Rites of Passage For Young Women

“So now another umbilical cord must be broken…Now you belong to your greater mother. And you return to her womb to emerge once again, as a woman who knows herself not as an individual but as a unit of her tribe and a part of all life which surrounds her.” Adapted from Frank Waters

In ancient cultures a rites of passage ceremony was a natural part of the cycle of life to initiate young people into adulthood. In our modern times many of these old traditions and rites have been forgotten or lost, leaving young people with few tools to help them through this transition.
This often difficult, even turbulent, period of transition can leave adolescents feeling confused, alienated and without focus, struggling to identify what is important and what has true meaning for them. Sometimes they explore extreme experiences of feeling and behaviour – raging for independence and at the same time furious when asked to take responsibility – in an attempt to selfinitiate. Or they conform to what is expected.
We offer these rites to young women who are aspiring to know themselves - to find their own inner truths and values, and to ask the questions “Who am I?” and “What do I have to offer the world?” The challenge and commitment of this ten-day ceremony offers an opportunity to mark, celebrate and move forward into life as a young adult, making meaning of this important passage.


The Form
Severance – Threshold - Return
the three steps that gives the cycle of this ceremony meaning

Severance – the time of physical, emotional and spiritual preparation – a time of separating from your mother, father and family. The symbolic cutting of the umbilical cord to your childhood.
Threshold – stepping across the threshold of your former life and its limits into the sacred world. Taking your place and being tested in wild nature. Facing your deepest truths, your strengths and weaknesses in order to stand in your naked truth and surrender into your uniqueness.
Return – ‘taking on the body’. On returning you step back into the world as an adult. You are united with those you left – now in a new way with a new power. No longer a child, but someone with your own authentic self- knowledge and a sense of your responsibilities and possibilities.
As in the tradition of this ceremony, the initiates are welcomed back into the community by family and loved ones, and so we invite the parents to share in the return and the ceremonial witnessing of the stories told of their time in the wilderness.

Practical Contact Pip Bondy Llys Menai Tryfer Terrace Harlech Gwynedd LL46 2YR Tel: +44 (0)1766 780557 email: pip @ pipbondy.com
The group first meets at the cottage the evening before the ceremony starts. There will be four days of preparation, three days alone time on the mountain without food and three days of incorporation.

Location and Accommodation
We are situated in the heart of Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, North Wales. We provide a stone cottage that has been renovated and has mains electricity and a wood-burning stove. The cottage is warm, clean, spacious and light. It is set in rugged landscape, which also provides space for camping. This will be your base. The group will live as a small community and you will be responsible for providing your own food and cooking.

 



Practical Contact Pip Bondy Llys Menai Tryfer Terrace Harlech Gwynedd LL46 2YR Tel: +44 (0)1766 780557 email: pip @ pipbondy.com
The group first meets at the cottage the evening before the ceremony starts. There will be four days of preparation, three days alone time on the mountain without food and three days of incorporation.

 

Pippa Bondy, MSTAT
Pippa Bondy, of Irish/Slovakian decent, is a wilderness rites of passage guide and a carrier of council. Her vision and passion led to her founding Ancient Healing Ways. Here she offers courses in a ceremonial form, creating a bridge between the wisdom of modern healing methods and the cross-cultural wisdom of indigenous peoples. Pippa’s insight and clarity, along with her integrity and wide experience of wild nature makes her a safe and supportive teacher, and offers a gift of inspiration to those who seek to live an authentic, soulful life. Based in North Wales, Pippa offers retreat courses in the solitude of the Snowdonian wilderness, as well as locations in Europe and the USA.

As a Council Leader, Pippa has introduced “The Way of Council” - an individual and group practice of deep listening and heart-full communication – across the UK and in Europe. As an Alexander Technique teacher with twenty years experience, she has worked with thousands of people, including children and young adults, many suffering from trauma and pain, both emotional and physical. She has facilitated courses for staff at children’s hospices and trained student Alexander Technique teachers in the UK and the USA. With compassion and sensitivity she has brought both these heartfelt and healing practices to complement each other, where they have greatly benefited health care, educational, social and business communties. “The work I offer is a simple, authentic expression of my commitment to healing, and seeks to guide and support those who wish to have a voice and a choice in the healing of themselves and our world. I am a mother and grandmother”.


Jill Teague, BA (Hons), PGCE
Jill Teague is a Welsh poet and published writer who knows the power words hold to inspire and heal. Located in Snowdonia, North Wales, she founded “Out of the Blue” to provide writing facilitations for groups and individuals based on the principles of Poetry Therapy. Currently training as a Poetry Therapy Practitioner with Bridgexngs Poetry Center, New York City, Jill’s huge integrity, sensitivity and creative spark provide a container of safety, compassion and inspiration as people identify and explore issues and themes of deep relevance to their lives.

Jill has more than twenty five years teaching and pastoral care experience, and has been dedicated to supporting young people in finding their own creative voice. She has also worked for many years, providing a supportive and respectful learning environment for children who have emotional and learning difficulties.

As an experienced fell runner, she has a deep love of and respect for the challenges of wild nature. She has organised and led numerous field trips in the UK and Europe, often combining art and writing with outdoor pursuits. She has recently been awarded The Weisberger Grant to develop her “Treading Softly - Writing in Nature” work with oncology patients. “I am passionate about poetry and wilderness, and know from experience their combined power to open up the folded soul. They give us back the truth of our selves, and like clearing the path of boulders, we continue our journey with deeper insight and awareness”.