Initiation and Pain
Jul. 22nd, 2009 10:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
qosInitiations -- both the planned and the unexpected -- have been an interest of mine for many years. Every so often I'll make lists of major transition points in my life, looking at which are simply that -- transitions -- and which qualify as initiations.
One of the most important qualities which sets initiations apart from other milestone events is that of transformation. After going through an initation you are not who you were before, and there is no going back to your pre-initiatory state. You have changed.
Today, for the first time, I started wondering about the pain that so frequently accompanies initiation, at least in my personal experience. I'm reluctant to say that all initiations must include an element of pain, but when I reflect back on my own iniatory experiences the ones that were most significant and the most profound were the ones that hurt -- or at least were deeply challenging.
It's too late in the evening now for me to come up with a personal conclusion, but I wanted to pose the question here and find out what my friends think.
One of the most important qualities which sets initiations apart from other milestone events is that of transformation. After going through an initation you are not who you were before, and there is no going back to your pre-initiatory state. You have changed.
Today, for the first time, I started wondering about the pain that so frequently accompanies initiation, at least in my personal experience. I'm reluctant to say that all initiations must include an element of pain, but when I reflect back on my own iniatory experiences the ones that were most significant and the most profound were the ones that hurt -- or at least were deeply challenging.
It's too late in the evening now for me to come up with a personal conclusion, but I wanted to pose the question here and find out what my friends think.
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(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-23 05:11 pm (UTC)I also think that unplanned initiations are more likely to involve pain, whereas planned ritualistic initiations may or may not, as there can be other elements that, crafted well, can do the job without it.
Some of the most transformative times in my life have been the most painful. But I have also undergone significant and transformative ritual initiations that were not painful.