ADUlthood initiation
Adulthood Initiation Rites Of Passage Are An Ancient Pan-Cultural Phenomenon The World Over
These initiation rites were what allowed the self-absorbed state of adolescent ego separation to — like a caterpillar entering its chrysalis — be held in a structure, where it can melt and die, only to be reborn as an entirely different cosmological possibility, one truly capable of serving and sustaining culture. Indigenous peoples across the world knew that initiation rites were the central key to cultural renewal, and thus, why these initiation rites often were fiercely protected against the tides of colonization, some surviving, often in hiding, to this day.
Perhaps it could be said that initiation rites were what connected the human being to the greater Mystery, initiating an individual to the depths and responsibility of the union of the cosmic and earthly powers. Initiation demands resiliency within the uncertainty — and thus life becomes a wave to continually ride, rather than something to figure out, or a problem to solve. Most modern humans cannot bear any measure of uncertainty, and thus our current global-cultural crisis can, at its roots, be understood as uninitiated humans continually grasping for control, in a universe, on a planet, which fundamentally is wild, alive and emergent.
We need initiation. But the cultures we came from, the cultures that carried this knowledge and practice have (mostly) long been uprooted and destroyed.
So, What Then?
Thus, we come to a threshold — a potential evolutionary bifurcation point — where humanity, and individual selves, must become conscious of their own initiation processes.
But let me be clear: you cannot initiate yourself.
Let me also be clear: no one, no elder, no shaman, no mentor, is coming to steal you away in the night to initiate you.
So, as modern people, we face the dilemma of how to approach our own initiations without a clear model or framework.
I’ve walked this dilemma, danced across this knife edge, fallen many times, and ultimately, found a path to initiation, which yes, like any true rite of passage, does bring one to an other-side.
And despite what Joseph Campbell and J.R.R. Tolkien may have written — this is not a hero’s or heroine’s journey — in fact, this is the death of the Hero/Heroine within you. In this new story, in this journey, you, and other humans, are not at the center.
more information
Adulthood Initiation Course
A six week gateway to your rite of passage
Group And 1-On-1 Journeys
Consulting for indiviuals and groups