All Posts By

Debbie Philp

Aug 21
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I Vow to Commit My Hands and My Heart

By Blog, Spiritual Ecology
In June 2022, I stood in front of my seminary directors, deans, and classmates and made my personal vows of ministry. Speaking our vows was part of our ordination ceremony. The two years of seminary were challenging, personally and for the whole class. When we started, we were still in the first year of the COVID pandemic. The once hybrid…
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Aug 13
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Pagan Handfasting with Sword Jump

By A Magical Rite, Handfastings
This Norse Pagan couple wanted some unique elements in their outdoor ceremony. They also wanted to capture their own spirituality while respecting their families’ faith traditions. We co-created a special ceremony that included pouring a candle and a sword jump. Ceremony Script  Prelude 30 minutes of music by DJ as guests arrive and are seated   Processional 2:00pm Officiant moves…
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Aug 13
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Small Handfasting Ceremony with Family

By Handfastings, Infinity Knot
This ceremony was witnessed by the couple's families on their land. It was planned with short notice and follows the basic script with no customization except the wedding address. The couple wrote their own vows and the bride designed and crafted their cords. Ceremony Script Gathering Wedding party and family gather in grove of trees.  Welcome and Remembering of Loved…
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Jul 15
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Flower Communion 2025

By Inspirational Talks
Presented at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Glens Falls, New York, on June 29, 2025 for the annual flower communion Sunday. This service ends the congregational year. The flower communion ceremony is meant to highlight the beauty of diversity within the community. I look around at you holding flowers and see not just the beauty of the flowers but of…
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Jul 07
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Resources for Working With the Divine Feminine

By Blog
During our last Turtle Journey, a participant requested resources for working with the divine feminine. Following are some I have found helpful. Links are to Bookshop.org. The Healing Power of the Sacred Woman by Christine R. Page, MD Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estés a spread from The Sacred…
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May 26
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Getaway Elopement

By A Magical Rite, Handfastings
This handfasting ceremony was created for the elopement of a nonbinary Pagan couple. Only the officiant and two witnesses were present in a private suite where the couple was spending the weekend. Ceremony Script Gathering  11:30am Partner 1 and Partner 2 give officiant the rings. Partner 1 and Partner 2 stand facing each other in front of the officiant. Witnesses…
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May 26
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My Interfaith Ecospiritual Journey

By Inspirational Talks
This short talk, presented on May 4, 2025 to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Glens Falls, was part of a service co-lead by me and two other One Spirit Interfaith Seminary graduates in which we shared our journeys to, through, and after seminary. I was raised on the south shore of Long Island, by parents who only felt obligated to…
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May 23
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Wild Community: Pagan spirituality centered in saving Earth’s biodiversity

By Academic Talks
Presented at the Virtual Symposium of Pagan Thought and Practice on March 29, 2025. The symposium is an offering of Commons of Modern Pagans and Spiritual Seekers (COMPASS). Let’s take a deep breath together and let all that settle. Hi, I’m Debbie, she/her pronouns, and I’m joining from the Adirondack mountains in northeastern New York, land that was once hunting…
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Mar 05
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The Spirituality of Wildlife Rehabilitation

By Blog, Spiritual Ecology
I was invited to do a question-and-answer session with the Compassion Consortium’s Animal Chaplaincy students on wildlife rehabilitation from a spiritual perspective. I shared that, honestly, I don’t know any wildlife rehabilitators, or at least any who stick with it, who aren’t spiritual about it in some way. There are some who start for their own egos, but they tend…
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Jan 26
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A Different Kind of Hope

By Blog, Spiritual Ecology
As Imbolc season approaches, I have been thinking about hope, my theme for the ceremony and the days that follow. I will be honest, hope, as I usually engage with it, is difficult to find and, when I do, seems lacking in any meaning. That kind of hope feels like nothing more than wishful thinking. The news is full of…
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