Renaming ritual.
So I've finally posted the renaming stuff here. Now what?
Ritual is the tool to managing states of mind. Emotionally significant ritual is to the mind and soul like a mechanic is to a car. In the last few years I've seen "She's dead," "You've graduated," "This is the next part of the year," "Now we give thanks," "This is a sacred space," and "That identity no longer holds." In each case, the more meaningful the ritual, the more cemented the statement has been; the more internalized; the more it becomes part of the narrative that I hold to when I think about how my world works. The stronger the ritual, the more certain the feeling of fact.
A little over three months ago, we succeeded in rubbing out my old identity. "Death" was a part of the overall "renaming" ritual, but since it was the most/only elaborately structured part of the ritual, that's the part that stuck. This ending-of-a-name is valuable, and a solid foundation to work from, but sometimes it's a little awkward as as I have trouble referring to myself prior to August in the first person, and now and then I screw up the dates when I write them without thinking (Last Wednesday - was that August 3rd?). Seriously. (I am not sharing the conventional narrative track - this is also known as "crazy").
Oops. I guess this is how my mind works. This is probably how a lot of people's minds works, but most people don't get symbolically killed over the course of a two-day ritual.
Furthermore, while I found certainty in the renaming on the latter half of Saturday's ritual, this had no basis in other ritual events, so it's not holding as well as I'd like. Thus, further ritual work is necessary.
After consulting Campbell, Tillie gave the fine suggestion that rites of passage are often long. First they push you into a liminal space, then, in that space, you spend time (weeks, months) learning your new role, then they bring you out of that space, new role affirmed.
Thus, the name-ending can serve as step one.
I have still then to:
- establish what obstructs me from feeling comfortable and confident in my new role
- challenge these obstacles and overcome them
- affirm my new name and identity
- reintegrate this into my normal life
- conclude, seeing the process as a benefit
Campbell phrases it thus:
"The ordeal is a deepening of the problem of the first threshold and the question is still in balance: Can the ego put itself to death? For many headed is this surrounding Hydra; one head cut off, two more appear - unless the right caustic is applied to the mutilated stump. The original departure into the land of trials represented only the beginning of the long and really perilous path of initiatory conquests and moments of illumination. Dragons have now to be slain and surprising barriers passed - again, again, and again. Meanwhile there will be a multitude of preliminary victories, unretainable ecstasies and momentary glimpses of the wonderful land"
Flowery!
More to come.
Still trying to figure out what to do. Suggestions welcome.
Ritual is the tool to managing states of mind. Emotionally significant ritual is to the mind and soul like a mechanic is to a car. In the last few years I've seen "She's dead," "You've graduated," "This is the next part of the year," "Now we give thanks," "This is a sacred space," and "That identity no longer holds." In each case, the more meaningful the ritual, the more cemented the statement has been; the more internalized; the more it becomes part of the narrative that I hold to when I think about how my world works. The stronger the ritual, the more certain the feeling of fact.
A little over three months ago, we succeeded in rubbing out my old identity. "Death" was a part of the overall "renaming" ritual, but since it was the most/only elaborately structured part of the ritual, that's the part that stuck. This ending-of-a-name is valuable, and a solid foundation to work from, but sometimes it's a little awkward as as I have trouble referring to myself prior to August in the first person, and now and then I screw up the dates when I write them without thinking (Last Wednesday - was that August 3rd?). Seriously. (I am not sharing the conventional narrative track - this is also known as "crazy").
Oops. I guess this is how my mind works. This is probably how a lot of people's minds works, but most people don't get symbolically killed over the course of a two-day ritual.
Furthermore, while I found certainty in the renaming on the latter half of Saturday's ritual, this had no basis in other ritual events, so it's not holding as well as I'd like. Thus, further ritual work is necessary.
After consulting Campbell, Tillie gave the fine suggestion that rites of passage are often long. First they push you into a liminal space, then, in that space, you spend time (weeks, months) learning your new role, then they bring you out of that space, new role affirmed.
Thus, the name-ending can serve as step one.
I have still then to:
- establish what obstructs me from feeling comfortable and confident in my new role
- challenge these obstacles and overcome them
- affirm my new name and identity
- reintegrate this into my normal life
- conclude, seeing the process as a benefit
Campbell phrases it thus:
"The ordeal is a deepening of the problem of the first threshold and the question is still in balance: Can the ego put itself to death? For many headed is this surrounding Hydra; one head cut off, two more appear - unless the right caustic is applied to the mutilated stump. The original departure into the land of trials represented only the beginning of the long and really perilous path of initiatory conquests and moments of illumination. Dragons have now to be slain and surprising barriers passed - again, again, and again. Meanwhile there will be a multitude of preliminary victories, unretainable ecstasies and momentary glimpses of the wonderful land"
Flowery!
More to come.
Still trying to figure out what to do. Suggestions welcome.