Last week, Britta shared about the power of daily initiations, and this week I’d like to share one reason why we bring ceremonial Initiations into our workshops, and how to keep these Initiations alive out in the world.

Our Western culture is sadly missing the Rite of Passage ceremony process. When girls and boys go through puberty here in the West, there’s little to no acknowledgment of this rite of passage into adulthood.

Without the safe space to ponder and reflect during this time, we either grow up way too fast and miss out on our innocence, or we remain children forever. Without a clear ritual marking the end of childhood and the beginning of adulthood, men and women have a difficult time maturing into their potential.

That’s one of the reasons we bring “Initiation” into our workshops; we help women and men grow up.

Initiations are really important, they mark the end of something and the beginning of something new. So much intention goes into creating our Initiation Day at COR so our participants can let go of a particular pain, fear, or struggle, and step into their new expression of being. We bring elements of ritual, witnessing, eldership, prayer, music, and Grace into the circle so men and women can have an embodied transformation where they shed the old, and step into the new.

It’s a day to remember who you are, and forget who you’re not.This “rebirth” can go so deep that it lasts a lifetime. Our own leader, Britta, wouldn’t be facilitating our workshops had it not been for her own Initiation 20 years ago. I’m pretty sure I can say the same thing for our whole team.

Over the years of working with women and men post Initiation Day, we’ve discovered some “best practices” for keeping the transformation alive out in the world. If you haven’t done one of our workshops, don’t worry, these tips apply to you too. You can use these tips to remember who you really are. Each tip I have for you involves activating something very important, your Healthy Self.

The Healthy Self is your presence, awareness, love, and trust. It’s your True Self. Here’s how you can keep your Healthy Self alive after any big transformational experience:

1. Daily meditation or prayer practice
The ultimate container at our COR workshops is the holding we receive from Grace. That’s why we encourage our participants to commit to a daily meditation practice for the rest of their lives as a way to keep the portal to the Divine open. Without this daily commitment to interior silence and trusting the present moment, our survival strategies will come back and try and hijack us from our essential goodness and truth. Life is noisy, and meditation is an effective way of getting quiet enough to hear your Healthy Self again.

2. Contribution
Your initiation isn’t complete until you’ve shared what you’ve learned and received with the world. Contribution is one of the greatest ways to activate the healthy self. It gets us out of our own story and into the what really matters. How can you share your gifts with the world? Who could you help? Where could you volunteer? Staffing one of our workshops and witnessing new brothers and sisters in their own initiations is a beautiful way to give back. Staffing is just as powerful, if not more powerful, than your own initiation.

3. Daily Movement
We spend a great deal of time connecting with our bodies at our workshops. During our Initiations in particular, we let our bodies do the talking. The healing lasts because we go straight into the nervous system for a lasting shift. When we disconnect from the body and live in our heads, we suffer. If you’ve been struggling lately, my invitation for you is to take care of your body and give it what it needs. Does your body need yoga or something more physical like boxing? Your body might need a dance break or even a massage.

4. Community
It’s easy to forget who we are when we isolate, so connecting with your community is essential. Who are your biggest supporters and champions? Who was your buddy at your last COR workshop? Sometimes we need to pick up the 500 lb. phone and ask for support. Your vulnerability is the muscle to strengthen here. I’ve also discovered that inviting friends to participate in our COR workshops is a great way to keep our transformation alive. When we share this space with our community and loved ones, we can return to the real world on the same page. The bonding that happens at these workshops between friends and family is unreal.

5. One-on-One Support
Finding a skilled therapist, coach, or counselor who sees the “real” you, holds a safe container for you heal, and is consistently keeping track of your growth is another important step in keeping your transformation alive. We have a number of coaches at COR who would love to support you.

Growing up isn’t easy, but it sure is fulfilling with the right support.

If any of these tips struck a chord with you, you can schedule a FREE Discovery Session with one of our team members. Need a coach? Want to staff a workshop? Ready to finally experience your own initiation at one of our COR workshops? Want to step into your mission, purpose and leadership?

Schedule your Discovery Call here and we’ll help you take the next step in your journey.

May your initiation last a lifetime,
Chrissy