Book Club: Week 3: Inebriation is Initiation
Sacred preparation and ritual communion
‘….she may pour forth abundance as the birth-giving mother, a source of transformation, or she may devour and destroy as the starved hag.’
My own initiation into inebriation was most definitely not a sacred experience and led me down a very problematic path with alcohol for many years. The drinking culture that I was immersed in revolved around a snobbery of knowledge and hierarchy of brands. Whilst I had witnessed others take Communion, I was not Confirmed and never made an association between wine and anything holy or divine.
In Chapter 3 of Celtic Queen Maeve and Addiction, Perera takes us on a journey into the connection between inebriation and initiation through the functional roles of Celtic society, and the ways in which mead was used in Initiations and seasonal festivals.
Through myths and stories we understand that Warriors used alcohol in preparation for battles. It served to both bond them to their Chief and to blur their understanding of their mortality so that they could fight to the death.
In seasonal festivals and kinship ceremonies, mead was used to help mute personal boundaries and enhance the feeling of belonging to the tribe.
Celtic Druids would likely have used mead and other substances to altar their consciousness in order to stimulate visions, receive prophetic insights, attain wisdom for the tribe and for mystic communion. Bards would have been encouraged by, and paid in, wine or mead.
When Celtic rulers entered into the sacred marriage with their queen (embodying the Goddess) they were required to drink and endure inebriation by way of a ritual transformation.
Through this exploration, Perera shares examples of these sacred ceremonies and rituals from Irish myths and poems and Celtic lore, and offers insights into modern unconscious reimaginations of these initiations, and how so very often, today we must undergo our own initiatory processes without the context of ritual or support of community.
Quote
Through inebriation, we try ultimately to satisfy what Jung called “the spiritual thirst of our being for wholeness, expressed in medieval language [as] the union with god.
Provocations:
Exploring Spiritual Thirst:
Reflect on a time when you felt a deep longing or "thirst" for something beyond the physical. What were you seeking, and how did you try to satisfy this longing?
How do you understand the concept of "spiritual thirst"? What does it mean to you personally?
Inebriation and Wholeness:
Think about your own experiences with inebriation or witnessing others in that state. How do you see the connection between these experiences and the pursuit of wholeness or union with something greater?
In what ways might inebriation serve as a temporary solution to deeper spiritual or emotional needs?
Union with the Divine:
Have you ever experienced a sense of union with something greater, whether through a religious, spiritual, or other profound experience? Describe this experience and its impact on your sense of self and wholeness.
How do you cultivate a sense of connection or union with the divine (or your higher self) in your daily life?
Modern-Day Initiations:
Reflect on how modern society might use substances or other means to mimic ancient initiatory processes. What are the benefits and pitfalls of these modern practices?
How can you create or seek out meaningful rituals or ceremonies in your life that help you feel whole and connected without relying on substances?
We would love to explore these themes with you in the comments or Chat:
Share your responses, experiences, thoughts, feelings, ideas and anything else that you feel called to
Offer any additional resources that you feel are relevant and helpful.
And we also know that these are big, juicy prompts that time and reflection. We hope they spark your curiosity and willingness to play with them.
Next week,
will be sharing her reflections and prompts for Chapter Three - Maeve As Toxin.With you in Circle in these (r)evolutionary times
