Additional Ways to Work with Us

“There may be no time more suited to the study of rites of passage than the threshold between the end of modernity and the uncertain future of humanity.” –Mythologist Michael Meade

“Rites of Passage are a cultural antihistamine to a socially toxic culture” – Elder Paul Hill, Founder of National Rites of Passage Institute

Rites of passage are a set of diverse cultural practices designed to intentionally honor life transitions. Many of the social issues we face today, from individual isolation to the rise of white nationalist hate groups and other forms of extremism, have their roots in, or are amplified by, the loss and contortion of these practices. When such practices are lost or destroyed, everyone suffers. When they are restored, the whole community can flourish. Through processes of initiation, individuals shed what has become too small for them, and are challenged and supported in developing the inner resources and understandings to bring their unique gifts forward – into a world that urgently needs what they have to offer. 

In an age of climate devastation, global war and famine, large-scale industrial extraction, rapid technological change, and the lasting legacies of past and present colonial violence, we are alive in a time of great precarity and tumult—which means we are also in a time of great possibility. If change is inevitable, we might as well do change well: letting ourselves be transformed in the process, rather than fighting it every step of the way. 

Within these initiatory times, rites of passage instill a sense of belonging, teach transition literacy (the ability to read, understand, and navigate change), and call forth the unique gifts of each of us, in service to our wider communities. Everyone has a right to a vibrant, life-affirming culture imbued with meaning, a culture that views each person as an essential piece of the greater whole. And everyone has a responsibility to make their life as full, rich, and meaningful as they possibly can. Grounded in human developmental theory and the practicality of developing meaningful rites of passage for a variety of life transitions, Rites and Responsibilities offers a compass—and trustworthy guides—for that life-long journey.

Amidst our personal losses and the ecological and social catastrophes of our times, we need spaces to grieve together, in community. The Rites & Responsibilities team is available to support you in navigating personal loss and/or creating community spaces for grieving. Members of our team carry particular grief-tending lineages, including Dagara cultural practices as shared by Sobonfu and Malidoma Somé, and The Work That Reconnects as taught by Joanna Macy.

Part of Cultural Habitat Restoration involves stepping into the rhythms and cycles of the earth, sun, moon, and stars, in a particular place. When we tend to iterative cycles of action and rest, rooted in regular practices for marking, honoring, and celebrating transitions like the change of seasons and the phases of the moon, we can ground ourselves in sustainable, regenerative rhythms that stand in strong contrast to the pace of grind culture demanded by modernity. Our ancestors - wherever we come from -  knew how to do this, and want us to remember their ways. Finding and restoring practices to attune ourselves to these cycles, in ways that make sense for our lives today and for the lands and waters where we make home, builds our resiliency. Doing so together, in community, creates collective coherence, opportunities to learn and grow together, and offers a legacy for future generations.

How we make decisions and agreements–and communicate them–for ourselves and for groups we are part of, can be tricky business. It can also be very empowering and clarifying. Many of us grew up with poor role modeling around boundaries, were taught to override the wants and needs that our bodies and emotions signal, or were taught to collude with others to do the same. Meanwhile, we see coercion and disregard happening to peoples and places all around us, in subtle or not-so-subtle ways, like the treaties between the United States and tribal nations - and all the places where those treaties have been broken, are nonexistent, or were gained by coercion and trickery. 

What does it mean to give and receive with consent?

What does agency truly feel like to you?

What practices can help us  make decisions or agreements as an individual, partnership, or group in ways that are efficient, effective and empowering, while honoring the needs and boundaries of everyone?

These are some of the questions the members of the Rites & Responsibilities team have been living into. With practice comes transformation and healing. Some members of our team are somatic consent facilitators or holistic sexual health educators; others are versed in organizational decision-making and collaborative leadership processes. All carry an awareness of how dynamics of power and privilege can impact our sense of agency and choice, as well as a background in embodiment practices, and offer specific tools and practices to support individuals and teams in the creation of mutually supportive, trustworthy agreements.

How do we navigate the hurts, harms, or transgressions that come up in our relationships?  What practices do we have for metabolizing the ways we’ve been hurt, had our boundaries violated in big or small ways, crossed the boundaries of others, or were operating from a different set of understandings? 

Conflict is the outward manifestation of tensions that might otherwise go unacknowledged. As such, conflict, handled skillfully, can be profoundly generative. Yet many of us learned growing up to be afraid of conflict, or to avoid it at all costs. Others grew up with conflict as the norm, and are surprised when those around us get scared or retreat in the face of it. 

At Rites & Responsibilities, we see the regeneration of practices for navigating conflict, and–where appropriate–the ritualization of repair, forgiveness, and/or reconciliation, as a core component of Cultural Habitat Restoration. We hold these processes with a deep attention to the embodied experience of any conflict situation, awareness of dynamics of power, privilege, and oppression, alongside continued support for individual and collective nervous system regulation. Collectively, we hold a Transformative Justice lens, and bring this into our work supporting individuals, couples, and teams in navigating conflict. 

At Rites & Responsibilities, we believe that part of our collective healing comes from practicing ways of being with resource flow rooted in sharing. We’ve learned that how we gift, share, and exchange are a form of ceremony, and we can practice in ways that help us  transform rather than reinforce feelings like fear, shame, greed, and a sense of scarcity that, for many of us, have been part of our cultural conditioning. We are actively practicing and researching what free flow of exchange and sacred reciprocity look like under the structural conditions of corporate capitalism, and are excited to share our learnings with others and be in shared practice together. 

Part of our learning is leading us toward regenerating rituals of thanksgiving, gifting, sharing, exchange, and redistribution. There are practices within many if not most of our ancestral lineages to ensure that everyone’s needs are met and nobody has too much, and we, too, can practice ways of giving and receiving that align with our deepest dreams and desires for the world. Just as we do with conflict repair, we hold these processes with a deep attention to the embodied experience, awareness of dynamics of power, privilege, and oppression, alongside continued support for individual and collective nervous system regulation. Whether you’re looking for support around your personal finances or class background; the financial model of your business, collective, or organization; or wish to bring forth gifting ritual practice within your community, we’re here to support and accompany you. 

Somehow, amidst the swirl of modernity and the hyperconnectivity of our digital age, we’re living in a time of pervasive loneliness and isolation. We are in such a crisis of belonging today that, in 2023, the US Surgeon General declared loneliness a pandemic.

Yet at our core, each of us belongs, and is inextricably connected to all other beings within the web of life. In addition to rites of passage that affirm and mark a transition in our lives, from time to time, we too must mark and affirm our inherent belonging with a place, a person, or group of people whom we claim/are claimed by. We may find it’s time to make a clear commitment and be witnessed by others in this declaration.