Marriage Preparation & Communication
No matter what your belief system, very few people enter into marriage lightly. It is the defining relationship of our life.
A strong, whole, loving marriage is the both the bedrock and the evidence of two strong, whole and happy people. It is the single relationship in which we humans can experience all primary forms of love: eros, philia, storge and agape.
So many of us enter into marriage with little conscious awareness other than: I love this person, and I want to spend the rest of my life with them. That’s so beautiful! But also, so, so ill-equipped. Our human life is not perfect; hard moments, experiences, and decisions will be faced by every marriage. Thankfully, if we have knowledge of a few keystones, we equip our partnership with the tools to meet those moments of difficulty in strength together, with love in our hearts.
These keystones are:
- Consciously choosing each other – understanding what this means, and what it doesn’t.
- Understanding how to communicate with each other. By understanding both our own and each other’s personalities, core beliefs and way of seeing the world, we can communicate our own needs and values more effectively, while simultaneously being able to understand the needs and values of our partner better.
- Defining where you are going together. This is not just: we will have 2.3 children and live in a house with a picket fence by age 30 (though it can be part of the thought process!), it’s more: in just one phrase or sentence, where are we going together in our relationship with each other? This is neither permanent nor static; it can and will change as your life unfolds together.
This course is 6 sessions and takes place over 6 weeks.
I recommend finishing this course at least 2 months before walking down the aisle.