In the business of reclamation there is endless work.  Traditionally the thresholds of ones life were recognised by the community with a specific rite. The Catholic Church became the sentry of these thresholds and keeper of rites in Ireland and though Irish people no longer subscribe to this institution, we have yet to replace Catholic rites for ones that reflect our contemporary spiritual tradition.

One shift away from the church has been towards commercial venues such as hotels and pubs who's profit imperative clashes with the spiritual nature of these life stations.  Many thresholds such leaving primary school, home or becoming a parent are hardly acknowledged in our culture as such.

Rites have meaning insofar as they prepare the psyche to let go of a previous chapter with a symbolic act.

A rite of passage specifically prepares a person to shed some aspect of their youth to make space for the qualities of maturity. The opportunity is to review, acknowledge, honor and accept what has gone before and in doing so prepare for what is to come.

Ritual and symbol are the language of the sub concious and need nourishment just as your mind requires information and knowledge to proceed with its decisions.  This generation of Irish people is reclaiming those rites from the church and the hotel by devising their own rituals. Our work with the Irish language has led us into a function as celebrants.

Diarmuid and I have co-created rituals for marriage and hand-fasting rituals, hens, stags, naming and welcoming new souls.

I will post photos and testimonies from that work here in the coming weeks.

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