The Elements of Ritual | Water with Megan Sheldon

Water Rituals | The Elements of Ritual

Sunday, February 28th, 1:00pm-5:00pm, 2026

WHERE
Nectar Yoga Retreat Center, Bowen Island, BC

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The Elements of Ritual at Nectar Yoga

Four Sunday afternoons on the land at Nectar, one element at a time.

Where Megan’s six-week virtual training explores the roots of ritual and the framework of ceremony through the elements, these in-person gatherings bring that wisdom outside and into the body, meeting earth, water, fire and air where they naturally exist.

Together, we will explore the symbols, metaphors and stories that have connected people through generations of ritual and meaning-making. Part wisdom sharing, part storytelling and part practice, these gatherings offer a welcoming space for reflection, connection and discovery. No particular belief system or previous experience is required.

Each gathering stands on its own, or you can deepen your connection to all four elements by joining the complete series. These afternoons draw upon Megan’s experience as a celebrant, weaving together ancient stories, mythology and ritual practices with opportunities to learn from the elements and from one another.

WATER RITUALS | FEBRUARY 28

Water is the element of feeling and of passage. It cleanses, dissolves, carries and remembers. Nearly every tradition on earth washes something at a threshold ~ hands, feet, a newborn, a body being laid to rest ~ because water is how we mark that a person has crossed from one state to another. It is also the element of grief.

The gift of water is permission to soften, to move, to stop holding a shape that no longer fits. Water adapts without losing itself, and takes the form of whatever holds it ~ which makes it the truest element to explore in community, because a circle of people is also a container. We’ll look at water’s place in blessing, cleansing and mourning rituals, and at how to weave it into our daily rhythms.

There will be quiet time with the water, storytelling in small groups, and space to design a water ritual to acknowledge a transition you are moving through.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Each gathering follows a gentle rhythm of arriving, introductions, opening ritual, wisdom sharing, tea and reflection, elemental connection, storytelling, ritual practice and a closing circle.

We begin at 1:00 PM with time to arrive and settle before opening the circle together. Megan will share the mythology, symbolism and ritual traditions associated with earth, followed by tea and quiet reflection.

Through storytelling in pairs and small groups, we’ll explore our personal connections to the element before moving into ritual design, where you’ll create a meaningful practice to carry into your everyday life.

The gathering concludes at 5:00 PM.

Please note:

• We will move between indoor and outdoor spaces, so please dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes.

• Ritual materials, tea and a light snack are provided.

• No previous experience with ritual or ceremony is necessary.

PRICING & BOOKING

Earth Rituals: $165

Join us for this individual afternoon exploring the element of earth.

Complete Four-Session Series: $600

Experience all four elements across four Sunday afternoons for $150 per session, saving $60 compared with booking individually.

Earth: February 21

Water: February 28

Fire: March 7

Air: March 14

All sessions take place from 1:00–5:00 PM at Nectar Yoga Retreat.

ABOUT MEGAN SHELDON

Megan Sheldon is a cultural mythologist, humanist celebrant and end-of-life doula, and the co-founder of Be Ceremonial, the world’s first guided ritual and ceremony platform.

She is the author of Ritual Without Religion: A Humanist Guide to Creating Secular Ceremonies, and has spent years crafting ceremonies across the life cycle, with a particular focus on grief and loss.

Her passion is helping people cross the silent thresholds, those seemingly invisible moments of change that so often pass unmarked.

Megan teaches her virtual Ceremonial Training: The Elements of Ritual twice a year and offers workshops and in-person retreats near her home in North Vancouver and every January on Bowen Island. She is thrilled to bring her ritual knowledge connected to the elements to Nectar.