As a student of religion and a spiritual practitioner, Sara has long acknowledged ritual for its symbolic and embodied power to transform. Weddings, for example, are rites of passage in which participants are ceremonially bound to each other. In some cases, the love between spouses is celebrated and formal vows of devotion are made. Sara has drawn inspiration from this ritual structure to create her own ceremony of self-marriage. From this playful and divinely attuned container, Sara's intentions are the following: *To celebrate the deep inner work that she courageously undertook from ages 21-28. *To make vows of love and care for all parts of herself. *To formally declare her self-belonging as a priority above any other allegiance or relationship. *To subvert patriarchy and the ownership of womxn by those other than themselves. *To disrupt intergenerational patterns of trauma. *To inspire others to live mythically and soulfully.

Devotion to a god/dess is a cross-cultural phenomenon. In Catholicism and earth-based feminist spirituality (two of Sara's religious affiliations), devotees can make formal vows to live in service of the divine. For example, Catholic nuns symbolically marry Christ when they make their solemn vows. Further back in history, ancient Roman women called Vestal Virgins entered the priesthood by pledging their devotion to the goddess Vesta. Sara has chosen to initiate herself as a priestess of Mary and Vesta by ritually declaring her devotion to them and by taking their names as her own. As a panentheist, Sara understands god and self as indistinguishable. In her view, her devotion to the divine is irrevocably tied to her self-marriage. In devoting her life to god/dess, Sara Maria Vesta promises to continue the healing of herself and her lineage, to serve humankind to the best of her ability, and to celebrate all that is beautiful, true, and good.

The position of the planets in the sky at the moment of birth is understood to be astrologically significant. Saturn, one of the toughest planetary teachers (akin to a stern yet caring Professor McGonagall) takes about 29 years to complete a circle around the sun. Therefore, Saturn returns to its original position on our birth chart in our late 20's/early 30's. For many, these years can be experienced as a cosmic rite of passage in which big, life-altering shifts occur. Sara sees this moment as the perfect one to honor her perpetual transformation and willingness to learn, grow, and change. Sara has chosen to celebrate this occasion in Salem, Massachusetts, a city infamous for the witch trials that took place in the 17th century. Today, Salem is a tourist destination where the archetype of the witch is celebrated (and commodified). It is significant to Sara because she underwent the most intense parts of her grieving & healing process while living in Witch City. As a survivor of domestic abuse whose life and safety has been threatened by the fear of female empowerment and individuation, Sara proudly aligns herself with the witch archetype. With this ritual, she collapses time to commune with & uplift all womxn who have been, are, and will continue to be oppressed and harmed for their wisdom and power.