I’m into what’s called the “phenomenology of lived experience” and love to both study and create ritual experiences that draw on our human yearning. My mantra is “go deep or go home.” At such a time as this, we cannot afford to stay on the surface. This is not antithetical to joy and fun and play… in fact sometimes that’s the way to get what a friend of mine calls “sneaky deep.” Getting in touch with ourselves and what makes us light up, getting in touch with others and creating more community and compassion in the world, getting in touch with the holy “other”–whether you call that Love, Universe, God/dess or whatever (the thing that feels bigger than all of us)–is the way humans have been pulling themselves out of the mire ever since we became humans. Exploring, learning and growing is our life's work. So let’s get to it.

My favorite ritual scholar, Ron Grimes, defined ritual this way:

“Ritual transpires as animated persons 

enact formative gestures 

in the face of receptivity 

during crucial times in founded places.”

Yeah, it takes a bit to unpack that (which I love to do in my keynote speaking and workshops) but suffice it to say that when you attend to time and space and word, media, gesture with intention, you are going to create meaning of some sort. 'Cause we're made for it.

I am something of a neuroscience geek and I know that our brains are wired for meaning. We can’t help ourselves. We like to create, observe and interpret–at least we do if no one has told us that there’s only one “right” way to experience something. This mind/body/spirit mashup we call humanity has a craving for purpose. If we don’t have rituals in our lives, we’ll create them. Even if it is that cup ‘o joe every morning or the jewelry we choose for the day or the candle we buy and place in just the right spot at home. It could be as simple as writing something special on a birthday card or listening to music as we go to work. 

No matter what it is, we are creating ritual and meaning 

anytime we make intentional choices that invite reflection.

I love creating “sacred” (to set apart) space and time, sound and light, word and action. As an artist, I know how environment effects our experience, drawing us deeper into whatever we say, sing or do in that space. I studied and interviewed filmmakers for my last book on creating sensory-rich ritual because they understand deeply how music makes a mood and color palette sets a tone and when to say something and when to simply let a gesture make the statement. Telling stories and creating ritual are so very close. Think about it. Our earlier humanoid ancestors knew what they were doing. They sat around a fire (dramatic lighting) in caves (enhanced sound) surrounded by petroglyphs (symbolic art) and told their stories and danced their dances. And what neuroscientists and ritual theorists know now is that 

these shared experiences bound these early humans together 

for the good of the whole–not just for survival, but for quality of life and meaning.

I have the great joy of working with a team of ritual artists of different sorts… visual, media, music, word, dramatic… in creating unforgettable experiences that soak the soul and spark the mind and then send people out to be changed and make change.

I hope you enjoy these photos of just some of the work we've been up to lately. I would love to talk to you about what this is sparking for you.

"Marcia is a supreme educator. I learn so much from her. While imparting so much knowledge,
she doesn't forget to feed our spirits as well, with little worship vignettes for our souls."
     — Alison Vernon

Connecting worship professionals and volunteers to their passion and depth of spiritual leadership is Dr. Marcia's aim in teaching and consulting as well as equipping them with skills to carry this out. She travels extensively, teaching and holding worship planning retreats. Dr. McFee has designed and led worship for regional, national and international gatherings of several denominations for the last 25 years. She is the creator and visionary of the Worship Design Studio, an online experience of coaching, education, inspiration hat currently serves over 1000 congregations. She is the author of The Worship Workshop, a workbook for worship teams and, as an avid skier, wrote Spiritual Adventures in the Snow: Skiing and Snowboarding as Renewal for Your Soul. Her third book, Think Like a Filmmaker: Sensory-Rich Worship for Unforgettable Messages, has become a best-seller and is utilized by churches and seminaries all over the world. Hundreds of individuals have travelled to study with her at annual retreats at Lake Tahoe over the last 12 years.