12/09/2026
Last sunday we gathered in the Yurt and held our son a ceremony to honour an important right of passage for him, to celebrate him and support him as he approached his first week of Forest School.
Sadly, he had a really difficult first experience of nursery. After months of perservering, he just couldn't settle in the environment. He was overstimulated in the setting, developed intense anxiety, had nightmares and frequent meltdowns, so we took 4 months off trying to rest and reset.
We were determined to navigate the whole thing differently this time, marking this huge moment with intention and in ceremony, just as we do for many occasions & milestones in our family.
As you might predict, our son is very familiar with the idea of 'circle' & 'ceremony'. He regularly gathers his teddies to sit in circle, smudging them, drumming for them and passing a talking stick around. He asks for 'mummy son circle' and we sit with cacao, sing, whisper intentions and he pulls our cards.
For a child who is a non-stop mover & sensory seeker, it still shocks me that he can drop in to sacred space like an adult. He just gets it. I guess it's in his blood ❤️
For his special ceremony, he was surrounded by his closest, most favourite people and we each offered gifts to support him; a protective talisman to wear, a worry monster, some beautiful new books, bubbles (of course) and an incredibly delicious cake made by the gorgeous Mostly thinking about food (because he KNOWS it's not a ceremony without Tareg's cakes 🤣).
The following morning, we followed the magical fairy trail through the woods and found ourselves at the Forest School gate. He was visibly nervous, yet after a big cuddle and kisses, he went off into the woods with his new teacher and didn't look back.
When I collected him, he was calm, regulated, had eaten all of his lunch and we had a gorgeous afternoon afterwards. This has never happened before.
He returned the following day and again a few days later - with the final drop of shocking me to my core. He simply ran through the gate, without even saying goodbye! So excited to be there.
I don't really have words for the sense of relief I feel, knowing that he feels safe and secure.
I have no doubt that this setting is so much more suited to his needs than the previous one, which plays an enormous part in how easy this transition has been for him. Yet I truly believe that the ceremony we held had a profound impact on his level of understanding of what was happening on a deeper level and therefore an acceptance of the change to come.
The ceremony helped to make sure he was prepared energetically, emotionally and physically and that he felt deeply supported.
Perhaps you are also navigating a personal shift or your family is moving through a time of transition right now. I would so love to know whether you already honour this time in your own way or whether perhaps this story may have inspired you to 🙏🏼