Justice Ceremony

"Justice is what love looks like in public" Cornel West

Join us in beautiful Pitlochry to experience our healing from injustice ceremony. This ceremony was born out of our recent travels around the UK when we held circle asking the question 'How do people heal from the injustices caused by sexual harm and relationship abuse?'

We are all impacted by sexual harm and relationship abuse in different ways, whether via direct experience of abuse, by the impact it's had on the people we love, through our work, or by the impact of living in a society where abuse happens. Whatever brings you to this ceremony you are invited to join us for yourself, for the other people in the group, and for all of us in society.

Everything in this ceremony is an invitation. You are invited to participate as much, or as little, as feels right for you.  During the ceremony you'll be invited to listen to some stories from our travels as we saught answers to the question 'How do we heal from injusice?', to contribute your voice where you wish, to sing if you feel comfortable doing so, to join us in some body drumming, and to walk with us and each other on this path in the beautiful surroundings we've chosen for this moment.

We are going to visit four main themes on our journey. We will acknowledge the pain caused by sexual harm and relationship abuse. We will visit the anger and rage caused by sexual harm and relationship abuse. We will spend time with grief and loss. And finally, we will visit justice. 

If 'justice is what love looks like in public', this ceremony is our way of making space for that kind of love in our work and in our lives. As activists, this ceremony is our way of discovering what our activism could become if there was more healing, connection, ritual and community in our work. We hope it will also provide a useful rite of passage for people who feel they have not been given access to any meaningful sense of justice after their experiences of sexual harm or relationship abuse. 

You do not need to prepare anything in advance for this ceremony but you are invited to think about how you might arrive at this ceremony in a way that will help you feel grounded and prepared to participate and also what you might do following the ceremony as a way of being gentle with yourself. Pitlochry is a beautiful town, if you want to arrive early, or stay late, there are plenty of cafes, walks, and waterfalls to discover as part of your time here.

If you would like to read a detailed description of all the elements of the ceremony before deciding if it is a good fit for you, you can find that here. 

We anticipate that the ceremony itself will last for 60-80 minutes.

Please note that this ceremony will take place outside. Please wear clothing that will keep you warm as we sit, stand and gently walk in the outdoors for 60 - 80 minutes. It will feel colder because we won't be moving very much so please wrap up warmer than you would for a hill walk. We will not be walking a long distance during the ceremony but there are a series of steps around the path we will be taking. If you have any mobility issues that you would like us to be aware of please get in touch with us (hello@consentcollective.com). There are no toilets in the garden, if the theatre is open we suggest that you use the toilet and cafe facilities in the theatre before joining us ready to start at 1.30pm at the entrance to The Explorers Garden. If the theatre is closed you can find free parking, toilets and a cafe a short walk away (with steps) at the Pitlochry Dam Visitor Centre. 

Can't make this date? Join us for one of our other cermonies:

21st July 2024

22nd September 2024

Frequently asked questions

Will this ceremony include the disclosure of stories of abuse?

Many people will arrive at this ceremony with their personal histories of pain, grief, rage and injustice. The purpose of the ceremony is to provide a space to symbolise and honour these individual and collective histories, rather than share them. People may well choose to share that they have experienced abuse but people will not be invited to share detailed personal stories of abuse as part of this ceremony. 

Do you have to be a survivor of abuse to attend this ceremony?

No. This ceremony is for everyone. It's a space to recognise that we are all impacted by the prevalence of sexual harm and relationship abuse in our society, that we all hold the injustices in different ways, and that if there is ever going to be meaningful change it will need to involve all of us. This ceremony has been attended by survivors of abuse, but we've also had people join us who are parents to survivors, partners, their children or friends. We've also been joined by members of the public who want to contribute something positive to an issue they can see causes so much harm. 

Is this ceremony based on any kind of religion or spiritual tradition?

No. This ceremony has been created from the circles we have held on the theme of healing from injustice, it's roots are in these circles and in our story of travelling the UK whilst we held them. The symbolism, songs, and stories we share have all been crafted from these roots. However, the ceremony may feel familiar - when we gather to create ceremonial experiences the use of candles, song, drumming, symbolism, silence and collective voice are all part of creating many different kinds of ceremony.  

Will I have to speak to the group during this ceremony?

You'll be invited to, but everything in the ceremony is an invitation. With that invitation is a request to recognise and honour your own boundaries. If your preference is to participate quietly then that is very welcome too. Equally you'll be invited to make sure your voice isn't taking up too much space in the group and that there is room for everyone who wants to contribute.

How many people will be there?

We've limited the tickets for this event to 40 places. We don't know how many people will sign up, and how many of those will show up on the day.

Will there be support workers there?

Yes. We wouldn't be able to hold our ceremonies without the support from our sister organisations across Scotland. For this ceremony we will be supported by staff from RASACK Perth and Kinross. 

This ceremony is supported by the team at the Explorers Garden and Pitlochry Festival Theatre. A huge thank you to them for letting their beautiful space hold this work.

If you have any other questions at all then please feel free to get in touch with us at  hello@consentcollective.com