Reet Mae is an interfaith minister, certified celebrant, cultural historian, and artist who specializes in crafting deeply meaningful, personalized rituals and ceremonies to mark life's important transitions. Whether you are navigating loss of a loved one, welcoming new life, celebrating a partnership, or honoring any other significant change, Reet’s approach to ceremony is centered on the belief that rituals provide a powerful way to reflect, heal, and connect.

With a background that spans psychology, spiritual care, and creative arts, Reet brings a holistic perspective to her work as a celebrant. She holds an Honours BA in Psychology and is a Certified Spiritual Director and Certified Interfaith Chaplain. After completing her training at the Chaplaincy Institute in California, She was ordained by its interfaith community in 2020, and by the Metaphysial Ministry of Canada, which licenses her as a wedding officiant in Ontario. Her artistic work has been featured in exhibits such as Nuit Blanche and other juried art shows across Canada, the U.S., and Estonia and Reet uses image in her work as a SoulCollage® facilitator to help people access their own deep internal wisdom.

Reet’s work as a cultural historian is reflected in her long-standing dedication to documenting the stories of the Estonian diaspora. Reet and her brother Tom Mae co-produced the award-winning documentaries Patterns of Freedom / Vabaduse mustrid (about the women of the Estonian diaspora) and Suurpõgenemine80 / Great Baltic Escape 1944, a film triptych exploring the escape of Estonians fleeing Soviet occupation in 1944. These films, and their accompanying oral history project, have received significant recognition, including the People’s Diplomat Award (2017) and the Annual Award in the Field of Folk Culture (2015) from the Cultural Endowment of Estonia. Together, Reet and Tom have recorded numerous interviews with Estonian elders, preserving their personal stories of life in free Estonia after WWI and the exile experience after WWII.  They are currently working to archive hundreds of hours of footage from these interviews, with the goal of placing the materials in cultural and university archives to ensure the preservation of these important first person histories for future generations.

Beyond her celebrant and filmmaking work, Reet has extensive experience in adult and child mental health. She has coordinated research projects, co-produced training videos for mental health professionals and developed apps for children's mental health, in collaboration with her brother, Tom. These initiatives are part of Reet’s broader mission to create spaces where people can feel supported, heard, and empowered.

Reet’s work as a celebrant is deeply informed by her belief that rituals help us honor our past, celebrate our present, and create pathways for the future. Her ceremonies are tailored to meet the needs of individuals and families from all walks of life—whether religious, spiritual, or secular. Fluent in English and Estonian, she offers services for families seeking to connect with their Estonian heritage or to integrate cultural traditions into the ceremony.

"Ritual affirms the common patterns, the values, the shared joys, risks, sorrows, and changes that bind a community together. Ritual links together our ancestors and descendants, those who went before with those who will come after us."
— Starhawk

Through her work as a celebrant, artist, and cultural historian, Reet brings together the best of both traditional and modern approaches to ceremony, offering services that are both deeply rooted in heritage and inclusive of today’s diverse, interconnected world. Whether you’re marking a loss, celebrating a new chapter, or simply honoring a moment of change, Reet is dedicated to creating a ritual that speaks to your heart, your family, and your community.

Summary CV and list of papers and presentations available upon request.