The young women look ahead to their own rites with uncertainty. The idea of a rite of passage for this particular time in their lives is a little alien to them, but the attention that comes with a special rite of their own is exciting. A young man from Maryland describes his rite as the most powerful experience of his life, and looks forward to the rites that lie ahead of him. Whether having their own rites will produce that same enthusiasm for the young women depends on many things. In providing the context for puberty rites, there is a mandate on us to establish rituals that include the energy of previous times and tribes, and that also embrace the realities of our children.
Some girls bleed as young as nine years old.
They need to be able to connect with their own power, while feeling supported in the fact that they are not women in society's terms. Young men fare equally unevenly. The need for support and acknowledgement may come long before any physical signs of sexual maturation. Let us consider three rituals that together manifest the energy of growth into adulthood. Our rites of passage connect us life to life and generation to generation.