Rev. Jnanam MacIsaac

Rev. Jnanam MacIsaac is an ordained Integral Yoga Minister. Prior to ordination, she gained years of early experience in ritual blessings and interfaith services as a monastic, before marriage and motherhood. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English, as a returning adult student at the University of Virginia in 2000.

Jnanam is a certified Laughing Yoga Leader; Integral Yoga Teacher; and a Graduate of the Landmark Education Curriculum for Living: The Forum; The Advanced Course; and the Self Expression and Leadership Program (SELP); and an SELP Coach for two years. Jnanam is also an ongoing student of A Course in Miracles.

Jnanam has served in various interfaith capacities: In 2006, she and Rev. Claire Goodman co-organized the All Faiths Peace Invocation to open the 19th Annual Virginia Film Festival: “Revelations—Finding God at the Movies.” Jnanam coordinated The Grand Dedication of the Light Of Truth Universal Shrine (LOTUS), in Buckingham and The World Faiths Symposium, in Charlottesville. She has organized, directed, taught, and lectured at Yoga Ecumenical Retreats; served as Executive Director of several U.S. Integral Yoga Institutes and Ashrams, and as Event Planner and Program Coordinator for LOTUS.

Relevant to her spiritual journey, Jnanam participated in the inaugural session of Interfaith Meditation Evenings in London in 2005; attended The Pathway to Inner Peace with Eckhart Tolle, 2003; and a ten-day Kalakchakra for World Peace with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1999.

Other interfaith travel includes a Catholic pilgrimage to Betania, Venezuela, with mystic and visionary, Maria Esperanza; the International Conference of Religious Leaders, with Sri Swami Satchidananda and Rama Vernon, Co-founder of the Yoga Journal; three tours of India and Sri Lanka; and as tour guide to Nepal, with a spiritual trek in the Himalayas.

Rev. Claire Goodman

Since 2004 it has been my joy to officiate at more than 500 wedding ceremonies… each a unique, personalized creation… mostly in the Charlottesville area but occasionally in other areas of the Commonwealth of Virginia and Washington DC (see gallery below). Each individual brings unique life experiences and each couple has a unique story of their own… finding the best ways to reflect that in their ceremony is a wonderful creative challenge. Helping couples celebrate their love and honor the people and things that are most important to them and to their families in their wedding ceremony is always a fascinating process… I have the best job anywhere!

In addition to my work as a Wedding Officiant I have also been writing the Charlottesville Wedding Blog since 2007; offering lovely small weddings and elopement packages through my Weekday Wedding Company; am a co-founder of the Community of Charlottesville Wedding & Event Professionals; and most recently launched a comprehensive local online resource for brides and grooms called One Sweet Wedding: Charlottesville.

Christine & Reed

A little background… having grown up in an interfaith (Christian and Jewish) but non-observant family in New York City I was free to explore every cultural and faith community I could find: Episcopal; Catholic; Hindu; Jewish; Buddhist; Quaker, and many more! I first became involved in a faith community at age 13 at one of the oldest Quaker meetings in the country. It was there that I took my very first Yoga class which eventually led me to Integral Yoga: a synthesis of many of the world’s great faith traditions, emphasizing that “Truth is One, Paths are Many.”

I received my undergraduate degree in 1981 in Cultural Anthropology and Religious Studies at UC Santa Barbara, and although I loved my studies, found that I was more attracted to a heart-centered, practical approach than an academic one.

Sabeena & Patrick

In 1999 I completed Life Coach training and soon afterward was blessed to find my way to One Spirit Interfaith Seminary, a 2-year program of study, in New York City, leading to ordination as an Interfaith Minister. Seminary curriculum provided a firm knowledge base in ancient and contemporary faith traditions and spiritual paths and their practices as well as ongoing experience of practical ministry. Through a workshop elective during Seminary I discovered the wonderful world of creating beautiful, heartfelt wedding ceremonies for couples from varied backgrounds and that set me on the path of doing the wonderful work I do now.

I have also trained and worked as a Chaplain at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center and just last year had a long wished-for opportunity to travel to South India.

I am blessed to be married to a wonderful man, Hariharan, have a 25 year old son, Justin, who is the joy of my life and 3 beautiful step-children: Deva, Asha and Jaishree. We also have 2 sweet old cats: Frank and Mr. Mouse and make our home in beautiful Charlottesville, VA

Why a Divorce Ritual?

Whether you wish to mark a mutual marital completion, embark on a journey of compassion, or simply plant the seeds for “letting go and letting Good, “ a divorce ritual, or parting ceremony, clears the way for peace in a healing consummation of the past in the present.

Separation can be painful under any circumstances, in one way or other, dramatic or subtle. Resentment, anger, disappointment, ideas of failure, shattered dreams and self-esteem, loss, guilt, humiliation, isolation, or other forms of fear can surface occasionally or swirl in our consciousness. The idea of starting over can be daunting. The repercussions are increased exponentially when children are involved. Single-parenthood can be challenging. Often there is need for continued parental interaction for financial or other reasons regarding the children, whether very young or in adulthood.

Differences may appear irreconcilable, but Love doesn’t die. We move away from it, and ties are seemingly severed. But our subsequent thoughts, images, and memories linger and, whether conscious or suppressed, have a positive or negative effect on individual and family well-being. Minds are joined, and what we give, we receive.

A divorce is a life transition, and a divorce ritual is a means to transform lives by fostering an improved relationship between former partners and a better life for their children. A parting ceremony symbolizes the disbanding of your marriage and the emergence of a new path of possibility for you. A ritual of light and affirmation can gently facilitate a healthy grieving process and clear the way for apology, forgiveness, closure and mutual blessing by:

• Acknowledging both negative feelings and the positive aspects of the marriage: heart-full moments, treasured memories, and achievements. Remembering loving thoughts given and received sets the tone for extending Peace.
• Dispelling resentment and negativity by burning, washing, or burying symbols of the marriage, and allocating negative feelings to the past.
• Taking responsibility for the right to be happy, rather than the need to be right.
• Stepping into the future with a win-win perspective.
• Validating yourself and your former partner, reclaiming mutual respect and cooperation, and honoring each other as friends.
  

What’s involved in the ceremony?

A divorce ritual typically makes use of candlelight, water, flowers, beverage, music, bells, declarations and readings, wearing new clothes, and a conclusion that involves copies of the marriage and divorce documents. Food can also be included. We can create a meaningful ceremony with you or offer a pre-designed outline to facilitate your intentions.

Please note that a parting ceremony is meant to complement broken-relationship therapy, but not to replace professional counseling. Individuals or parted couples are best served if the goals of the ceremony are peace of mind, amicable closure, and the freeing of the future from past resentments.

Who should attend?

Although the potential for completion and healing is enhanced if both parties participate in the ceremony, a divorce ritual is beneficial to all concerned even if only one of the former couple joins in this aspiration with the Officiant. Friends or family members, including children, are welcome to take part or attend.

Where will the parting ceremony take place?

Depending on the nature of your event, the number of guests, and the weather, you will want to select a location that affords quiet privacy, such as your home, patio, backyard, or deck; in the community hall of your church, synagogue, or other place of worship; or your own favorite niche out in Nature.

When is the best time for a divorce ritual?

In any season, at any time that is conducive to your vision of the event, the work and school schedules of your participants, and agreeable to the Officiant. For example, you might choose the noon hour for maximum light and solar energy, or twilight for a meditative atmosphere.

Why a house blessing or dedication?

Your home is your reflection; why not a heaven on earth? The state of your home can impact your behavior, emotions or mood, and mental health. In turn, you influence the atmosphere of your home. Ideally, your home is a refuge to de-stress: a haven for rest, rejuvenation, nourishment, recreation, and comfort for you, your family, friends, and pets.

Also, at the least, we spend about eight hours a day, or 240 hours a month, in the home, asleep, and we are subtly affected by our surroundings, even then. Aside from those basic sleeping hours, many of us also work out of the home. As such, the atmosphere of the house is exceedingly important to our health and well-being.

We are here to help you celebrate and initiate your home ownership in a brand new home, or in an older residence to sweep away any energy “cobwebs” that may linger from years past.

A new home is a blank slate – an empty canvas — for your comfort, contemplation, and creativity.  A blessing ceremony or dedication will initialize a new home with your spirit and intention, and support a foundation for love, peace, and joy by way of uplifting sounds, symbols, and light.

A house blessing or dedication can reboot an older home, disperse any negative vibrations that permeate the space, and charge the atmosphere with positive energy for a fresh start and peaceful, harmonious surroundings.

When is the best time?

The ideal time to have your home blessed or dedicated is while it is still empty, before you move in; however, the ceremony can be done at any time, including after a renovation, whether you live in a house, an apartment, a cabin, or a room in a shared home.

Who should attend?

The ceremony can be an intimate occasion with the homeowner(s) and Officiant only, or a group event that includes family and friends. It can also be combined with a housewarming party.

What’s involved in the ceremony?

The dedication or blessing may include lit candles, scented water, salt, flowers, music, bells, songs, chanting, prayer, poems and other readings, welcome wreath, essential oils and oil lamp, a new broom, a guest book, and a tree planting. Food and beverage, such as a welcome cake and a sparkling toast, may also enhance the occasion, if you wish.

When places are actively sensed, the physical landscape becomes wedded to the landscape of the mind, to the roving imagination, and where the mind may lead is anybody’s guess.
~Keith Basso, Wisdom Sits in Places

Photo by Jen Fariello

Who blesses whom? A baby is manna from heaven, a bundle of love and joy, a physical spark of the Source, newly manifest and visible to our eyes. We are blessed to be among the babies in our midst. We welcome and name the new baby with a sense of renewal and hope, for light and peace in our hearts and in our world, and we can share our jubilation and gratitude with the baby, siblings, friends, and extended family in a special blessing or naming ceremony.

What kind of ceremony can I expect?

Photo by Jen Fariello

We can create a custom ceremony with you or offer a pre-designed service to welcome, honor, bless, celebrate, or name your beloved infant.

A customized ceremony can reflect a spiritual, religious, humanist, traditional, or alternative perspective, or be presented as a combined ritual, where your personal faith and cultural traditions are included in a universal, uplifting way that bridges hearts and honors the whole family in their common bond, the bliss of baby.

Personalized details will be attended to with special care and respect for your wishes. The ceremony can be short, simple, serene, and intimate or festive, elaborate, and long— or anywhere in between.

Typically, basic ingredients of the ceremony can include candlelight, water, flowers, music, bells, declarations, readings, prayers, and songs, and light food and beverage. You may want to combine the ceremony with a separate luncheon or buffet.

Where will the ceremony take place?

Depending on the nature of your event, the number of guests, and the weather, you will want to select a location that affords quiet privacy, such as your home, patio, backyard, or deck; in the community hall of your church, synagogue, or other place of worship; or your own favorite niche out in Nature.

Is there a best time for the ceremony?

You can select any time that is conducive to your vision of the event, the work and school schedules of your participants, and agreeable to the Officiant. For example, you might decide on the noon hour for maximum light and solar energy, or twilight for a meditative atmosphere.

Let your life come amongst them like a flame of light, my child,
unflickering and pure, and delight them into silence. ~Tagore

Phillip Gates

For the past 10 years Phil Gates has been Life Skills Director in the University of Virginia’s Department of Athletics working with the student-athlete population in a student affairs capacity. For the preceding 20 years he was a United Methodist clergyman at churches in Albemarle, Nelson, Louisa and Orange Counties. He was authorized to perform weddings in the Commonwealth of Virginia in Louisa County in 1981. Phil continues to make himself available to perform weddings because they offer a wonderful opportunity to continue to provide a service that he has always enjoyed very much. He holds a Masters of Theology from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University and studied theology and religion and literature at the Universities of Notre Dame and Virginia during the 1980s and 90s.

As a wedding officiant, (her favorite area of service) she personalizes each ceremony. In working with couples, she is able to create a service that reflects their own spiritual paths as well as infusing it with their personalities and values. Even with a simple civil ceremony, she can impart a great joy and celebration.

Photo by Angie Brement

She especially enjoys serving as a wedding officiant as her belief and commitment to relationships and family is reflected in her own life.  Married for 45 years, with 6 children, 14 grandchildren and 5 generations living and playing within walking distance of her home, she firmly believes in the lifelong vows taken during a marriage ceremony and helps couples find the best and most heartfelt vows to exchange.

She has performed many and varied weddings and enjoys working closely with the couples in planning their ceremony.  No matter what their faith or spiritual beliefs, she seeks to help design the wedding ceremony that is meaningful and significant for them.

Each wedding is unique and fabulous, full of hopes and dreams of the future. She brings all of it together to reflect the couple’s vision of beauty and joy and celebration on their most special day together.

Testimonials:

My wife and I were so pleased and happy to have found Rev. Bhavani to organize and perform our wedding ceremony!  She was graceful, kind, insightful, lovely, and lots of fun to work with.  We HIGHLY recommend her for any type of wedding or ceremony where there is a need for someone to hold the space and usher in the blessings of a new union.”  Moriah and Aaron Goldman

“Amy and I would like to extend our gratitude for helping guide us through to our wedding ceremony.  Amy has expressed how comfortable she felt with you in our meetings prior to our ceremony.  Your simple instructions allowed us to create the vows & words that made for a perfect day together.  We expect to take them forward for all our lives together.” Amy and Mark

“I highly recommend Rev. Bhavani Metro to perform your wedding ceremony.  Rev. Metro made ours wonderful and everything flowed smoothly.  She is very helpful with ideas be it a large formal ceremony or very intimate such as ours.  She takes the time to get to know you as a couple and individual and incorporates this information into the body of the ceremony.” Randy & Stacy Stuart Wimmer

Laura & Chris by Eric Kelley (top left); Breese & RJ (top right); Jessica & Mark by Rob Garland (bottom)