celebrating a 7 birthday

[Anna]

Hello

my eldest will be 7 this year. I know that I want to perform a sort of Rite of passage.
But I have no idea and just thought I ask you for some ideas...

I am still in this stage, where everything helps...

Thank you for your help

Anna

[DaRC]

I guess it would be for you to work out what is special or what changes for a 7 year old at that time?

Normally it's related to moving schools such as from (in UK terms) Primary to Secondary. It's worth thinking about what priveliges and responsibilities come with it?

For example when I was 7, admittedly times were different then, it was the age when I was allowed to walk to primary school by myself. In this automotive age it may not be appropriate - I only had 1 quiet road to cross - it gave me the opportunity to launch paper boats on the pond or climb trees on the way home from school and a sense of independence and self-reliance.

Perhaps it would be the time to craft a ritual with your child as well?

[Anna]

Thank you DaRC.

I already found some ideas, even a name for this Rite of passage in the pagan community in Germany.
But the Druid way of coping with things is somehow closer to me. (Most ideas for a wedding or a funeral I found with Druids are more to my taste than the ideas I found in Pagan communities.)


I visited his Grove the other day and we talked it over and it felt more like doing something for is 8 birthday. So I will see what this next year will bring..

Anna

[Fearn]

Good evening,

I have a 8 year old boy and when he turned 7 I though important to make him a rite of passage also.
I had him experience 3 tests :
>going to school and returning home all by himself (being careful of cars and so..a thing he would have to do during the year)
>recognizing 3 plants (2 aromatic and one poisonous)
>then I took him to an old castle's ruins by night and he stayed about 10 minutes in a circle of stones, all by himself with juste the candlelight,
then I made a little ritual in the Circle for his bravery and put around his neck a silver medallion with a 8 pointed star for the wheel of the year..

I had for a few weeks before taken the time to explain him what being seven years old, the "age of reason" meant, and the tests and ritual made him reallly proud and more confident (especially in the dark..).

Hope that will inspire some of the other parents..

[happy]

Our work is now finished until another seeks to join us. I hereby declare this Rite of the Circle of Elders closed in the Apparent World. May its inspiration continue within our hearts and beings.