By Lady Saoirse
Bright Blessings,
Some of you reading this grew up Christian. You will notice that Paganism has some similarities but not that many. Christians borrowed and preserved a lot of ancient Pagan ways- and they drastically changed them to suit themselves. We seek to revive the Pre-Christian traditions, but we are very much modern people so these are modern traditions that we belong to. We don’t celebrate the same things that the Christians do all the time, but sometimes we need some of the same things they do.
We don’t do traditional marriages. We do hand-fastings. We celebrate the Solstices, Equinoxes, and the other turnings of the Wheel is ways the Christians do not. We follow the seasons. We harmonize with the earth. We connect with our soul kin on a spiritual level. We don’t just read scriptures and sing hymns at our worship services. We practice magic.
There are some things that we can’t do without though. Rituals for our children for example. Growing up Christian you probably remember christenings and baptisms for babies and small children. Pagans don’t quite do that. That’s because we believe that people should have the right to be free to decide which religion they dedicate themselves to, if any. Many in our communities believe in the existence of many gods and goddesses. We believe that it is not up to the parents to dedicate a child to a deity. We believe that people find their own deity in their own way and have a right to dedicate themselves.
That’s why we don’t practice baptism on our children. However, a lot of children want to participate. They want to be a part of our covens, groves, and groups in general. A Wiccaning provides a ritual to welcome children and to the Pagan group. I don’t know who first came up with the idea of doing it. All I know is it is beautiful. What goes into a Wiccaning and how can you do it yourself? If your tradition doesn’t have their own framework for one of these ceremonies, you can use mine. Read on.
You will need two things to give to the child as a gift. One will represent the Father God and one will represent the Mother Goddess. Choose whatever you think is appropriate. You can have candles, incense, crystals, or anything that you want on your altar, or you can do the ceremony without any of those things. Do what feels best for you. As Pagans we typically prefer to do things outdoors, but if you would rather do it inside at your personal indoor altar that’s OK too.
Once you have your altar set up to your specifications, have everybody attending hold hands and say, “With the faith, friendship, and magic of everybody here, this circle is cast!’
Next, say” Bring the child forth. Who brings this child to our faith community?”
The adults doing so say, “We do.” If it is an individual, they will say ‘I do.”
Next ask the child “Do you wish to be welcomed into our faith community as a friend of our group”
Let the child answer for themselves.
Once the child says, “Yes,” say, “Speak your name.”
Once the child says their name, that is the name you will use in the ceremony. For the sake of simplicity, let’s say the child is named Anne.
Take the child to the East and say “Powers of the East, land of the rising sun, land where all things begin, I present to you Anne. “
Then move clockwise to the South and say, “Powers of the South, direction of the passions of fire, and where all magic comes from, I present to you Anne.”
Then move clockwise to the West and say, “Powers of the West, direction of the rejuvenating waters of life, I present to you Anne.”
Then move clockwise finally to the North, and say, “Powers of the North, direction of the earth, our mother from which we have all come and to whom we all shall return, I present to you Anne.”
Then hold up the object that represents the Mother Goddess and say, “Hail to thee, Mother Goddess, Great Queen of Our Hearts. Bless this gift with your energy and divine presence so that Anne may feel you near.”
Then hold up the object that represents the father God, and say, “Hail to thee, Father God, Lord of the Hunt and the Forest, Divine Consort of the Great Mother of Us All. Bless this gift with your energy and divine presence so that Anne may feel you near.”
Present these gifts to Anne and say, “May these serve as representations of the Father God and the Mother Goddess so that you may feel their presence near to you. Keep these near and dear to your heart as a gift from me. ”
Now have everybody hold hands in a circle around Anne, and say, “Anne, the people of your spiritual community welcome you. You are welcome to join us for our sacred celebrations and we thank you for choosing to bless us with your presence. We pledge to love you and teach you whatever you wish to learn and when you’re an adult when the time comes you can decide whether you want to consider joining us as a full member. May your gods, your guides, your ancestors, and all of the spiritual energies of your personal path make themselves known to you. Hail and Welcome Anne.”
Then potluck, play, and experience life with your Pagans, as usual enjoying the pitter patter of little feet around your sacred circles. Your child will always remember being welcomed and might become a full member when they become an adult.
Blessed Be.
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Lady Saoirse has studied magic and lore for most of her life but started walking her own magical path after being spiritually reborn in the desert. Today she is a High Priestess for The Temple of the Goddess, she is a psychic advisor and spiritual counselor, she is a member of the spiritual family at the Magical Druid in Ohio, and she shares her gifts as a Psychic and Content Writer for Spiritual Blossom. She has written for Mysticsense and PaganPages.Org emag.