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Rites of Passage & Community
First of two parts by Mike Bodkin, ROP Director
Life is rooted in a matrix of relationships, communities of both the living and non-living (minerals, water, soil, sun) creating a complex network that supports our human existence along with that of all life. Everything is dependent on the health of our planet--for water, air and sustenance. As Corbin Harney titled one of his books, it's The Way It Is: One Water, One Air, One Mother Earth.
Initiation and rites of passage link individuals to their communities, fostering a sense of service and care for others, and beyond that to the earth community. These practices have always been done in the context of relationships. In the Mohawk community, when young men/women go out on Vision Quest, the Uncles/ Aunts stay nearby to pray for them, and welcome them back when they return. There's an immediate sense, after they've come back, of stepping into a new adult role, one that calls for self-sacrifice. Contrast this with the mainstream culture's focus on egotism and self-service.
We have long recognized the importance of building community in doing our work, and have incorporated many practices that foster close bonds among participants in the field. People invariably talk about this community as supportive and encouraging-fostering courage to find their truth and live their vision. While there's always an individual, heroic aspect in returning home to begin the Vision Quest of Your Life, this phase of Incorporation again reminds us of the need for community. Some people have networks and relationships that will readily support this part of the journey-people to whom they can tell their story, places where they can begin to demonstrate their gifts. For others, though, the challenge is to build and nurture a set of relationships that will allow the story of their sacred journey to be manifested.
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Rites of Passage & Community
Second of two parts
We've been expanding our community networks at Rites of Passage. A few developments to tell you about:
- We've begun offering an online Incorporation Support Program for Vision Quest graduates, to nurture relationships among participants who may not be close geographically. The program provides for six months of support, with the opportunity to undertake Incorporation assignments and share with others in the community.
- We've developed a relationship with Wisdom University, a school which grew out of the Institute for Creation Spirituality. Wisdom U. focuses on deep wisdom traditions and has a growing emphasis on eco-psychology and indigenous wisdom. People enrolled in Rites of Passage programs, including the Vision Quest and our training program for guides, can receive credits toward MA and PhD degrees.
- We've also developed a relationship withMeridian University, a local institution (to us, here in Sonoma County, CA), where we plan to offer programs for their graduate students that enrich and deepen their learning experience.
- In our Quest for Leadership program, we're continuing to focus on developing soul-based leadership that serves the individual, the community and the planet. In partnership with Dana Carman, an internationally recognized business coach and consultant (and a participant in the Rites of Passage Training Program) and with Vital Medicine, a wholistic health organization based in Seattle, we've created a Vision Quest for Transformative Leaders, Healers and Evolutionaries, to take place September 11-19. This is an opportunity to engage at a deep level with others who are committed to visionary leadership. It's also a chance for leaders and healers to heal themselves, bringing body, soul, spirit and psyche into relationship with Gaia, our Mother Earth.
- We've developed a relationship with Wilderness Torah, a new organization that is based on the indigenous roots of Judaism. Zelig Golden, their co-director, trained with Rites of Passage. Our upcoming Jewish Vision Quest will be offered in partnership with WT.
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Upcoming Programs
Click on link to read about program
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