My Belief System
I do not subscribe to being of any one religion and have come to the understanding that there is wisdom in all the teachings and we can learn from all of them. I have studied and spent countless hours reading the Bible (Christianity), The Four Noble Truths (Buddha), teachings by Joseph Smith (Mormon Religion), Confucius (Confucianism), Madame Blavatsky (Theosophy), Lao-Tzu (Taoism), Paramahansa Yagananda, amongst many others. I am very interested in the metaphysical and esoteric aspects of spirituality.

I believe that we all have the ability and power to create our own lives in the way that we desire and that we are ultimately responsible for everything that we create. I believe in a loving universe that supports us and that any challenges we have are for the evolution of our soul. I believe that we are spiritual beings here in a physical body here to learn, grow and evolve in consciousness, ultimately moving into a state of love. I wrote an article on “What is Spirituality?” which further addresses my view on spirituality and what I experience it as.

Why I chose this path
Although since 1996 I was interested in spirituality, the main reason I pursued the path to become a minister in 2001 was so that I could be a wedding officiant and perform ceremonies for couples who wanted to get married. I guess you could say it was a “calling” because when I saw ceremonies, I desired to be the one performing them.

Then, after beginning this work, I also noticed that many couples do not actively practice any certain religion, or they come from separate belief systems or religious backgrounds. So as to not have religion be an issue in a ceremony, I wanted to offer a way to work seamlessly with any variety of beliefs so that it is “your” ceremony vs. “mine.” 

Therefore I am open to doing a ceremony that is non-denominational where we do not call upon “God” to be present if that is not your way. I am also open to doing a ceremony where we do a simple blessing vs. a religious prayer and do not call upon a diety but simply offer gratitude for all that has brought you together and ask for blessings on your path. Interestingly, I am also fully comfortable performing a Christian based ceremony, selecting passages from the Bible as a guiding force in your life.

Closing Words
When I was first ordained as a minister I was 37 years old and many people found it odd that I would desire such a profession, especially since it was largely dominated by older men and on top of it there were very few women doing ceremonies that I knew of. The image of a wedding minister was “an older male” and I just didn’t fit that picture. Many of those who knew me didn’t think that I would be able to find people who would want me to marry them and I got a lot of laughs and sarcastic “good luck’s.”

However, I was not discouraged since I felt so strongly that the right couples would find me. What difference did it make what the officiant looked like and what gender they were? I had a passion to make a ceremony perfect for the couple and through my words and energy create a space in time that was intimate, memorable, graceful, touching, warm and meaningful.

So, here I am almost over seven years later and I feel I am doing what I envisioned. I am blessed to have married close to 400 couples since I started and feel each ceremony is special and unique to the love that is shared. I know I am not for everyone, but if you find a resonance with what I say and what I’ve shared, I hope you will contact me. I would be honored to be a part of your special day.