How we tend our transitions matters - differently than ever before

The celebration of rituals that mark moments of transition in life is as old as humanity itself. In the face of so many traditions with similar patterns, I wonder: where did these patterns go in our Western-European society? And: Isn't this one of the most unprecedented times of transitions for all of us, all the living? Where do we tend to, how do we mark a step into a next chapter?

When I look around me, I see that beyond the traditional moments like adolescence, adulthood, or eldership, people are craving for spaces that are timeless enough to hold their inner voids. Not just mentally, but with all their bodies and hearts are carrying.

When I look at my own story, I only see a mediocre graduation ceremony after high school and a performance-centred moment on stage after handing in 100 pages of hard work in college. I do see many little moments, framed by trees and people who love me. But did I really ever have the community to come back to once a passage was passed?

Our times call for different ways beyond what wisdom traditions teach us (and they teach us a lot!). A continued weaving, based on a song that is still being remembered by many. We can't expect community as a given, we can't expect our nervous systems to be regulated enough, we can't expect each other to have a connection to the supporters and guardians our ancestors prayed to in mytho-somatic re-enactment.

All of this hurts, and I have come to acceptance - with myself, most of all.

What a gift it has therefore been to start exploring and holding spaces that bow to all these realities, together with the most beautiful sparring partner Chris Taylor, and supported by forces like Oasis Foundation & oikos International. And how humble I feel to invite another group of people to honour their transitions, in resonance with the bigger picture.

Are you navigating a bigger transition right now? Did anything I shared above make you stop and wonder? Let's have a moment & talk about it 🌿

An invitation to re-invoke rites of passage in our lives