Wiccaning

Friday night's Open Full Moon was interesting. As I noted in an earlier posting, it was conducted by Amy Harper (Nyteshade). I ended up being one of the ritual officers (the Wise Man/Elder aspect of the Lord).

And one of the children that ended up going though the ritual was the daughter of one of my friends. This amused me. I was very glad that I got to be an officer for this ritual.

This particular girl has taken a liking to me. I have noticed several times during past rituals that she is watching me, mirroring the gestures that I am making. She is picking up some non-wiccan gestures; I use a set of modified Golden Dawn gestures during the calling of the quarters.

So being an officer during her introduction to the local wiccan community seems completely natural to me.

Now I know that there are some people who misunderstand what a Wiccaning is. It is NOT a dedication to the path. None of the children who took part in the ritual are old enough to undergo that ritual yet.

When you are dedicated to the path, you have to be old enough to make that decision. It is like joining a lodge (Order), you have to be of legal age or thereabouts.

A Wiccaning is not an obligation for the child; rather it is an obligation of the community. It is a sign that the community is conscious of its obligation to provide guidance to the children of the community.

And considering how I like to appear to be a neutral bystander, it amuses me that chance made me openly admit that I am affecting this little girl's opinion of Wiccans.