What are Rites of Passage?
Note: The following content was first delivered as an asynchronous audio teaching in the first iteration of The Vision Society, recorded and delivered by Daje Aloh. Enjoy.
Timestamps:
00:01 Introduction to rites of passage and capacity expanding moments.
01:02 Importance of rites of passage for self-discovery and vision manifestation.
01:52 Consequences of lacking rites of passage in society and culture.
02:36 Explanation of three rites of practice: orientation, listening, and oration.
03:30 Purpose of rites of practice in building internal architecture for vision materialization.
04:06 Attunement, listening, and sharing as components of the rites of practice.
04:38 Utilizing rites of practice to navigate visionary crisis and narcissism for vision formation.
What Are Rites of Passage, Really?
When we say “rites of passage,” what we’re actually referring to is a shortened form of rituals of passage—ceremonial moments that help us cross from one version of ourselves into another. Rites of passage are not just symbolic; they are real opportunities to expand, mature, and access new parts of ourselves. And they are essential for visionaries, creatives, and anyone trying to build something that truly matters.
At Storywork Studio and within the Vision Society, we don’t just treat rites of passage as abstract concepts—we weave them into the very structure of how we grow. Because let’s be honest: in the wider culture, most of us were never offered real initiation. We were never taught how to mature into our voice, our capacity, our leadership. We were rarely witnessed in the moments when we were actually becoming.
Without these ceremonial markers, people feel stuck. They feel lost inside their own lives, unsure how to anchor into the truth of who they are. They want to build something meaningful—maybe even a whole new culture—but often feel like they don’t have the bandwidth, skill, or personality to do it. Not because they’re lacking, but because they’ve never been given the structure and support to build those capacities in the first place.
That’s where rites of passage come in. These rituals aren’t only about ceremony—they’re also about practice. In fact, we use the phrase “rites of practice” to describe the ongoing, embodied work of becoming someone who can hold, organize, and materialize a vision.
In our work, there are three foundational rites of practice we return to again and again:
Orientation – Learning how to place yourself in the moment, the season, the cycle. Asking: where am I on the wheel of development? East, South, West, North? This is about attuning to the landscape around you and inside you.
Listening – Deep, somatic, sensory listening. Not just hearing with your ears but receiving with your whole being. Tuning in to what’s being revealed. What your body is saying. What the vision wants to become. This is not a passive listening—it’s devotional.
Oration – The act of giving voice. Practicing speaking what you’re learning, naming what’s becoming clear, being witnessed in real-time. Not to perform, but to integrate. To affirm the changes underway.
Together, these rites form an internal architecture. They offer a structure for crossing thresholds. For staying with the discomfort of change long enough for it to reveal the next step. Whether you’re navigating visionary crisis, dissolving identity structures, or simply refining your voice, these practices give you ground.
Sometimes that means skill-building. Sometimes it means hard conversations. Sometimes it’s just showing up—again and again—to the thing you’re still learning how to do.
This is the backbone of our work. We don’t rush the creative process. We honor its thresholds. And in doing so, we remember how to walk ourselves home.
