This past Sunday I had the privilege of welcoming back a group of women at the completion of their initiation process. After 10-months of weekly meetings discovering their wounds and their gifts, exploring their scary edges and their hidden joys these women left Wednesday evening for the culminating weekend of ritual and celebration.
And on Sunday afternoon, their community welcomed them back. As they walked under the archway and into the circle of friends, I could see, shining through the exhaustion from four days and nights of ritual, the new light that each of these women had tapped into. I could feel the way in which each of them had opened to a deeper understanding of who they truly are.
The highlight of the day was hearing their initiated names, chosen by the leaders, with the help of Spirit, as a lifelong reminder of their purpose and gifts. While I cannot share their actual, initiated names I can give you a taste. They were names like:
Drinks from the Well of Worthiness
Flaming Stone
Speaks Compassionate Truth
Healing Phoenix
Bringer of Sacred Irreverence
These are names that, once given, can never be taken away, and...