Why Rites of Passage?
Rites of Passage weave the threads of the past with the threads of the future
Luis Rodriguez
Across time and place on this Earth, people have come together to mark change. Whether it's the return of spring to the landscape, a child emerging into adolescence, or tending the death of a loved one, one thing is for certain - Life Changes. This may perhaps be the most natural thing in the world.
Rites of Passage help to support individuals to shed what they have outgrown (separation) and support them through the liminal stage of transformation (threshold) so that they may find their inner resources to step into the fullness of their gifts (incorporation).
Rites of passage are about finding our true authenticity, examining our relationships, and coming to know our place in the web of life, and being witnessed and celebrated in that. It is about finding our home, knowing who we are and where we come from. It is about belonging to a community, having a place.
In many instances these ritual celebrations have been lost in our contemporary culture, leaving youth to initiate themselves and adults to find their own way.
Wild Pathways focuses on rites of passage for youth that support them in their transition from childhood into young adulthood, preparing them for their eventual entry into full adulthood. This program gives space for youth to feel supported and to witness these changes. We guide them to consciously question what they are leaving behind, how they want to be as adults and what gifts they bring to this world - a world that is so in need of their gifts.
When significant changes are well met with culturally-responsible rituals and clear intentions, we can be witnessed and celebrated through the transition. We can live into greater wholeness and growing service to our communities and the wider web of this life.
Rites of passage prepare us to navigate the inevitable losses and transitions that will occur throughout our lives by increasing our comfort with ambiguity and giving us tools to adapt and thrive
Darcy Ottey
Our youth need the opportunity to stretch and grow into their strengths and gifts, and to be seen and heard and witnessed