia Robinsonhttps://veronikarobinson.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Updated-logo-colour.pngVeronika Sophia Robinson2021-12-02 11:05:162021-12-02 11:05:16Flowers In Her Hair by Veronika Sophia Robinson
As we descend further into the chill of Autumn, my thoughts shift to an upcoming script I’ll be writing: A Sagesse Ceremony. Sagesse is from the French, and means ‘wise’.
I recently officiated a funeral for a woman who, when due to retire from the NHS, was given a certificate to say she could keep working. She stayed in that job until 75, and then continued working in private care right into her 84th year. Stories like this are few and far between. Of course, some people can’t wait to retire. This could be because they hate their job, or have fabulous hobbies they want to spend more time on, or they simply don’t need to work because they’re financially secure. But what we don’t tend to talk about as a culture is what happens when we reach society’s Use-By Date it has assigned us. More often than not, Culture offers the elderly a nursing/care/retirement home. So long they’re comfortable and fed, let’s keep them away from the rest of the world and out of sight. We certainly don’t want to be reminded about what’s down the track for us at the end of life, do we?
One of the reasons for the rapid deterioration of the elderly is because they’re no longer valued. They’re not considered an asset and so with that loss of purpose, what else do they have to live for? Studies show, for example, that hands-on grandparents live longer and are healthier than those who don’t have such interactions. In the moving book, Being Mortal, we read about how people in care homes where there are indoor plants, pets such as cats, dogs or even a lorikeet in each resident’s bedroom, visiting children, and vegetable gardens they can tend, usually come off most or all medication and thrive. Why? Because they have a sense of purpose. Each day there is a focus, a job to do, something or someone to observe or care for. It’s pretty much common sense, but this is so fundamentally lacking in many options for the elderly.
I had a conversation a year or so back with a man in his early 70s who was reluctant to retire from his business because of the lack of purpose he’d be facing. He wanted to do something with all the knowledge and expertise he’d spent a lifetime accumulating. Where was he to leave and share that experience, he wanted to know. Some elderly people volunteer in charity shops, and others befriend the lonely. On the whole though, culture shuns those who are no longer of use.
Writing ceremonies for those transitioning between working or reproductive life, and what’s on the other side of that, is done so with immense reverence, and with the intention of honouring all that has gone before, and how that shall be mindfully carried into the future in such a way that the Cloak of Wisdom is wrapped as a regal shawl of worldliness. Such a ceremony may be titled: wise crone; sagesse; menopause; Saturn return, for example.
The elderly are the libraries of our culture. We’ve already seen the impact of kindle on bookshops, and social media destroying face-to-face communication; how long will it be before care homes are considered a ‘waste of space’? Changes happen incrementally in our world. Things come and go: people, trends, inventions, values. When parents/grandparents are no longer an integral part of family life, they deteriorate. But you know what? So do we. We lose the vital opportunity to have our lives enriched.
When I come across someone in their 90s who is positively thriving, it’s always because they have a rich and purposeful life: they’re avid gardeners, bakers, have a firm family life, volunteer, are still driving and therefore independent, and so on. They’re not sitting on a sofa watching Jeremy Kyle.
Think about the elderly people in your life whether they are family, friends, neighbours or even strangers you pass. When was the last time you stopped and talked to them? Really talked to them. Not about the weather or some external thing, but about what their dreams were/are, their passions, their regrets, their loves, their losses. What makes their heart sing? If you don’t have the time or inclination to care about such people, just remember this: one day you’ll be old, and there may not be anyone around to value your life’s journey. Maybe you’ll be shunted away without anyone giving a damn as to all you’ve learnt and can pass on to others. What makes a life meaningful (goes the reading I sometimes share at funerals), is not what we learn but what we teach.
So, when you’re old, will you be wise? Will you feel impotent because there’s no one interested in all the experiences you’ve garnered and life lessons you’ve mastered? What shall you do with your three score years and ten of ‘life’?
When I teach celebrant students, I say that the most important part of this job is our ability to listen. It doesn’t matter a jot if you’re the world’s best writer, performer, have good business sense, are a whiz at marketing, or have fab social skills or thousands of likes on Facebook. If you can’t slow down, keep your mouth closed other than to ask caring or insightful questions, then you miss laying the strong and vital foundations of all ceremony work. If the same truth was applied to our cultural approach to the aging, oh how different society would look.
(*silent and listen contain the same letters)
For my part, it will be my immense privilege to start creating a Sagesse (wise woman) Ceremony for a lady transitioning into being an elder in her community.
Veronika Robinson is a Heart-led Celebrant who has been officiating ceremonies since 1995, and is a Celebrant Trainer in Cumbria where she offers private tuition in all aspects of celebrancy. She’s also the editor of The Celebrant magazine. Veronika is currently President of the Association of Independent Celebrants.
As the rise of celebrant-led ceremonies grows in the UK, more people are coming across a celebrant at work, and if the celebrant is good at what they do, then the observer may be inspired to pursue that career path.
Fortunately, there are many training organisations available. However, it is important that you choose one that matches your ethos, and don’t make a decision purely based on price or location. There are many, many factors to take into account with your training, and that also includes after-course support. An expensive course does not necessarily mean an excellent training programme. Too many would-be celebrants are left flailing and seeking out a second training course because their ‘expensive’ one was inadequate, and didn’t do what it said on the tin. It’s easy to be lured by words like ‘government diploma’, ‘professional’, ‘institute’, etc. It could be that you’re paying for modules on how to write an email or use a Word document, or writing essays on the history of funerals. A good course should teach you to BE A CELEBRANT. It should inspire your creativity, empathy, imagination, and excellence in forging client relationships.
Also, consider why so many organisations offer separate courses for wedding/naming celebrancy and funeral celebrancy. My view, as a celebrant of 23 years, is that they don’t need to be offered separately, and that it is merely a way for organisations to ‘earn more money’.
When looking at different training courses, ask questions. Lots of questions!
For example:
. how many face-to-face contact hours are there? (minus the time for meals/refreshments)
. what is the experience of the tutors? (do they pride themselves on quality services over quantity?)
. is there voice training by a qualified voice coach? What does that involve? Is there ongoing voice training as part of your fee?
. how is your work assessed to see if you are suitable to be a celebrant?
. does the course give certificates to anyone who attends, or only to those whose written and practical work is outstanding?
. what practical experience does the course offer you?
. will you have the opportunity to write ceremonies?
. what experience does the tutor have in creative writing?
. does the course teach you how to create and choreograph rituals?
. what experience do you have on the course of officiating a ceremony?
. does the training take a holistic approach?
. does the tutor have experience in a wide variety of settings?
. what written material is available as part of your training?
. what post-course support is available?
These are important questions to ask. Don’t throw your money away on the first course you see. Research your options well.
If you’re looking for a mind, body, soul approach to celebrancy, I invite you to consider my training course. Ask me any questions you like. My course isn’t for everyone, but for those who intuitively feel that celebrancy is a heart-led vocation rather than an administrative job. ~ Veronika x
Heart-led Ceremonies Celebrant Training
Recommended by the Association of Independent Celebrants (AOIC)
Comprehensive and in-depth practical training course in creative, heart-led, authentic celebrancy.
♥
Learn to create, write and officiate all types of ceremonies with confidence, care, commitment and grace.
Founder and Facilitator: Veronika Sophia Robinson
Veronika Robinson is an experienced, working celebrant. She trained in New Zealand in 1995, where she was registered to officiate legal wedding ceremonies, and has been officiating ever since. Veronika has had the privilege of officiating in New Zealand, Australia and England where she has written and led all manner of ceremonies, including weddings, handfastings, blessingways, namings, divorce healing, miscarriage memorial, conscious conception, funerals, memorials, wise crone, menarche, and house warmings.
She’s also an author (fiction and non-fiction), journalist, public speaker, workshop leader, and metaphysician.
Veronika is delighted to be a celebrant for Gift of a Wedding, a charity which provides weddings for couples where one of them is terminally ill.
She is also President of The Association of Independent Celebrants, and is the founder and facilitator of Penrith’s first Death Café which seeks to open up honest discussion around death and dying.
Training Options:
Certificate in Celebrancy
Certificate in Advanced Celebrancy & Ritual
Post-course support is ongoing, and there are opportunities to shadow experienced celebrants.
Include the study and practical experience of:
♥Understanding ceremony structure. If you know how to create one type of ceremony you can create any ceremony (hence the reason this course encompasses funerals, namings, weddings, and other rites of passage).
♥Recognising the skills and qualities necessary for personalised and professional, heart-led, celebrancy.
♥Funerals and Memorials (Understanding grief, family disputes, working with funeral directors, creating meaningful farewells, cremations, burials, eco-burials). In the five-day training, you may be able to include a visit to the crematorium or a funeral director. Both private training options may also include shadowing Veronika at a funeral or family visit.
♥Weddings, Handfastings and Vow Renewals
♥Naming Ceremonies (for babies, children, adults, and transgender people who wish to have their new identity formally honoured)
♥Other rites of passage, such as menarche, blessingways, sagesse (wise crone), new business, divorce healing, and more.
♥Understanding the legalities around death, funerals and marriage (e.g. the difference between a registrar and a celebrant)
♥The difference between a heart-led celebrant and other types of celebrants
♥Indoor and Outdoor Ceremonies
♥Creating Sacred Space
♥Setting Intention
♥Creative Writing
♥Script Writing
♥Word Medicine
♥Storytelling
♥Performance
♥Archetypes in Storytelling
♥Symbols, Rituals and Altars
♥Ceremonial Herbs
♥Working with the Four Elements
♥Body Awareness
♥Celebrant Well-being
♥Understanding the role of the Community Celebrant
♥Voice development and coaching by Paul Robinson (this is required as an ongoing commitment by students via Skype after the initial training)
♥The Four Sacred Archetypes of Building Your Celebrancy Brand
Applicants
Applications are invited from people who are committed to developing awareness of self and others, willing to train to an excellent level, are creative, independent, inspirational, authentic and courageous, and wish to consciously create beautiful ceremonies in their community.
Unlike any other training course in England, this focuses on the importance of ongoing personal development, and takes a mind, body and soul approach to celebrancy and ceremonies, as well as recognising the importance of ongoing skill building.
The foundation of this celebrant training is based on integrity and self-awareness.
Please email for a booking form: veronikarobinson AT hotmail DOT com
https://veronikarobinson.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/vr9.jpg768768Veronika Sophia Robinsonhttps://veronikarobinson.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Updated-logo-colour.pngVeronika Sophia Robinson2018-10-27 17:47:082019-05-01 13:57:56Celebrant Training: Essential questions to ask when choosing a training organisation
Heart-led Ceremonies Celebrant Training is recommended by the Association of Independent Celebrants
Celebrant training facilitated by Veronika Robinson and Paul Robinson
Being a celebrant is a deeply rewarding vocation. Are you ready for a new career?
Comprehensive and in-depth practical training course in creative, heart-led, authentic celebrancy.
Learn to create, write and officiate all types of ceremonies with confidence.
“Celebrant Training Course
This weekend, what I saw you model so beautifully, was how to step into responsibility with gravitas and humility and lightness.
The way you wear responsibility is like an invisibility cloak, with reverence and respect for the magic. It seems you wear this mantle with such grace, and heart, and with such outward-facing love that Responsibility it is not carried as a burden of the ego, but gently shepherded as a sacred honour bestowed by spirit.
Framed like this, I feel profoundly different about Responsibility. Humbled, not afraid. Ready to serve.
Heartfelt appreciation for the kindness in your listening.
Jennifer
Whitley Bay
April 2018″
Group Training
15th and 16th September 2018 | Glassonby, near Penrith, Cumbria
Places strictly limited.
Celebrant Training Fee
£650
30% (£185) (non-refundable) due upon booking
Balance of £465 (non refundable) due no later than 25th July 2018.
This fee includes:
Two-day intensive and practical tuition on all aspects of celebrancy: 7.30am to 8.30pm both days
A copy of the book Heart-led Ceremonies (the art and soulful practice of creating, writing and officiating ceremonies) by Veronika and Paul Robinson. This complete guide to celebrancy is available exclusively through this training course.
Nourishing wholefood plant-based meals and refreshments (breakfast through to dinner, both days)
Follow-up Skype sessions (or face to face in Cumbria)
Certificate (upon written completion of three ceremonies and presentations, and active participation in the training course)
Upon satisfactory completion of the course, participants are eligible to join the Association Of Independent Celebrants, and immediately receive professional and indemnity insurance for celebrancy work worldwide.
This comprehensive course is set over a two-day weekend, and includes:
Learning to create and define space, both indoors and outdoors
What it means to ‘hold the space’
Setting intention
Understanding symbols and rituals
Crafting personalised ceremonies
Ceremonies: Blessingways, namings, weddings, funerals, memorials, housewarmings, etc.
Word Medicine
Voice work
Presentation
Body awareness
Skills of a celebrant
Qualities of a celebrant
Emotional quotient
The metaphysics of marketing yourself as a celebrant
Sacred connections: your ideal client
Care of the celebrant
The creative celebrant
The intuitive celebrant
Please note this is an interactive weekend, and all participants will be required to take part in role play, voice development, presentation, and video work.
Private Celebrant Training
As well as offering group training courses, we also offer private training throughout the year.
One-to-one celebrant training fee is £500 *includes lunch, but not accommodation
(This is actually two tutors to one student)
Upon receipt of payment we will arrange mutually convenient dates/times to suit. The private training runs for 20 hours, and you can choose to do this over 2 days or up to 4 days. It is held in our cottage in Glassonby, near Penrith, Cumbria.
Applicants
Applications are invited from people who are committed to developing awareness of self and others, willing to train to an excellent level, are creative, independent, inspirational, authentic and courageous, and wish to consciously create beautiful ceremonies in their community.
Unlike any other training course in England, this focuses on the importance of personal development, and takes a mind, body and soul approach to celebrancy and ceremonies, as well as recognising the importance of ongoing skill building.
The foundation of this celebrant training is based on integrity and self-awareness.
Facilitators
Veronika Robinson is a professionally trained and experienced full-time celebrant. She trained in New Zealand in 1995, where she was registered to officiate legal wedding ceremonies, and has been officiating ceremonies ever since. Veronika has had the privilege of officiating in New Zealand, Australia and England.
Veronika has officiated all manner of ceremonies, including weddings, handfastings, blessingways, namings, divorce healing, miscarriage memorial, conscious conception, funerals, memorials, Wise Crone, menarche, and house warmings.
She’s also an author (fiction and non-fiction), journalist, public speaker, workshop leader, psychological astrologer, and metaphysician. Veronika is delighted to be a celebrant for Gift of a Wedding, a charity which provides weddings for couples where one of them is terminally ill.
Veronika is also a committee member for the Association of Independent Celebrants.
She is the founder and facilitator of Penrith’s first Death Café, A Meaningful Farewell, which seeks to open up honest discussion around death and dying.
Paul Robinson has enjoyed a rich career as an actor, broadcaster, compere, voice over, ventriloquist, voice coach, singer and celebrant. He’s deeply passionate about self-development, and utilises the Enneagram of Personality Types as a path of personal growth.
Together, they combine skills to offer a one-of-a-kind training in heart-led, authentic celebrancy.
I just wanted to say how much I am loving reading your book Heart- led Ceremonies . It’s just a fantastic reference and makes me realise just how much we covered in a weekend.”
Penny April 2018
Private Celebrant Training
I loved every second of my training with Veronika and Paul. The guidance in all aspects, including the voice coaching, was spot on and both so welcoming. I laughed and I cried in equal measure. I want to do it all again.
They have also provided a wonderful sounding board for work I am doing which is very appreciated. I would recommend no one else x
Kate Simpson
Lincolnshire
April 2018
Private Celebrant Training
Hi Veronika
This is just a quick email to thank you and Paul again for your kindness and help – the training was brilliant, but made more special because you shared so much with me in such an unselfish way – your knowledge, experience, home and hospitality. And you both built my confidence in a genuine and caring manner.
The training was everything I hoped for and more – and I’m really looking forward to getting started.
You are two very special people, and I’m so grateful I found you.
Take care Glynis xx
January 2018
Private Celebrant Training
January 2018
Dear Veronika
Just a note to thank you so much for the wonderful experience recently with celebrant training.
It was so good to meet you and Paul, and I felt very excited and overwhelmed by the ideas and thoughts that you had inspired in me.
Although it was quite intense and emotional, I also found it cathartic and fascinating.
Look forward to keeping in touch and thank you again for a very memorable weekend.
Barbara
I felt honoured to be a part of the first heart led celebrant training last weekend. It was heart led in the truest sense of the words. I left feeling not only well equipped to step into the world as an independent celebrant, but also affirmed in my personal strengths and abilities. Veronika and Paul shared themselves and their extensive knowledge so generously with us all and sustained us with fantastic food, and all in a beautiful environment. Thank you both so much, it may sound odd to be said of a training course but this is something I will cherish for a long time.
Nicola Harrison-Swainston September 2017
Celebrant Training
As a recent graduate, I can heartily recommend this training course. Thorough, supportive, incredibly informative, and most importantly, “heart-led” – Veronika and Paul are amazing teachers!
Adrienne Cumbria
April 2018
Group Celebrant Training
“I would have to say heart and soul-led ceremonies. Both Veronika and Paul are abundantly giving of their knowledge, experience, and deliciously nurturing food!!
In a short intensive time, they passed on the celebrant gauntlet, inspiring and equipping us to be ideally the only sort of celebrants… ones that reach out from the heart with love, compassion and empathy.
Veronika and Paul you have beautiful qualities, way too many to list.
I deeply thank you both for one of the most precious times, that enhanced my life in so many ways, most of all giving me confidence to move on and put your teachings in to action.”
Penny B. April 2018
Group Celebrant Training
The recipe for a tasty independent celebrant training course is a measure of Fragrant Facilitation (try Veronika & Paul), Seasoned Students & Chunk of Time. Mixed together makes an inspired graduate celebrant.
Joyce S Cumbria
April 2018
Celebrant Training Course
The most amazing experience! Veronika is welcoming, calming, thoughtful, energetic, tireless and teaches in such a way that leaves you wanting more! Her heart-led methodology aligns perfectly with what I want to deliver as a Celebrant, and I can’t leave without mentioning her cooking…WOW! Her pear crumble is to die for please adopt me!
This course is suitable for celebrants at any stage of their career.
You’ll learn to enhance your writing style, and not only find, but celebrate, your voice. By learning techniques to free your imagination, your writing will set you apart from other celebrants in terms of style, tone, creativity, passion and flair.
Whether you’re new to celebrancy, or have been scripting ceremonies for years, this course will put a fresh slant on your work. Not only will you be able to create a rich and enlivened vocabulary, you’ll also be able to intuitively adapt it to the nature of your clients.
Learn to write visually, source ideas from the world around you, be constantly open to inspiration, discover reader identification, and take pleasure in developing your craft.
This CPD Creative Writing for Celebrants course is done via two Skype sessions (one hour each), and a series of ten writing assignments to be completed over three months.
This course is especially for celebrants who wish to be conscious, proactive, and inclined to become the best version of themselves. It is open to celebrants anywhere in the world.
You’ll need:
A laptop
Skype
Microsoft Word Document programme
Time to write
Commitment to completing the course
Course fee: £250
*A Certificate of Creative Writing for Celebrants will be awarded on successful completion of all assignments.
About your tutor
Veronika has been an international celebrant for 23 years, and is also an author, novelist and former magazine editor. www.veronikarobinson.com
Autumn begins weaving herself, and me, towards Winter. I drag my heels determinedly against the prospect of months and months of ice cold weather. And yet, those annual mists and mellow fruitfulness lull me with their charms. Foolish me, I whisper. Deep inside, though, I know the truth. The energies of this season serve to remind me to balance the light and the dark. As ever, my deepest nurturing comes in the silence. I take myself into that delightful realm of intentional solitude.
My evening walks through fields, woodlands, up lanes, to the stone circle, and across the ancient cemetery beckon me to welcome the inner dark. Endarkenment, surely, is just as essential as enlightenment? The rich earthiness of fallow fields speaks to me of the growth which emerges from the dark.
The cave of Winter taunts me, and my bones ache in anticipation of the cold, but I know, if I try, that I can step, gracefully, deep into the essence of what it means to live authentically in this world of dilemma. Autumn is here to teach me, gently, about death. What do I need to let go of in my life? These are questions for all of us, of course.
It isn’t random that we have seasons. Metaphysically, they speak to us of change. As we become more attuned to the cycles, we come to understand our inner self more.
The abundance of the harvest season amplifies the gratitude I hold deep within. Golden leaves flutter before me, symbolic of just how generous an act ‘letting go’ can be. Silhouetted trees, their leaves now friskily flitting about upon the chilly breeze, are a reminder that nothing in life stays the same. Of course, we can’t hang onto the beauty of Autumn! And perhaps, that is the whole point. The season of letting go serves to show us how beautiful it is to let ‘fade away’ anything that no longer serves us.
My walks are a gentle invitation to Mother Nature’s suggestion that we surely must die before we can be reborn. Conscious of change all around me, I take nurturing from the early sunsets which frame the sandstone church in the cemetery, and the smell of woodsmoke on the air.
Geese are on high, another reminder that times keep moving. With each rapidly passing day, I am reminded of my mortality. That I, too, shall die. My ego shouts ‘but there is so much left to live for’, and I agree (even if I’m not always certain what the point of life actually is). My inner alchemist just watches patiently, as always, knowing that no matter how much I forward plan and fill my diary, all I really have is this precious moment.
https://veronikarobinson.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/DSCF1930.jpg32164288Veronika Sophia Robinsonhttps://veronikarobinson.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Updated-logo-colour.pngVeronika Sophia Robinson2017-10-02 17:11:502017-10-02 17:15:46Surrendering to the Season
£650 
