For the Wiccan community?

Question

what age would you consider appropriate for a child's wiccaning?

Answer 1

My daughter had a wiccaning for my grandson.
It was awesome. We're good friends with a wiccan coven and the hp/hps performed the ceremony.
They welcomed the child into the world, presented him to the community, and asked that he be given everyone's blessing to find his own path when he was ready to do so.. it was simply lovely.

Answer 2

I'm not a wiccan BUT I know a lot about the faith. Since it has the same meaning to a Wiccan as a Baptism do when they are born, you are only saying that you will raise your child with a exposure to Wicca, which is true, and if you don't want to press beliefs on your kid let them be exposed to new religions they don't have to stay wiccan their whole lives just because they had partaken in a wiccaning!

Answer 3

For most, a wiccaning would be done as a promise to the child to teach them respect, love and concern for the world and to respect them as they grow. It wouldn't necessarily be a commitment to Wicca (many do make that commitment for their kids but I think that it is really wrong). In the case of it being a welcoming/blessing ritual, it would be done when they were little. Coming of age is a better time for a child to choose what to learn and how to practice.

Answer 4

Wiccaning is like a Christian baptism. I wouldn't do it because it would be forcing a religion onto a child. As a Pregnant pagan, I can honestly say I will never do that to my child. I'll wait until my child is old enough to understand what it is they want to do.

Answer 5

my son had his pagan coming of age ceremony at 13 just because we thought that was an appropriate age. i guess because his best friend had his bar mitzvah (sp) that year, so we wanted him to have a religious transition to manhood. my daughter now will be having her first blood ceremony when the weather is nice out - she just turned 12 last week.

EDIT: i agree with the above post about learning different religions and letting children choose, we expose our kids to many different religions and the oldest two 15 and 12 choose wicca and the little one age 9 isn't into it, so she is not "forced" to attend circle. but just think about christianity and such, they enter their children into their religion as babies with baptism, christenings etc.

Answer 6

A Wiccaning is a blessing ritual, not to decide their "spiritual fate", so any age is good.

Answer 7

I would add to Moirae's excellent post that one can do a simple ceremony on younger children (without committing them without their consent), simply asking the gods to watch over them until they can choose their own path.

Answer 8

When they're adults capable of making their own decisions. A child should not be raised inside Wicca but rather, learn about it, and other religions, then make their decision about it when they're adults.

Answer 9

When they demonstrate that they can think and act in a mature self reliant way. That varies with the individual.