Have you ever felt lost in transition? I have. And I would have loved to have some space for introspection, for listening in & finding my courage for the next big leap, supported by community.
And how shouldn't we feel lost? Many of us feel unfulfilled, overwhelmed, not sure where to start with all the turbulence in the world. Is there more to your life than what we currently perceive? How can life be more meaningful, less empty? Who am I doing all of this for, anyway? Who will hold me in this big life transition, what do I need, what am I capable of?
A couple of years ago I got introduced to the idea of rites of passage and have been enchanted & intrigued ever since. Rites of passage are group processes that help to unearth meaning and direction in life. They give people space out of their ordinary life to sense into what they feel called to contribute to the world. In Indigenous societies across the world rites of passage mark major transitions in life: puberty, adulthood, eldership. At each point, we are invited to consider our core contribution to our community. What stands out to me is not the focus on individual heroes' journeys, on the contrary: held with care and from a place of possibility and abundance, rites of passage open up a space to render our belonging to a particular group and place - and find out what it will take from us to make a meaningful contribution. It's a relational journey, a process of holding and being held that blurs edges of roles and social constructs.
This year, we embarked on hosting a rite of passage together with the youth network oikos, inviting recent alumni and friends of the network to join us in a dance of inquiry, exploration, and encouragement. For me as a white person who can only trace their roots back a good 400 years (for the stereotypical German, that's a lot already!) and is living a life on the road to find home (a so-called recovering digital nomad), this brought up a series of questions. How to not appropriate ritual from cultures that are not mine? What are my roots, and how have rites of passage looked like on the European continent before Christianity, Romans & traumatic events like the witchhunts and world wars? How to take in the essence of the rituals that can be traced back to all corners of the world, and allow them to respond to the syncretic, uprooted, separated reality of our world today? Aren't we all travelers these days? Displaced, not necessarily physically, but also mentally, with all of the distractions & the numbing overwhelm we throw ourselves into, from work in the corporate world to the storm of social media. How would a rite of passage look like that cannot build on obvious community to start with? A rite of passage that, as if its essence was reinforced, gently throws you even deeper into your separateness, to understand on a deeper level how intrinsically connected & held you are.
Together with the oikos network, we wembarked on that journey & I couldn't be more grateful for the wonderful team of 3 & all of our 15 participants for leaning in so gracefully. 8 days of holding our questions together, allowing our stories to get in touch with each other, the land and our bodies. All held by the beautiful space of the intentional community at Canon Frome. Everyone joined with their own questions, and in many cases dismantled a deeper truth to their inquiry which was tucked away under the many layers of everyday life. We met resistances, welcomed them into the circle & observed how they would transform into new possibilities. People left with a sense of connection and clarity that wasn't stitched through with words, but living in their bodies, ready to open up like a seed whenever the time is right & the soil is nutritious.
I could tell you many stories about my own experience, navigating many roles at the same time - and I trust it would be way more powerful if you hear the beautiful, touching story of one of our participants: Meet Juliette, who is describing her experience in depth in our report. You could also watch the short Rite of Passage video to better understand what participants associate with their Rite of Passage journeys.
Still curious?
Reach out & let's hop on a call so I can tell you more!
In deep gratitude & awe,
S
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