MONARCH CEREMONY: A rite of passage for girls beginning their  periods.

Invitation:
The girl gets to choose who she would like to invite. (I  have done them as slumber parties and I can do an  invitation that has a brief explanation so the parents  of the girls' invited understand.)
She gets to decide if it will be an all girl event or  whether she wants the whole family to participate.
The mother suggests a few of her friends who serve as  surrogate Aunties. (Womyn that you daughter knows and  feels comfortable with.) These womyn become a support  system for the girl being celebrated. They make a  commitment to be there to listen to and share advice if  your daughter wants to talk with someone  "outside" the family as she matures and faces  the choices of becoming a womyn. Most girls are very  selective about who they want to have present and so she  has the final say on the invitation list.

The Ceremony:
The girl chooses something symbolic of her  childhood. Not something too sentimental, but something  significant that represents what she loves about being a  little girl. It might be a book, doll, arts and craft  creation etc.... She will be giving this away so that should be taken into consideration.

She is given a seat in front of an arbor or a ring of  sage that faces East and West. (I provide). She chooses  an adult womyn who will be presenting her. This womyn  sits on the other side of the arbor. The rest of the  guests sit in a half circle facing them. The womyn  presenting her talks about her gifts, talents and  attributes as well as the promise that she sees in this  girl as she becomes a womyn.

The girl being presented gets a chance to talk about her  hopes and dreams and asks for support and encouragement  from everyone present to help her achieve her potential.  She also talks about what she likes best about childhood  and her trepidations about becoming a womyn.

Then a talking stick is passed around and everyone  present gets to share a little about what they love most  about the girl being presented. They share funny, but  supportive stories about what they have shared with her.  They also state a commitment to honor her as a womyn and  support her along her journey.

The womyn present share their favorite memories of being  children and also what they were concerned about when  they were passing into their womanhood. This sharing is  designed to help the girls see that everyone has fears  to face in passing from one stage of life to another.

I speak about the importance of honoring our bodies, our  role as life givers and I reframe the negative thoughts  about having a period and explain the importance of  honoring our Moon Time. I speak about PMS and other  symptoms and how to use herbs, meditations and  ceremonies to ease any discomfort and embrace the power  of this time for inward reflection. (There is a handout for all of the girls to reference later.)

The girl chooses a non-mooning girl, or her mother to  gift her item to. Then I anoint the girl's forehead with  Magnolia essential oil to honor her as Sacred. Her  sponsor steps to the other side of the arbor. The girl  steps inside the arbor or circle at the threshold. She  is given time to pray silently and ask for help from God  and her guardian angels, the natural world and the totem  allies she relates to, or any other Spiritual  association. The rest of the group holds her in prayer.  Sometimes music she has selected can be played during  this time or it can be held in silence.

When she is ready she passes through the threshold and  her sponsor puts a beautiful crown on her head. All of  the mooning womyn (who have  periods)  hug her  and congratulate her. Then all of the womyn who are post  menopausal greet her with a word of wisdom and a hug.

Celebration:
Then we begin the celebration! Music, her favorite foods  and festivities/games that uplift and bring joy are  shared. If you would like to offer gifts they can be  shared at this time.