SEVEN STAGES OF WOMANHOOD : A CONTEMPORARY HEALING RITUAL FROM THE FINNISH MYTHOLOGY OF THE KALEVALA

The purpose of this article is to introduce a healing ritual, which is inspired by and draws from the ancient Finnish epic Kalevala’s poetry of affirmations and its seven stages of womanhood. The seven stages are metaphors for female ego stages of maiden, wife, mother, crone, sage, warrior, and healer. Participants select these ego stages for cycles of affirmations, which are laments, charms, positive affirmations, affirmations of transcendence, affirmations of transformation, and prayers. The healing components of the ritual incorporate interpretive frames from Baldwin’s transactional system and the author’s differentiation of personal, transpersonal, and universal perspectives. The larger context of the oral tradition, the “poetry of affirmations” that gave birth to the Kalevala, is presented. The traditional mythological figures of the Kalevala exemplify the seven stages of womanhood and are guides for inspiring imagination and free associations among participants in a healing ritual. The procedure for the ritual is outlined, followed by concluding observations. The wisdom and healing practices of ancient cultures were often transmitted orally. The rituals and chants that passed these practices on were imbued with the living power of direct oral expression. Shamans, spiritual heroes, and heroines of sung stories also acknowledged the power of chanted poetry. As written languages were developed and literacy among ancient peoples increased, the power and efficacy of the ancient traditions, which depended on oral transmission, was all but lost. Where the oral tradition has only recently faded or is perhaps still extant, recapturing the power of this tradition is naturally easier. Such is the case with the tradition of Rune Singing in Finland. Oral poetry was first recorded in the beginning of the 19th century. Living Rune Singers from an unbroken lineage of oral transmission have been tape-recorded by folklorists in the sparsely populated areas of Eastern Finland as recently as the 1970s. Today, a growing interest in indigenous spirituality worldwide has brought about a renewal of efforts to retrieve and preserve some of the ancient oral traditions and even to recreate and synthesize ancient laments, charms, and prayers in contemporary forms. The use of ancient traditions and folk poetry as a source for contemporary theater, visual arts, and music has strongly taken root in Finland since the late 1980s (Fihlman, 2001). More recently, researchers discovered that there are still a few living lamentors who belong to an oral tradition of unbroken transmission. However, contemporary lamenting is a learned skill and is used for self-expression, even in public performances. It springs from a basic human need to express pain and Requests for reprints should be sent to: Sirkku M. Sky Hiltunen, Art and Drama Therapy Institute, 327 S St. NE, Washington, DC 20002 (e-mail: dsky@adtinet.com). Copyright © 2001 Transpersonal Institute loss in one’s own life and circumstance. In the field of Expressive Arts Therapy, I have developed a framework, “the Rainbow Method,” which draws from ancient Finnish rituals, rites, and healing traditions. One of its most important components is the recovery and revitalization of the ancient Finnish oral tradition adaptated and used for healing purposes in contemporary contexts. This article presents a work in progress. It introduces an outline of a healing ritual that draws from the Finish mythology of the Kalevala and its poetry of affirmations. This mythology is also the source of the structure of the seven stages of womanhood and of personal healing (Hiltunen, 2001). In my work with the ritual, I take the spirit and structure of Kalevala’s poetry of affirmations and have the participants express themselves in their own language and personal style. THE POETRY OF AFFIRMATIONS