This is information that I think is important to be communicated to someone who is new to attending Thalian events, so that expectations are clear and knowledge is expressed, not assumed. Traditionally, the Old Ways have been paths that must be actively sought, something a little challenging to find. If I tell you 'that which is', it won't belong to you the way it will if you glean it from several different sources.
Dedication is a first step on the Path of both personal spirituality and Thalian membership.
It means that you, the Dedicant-elect, are ready to try to gain for yourself knowledge and spiritual maturity, that you're ready to really define who you are, what you believe, and why you practice. Dedication is a commitment, like an engagement, a statement that you'd like to be adopted into this crazy family of we who are searching, as the song goes, to be 'all that we can be, not just who we are'. The Dedication ritual is also designed to communicate Thalia's first-degree mystery, and as such has been known to touch people deeply, emotionally and spiritually. So because it is both a commitment and an experience that may involve spiritual transformation, it is not a Path you should embark upon without careful thought and personal preparation. Therefore, before you ask to Dedicate, you should know yourself, your spirituality, and Thalia well enough to be able to answer the Dedication questions, and to be certain that this is where you are Called, and where you want to commit time and energy.