What are the Pagan sacraments?
A “sacrament is something regarded as holy, or sacred. Ordinary acts or substances may be elevated to the status of Sacraments in a ritual context, thereby becoming gateways into a greater awareness of the beauty and power of the Cosmos and our part in it. Sacraments may be grouped into three categories: Actions, Rituals and Substances. Life passages, called “Rites of Passage,” ritually mark significant periods in life, movements between life-stages, and personal transformations. They are a public acknowledgment and recognition of growth. Just as the seasons pass in order, so do the stages of life. The inner and outer worlds mirror each other, so Rites of Passage provide a further link with the Earth and the Cosmos. Rites of Passage include coming of age, marriage or handfasting, pregnancy and birth, welcoming of new members to the community, dedications to a path or course of study, ordination, croning and saging (passage into elderhood), handpartings, and death.
