Sisterhood, Ceremony and the Power of the Rose

This past week, I traveled to Canada to experience something I knew would change me-my first Rose Ceremony.

To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. I just knew that the prospect of connecting to the rose called to my Libra soul, a lover of beauty and all things Venusian. The ceremony was held on Bowen Island by my teacher Kate Murphy, an initiated and ordained Priestess. I have spent the past year learning about the ways of the Priestess through Kate’s training “The Sacred Spiral” (an incredible training that you can learn more about here). 

For those unfamiliar with the term Priestess, it refers to she who serves as a bridge between the sacred and the mundane, walking a path of service as she embodies the wisdom of the divine feminine. Rooted in the cycles of nature, the Priestess connects to the medicine of the earth through ceremony, ritual and devotion. She holds space for healing and transformation, guiding others back to their inner truth and sovereignty. 

The Rose Ceremony was an invitation for soulful women walking the path of the sacred to come together in sisterhood, connecting and supporting each other as we journeyed inward to commune with the plant ally of the rose. As a healer now facilitating sacred travel retreats, I considered this ceremony to be part of my professional development, an opportunity to retreat inwards and deepen my own practice so that I may guide others from a space of integrity and embodied learning.

Bowen Island has an energy that is magical, fairylike and deeply healing. As often happens to me when I am in the presence of the sacred, something shifted within the moment that I stepped onto the island. Kate later shared that the island does not accept everyone, only those who are ready for the transformation that it offers. The Rose Ceremony took place outside, on Kate’s land in an open space surrounded by dancing dragonflies, humming bees and majestic green trees.

Over twenty women gathered from different areas of the world, entering single file in silence as we slowly ascended the hill to the outdoor temple. As I stood waiting to receive an anointing of rose oil and blessing from Kate before taking my seat at the altar, I felt my heart expand. Rarely in my life have I been in a space surrounded by so many spiritual women, where topics such as astrology, animal spirits and shamanism are normal conversation starters. Even more rare was this feeling of true sisterhood. No competition. No comparison.  Just women seeing and supporting each other, rising together. An amplification of the divine feminine in its truest essence and power. After making an offering to the rose altar and finding a place in the circle, I was struck by an intuitive knowing: this journey would be deeply transformative, on both a personal and collective level.

Each woman in the circle was given a rose to commune with during the ceremony. In the path of the Priestess, plant allies are sacred guides and mirrors, connecting us to the healing power of the earth. Perhaps my favorite part of the ceremony was time devoted to stillness: an opportunity to retreat into the forest, meditate with the rose and receive its wisdom. While I often connect with trees, this was my first experience communing with the essence of a flower in such a profound way. I went with no expectations-only a willingness to receive.

What I received in return were messages reflecting my deepest truth: that of my soul. The rose offered me insights into my relationship with pleasure. She reminded me that the divine feminine embodies many aspects, that it is possible to be both gentle and fierce. That sensitivity can be your greatest strength. She spoke to me of vulnerability, acknowledging that it is safe for me to open my heart. Perhaps most importantly, the rose mirrored back through her beauty and softness the core essence that unites us all: that of love.

The rose opened my heart, but this circle of women amplified the medicine. Something magical happens when a group of women come together with intention. There were tears, laughter, dance and deep release. An unspoken permission for each of us to unapologetically shine our light. This is the beauty of sacred sisterhood. There is nothing more powerful than women coming together to rise-in truth, in embodied power, in love.

The Rose Ceremony truly captures the magic of retreats: to heal, to remember and rise together. This is why I created Return to Wholeness, my sacred travel retreat in Portugal this September. It is a space for women to remember their truth, to reclaim their power and rekindle their inner light. If you are moving through the portal of transition and seeking to be supported and held in an intimate container of sacred sisterhood, join us in Sintra. Learn more and register here.