Inhabiting Your Life by marking Rites of Passage
Just as nature moves according to its inborn death and rebirth pattern, so does the Rite of Passage ceremony. Deeply tuned in to these cycles of nature, ancient and indigenous societies around the world have created rituals of initiation to mark, celebrate, and make sense of the great mysteries of life, death, and rebirth. Initiatory rites are as old as human society, and although the primary rite of passage is marking a transition from childhood to adulthood, we go through various transitions through every stage of life; every year brings forward new transitions. Â By enacting rites of passages, we continually imitate the death and rebirth patterns of nature. Anthropologists, having studied ancient cultures worldwide, have identified an archetypal form that permeates through most rites of passages. Although a rite of passage may take years to complete, the wilderness vision fast offers a strong and meaningful way to support transitions and rites of passage.
Following the tradition of The School of Lost Borders (from whom we received our training + with whom we also guide with), the quester is guided through three phases of the rite of passage: severance (severing from the old), threshold (crossing into the liminal space/this is also the stage where the candidate fasts on the land for 3-4 days); and incorporation (taking on the body, & returning back to the community with your gifts).
