Sacred Awakening: Initiation into Adulthood for Young Men

Growing Leaders and Elders

Posted by Sally Casper | Jan 13, 2020 | Fire Stories |

There comes a stage in life when we get a glimpse of our own mortality and we begin to question our goals and accomplishments, as in, “If I were on my deathbed, would I be satisfied?” That time came for me around age 50. I was an MBA, making lots of money, being successful in the way our culture has defined it, and yet I felt something missing. There was a calling inside me, and that eventually led to my involvement with the emerging Sacred Fire community, in parallel with my own personal development toward becoming a healer and Nahua Weather Worker.

One of my responsibilities for Sacred Fire has been co-leading Young Men’s Initiation, which is part of our Sacred Fire LifeWays offerings. We follow the wisdom of our ancestors: Fire is central to these initiations, which also depend on the support of community and elders. Not only has it been a privilege to observe the dramatic and important transformation in boys moving to manhood, it has also allowed mature men to do good work together, to offer their service and sacrifice as part of a dedicated ritual support team. I have seen how this gifted each man with renewed energy and self-confidence.

It is part of a natural cycle of a human life, of a community, even of an organization: life experiences (some hard-won) and lessons well-learned naturally grow future leaders and elders. Now in my 70s, I do feel much more fulfilled in my life and look forward to taking my place as an elder, with wisdom to share. Sacred Fire and its important work in the world, is central to that.

The Doorway to Adulthood: Sacred Initiation in Our Twenty-first Century World

Posted by Around the Fire Editor | May 28, 2019 | Edit for later use, May 2019, Youth and Elders |

by the Sacred Fire editorial team

In our modern cultures that seem to worship eternal youth—that state of being that gives us permission to be in constant pursuit of our individual pleasure and enjoyment—what will it take to help us grow up?

In today’s world, becoming an adult might seem to be about hitting a well-recognized milestone like receiving a driver’s license, voting for the first time, or reaching legal age for drinking alcohol. For others, the moment of stepping into the workforce, becoming a parent, or making a major investment in home or career might seem the significant step. However, for traditional cultures (and that includes most of the villages of our great-great- or great-great-great-grandparents), becoming an adult was a sacred matter. Initiation into adulthood was a universal human practice, common to most societies, and it is still practiced by intact traditional cultures to this day.

Women and Men in a World of Growing Conflict

Posted by Sherry Boatright | Dec 12, 2018 | December 2018, Edit for later use |

by Sherry Boatright, Sacred Fire Carrollton, Georgia (USA)

Over the last two years, I’ve been glued to online news media. It has become altogether a questionable habit as I find myself moving from one unsettling story to the next. I’m working to get a grip. The upside, though, is that I’ve also discovered great writers and compelling studies about what’s going on in the world, from climate change to local and global politics, from women’s and men’s issues to health and family life.

Take kids for instance. Years ago, Carol Gilligan showed that girls up until age 9 or 10 are confident and expressive of their feelings. But as they move into adolescence, they begin to hide their feelings for fear of not fitting in.

Now my newsfeed tells me that boys are also born with a great talent for emotional openness, but that in adolescence they begin developing their manhood and differentiate themselves from girls.

Young Adult Initiation: An Alchemical Process

Posted by Around the Fire Editor | Oct 21, 2018 | Edit for later use, Youth and Elders |

Successful initiation into adulthood involves more than getting a driver’s license, reaching legal drinking age or completing school.

In humans, successful initiation into adulthood requires physical, mental, emotional and spiritual ingredients, and depends on more than a symbolic coming-of-age ceremony. Humans are born with a latent energy that stays dormant until certain conditions are met. There needs to be a particular readiness and then thoughtful preparation, up to a year or longer. Older adults and elders who understand the important movement from dependence to independence support the initiation process. The process is kind of like baking a cake: various ingredients are brought together in specific proportion, are then subjected to heat over a period of time and, if done correctly, are transformed into something new. Then with independence come responsibility, sacrifice, and the understanding that there are consequences to one’s actions. Initiation also provides a special gift: a greater understanding of life purpose, path and destiny. Deanna Jenne, ritual leader for Sacred Fire’s Sacred Emergence initiation for young women, speaks of “shining the diamond”, a term from Chinese medicine. “We help the young woman really know who she is.” David Wiley, ritual leader for young men’s initiation, adds that in an uncertain world, as autonomy sets in, mistakes will be made, yet making mistakes is a natural human phenomenon. “The key is learning from those mistakes, and how to move with them successfully.”For more information about Young Men’s Initiation
For more information about Young Women’s Initiation

Young Adult Initiation: The role of fathers

Posted by Britt Espinosa | Oct 18, 2018 | Event Landing Page, November 2018 |

A father wonders how to support his 10 year old daughter toward eventual ritual initiation into adulthood. David Wiley, elder and ritual leader, gave this answer:

“Traditionally, as a young woman is getting ready to emerge and move into the world and become more independent, the influence often moves from the mother to the father. So in some ways, the mother was there to produce the nest, hold the family, keep and teach about relationships. But when it comes to moving out into the world – “What is the world about? What am I going to encounter there?” – you often find that young women will exhibit separation energy through fights with their mothers. At this point it is common for them to look toward the father. Daughters want to hear from their father in a way that is confident, patient and reassuring. With my daughter, I could make my suggestions and let her be and she eventually picked up on the advice and could move with it.”

Event Type: Sacred Awakening: Initiation into Adulthood for Young Men

Growing Leaders and Elders

The Doorway to Adulthood: Sacred Initiation in Our Twenty-first Century World

Women and Men in a World of Growing Conflict

Young Adult Initiation: An Alchemical Process

Young Adult Initiation: The role of fathers

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