Rev. Marshall Hammer —Sacred Refractions #8
Each month, the One Spirit Community poses four questions and invites a community blessing toward One Spirit’s kaleidoscope of alumni. This evolving series celebrates the prism of lived experience and reflects the radiant, raw, and beautifully human expressions of sacred action and service.
Four questions. One blessing. A moment of sacred refraction.
This month’s Sacred Refractions spotlight centers on Rev. Marshall Hammer (she/they), a 2021 One Spirit graduate, Reiki Practitioner, and Fellowship Facilitator, including One Spirit in Recovery, groups for Adult Children of Alcoholics
& Dysfunctional Families and monthly groups for those who have
lost loved ones to suicide.
Rev. Marshall is honored to offer Befriend Your Grief, a 12-week live small-group program she runs for survivors of suicide loss.
To learn more or to work with Rev. Marshall visit: https://www.reikifortoday.com and https://befriendyourgrief.com
(The following is from a written interview with Rev. Marshall)
What called you to One Spirit?
I found my way to One Spirit through an unlikely door. As a Reiki practitioner in North Carolina, the law required me to either hold a massage license or be an ordained minister — something about the laying on of hands. I got ordained through the Universal Life Church almost as a formality, but when that little credential arrived in the mail, something shifted. I thought: I'd like to actually learn the skills of a minister, not just hold the title.
Underneath that was deeper work already moving in me. A few years after my dad's death, I started attending Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families to address some of my core childhood wounding. My faith and spirituality grew in that program in ways I never could have anticipated — I'll hit ten years of recovery this December, and I'm still gratefully in it.
Between the two, I started sensing that my particular medicine in the world was interspiritual ministry. A friend mentioned One Spirit, and from the first time I looked at the website through the informational sessions, I felt a real pull — the kind where you can't explain it; you just know. I remember thinking, "I don't know exactly why I'm being called this direction, but I know I'm supposed to do this."
Even before I was certain of a specific path, I knew what I'd learn would shape everything — professional and personal. Now I bring my ministry everywhere: the grocery store, the ceremony, the ordinary Tuesday.
How has One Spirit shaped you and the way you show up in the world?
One Spirit shaped me through the deep work of formation. I came in already oriented toward service — I'd led a free local support group for survivors of suicide loss for several years, my Reiki practice was blossoming (especially the animal Reiki side of it), and I was doing my own healing work through ACA. But One Spirit taught me to listen more deeply to my inner voice, and to trust what I heard there.
My first year coincided with COVID, which intensified everything — my grief especially. But it also intensified our connection as a cohort. I'm still in love with my classmates, even though I haven't yet stood in a room with many of them. We grew close fast, studying wisdom traditions together and being asked to relate to a power greater than ourselves in new ways, all while the world outside was falling apart. It felt like a strange and powerful time to be doing that work.
As I learned to curate ceremony, I began to see where I might be of service in my own community in a much deeper way. Cultivating presence became invaluable — a way to bring light and hope into times of suffering. And watching my classmates do the same, I remember feeling like we might actually help change the world, one interaction at a time.
What does it mean to bring your ministry to the grocery store and not just the ceremony?
This may sound simple, but it's meaningful to me. A few weeks ago, I was in a touristy area needing a few things from a drugstore. The line was long — plenty of cashiers, but slow going. When I finally reached the counter, I read the nametag of the person ringing me up and said, "Hi, David. How's your night going?"
He lit up. All it took was a question and eye contact — an acknowledgment that he's a real person, not a machine. He told me he'd be off work in an hour, and I took a moment to celebrate that with him. It's amazing how presence can transform a mundane interaction.
What I try to bring everywhere is the sentiment of "I see you there." So many people walk around feeling misunderstood, undervalued, even invisible, and I want to add something of value to their day — even if it's just a nod or a smile. I'm aware some people genuinely want to blend in, not be perceived, so I'm sure I get it wrong sometimes. But being human is a difficult job, and life hands each of us a challenging curriculum in one way or another. We never know the impact of a simple kindness — David may have had people taking things out on him all day, for all I know. I want to be as contained and present as I can be, and treat every interaction as a chance to show up with something to offer.
How has your experience with One Spirit helped you to bridge the gaps of difference in your life, in your work, and in service in the world?
Becoming an interspiritual minister means I'm not anchored to any one tradition — I hold respect for all of them. That can get tricky, because so many people carry real wounds from the religion of their upbringing. When I tell someone I'm not going to tell them what to think, feel, or believe — that I'm there to learn from them, and to let that be the basis of our work together — it means something. It opens a door that a lot of people have had shut on them before.
I once worked with a woman through animal Reiki and animal chaplaincy — both of which I consider part of my ministry — whose views were very different from my own. In the past, I don't think I could have connected with someone like her on a meaningful level, and I don't think she would have chosen to work with me either. She reached out seeking care for her dog, and I was struck that she'd chosen Reiki at all — it wasn't what I'd have guessed was on her list. Somehow she trusted me, and I took that as a privilege. As she shared difficult experiences from her upbringing, I was able to hold compassion for her without needing her to see the world as I did. When her dog passed, she reached out to me again. A door had opened, and it's still open.
A Blessing from Rev. Marshall Hammer
The blessing that I want to share is...
“May you carry your calling everywhere you go — into the ceremony and the grocery store, the sacred and the ordinary.
May you trust that the small moments are holy too. And when the world is hard, may you choose mercy — for others, and for yourself.
May you keep showing up, whole and unfinished, for whoever needs you next.”
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A note from Rev. Marshall
I'm grateful to share Befriend Your Grief, a 12-week live small-group program I run for survivors of suicide loss. It's built on a philosophy close to my heart: grief as a companion, not an obstacle to overcome. Suicide loss is its own terrain — one most people are never given a map for — and this program exists so no one has to walk it alone.
If you know someone carrying this kind of loss — a colleague, a friend, a family member — I'd be honored if you'd pass this along. There's a free guide and a short grief assessment at befriendyourgrief.com for anyone who isn't sure where to start.
I also offer Reiki, remotely and in person, for people and animals both, through Reiki for Today. And, I companion folks as a spiritual director, for anyone looking for that kind of guide.
befriendyourgrief.com | reikifortoday.com | @befriendyourgrief | @reikifortoday
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A note from One Spirit
The One Spirit Spiritual Community is the beautiful kaleidoscope of the diverse practices, passion, and service of our incredible graduate community. We believe that sharing the light of this work helps to transform the world.
If you are a graduate or student of One Spirit Seminary or ISCC whose work in the world bridges the gap of difference and you would like to share your story, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us at newsletters@1spirit.org so we can discuss featuring you in a future Sacred Refractions.
Sacred Refractions is meant to be a living conversation. A collection of stories that show how ministry and companioning continues to take shape in every imaginable place and form.
