Just about every religion or culture has rites of passage—some kind of ceremony designed to mark significant moments in life.
In Christianity, for example, there are the sacraments, including baptism and Holy Communion. Non-religious groups have rites of passage, too, although they might not even realize it. I mean, even the painfully dull baby showers we throw for pregnant women are pretty much rites of passage (although I would argue that the guests, not the expectant mothers, are the ones who go through the suffering in that particular ritual).
Pagans are no different in viewing rites of passage as important stepping-stones on the path of life.
Wiccaning
Perhaps the best-known pagan rite of passage is quite similar to a Christian baptism. Called a Wiccaning, it’s a ceremony where a new baby is welcomed to the world and introduced to both the pagan community and the spirits.
It’s important to mention, however, that a Wiccaning differs from a Christian baptism in one very significant way. By going through the ritual, the baby does not become a pagan in the same way that a baptized baby becomes a Christian.
Pagans adamantly oppose the notion of forcing anyone to choose the pagan faith—or any other. It’s up to the baby—when he or she gets old enough—to decide whether to follow the pagan path or to choose another. A Wiccaning is just about celebrating the joy of new life, not about indoctrinating new pagans.
Coming of Age
Many pagans like to celebrate the onset of puberty (including a girl’s first menstrual period) and the transition toward adulthood with a coming-of-age ritual.
Although there aren’t really any fixed rules for how this kind of ritual should be done, the coming-of-age ceremony often ties in with a sabbat or a full-moon ritual, and it usually includes different elements depending on whether the young person involved is a boy or a girl. (Well, duh—I doubt many boys would want to go through a ritual that focuses on menstruation. Actually, come to think of it, I imagine not a lot of girls would want to go through one of those, either, but let’s move on.)
Coming-of-age rituals are common in lots of cultures around the world, although they’re markedly absent, at least in any formal sense, from American culture. I have to give my mom credit, though. She took me out for a special dinner to celebrate my . . . um . . . “coming of age” back in the day. As I recall, we went to a local restaurant and I ate chicken fingers, fried shrimp, and French fries. It’s a wonder I didn’t weigh over 200 pounds at the age of 13. But I digress . . .
Handfasting
Instead of “just” getting married, lots of pagans choose to go through a rite of passage called a handfasting. The name comes from the ancient tradition where the couple’s hands were tied together during the ceremony (hence, the phrase “tying the knot”).
In general, a handfasting is like any other wedding, although some pagans who balk at the “old-fashioned,” “oppressive” idea of marriage choose not to have their handfastings sanctioned by a justice of the peace or other legal authority. Within the pagan community, however, such “informal” unions are considered just as valid as the “official” kind.
Croning/Saging
We’ve talked before about the three phases of the Triple Goddess—Maiden, Mother, and Crone. Technically, the God has three phases of his own—Son, Father, and Sage. Whereas a coming-of-age ritual marks the transition from the first stage to the second, a croning or saging ceremony is held to celebrate the transition to the third phase.
This particular rite of passage is missing from many religions and cultures, especially as the modern world becomes more dismissive and less respectful of the elderly. Although I certainly hope I can put off entering the crone stage for as long as possible, I like the fact that pagans recognize that older people deserve to be valued and think it’s inappropriate to refer to them as “creeping death,” like my ex-husband used to do.
Many pagans choose to go through a croning or saging ritual when they hit age 50. (Personally, I think I’d be holding out until at least 70, but hey, that’s just me.) Based on the theme of wisdom acquired through experience, the ritual generally involves anointing and blessing the person, but is often designed to reflect the personality of the person going through the transition.
Funerals
Because pagans generally believe in reincarnation and don’t think of death as a “final ending,” funerals are not necessarily terrible, sad events like most of the ones I’ve been to in my life.
Sure, there’s always an element of grief and sorrow, but pagans try to focus on celebrating the life of the deceased and—if they wish—“helping” the dead person’s soul cross to the other side with special prayers and sometimes elaborate ceremonies.
Other Rites of Passage
Because paganism is generally a “loose” religion that allows individuals complete freedom to design their worship in any way that feels comfortable, there is no limit to how many rites of passage one person can experience. If you want to, you can hold a ritual to celebrate getting your first new car or buying a house.
One rite of passage I read about involves blessing the expanding belly of a pregnant woman. Although I suppose this could be considered a sort of pagan baby shower, I imagine most pregnant women I’ve known would prefer that I keep my wand and my ceremonial knife away from their bellies. I’ve got to say, though, that a “belly blessing ceremony” does sound a hell of a lot more interesting than any baby shower I’ve ever attended.
No comments:
Post a Comment