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Female
Rites of Passage Ceremonies Help Celebrate the Seasons
of a Woman's Life
A Rite of Passage
Recipe for Joyful Empowerment
Whether you are a girl heading toward first menstruation,
a woman on her way to giving birth to a child or a creative
project, or a woman in midlife heading toward menopause,
female rites-of-passage are powerful and beautiful!
Consider celebrating consciously, creatively and in
community.
Why Do a Rite of Passage Ceremony?
Even though we'd like to believe it never happened,
many of our great grandmothers lived in a time when
women were still considered to be the property of their
fathers and husbands and had no rights. Yes, we have
come a long way, but there is still a ways to go until
this world of ours becomes a truly girl-woman safe and
affirming place where every woman and girl grows up
feeling empowered and good about her body. Every time
we take a moment to celebrate and affirm our value as
women, we contribute toward this vision.
Another reason to design ceremonial celebrations for
our female rites-of-passage is to help us GET that we
are in a life transition. During such times, something
very important is ending and something new is about
to begin. Taking time to acknowledge our changes will
also give us space to process the loss of that which
is ending and open us up to receive support for entering
into the learning curve of uncharted territory.
Consider celebrating the life transitions of your daughters,
sisters, friends, and most importantly your own! A 'party
with intention' can offer a format for your community
of support to take a step away from the rapids of crazy,
busy lives, slow down and to FEEL.
What could be more valuable that tuning in to the beauty
and power of the feminine experience and provide opportunities
for women farther ahead on the path to share their wisdom,
knowledge, compassion, and blessing with someone standing
at the crossroads of change?
The terms Menarche-menstruation translates from Latin
to First Moon and the term Menopause, Last Moon. There
are infinite ways to celebrate a girl's FIRST MOON,
a woman's Birth/Motherhood rite-of-passage, or a woman's
LAST MOON and, moving beyond the confines of convention,
we are limited only by the imagination (replace the
conventional baby shower template with a preparation
for birth ceremony for example).
An Example of a Female Rite
of Passage Ceremony
It has been my joy and privilege to facilitate a multitude
of such celebrations over the past 20 years as 'soul
coach' and founder of the Life Blessing Institute. The
most recent celebration was actually a 'missing rite
of passage for the girl within' for five moms with daughters
in our San Francisco Bay Area Maiden Spirit program.
The women carried red flowers and red candles as they
intentionally crossed the threshold into the room following
a red rose petal path and circling around a central
table (altar).
They each added their flowers to a bouquet in the center
before taking their place in the circle. Before sharing
the symbolic gifts that each woman brought for all the
others, they took time to write a letter to the girl
child inside from the perspective of the woman they
have become, expressing all the things they most wished
someone had told them about themselves, and about becoming
a woman at age 11 or 13, as well as practical ideas
for how to work with the ebbs and flows of hormones
each month. After these profound letters were read out
loud, each woman presented their symbolic gifts and
a verbal blessing to each participant. To close the
circle we read together a gorgeous poem written by John
O'Donohue entitled "At the Threshold of Womanhood."
Besides enjoying a fun and meaningful time with your
friends and family, know that when you celebrate female-honoring
rites-of-passage you will also contribute to the healing
and enlightenment of our world for generations to come.
What could make for a more delicious outcome?
Contact:
Georgette Donatello Star
Oregon City, OR
www.lifeblessing.org
www. maidenspirit.com
Copyright Protection and Reprint Rights: This
article and accompanying tips are fully copyrighted
by the author, but can be reprinted without permission
provided the article links back to this page: http://www.800Muses.com/muse-profiles/muse-georgette.htm
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