Amulets
Amulets are, in many ways, what you want them to be. They can live on an altar, in a suitcase for travel, in a bassinet, in your pocket, sock drawer, hospital bag, the box of sundries in the back of your closet.
The ways that amulets aren’t whatever you want them to be: they are objects that have and call in connections to your and my and our collective ancestors, whoever that might be, in whatever ways we are or aren’t connected. They are calling for your protection, and for whatever other intentions you might ask me to bring in. They are very small blessings.
The materials I use to make them are mostly gifted or donated fabric and thread, along with organic or IPM ethically sourced ingredients, flowers, garlic, and other spices and glitter and other sundries. These mundane scraps and specially-selected patterns come together to create something that never existed for anyone else. And, they smell good.
Weddings
As a happily-divorced and long-time-partnered romantic, I work passionately for your passions, bringing in rituals and texts that can connect to the shapes your dreams take for this momentous ritual. As a non-hierarchical Jewish leader, the rituals I make are collaborative and intricately personal, bringing in as much or as little ritual as feels right. Your dreams, moods, and intentions make the chuppah your home.
Pre- and Post-wedding rituals
Some of my favorites have included an updated tana’im blessing, bonfire reflections, a romantic havdalah, and a blessing for ancestors’ heirlooms. These tailored experiences provide intentional spaces to connect, do something intimate, or play a little during a (delightfully) hectic time.
Queer and trans utopias
Are what I’m ever working to create. In language and practice, I seek to break binaries and live within tradition and the messy gorgeous unhinged futures we can dream of. Whatever a couple wants a couple gets; that said I am most comfortable in non-gendered language.
COVID safety and accessibility
Safety and accessibility to accommodate physical needs and the need for clean air is of paramount importance to me. I encourage anyone holding gatherings to consider how to best keep their community safe at all times. I travel safely and wear a mask indoors.
Mikvah
I remember working with the nascient Mayyim Chayyim mikvah in Newton, MA in 2006 to develop their first trans-inclusive ritual. Since then, I have taken my practice to the ocean, setting and building intentions around moments of transition, empowerment, grief, release, or just the simple need to re-start something. What brings us to each of our rituals, whatever they may be, can be woven into the ritual to bring a deeper connection to what is ancient, and what we make of the ancient.
Haggadot
As a holiday of time travel, ancestor connections, liberation, and storytelling, Passover is a deeply sacred time of year to me. I spend months (some years) gathering sources and writing passages to be read throughout the Seder. I don’t take a dogmatic or heavyhanded approach, trying instead to push each participant to encounter something unusual, to ask a question, to consider a new side of an oft-told story, to engage in radical empathy, and to set intentions for the year ahead.
Details +
For an amulet, I’d ask for $18 for materials and a celebratory latte on the morning when I send/give it to you. They take anywhere from two weeks (I’d consider that “rush”) to a year, depending on the project. I’ll never say no if that doesn’t feel attainable. Ping me!
I am here and honored to learn and work together on any ritual. I am not ordained, and not affiliated with any Jewish institution. Inquire for examples of fully-written rituals, to chat, trade translations, share readings, and learn about pricing. I’m always glad to hear from you <3.
Ariel N Kates 