The Incredible Origin Story of “The Book of Modern Ceremony”

The Book of Modern Ceremony has an incredible story of coming into the world. I’d love to share it with you here.

In 2020, amidst the fear and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, I enrolled in the School of the Sacred Wild. I had always wanted to learn about plant healing and herbalism, and I had, by coincidence, met the school’s founder and instructor, Marysia Miernowska, at the Esalen Institute earlier in the year, just before the world shut down.

Each month, to introduce the plants and themes of the month, Marysia would hold an opening ceremony, and these quickly became my favorite part of this beautiful course. In ceremony, our group would gather, over Zoom, to join our hearts and minds together, and to step out- side of time, in between worlds, where we could connect with the plants and learn about their gifts and healing properties. Marysia invited us to make ceremony days sacred by staying off technology and remaining quiet and meditative to prepare our bodies, minds, and spirits to receive the love and wisdom created during the ceremony. These ceremonies profoundly moved me.

I felt Alive. 

Connected. 

Fully present. 

Loved.

Held.

The most astonishing thing was the feeling that all I was learning I was remembering, not learning anew. It was as if the knowledge Marysia was imparting already lived within me and was simply being reactivated.

Moved by my experiences, I began to research ceremony. I found surprisingly little written about it, outside of religious ceremony. An idea began to take hold of me for writing The Book of Modern Ceremony that would make ceremony accessible to our modern society. The only way to explain this is to say that the book visited upon me, exactly as described by author Elizabeth Gilbert in her book Big Magic. But I am not an author; I have no history of writing books or publishing anything. So why was this idea visiting me? Haunting me in the most positive sense, even while I worked full-time at a demanding job and cared for my family.

Finally, in late 2022, I left my job and decided to write the book, even if only for myself, just to get it down on paper. By then, I had gathered ideas, scientific facts, quotes, and inspiration for The Book of Modern Ceremony and sketched the outline of the book’s contents. I had a vision of exactly what it would look like—set up like a recipe book to make the ceremonies easy to access and perform. Every time I sat down to write, the words flowed out of me as if coming from somewhere else.

Then something miraculous happened. I was at a retreat at the Modern Elder Academy in Baja, California, where we were working to uncover our life’s purpose. Of course, the book and performing ceremony kept coming up for me. As I was talking about the book idea one day, a woman next to me said that she was a literary agent, and was sure she could find a publisher for the book. What the heck? I thought. If this book really wants to be in the world, then great, the doors will open. And they did. My literary agent, Laura Yorke, connected me to my fantastic editor, Mary Ellen O’Neill at Workman Publishing, and The Book of Modern Ceremony was on its way into the world.

Next, I had to face my fears and insecurity about not being an author, not having any authority—basically, imposter syndrome—and write the book. What I discovered was that the process required deep trust and openness. My role was to be the curator, investigator, and channel for the ideas that wanted to be presented. The ideas that the world needs right now. I am humbled to have been the one chosen to deliver the message. 

As this beautiful book launches into the world, I feel completely confident that it will reach exactly who it is supposed to with its simple message of connection and meaning making. I know that I am simply the messenger for ideas that are ready to take root, and that are deeply needed for our times.

I invite you to join me in remembering who we are and how we are beholden to each other and to all living entities around us. May the ideas and ceremonies contained in this book bring meaning and connection to your life and your community.