Cover image of show Opening Ceremony Podcast with Jess May

Opening Ceremony Podcast with Jess May

Podcast by Jessica May

English

Personal stories & conversations

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About Opening Ceremony Podcast with Jess May

Podcast blurbWelcome to ‘Opening Ceremony Podcast’ with me, your host, Jess May. I'm on a mission to keep ceremonies alive! Join me to hear all about why!In the UK people are giving up on ceremony and I believe it is making us sick. I don’t want that for you and that is why we’re here. Ceremonies remind you that you belong here, you’re precious and you’re never alone.I hope that this podcast will do that too.On my podcast we connect with Academics, Professionals, colleagues, friends & clients share their life events, passions, careers and the ceremonies associated with them.Ceremonies hold power to create meaning and are a vital source of connection and belonging for human beings. As cultures evolve, ceremonies do too, how we approach that shift matters, because even as they disappear and change shape, they continue to hold power for both good and bad.I want to empower you to create ceremonies which honour your values and remind you that you and yours belong in this world.Good ceremonies tell your own story and help you to find your own meaning by reflecting who you are, healing you and showing you how much you matter.But they can also be used in damaging ways.If you don’t claim that power and choose your own way of celebrating your life and telling your story, someone else will do it for you. Even as they fall from fashion, they will continue to matter to us societally, historically, personally & culturally.There is never a time in human history where people don’t use them somewhere in the world for myriad reasons. Focusing on ceremony shows us the interconnected multitude of human lives throughout history and across cultures. Ceremonies help us to hear those voices, their differences and similarities and understand the world-views behind the ceremonies they create.Jess May is an Award Winning Celebrant who started her career in 2013 creating hundreds of life changing ceremonies for every occasion.Join the Opening Ceremony constellation to learn more about why ceremonies still play a central part in human and animal societies.

All episodes

23 episodes

episode Samhain! Is it CHRISTIAN or the OG of HALLOWEEN? with PAGAN specialist Dr Jenny Uzzell artwork

Samhain! Is it CHRISTIAN or the OG of HALLOWEEN? with PAGAN specialist Dr Jenny Uzzell

HERE'S ONE FOR HALLOWEEN If you'd like to support the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2368233/supporters/new Dr Jennifer Uzzell is a freelance researcher and academic in the field of Pagan Studies and Death and Bereavement Studies. Her doctorate, from the Centre for Death and Life Studies at Durham University looks at the ritualisation of Death among modern British Druids. Jenny is a member of a number of Druid Orders and is the Education and Youth Manager for the Pagan Federation. She is also an Educational Consultant in the field of Religious Education. She is co-owner of a progressive funeral home in the North East of England. I had the enormous privilege of chatting with Dr Jenny all things Sahmain and addressing my ignorance around Paganism! Join us! Find Dr Jenny here: https://centre-for-pagan-studies.com/speakers/jenniferuzzell/ https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/persons/jennifer-uzzell/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQrvnU68zTQ https://www.saintandforster.co.uk/about/ THANKS FOR KIRSOP MEDIA for editing expertise https://kirsopmedia.com/ ALEX MAC CREATION for designs https://alexmaccreation.co.uk/ You can find Jess here:  https://www.jess-may.com/ [https://www.jess-may.com/]

29 Oct 2025 - 1 h 17 min
episode CEREMONY & SELF WORTH with MIRANDA ASH artwork

CEREMONY & SELF WORTH with MIRANDA ASH

SELF WORTH & CEREMONIES WITH MIRANDA ASH https://www.mirandathecelebrant.co.uk/ [https://www.mirandathecelebrant.co.uk/] Miranda Ash is a Celebrant with a rich and varied career behind her and ahead of her now firmly rooted in created warm, authentic ceremonies across the UK and beyond.  She has 13 years experience in this particular role as a Celebrant and she is known for her down to earth approach, thoughtful touches and a strong belief in community over competition. In 2023 she was named the Wedding Industry Awards National Celebrant of the Year. She mentors students in the Academy of Modern Celebrancy and the Celebrant Success Accelerator. In this episode Miranda shares with us her thoughts about Mindset and the importance of SELF WORTH. I LOVE HER and she is a personal friend and I know that you will love her too. PLEASE DO SUPPORT MY SHOW IF YOU CAN by clicking here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2368233/supporters/new You can find Jess here:  https://www.jess-may.com/ [https://www.jess-may.com/]

11 Sep 2025 - 1 h 6 min
episode WHY DO WE PUT THINGS IN GRAVES WITH OUR DEAD? DR JENNIFER RILEY artwork

WHY DO WE PUT THINGS IN GRAVES WITH OUR DEAD? DR JENNIFER RILEY

Hi there! My podcast is a free resource and I'd love it if you could support it. Click here to donate if you'd like to: THANK YOU https://www.buzzsprout.com/2368233/supporters/new Dr Jennifer Riley is a research fellow in Divinity at the University of Aberdeen. Her current research explores grave goods in the UK today – the objects and items placed with people when they die, which almost certainly cannot be retrieved afterwards. She’s passionate about using her research to spark conversations about how the UK approaches death, the personalization of funerals and memorials, environmental considerations, and the concept of the afterlife in the modern world. You can find Dr Jennifer here: Facebook - just plain old Jennie Riley there Instagram - @baggageforthebeyond Linkedin (if you're so inclined) - Dr Jennifer Riley X - JennieARiley1 Bluesky - @jen-studies-death.bsky.social   Dr Jennifer Riley FHEA Leverhulme Early Career Fellow || Research Fellow Divinity and Religious Studies || University of Aberdeen Pronouns: she/her jennifer.riley@abdn.ac.uk [jennifer.riley@abdn.ac.uk] Latest paper – ‘Why does funeral attendance matter? Revisiting ‘Configurational Eulogies’ in light of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK’ (Mortality, 2024): https://doi.org/10.1080/13576275.2023.2225029 [https://doi.org/10.1080/13576275.2023.2225029] University profile: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/people/jennifer.riley [https://www.abdn.ac.uk/people/jennifer.riley] Baggage for the Beyond: https://abdn.site/baggage-for-the-beyond [https://abdn.site/baggage-for-the-beyond] The Care in Funerals Casebook: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/sdhp/philosophy/care-in-funerals-casebook-2456.php [https://www.abdn.ac.uk/sdhp/philosophy/care-in-funerals-casebook-2456.php] The Educating for Inclusive, Caring Communities Webpage: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/eicc [https://www.abdn.ac.uk/eicc] You can find Jess here:  https://www.jess-may.com/ [https://www.jess-may.com/]

18 May 2025 - 1 h 9 min
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