I do...wedding vows.

Sacred vows and promises and the words we choose

Photo by Samantha Gades on Unsplash

Hello my dear,

How are you today?

Weddings have been a theme in my life of late. I have not, until last month, been to a wedding in about 25 plus years.

Then last month I was invited to drum at my friend’s wedding. Lis and I have known each other since we were about 19. To be invited to drum at something so sacred and precious to her was such an honour.

And then last week,
I received a beautiful newsletter from Leonie Dawson.

Leonie is a creative introvert who is an incredibly funny, colourful, wildly successful entrepreneur. Her attitude towards business makes the business side of my business fun and achievable. She wants EVERYONE to succeed in a way that changes the world for a better place. As she says herself, she wants to “help you build a wildly profitable, high-integrity business with heart.”

I would also describe her like this

Equal part unicorn and rainbow
shimmering with immense generosity and compassion
while wearing shoes of reality and presence.

She is a real life Faerie Godmother for your life and business.

YES I DEFINITELY WOULD RECOMMEND HER. ¹

So, I received her newsletter and read her opening line - I married myself.

As I read her newsletter
I realised that at no point in my life

have I ever been that committed to myself and my well being.

At no time in my life have I actually said to myself
that I promise to love and cherish myself all the days of my life.

I went to bed that night

and something shifted.

Without thinking about it too hard,
I felt myself commit to myself

While I am unable to remember verbatim what I said to myself,
I feel it was something along the following lines -

Sammy,

I honour and cherish you
all the days of your life.

I will neither lead
nor ask that you follow.

I promise to walk beside you.

I will neither rescue you
or treat you as a victim.

I promise to empower you
and stand up for you.

***

With my ears
I promise to listen to you
to listen to what you are physically saying
to listen to what your body says without words.

I promise to listen without interrupting
to let your words and energy flow without judgement,
without shame.

I promise to listen
so you know you are heard,
so you know you are safe
so you know,

you can find
your unique way forward,

***

Sammy,
with my eyes
I promise to see you
to see the REAL YOU

the you,
that at times
you forget is there

the you,
that at times,
you hide and/or shun from

the you,
that at times,
you disbelieve is even possible,

and the you,
that at times,
you pretend is real

and yet is not,

With my eyes I promise to see
with eyes of compassion and kindness
with eyes of honesty and hope,
with eyes that will
SEE you.

***

With my words
I promise to speak the truth

with words
to encourage and support you
with words
to gently challenge you
with words
that will empower you

With my words I promise to
help you change the old tape recorder -
the one that gets stuck in your mind,
in your consciousness

I promise to offer you
words that resonate truthfully
words that will inspire
words that will encourage.

I promise to support you in ways
that will increase your self confidence
so that you can use YOUR own words
in ways that will enable YOUR truth to be shared
simply
succinctly
easily.

***

Sammy,
with these hands I promise to create a home for you
a home that you can be your true self in
a home that will sustain and empower you
a home where your loved ones can thrive
rejoice
and be loved in.

With these hands I will hold you close,
I will wrap my arms around you
when you feel fragile or sad
lonely or lost.
I will nurture you when you are unwell
and will support you when you are well.

With these hands I will treat you
with gentleness and tenderness
respecting your body,
mind
and soul,

treating you with utmost respect
with sacredness
with honour.

***

Sammy,
with my heart
I promise to hold your fears and worries
I promise to do this released of judgement,
fear
and shame

I promise to hold you
in times of stress and anxiety,
in times of grief and pain
in times of angst and unease

I promise to be here for you,

always

***

Sammy,
I promise to cherish your cycles
your natural ebbs and flows,
encouraging you further to feel into them
as you connect to the land,
the moon
the tides.

I promise to support
your creativity
your dreams
your passions

your chosen path,

so that you can make a living out of these
in ways that empower,
that support
that offer freedom.

***

My dearest Sammy,
I promise to love and cherish you

your body
your mind,
your emotions

holding them tenderly
looking after them with respect
tending them with unconditional love.

I say these words in the witness of
the Land and the Sea
of the Air and the Fire

I make this solemn vow
to be there beside you
through all the days of your life.

Words are powerful.

These are my words
for this moment in time.

They may change
as the cycles of my years continue.
Some words may stay the same
Some will change.

Because I will change.
I will grow.
I will heal.
I will evolve.

When I choose to renew these words
I will then renew them in honour of whom I have become.

Since reading Leonie’s newsletter
since going to sleep that night
since writing these words,
my attitude towards myself has shifted,
has changed
has grown.

Until my final breath
I will love
and cherish
the all of me.

What about you?

What words would you use if you married yourself?
How do you think this would change your attitude to yourself?
How would you actually enact this Self Marriage Ritual - what would you do? Who would you invite? How would you celebrate these sacred vows?

In honour of the relationship you currently have with yourself
and the words you may now choose
to create an even more positive relationship with yourself.

Blessed be

My name is Sam. I am a Healer - a Gardener and Storyteller of the Soul. I weave earth based wisdom into simple living and self healing, for you now, and for the 7th generation to come. Welcome to my little corner of the world. Feel free to browse my website.

I believe that healing words and meditations encourage positive mental health and self esteem. Your financial patronage says that you believe this to be true too.

To learn more about Leonie Dawson click on some of these links. These are the courses that I started with. I have also been a member of her Life and Business Academy since 2023

1. Freebie page

Money, Manifesting + Multiple Streams of Income

Life Year Books

All Leonie’s Courses

These are affiliate links which means that if you purchase a course I will receive a portion of the sales. I would have recommended Leonie even if this was not the case, as she is such an amazing woman.