What brought me to Scotland and how long have I lived here?

I came to live in Scotland in 1999, and apart from a 5 year detour to England, I have lived here ever since. In 2008 I moved to just outside Lochinver in Assynt, a parish in the the North-West Highlands of Scotland, because I’m married to a Highlander who always wanted to return to where he grew up. I could not resist him, or living close to mountains and the sea, two things I didn’t have in the flat part of Austria where I grew up.

Who do I share my life with?

I live with my husband and teenage son on a small woodland croft, near the sea and the mountains. There are also two dogs and two cats in the mix. 

Why did I train as an Interfaith Minister?

I’ve been drawn to ceremony ever since I wrote my own wedding ceremony in 2008, and after exploring training as a humanist celebrant a couple of times I realised this was too limiting an option. I needed to choose  a route that allowed for working with those from all faiths, and all takes on spirituality.  I also wanted to do more than ceremony and the Interfaith Minister path offered many opportunities to create my own mix of offerings. At the core of my current ministry is ‘ministering’ to a whole variety of needs, from ceremonies and rituals to nature spirituality and holding space for those who are grieving.  You can read more about the nature side of my ministry on my other website www.allthecoloursofthenorth.co.uk

What IS an Interfaith Minister?

Interfaith Ministers are quite a diverse bunch, so let’s keep it to who I am as an Interfaith Minister. I trained for two years with OneSpirit Interfaith Foundation, developing a deep understanding for the world’s faith paths, exploring differences and commonalities. Through this I can now confidently work with people from any faith or none, those who see themselves as spiritual or just exploring spirituality. In the context of ceremony it means I am comfortable and competent to integrate elements from different faith paths and spirituality into any of the ceremonies I create, whether ceremonies for love, or loss, or remembering or transitions & beginnings. I am also happy to work with those who are looking for a humanist ceremony, or who are looking for creating something that honors their own culture(s) or worldviews. 

What’s my own faith or spirituality?

I grew up in a non-practicing Catholic family, then went through years of an agnostic outlook, before accepting that I was indeed spiritual at my very core… but it was complicated and I wasn’t ever going to fit into any faith path. Accepting this was liberating and today my own spirituality is eclectic and ever evolving. I am also a member of a Unitarian congregation in Scotland, where I find community, and an open-minded and individualistic approach to faith that gives scope for a very wide range of beliefs and doubts. 

Which ceremonies for love are my favourites?

I honestly could not tell because each and every ceremony I am part of is special to me! I do love ceremonies in the outdoors, because I have such a close connection to nature and there is nothing better than being close to it when you celebrate, or honour sombody or something! And yet with weather sometimes being challenging, I also cherish a roof over my head sometimes!  I love variety, so whilst ceremonies close to my home are wonderful the adventurer in me is thrilled when I get asked to conduct ceremonies in other parts of the Highlands, or Scotland. I am particularly fond of micro-weddings and elopements because there is a very special dynamic and closeness, and you also can’t beat the fun of a bit of DIY in ceremonies… carrying picnic baskets to remote beaches or woodlands for example, or involving children and dogs, 

What part of creating ceremonies and rituals do I love most?

I love getting to know people and establishing a relationship. Many moons ago I worked in social research and spent a lot of time listening to people  who told me about their lives, and this curiosity about people, their stories and values has stayed with me ever since. Hence those first emails and meetings where we explore ideas is a wonderful part of my work. It’s equally exciting though when things start to fall into place later on, when I have a real sense of who people are and what works for them, when rituals take shape, perfect readings are slotted in, participants find their ideal slots in the flow of a ceremony. I have often compared the creation of ceremony to brewing something, beer or maybe whisky, or making bread and watching the dough rise and delicious smells of the baked loaf emerging. And then there is of course the final part, when there ceremony finally happens… that is always magic and precious!

Is Interfaith Minister & Celebrant my only job?

When I am not ministering or celebrating or creating rituals I work as a Project Manager in Social Media. It’s a long established career I enjoy and cherish and which allows me to work remotely with people all over the world. I also do some voluntary work with international students in the UK.

What was my own wedding like?

My wedding was a small humanist ceremony at the house of my husband’s family, or rather in a marquee on their car park. My husband wore a kilt and I wore a Dirndl, a traditional Austrian dress – a true merging of cultures. We would have loved to get married on our local family beach at Achmelvich, but with elderly relatives to consider it wasn’t a valid option –  love and compromise and making things work for everybody is often at the centre of planning a wedding.