I recently facilitated a large, public ritual at a local state park. A lot of friends and old regulars came, and we were lucky to have a few new faces, too. One of our surprise guests was a young mother who we have known for a few years but don’t get to see very often. She comes to events when she can, but I really only end up seeing her once a year or so, at most. Much to my surprise, she brought her kids with her to the ritual. They’re sweet, clever little devils, and they have a history of being somewhat rowdy and in need of a lot of re-direction.
The children came rushing up to the altar as soon as the family arrived at the park. This was one of those moments where Childless Trivia thought in panic “Ooh... right… kids…!” I took time out to speak to them about the altar, making it very clear to them that they could look to their heart’s desire but touching was absolutely forbidden. The children nodded solemnly and then went to go play on some rocks, immediately forgetting about candles, statues, and various other temptations.
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