Welcoming Children
Labor Support and Birth Blessings
Our first rite of passage in life happens when we are born, when a couple become parents and a child is welcomed into the world (or children, in the case of multiples, which I happened to have!) Mostly, this is a private occasion, but I have acted as labor support for many friends and it is a joy and an honor to be included in the birthing room to provide encouragement and a blessing at the birth.
Child Dedications
This rite can take many forms. Generally, the "dedication" part is more of a ceremony in which the parents and supporting family and friends promise to make sure the child is loved and cared for. It is also a time of officially naming the child and presenting him or her to the Divine or to the Ancestors. It is a ceremony of welcome into a community, be it spiritual or familial. Older children can be included in these welcoming ceremonies, making it a rite of passage for them as well, becoming a big brother or sister. This is also a wonderful way to welcome an adopted child into a new family and any rite will be happily customized for your needs.
Wiccanings
A Wiccaning is a ceremony that names a child and presents a them to the Gods, Goddesses and Ancestors, and can be adapted to any pantheon or Tradition.
Our first rite of passage in life happens when we are born, when a couple become parents and a child is welcomed into the world (or children, in the case of multiples, which I happened to have!) Mostly, this is a private occasion, but I have acted as labor support for many friends and it is a joy and an honor to be included in the birthing room to provide encouragement and a blessing at the birth.
Child Dedications
This rite can take many forms. Generally, the "dedication" part is more of a ceremony in which the parents and supporting family and friends promise to make sure the child is loved and cared for. It is also a time of officially naming the child and presenting him or her to the Divine or to the Ancestors. It is a ceremony of welcome into a community, be it spiritual or familial. Older children can be included in these welcoming ceremonies, making it a rite of passage for them as well, becoming a big brother or sister. This is also a wonderful way to welcome an adopted child into a new family and any rite will be happily customized for your needs.
Wiccanings
A Wiccaning is a ceremony that names a child and presents a them to the Gods, Goddesses and Ancestors, and can be adapted to any pantheon or Tradition.
Young Adulthood and Beyond
Rites of Passage to Adulthood are sorely lacking in our society. If we don't provide our kids with some learning and ritual to mark their passage into adulthood, they will find their own ways to make this happen, like experimenting with drugs, alcohol, sex and gangs.
A girl becomes a woman when she begins her menses, and this natural event doesn't wait for a young lady to "grow up." Thus, Rites of Passage to Womanhood are usually performed privately, for an individual girl just after her menses begins and includes giving her the support of a group of women who are close to her, answering questions about her body and the changes she is experiencing, providing a rite that makes her understand her new power as a woman, and accepting her into the "Tribe of Women" in her community.
For young men, a rite of passage to adulthood usually happens at about 16 years of age, and can include multiple participants. Young men must have a group of supportive adult males to guide them through the process and help them to understand what being a man means in their community and how they can step into a new, more productive role. Our young people are our future. Providing them with a significant ceremony of adulthood, making clear what the expectations of this new role are, is a great foundation of love and support to build on, making for healthy, happy adults who know they have a support system, no matter what.
Another rite that I have done for parents and young adults is called "Leaving the Nest" and is focused on the letting go everyone must do as our young people go to college, move out and begin to create a life for themselves away from home.