Who is Julie?
I was born and raised in Seattle, where I lived the first 50 years of my life. I made several visits to Kauai from 1973 until I became a part time resident in 1996. I then traveled to Kauai 3 times a year for the next 10 years.
In 2006, I started performing weddings in Seattle and on Kauai. I divided my time between Seattle and Kauai that year until I became a permanent full time resident of Kauai in 2007. There is nowhere on earth I’d rather be than here on Kauai. I love it!
My Qualifications
I am a licensed Marriage Performer with the State of Hawaii. I am also a Certified Funeral Celebrant. I enjoy my membership in several interactive discussion boards and organizations, where we share best practices for performing weddings and funerals. I have attended many seminars on the art of creating secular ceremonies. A few years ago, I even presented my own workshop for performing weddings, to members of the Hawaii Secular Society in Honolulu.
To be honest, in 2005, I simply clicked a button online that said “Ordain Me” to become an ordained Minister with the Church of Spiritual Humanism, like many other wedding officiants do! However, striving for excellence, which is part of my personality, I took the title very seriously. I spent a year studying ceremony composition and performance for all types of secular celebrations, collecting ideas for ceremony scripts and meaningful unity gestures. I completed several online courses in Continuing Humanism Education and I continue that education today. A few years ago, I formed the Kauai Secular Society, here on my little island, but it’s still a small group, which hopefully will grow in membership in the coming years.
Yes, I am fully insured to perform weddings and vow renewals in Hawaii and am in the State of Hawaii’s Wiki Permit system, to get wedding beach permits. I am happy to obtain those permits for your event.
My Philosophy
- I believe that a marriage is a commitment between two people, accountable to each other.
- I believe that the success and happiness of each individual and their relationships depend on the personal dedication and devotion to their goals, rather than dependence on an outside supernatural deity to provide that success and happiness. Surrounding yourself with good people helps too!
- I believe that a funeral should recognize the life and legacy of an individual, providing closure and hope to the survivors. The memory of the deceased person should be embraced by the survivors in a positive way, allowing life to go on with adjustments toward living without the loved one.
- I believe that family additions and dedications such as baby blessings and coming of age celebrations are about the family’s code of ethics and should inspire positive interactions and involvement in the community.
- I am a little fuzzy on the idea of a “higher power” because I feel it’s simply that which we do not know; that unexplained wonder which is constantly striving for balance, harmony and forward motion, in the natural existence of the cosmos. Seeking a greater understanding of the universe and seeking a feeling of connection to our beginnings all the way back to the Big Bang is spiritually exciting to me.
- I believe in Natural Consequences. Some might call it Karma. Some might call it the Golden Rule. Every action has a consequence, and can be very personal when human nature is involved.
- I believe in the Separation of Church and State, so that government events and decisions should include ALL community members. I strongly feel that invocations for government and community gatherings should inspire a feeling of goodwill and positive interaction between ALL community members, regardless of religious or spiritual backgrounds and views, and not (solely) on a reliance on outside supernatural forces. I prefer the term “evocation” rather than “invocation” since I believe it’s better to evoke from within rather than invoke from without.
What is Humanism?
Humanism is a philosophy of life, inspired by humanity and guided by reason and compassion. So, as a Minister of Spiritual Humanism, my focus is on human needs, goals and values, rather than worship of deities and theological dependence. Get more information from the American Humanist Organization.
Here is an image that depicts the “Ten Commitments” which are goals for living humanist values that I hold up as a general guide for my own actions, as much as I’m able. It’s nice to have a compass for personal actions.
Millions of people around the world embrace humanist values for fuller, more joyful lives without dependence or reliance on supernatural god(s) or belief in a literal heaven or hell. Whether you use the term Humanist, Agnostic, Freethinker, Atheist, Rationalist, Naturalist, Realist, those who have evolved away from traditional theistic religions make sense of the world using reason, experience and shared human values.
This video created by the Center for Inquiry and the Living without Religion organizations, describes my spirituality well and the sector of the population I seek to serve.
Why am I a Celebrant?
After September 11, 2001, I saw a need for non-religious grief counseling and comfort for the large percentage of Americans who may be spiritual to some degree, but not religious in the traditional sense. There is a need for community support for ALL, no matter our current relationship with religions, for the trauma, triumphs and transitions we go through.
I attended several funerals in the years leading up to that date, which seemed to me to be just religious worship services with an “insert name here” type of script, mentioning the dearly departed often in an impersonal way. But then in 2001, I attended a “Celebration of Life” for a lady who died in a plane crash while on vacation in Mexico, on that same September 11th. Hers was a non-religious life tribute, a secular Celebration of Life. It was very moving and really celebrated the legacy and imprint her life had on others around her. It was at that time I decided I wanted to learn how to create meaningful and memorable funerals and memorials!
While I was searching for training for funeral celebrancy and grief counseling, I also saw a need for non-religious weddings. I realized the large number of people who consider themselves something of a humanist, like me, freethinker, agnostic, atheist, or one of the “nones” meaning not really belonging to any one religion, or maybe none, or even “all the above” but still enjoy inspiring uplifting ceremonies, elevating the human spirit with the collective wisdom of humanity, common to all.
During the early years after becoming a celebrant, I was asked to perform several “Baby Blessings” for families wanting something like a baptism, but non-religious. I really liked that concept and someday I would like to see more popular interest in this type of celebration. A Baby Blessing, or Family Addition due to adoption or the blending of a family with step-siblings, is a celebration of the values the parents hope to instill in the child. Of course, these values are modeled daily in the home, but it’s also good to set aside some time to really define them, enshrine them and include the support of grandparents, guide-parents, friends and family. Baby Blessings or Child Dedications can be a wonderful compromise for families who may be expected to have a religious baptism or christening, but aren’t religious themselves, so are experiencing a fear of friction in the extended family because some family members are more traditionally religious and might be worried for the child’s spirituality.
The Importance of Ceremony
Ceremonies and rituals are important in our society. By publicly declaring important milestones in our lives, we give the moment a place of honor. Shared with family and friends, we gain their support as we go through expected and unexpected changes in our lives.
Secular ceremonies are becoming so popular because they cross faith and cultural boundaries and therefore are non-offensive to participants and guests of different faiths. By bringing together the common values of humanity from all belief systems, secular ceremonies allow each of the participants to experience positive feelings special or unique to them.
Ceremonies acknowledge and honor important transitions in our lives. By creating a time and space to publicly declare an event, we assert our readiness to honor what has gone before and to embrace a new path. By inviting our friends and loved ones to mark the occasion with us, we allow them to offer us their love and support, which strengthens our bonds with them.
The function of ceremony is to bring people together for love and support during transitions into new beginnings. Ceremony allows us to join and bond when we are bringing two families together, celebrating new life, or paying tribute to a life well lived.
As a Humanist Minister and Celebrant, I help people address the human needs and goals required for healthy transitions. My clients include humanists, agnostics, freethinkers, atheists, rationalists, as well as mixed faith families and even some devoutly religious folks who don’t want to impose a religious service on their guests or simply want a more meaningful and personal ceremony than what their church can provide.