Rites of Passage
Rites of Passage
The Forest Vigil is a week-long rite of passage intended to honor, mark or initiate change. It involves three to four days of fasting in solitude, with two days on either end of sitting in council, sharing visions and intentions, and integrating what each of us has been gifted by our time in the forest. Through being witnessed by the council and by the earth, you will come to clarity about who you are at this moment in your life, and what gifts you are here to share with your community.
The Vigil takes place at various locations throughout the mountains and forests of western NC.
Forest Vigil
We were introduced to this work through the stewardship of Stas Pantelopulos and Verena Weiloch, who guided us through our first week long rite at Pink Beds. We deepened our study of initiation rites with Ru Wharton and Pedro MacMillan at Wild Mountain in the San Isabel mountains of central Colorado. The specific rituals and practices we learned at Wild Mountain were taught to Ru and Pedro by Steven Foster and Meredith Little who founded the School of Lost Borders. Significant teachers of Steven and Meredith include Sun Bear (Chippewa), Heyemoyosts Storm (Cheyenne) Grandpa Raymond Stone (Paiute), and Virginia Hine. They worked closely with Grandpa Raymond Stone to discern how to offer and teach rites of passage in a way that fostered community resilience and earth connection without contributing to cultural theft and indigenous erasure. We hold reverence and gratitude for all the seen and unseen teachings and guidance that we have received on this path.
Lineage & Teachers
Severance begins as soon as you feel the call to do this ceremony. This moment could come when you say “yes” to participating in the rite of passage, or it could come the first time you realize “holy shit, I am actually going to do this.” This is the phase where you prepare for your symbolic death. You are gathering the tools you will need to cross the threshold, and preparing to meet whatever transformative experience awaits you. You may find you are surrounded by tangible, external opportunities to prepare during this stage. It is up to you how you choose to navigate this time. Some people choose to do specific practices to align their conscious will with the deeper intrapsychic work at play. These practices include saying goodbye to your loved ones as if you will never see them again, writing out a will, disconnecting from screens/media, cutting out processed/inflammatory foods from your diet, or ceasing engagement with any habitual pattern that keeps you living in an automated, unexamined way.
Stages of Initiation
There are three stages of initiation identifiable across human cultures over time. They come from the
archetypal realm. These are severance, threshold, and
incorporation.
Severance
This is the time between the
worlds, where you have stepped out of your old self, but have yet to come into your new form. We will step into this time together during our week in the woods. We will sit in circle and hold one another’s stories, and bear witness to this great threshold crossing. We will talk before your solos about self generated ceremony, and ways to navigate this beautiful and intense moment of shedding. Your time in the forest is an opportunity to drop the external demands of business as usual and engage in deep presence with self and the natural world.
Threshold
Incorporation
This is where you return home to your community with whatever gift(s) you found on your solo. You may not have a clear sense of what it is you are returning with, but you have let something die, and now it is time to come into your new skin. For some, this can feel like the hardest part of the Initiation. Many people emerge with a vision of who they need to be in order to step into a more aligned version of themselves. This can involve letting go of relationships, changing careers, or releasing long held stories. Whatever it is, it takes work and nurturance. We will provide you with ideas of how to make this process feel nourishing and supported, including setting up incorporation meetings with the group.