Do you have an 8th Grader, Senior in High School or College? Going through a big life change yourself?
Take it next level. Create your own ceremony, rich with meaning. All you need is an energetic intention. Let your inspiration flow…
For example, the morning my oldest son turned 13, we did a “cross the stick” ceremony. It was simple and went like this:
We walked to the back yard and stood barefoot in the cool, wet grass. I remember the early rays of the sun illuminating his hair from behind.
I told him all the reasons I Loved him.
I asked him how he felt about turning 13. We talked about the reasons it was a significant birthday.
We did a short grounding meditation, connecting our energetic bodies to the center of our Earth. I showed him the sage stick I had brought with us and explained how the smoke from this dried herb would clear away anything he wanted to release. I lit the sage and surrounded him in a smoke ring starting beneath his feet, circling around his body, and then above his head.
I had previously gathered an interesting stick from the woods near our home and laid it in front him. I said:
“This stick symbolizes the threshold between your childhood and your teen years. Close your eyes. Visualize yourself becoming a teenager. When you are ready to release your child self, step over the stick and into the beginning of your teen self.”
He stepped over the stick, and I wrapped him in a big hug. “Welcome to teenagedom!”
It was a simple ceremony, yet rich in meaning and memory. It was also eight years ago; pre-pandemic when we could have had a proper party.
When we are going through the motions of life, it’s easy to buy into expectations society sets. Remember, there’s money to be made when we unconsciously believe we need a new dress or suit, shoes, hairdo, a fancy dinner or party, and presents in order to properly mark an occasion.
It is important to acknowledge when external identities transition, but YOU choose what is meaningful and memorable. Take back your power to validate change in a way that is special to you. It’s simply a matter of being conscious of what you want to create.
