Rites of Passage for Women
Carrie shares her belief:
"Women are deeply connected to the mysteries of the Earth. One must only scratch the surface of our ancestral memories and rites of passage to discover the richness of ancient Goddess culture. In doing so, something alchemical occurs. We begin to feel a stirring within. An ancient yet somehow familiar knowing, stirring in the soul. The farther back we extend our reach we discover that all cultures were at one time rooted in reverence for the Goddess. She lives. She lives right now in the impulse we as women are collectively experiencing to “evolve”. It is she who is whispering in our ear to awaken the places we have been slumbering. What if we allowed ourselves to remember the natural impulse of the teachings of our blood? To reconnect with the feminine source energy our bodies know so naturally? To remember our inherent ability to “be” earth and sky within our own feminine form?"
“When you choose to sit on the Earth as a Goddess….she awakens to your call. Our bodies are like sacred text, showing us the ways of wisdom through our feminine form. We are wisdom-keepers. Through Ritual and Ceremony we access gateways to sacred and ancient mysteries of the ways of women as only women can know. Through specifically designed Rites of Passage Ceremony we not only give ourselves the gift of celebrating life’s transitions, but also discovering the depth of our true beauty, strength, wisdom and grace.”
- Carrie Woodburn
Carrie says the first step to reclaiming the truth of our inner wisdom, guidance and power as women lies within our connection to the Earth and the ways of the Goddess. Whether going back in time to re-contextualize past phases of life with a new awareness or welcoming new passages; when we choose to consciously initiate ourselves through ceremony and ritual, we bring the experience forth to be held and healed in the compassion of our womanly heart. What she describes here is a process whereby we can actually experience our hearts capacity to alchemize and heal distortion and trauma in now time. She calls this "Alchemy of the Heart" and it lives and breathes in us when we anchor through Sacred Ritual and Rites-of-Passage.
She asks, "How far have we strayed from our tribal relationships as women? How many generations of women have been separated from their source by the dilution of relatedness to the roots of our blood? I believe that the health and wellbeing of the “tribe”, whether that live in the broader context of humanity, or a more regional context of community or family, depends on the health and wellbeing of women. It is women who are responding to our Mother Earth’s call to heal from the deepest depths of the womb. When we respond to the impulse of our wombs, we activate the medicine woman within. We learn to walk in honor of ourselves and listen to the whispering of our source. When we heal we pioneer terrain for all to heal. Sacred Ritual and Rites-of-Passage put is back in touch with the Earth and the ancient ways of the sisterhood of women. There is purity here. Come…quench the thirst of your feminine heart."
Testimonial
“Turning 60 needed to be celebrated with ceremony. I was entering my third trimester of life and wanted to honor the gifts and lessons that went before, as well as prepare for the rest of my time on this planet. Carrie created a beautiful, heartfelt Croning Ceremony that marked this life milestone with significance. Each part of the ceremony was well thought out with great attention to detail. Thirty of my female friends from all phases of my life attended and participated. Carrie incorporated my friends, energetic principles, my goals for the remainder of my life, and her creative intuition into a complete work of art. Whatever in your life needs to be celebrated with ceremony, Carrie has the talent, intuition and open heart to connect with your wishes and provide an event that you will honor and cherish.” - K. Hennessy
Types of Offerings
First Moon Passage: Maiden
A young girl’s First Moon is a momentous passage from young maiden to young woman. Many of us experienced this “coming of age” as awkward or confusing. I remember feeling like it was something to be hidden and ashamed of. I think about my mother and what it must have been like for her, the only daughter in a family of three brothers. I wonder how many generations in our matriarchal lineage have inherited this sacred passage as one associated with shame or taboo? What was this time like for you? What is your blood relatedness rooted in? Honor? Confusion? Celebration? Shame? Reverence? Taboo? What would you wish for your daughter? Your grand-daughter?
The term Menarche-menstruation translates from Latin to First Moon and represents the first phase of a woman’s life. Whether your desire is to celebrate and honor the first moon of your daughter, your granddaughter, or to re-contextualize your own passage from the maiden to matron, a personally designed rite of passage ceremony will not only bless you in the healing of your own lineage, but that of all women for generations to come. This ceremony opens up an orientation of sacredness in relationship with our moon time.
Full Womb Passages: Mother and Matron
The Full Womb Passage of the Mother represents the second phase of a woman’s life and is one of fertility, sensuality and abundance. This is a time of gaining knowledge and fulfilling on our potential. It is a celebration of the power, passion and purpose of feminine wisdom. Fully expressed sexually, socially and emotionally, here we are attuned to the fullness of the moon.
This phase of our lives as women is full, complex and extremely expansive. Approaching the many passages in this phase of life consciously and with reverence can move us toward a deeper soul connection within ourselves and that of the sisterhood of women.
A Full Womb Passage can be designed to celebrate a passage of marriage, childbirth, creativity or sensual awakening as well as to honor the healing of divorce, infertility, miscarriage, or sexual abuse. Ceremonies focused on re-claiming one’s own sovereignty and healing places of self-abandonment or self-sacrifice are particularly powerful and effective.
Last Moon Passage: the Mystic and the Crone: She who holds her Blood Within
Some tribes believed that women became very wise when they no longer shed the lunar “wise blood” but kept it inside. The word “Crone” means woman who is wise. In ancient times, to “Crone” meant “to crown”.
When a woman leaves the mothering phase and enters grandmother consciousness, she takes on a new sense of freedom. Creativity is unleashed in this phase of life. The creative urges that were put into mothering and caretaking have been freed up and many new doors are now open. A crone knows what it means to live a life. She has a great deal of life experience, and as she surrenders many of her former womanly roles, she ventures further into the realm of living from her own inner authority, rather than relying on the authority of others.
Claiming your crone energy means taking on a responsibility to the community, to the culture, to the earth, and to all women coming up behind you. In involves expressing your creativity, speaking your mind and inspiring others to do the same. The crone represents the third, postmenopausal phase of a woman’s life. The crone bears the ability to be beautiful – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I believe it is a gift for us to honor our women elders, and a Croning Ceremony is beautiful way to bring forth blessings for all involved.
Ceremonies are designed based on each individual and range from small intimate settings to group settings. To schedule your personal passage or to gift one to someone you love, contact us here.