Wiccaning

[Zenon]

I've been thinking this throughly.  I want to present my baby (born last november) formally to the gods for protection, but I don't want to call it a "wiccaning" (to be wiccan or not is to be his choice, not mine).  I've seen wiccaning rituals and I don't like them very much.  Have any of you with children, done this sort of blessing for your child?  Any ideas you could suggest?  Pretty please  

[Jennie]

We did a formal blessing for our son right around the time he was born (over eleven years ago). The journal that it is recorded in is 250 miles away right now, so I can't give it to you verbatim.

We called on the four elements and the gods to greet him, protect him and bless him with their respective gifts, some of which were enumerated. You will undoubtedly prefer to write your own blessing, choosing to focus on those aspects or qualities which seem most vital to your own child's existence, and imbuing the ritual with more personal and precisely directed energy than is possible using someone else's form and words.  

If I can unearth ours, I will post it so you can see what we did and use it as a jumping off point.

You might also want to start a routine of saying an evening and a morning blessing with him. It is not only a powerful way to maintain wards around him, it is a great way to set the going to bed and getting up routines in place in an easily portable way. (BTDT - think ahead!)

 Bright blessings,
Jennie

[Gryphon]

On the Rabbit's third birthday we gave her a (what we called for expediency's sake a Paganing). The Circle called in the Four Guardians and each caller presented Rabbit with a symbol of that direction along with a wish for her charged into the charm. The HPS called in the Goddess and presented my daughter to Her asking for her care and protection until such time as she could choose her own Path. The HP did the same with the God. It was 11 years ago, I have the ritual somewhere, but not on computer. Her father and I and her sister also presented her with charms charged for her future.

[Zenon]

Well I finally got to work, and I did it!  Our baby boy was blessed in a well consecrated witches' circle, on the night of April 12.