Ceremonies For Children
Naming ceremonies : Ceremonies of Blessing : Rites of Passage
It is always a particular joy to be asked to create a ceremony to welcome a child into the world, into the community and into the family.
Every Baby Naming or Blessing is as different as the families who wish to celebrate the birth of a new baby, and can be held wherever you like.
I work with each family to create a ceremony that reflects their particular values and beliefs, and vision of life, and if the child is older, then the ceremony will also reflect their particular way of being in the world.
'Rev. Jane created a
beautiful naming day ceremony for my daughter, working with parents who are
separated and who have differing beliefs and manners of expressing their
spirituality. It felt so positive and nurturing to be able to create a ceremony
that both parents could agree on and was a healing and unifying process
throughout.
Jane gave such full support and I really felt
enabled to make the naming day happen through her skilled shaping and holding
of the ceremony. The unflappable ease with which
she accommodated the last minute changes and ideas on the day was admirable -
the ceremony took place in a field by a river and was so beautifully held by
Jane, the magical spontaneity of the occasion arising out of the form and
order, aiding each part to flow seamlessly from one the next; music, speech and
movement in balance and grace.
Manifold Thanks, so grateful, so blessed are we.'
Chersti
I can create ceremonies for older children too; if your child is not having a First Communion, maybe this would be a good time to have a comparative sacred ceremony created, a celebration of their particular essence and place in the family and in their community.
The transiton to secondary school is also a big change and in the Catholic Church Confirmation is usually in that same year; again perhaps this is a moment to mark with a special ceremony which the child and the family can be involved in creating together; it can take many different forms.
In many cultures the transition into adulthood is marked with initiatory rites; I would be delighted to work with families and young people to create such ceremonies which I feel can help the family and the young person to formally acknowledge their letting go of childhood, and their acceptance into maturity.
Blessing ceremonies can also be created to honour a baby lost through miscarriage, termination of pregnancy or soon after birth, and such rituals can be profoundly healing and helpful at these difficult times, for the family, and especially for the mother, going through their journey of mourning and letting go.
My fee for most ceremonies of childhood is 250 euros.
The Inner Work
of Mindful Parenting
by Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn
When we become parents, whether
intentionally or by happenstance, our whole life is
immediately different, although it may take
some time to realize just how much. Being a parent
compounds stress by orders of magnitude. It
makes us vulnerable in ways we weren’t before. It calls us to be responsible in ways we weren’t
before. It challenges us as never before, and
takes out time and attention away from other
things, including ourselves, as never before.
It creates chaos and disorder, feelings of
inadequacy, occasions for arguments, struggles,
irritation, noise, seemingly never-ending
obligations and errands, and plenty of opportunities
for getting stuck, angry, resentful, hurt, and
for feeling overwhelmed, old, and unimportant.
And this can go on not only when the children
are little, but even when they are full grown and on their own. Having children is asking for
trouble.
So why do it? Maybe Pete Seeger said it
best: ‘We do it for the high wages…kisses.’ Children
give us the opportunity to share in the
vibrancy of life in ways we would not touch were they
not part of our lives… they share vital nature
with us and call it out of us as well, if
we can listen carefully to the calling.