Here are some pictures made last July at Sirius Rising in NY. The young lady's name is"Ava Bo Anne," her Mother is Allyson, her father is Tobias, Fred Hatt made the lovely pictures, and I am the celebrant.
I'm sharing them with you, not only because she is a delightful child - isn't she beautiful! - but also because it made me think about why we, in the Neo-Pagan movement do this.
We are not saving the child from "Original Sin," and while the parents are charged to care for the child and give her/him the best care they can; that's not all that's happening.
Called a "Wiccaning," in those circles, a Wiccaning generally has a Wiccan format. However, the blessing of an infant might involve much more than simply a format.
Let me tell you how my manner of blessing came about:
At the second Stone's Rising, in 1996, we raised two stones, one with a perfectly round hole in it. Later that evening, a couple came to me. Their new baby had been conceived at my Birthday Party the previous August and they felt I was the one to make a blessing for him.
I said "Bring him to me at the stone circle at dawn." I didn't know what was going to happen, but I trust the god/desses for guidance.
The next morning, I met John and Maria with their son at the place of the stones. A number of other people were present. In fact Andre Arthen, founder of Earth Spirit, was there and wrote a poem about what happened.
I told the parents to remove the baby's clothing and pass him to me through the hole in the stone. As I took the child, I said to the parents, "Name this child." They gave me his name - (I can only remember "Corbin.") I called out in a loud voice, "A new man had been born to the tribe! We name him Corbin! Come all you spirit beings and attend!"
First I placed the baby on the ground and called upon to Mother Earth: that this child might know both the divinity and the relatedness of all beings.
Next, I raised him on high and called to Sky Father, asking for His blessings of imagination with no limitations.
Then, to each of the elementals in turn; Air, for the power of intellect and communication, Fire, for the will and drive to act, Water, for deep and strong feelings, and Earth, for the stability of being grounded in his own creative energy.
Lastly, I called to Spirit, the universal oneness, and asked a special blessing that he might grow strong in spirit as well as body.
After naming him again, I charged the parents with his well-being; physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional. They did accept this stricture, and I returned the newly acknowledged Corbin to his parents.
Since that time, I have used this way of calling blessings on a child. It seems to me that we, as those responsible for incarnating a soul, need all the help we can! It is rather closer to Native culture, than to traditional Wicca, etc., but then, so am I.
As with any magical working, the words , while they must be chosen to express the sense of the working, are less important than the intent.
How does it strike you - this business of blessing infants?"
Please share your thought.
