Iain Atkinson

The Foundation of Time 

Time after time, time proves helical. Our biographies meet like the DNA of the new bodies they form. There is progress through revision, vision through memory, and memory through membership. Our days are framed in years and our years in decades. Let each be baptized into the cosmic Christ.

Family is the foundation of society. It is a love to be cherished, protected and provided for. May it be perpetually found, honoured, and celebrated. 

Singleness is the foundation of humanity. It is a self-love to be honoured, freed, and celebrated. May it be perpetually be founded, protected, and provided for. 

May the religious practices of the earth find fulfillment in new rites of passage of regular helical life in this third millennium onwards, from the eighth day onwards. In the earthly kingdom of heaven, may its kings and queens be regularly recrowned. 

Let “foundation ceremonies” be celebrated a month after birth, a month after every decade of life for singletons, at marriage, and after every decade of marriage. 

Foundation Preparation:

• A year of regular meetings with a priest to discuss vows, a new name, and practicalities. 
• A month away & alone before the ceremony. A silent fast, a time of reflection and preparation. No haircut. Last two days entirely indoors. 

The Foundation Ceremony

• Ceremony for the person is organized by others: priests, parents, friends, “best couples”
• Person brings material to make a fire, including old bible, other books and written journals, and branches from birth tree. 
• Priest opens ceremony by lighting fire, welcoming guests, and have person process to sit beside fire. 
• Priest shaves person’s head, blesses person with oil and laid hands, & breaks curses while burning hair.
  • At the foundation of your life, I bless you to live for the glory of God, in the righteousness, grace, and mercy of Jesus Christ, and in the power, joy, health, and prosperity of the Holy Spirit. 
  • (Throwing hair in fire): I break curses of toil, death, depression, and poverty in your life. I break all generational and familial curses and free you to found this day a new life. 
• Person makes baptismal confirmation vows, reads favourite scripture 
• Priest washes feet, absolves sin
• Priest presents new bible as gift. 
• Priest celebrates communion rite, gives communion to person. 
• Friends and family process:
  • Lay garlands of flowers over person’s neck with blessing. 
  • Present other gifts
  • Repent “for any wrong I have ever done you, I apologize”
  • Kiss person’s feet & head
  • Receive communion from priest
  • Make vows where appropriate
  • Lay hands and bless, make short speech, prophecy. 
• All guests stand
  • Priest leads general statement of love and support for person. “Will you celebrate, love, and support this person all the days of their life?” “We will” “will you curse them?” “No!” “Will you bless them?” “We bless them!”
• Person stands
  • priest announces new name. “I give you…”
  • Person processes with dancing to feast
• Feast
  • Eating fruit from (the same kind of) tree that was planted at birth
  • First taste (vegetables, meat, alcohol)

Specificities for each age or stage of life:

1 week – 1 month

• First trip outdoors
  • family process with music & celebration to ceremony. 
  • Family Plants a tree
• Washing is of head, not feet.
• Parents make vows to children:
  • To love, cherish, care for, protect, provide for, nurture, and teach by example and word. 
• Godparents and parents make this vow:
  • To raise a child in accordance with God’s righteousness, grace, and mercy revealed in Christ, and to inspire the child to love Jesus in all we say and do. 
• Child receives both first name and family name from parents, under guidance from priest. 
• First taste: vegetables
• At feast, child mimics first steps

10 years

• The month before, child lives with godparents. Receives explicit education about puberty. 
• Parents reaffirm their initial vows. 
• Baptism replaces washing
  • Priest fully immerses child
  • Child vows To live in the righteousness, grace, and mercy of God as revealed in Jesus, and to seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit. 
  • Takes first communion. 
• Child makes vows to parents:
  • To love, cherish, and learn from by listening, observing, and obeying. 
• Parents choose new first name, birth name becomes middle name

20 years

• Priest relinquishes parents and child of former vows. 
• New parental vows
  • To love, cherish, and remain available for guidance as long as I live. 
• Person makes new vows to parents
  • To love, cherish, & honour them in example and word. 
• Middle name (birth given name) becomes new family name, person chooses their own new first name.
• Ceremonial first taste of alcohol (making legal limit 20)
• Encouraged to ask someone to dance at feast, marking romantic initiation. 

30 years

• Henceforth name extends every 10 years, with person choosing their own  new first name, others becoming middle names. 
• Can also change last name. 

60 years

• Children or responsible carers make a vow for the person’s old age:
  • To care for, protect, provide for, nurture, and honour in actions and words. 

Marriage

• Marriage legal from age of 20
• Since couple become one flesh, this ceremony replaces birthday ceremonies thereafter. 
• Month before, the couple can’t see each other. Supposed to be a time for individuals to finally reflect if they’re ready for marriage. On later ceremonies, kids stay with godparents. 
• Couple devise new family name under priest’s guidance: as hybrid, double barrel, or totally new
• Ceremony is mainly organized by 2 “head couples” who are already married, or else parents, who also mediate communication in final month, & make their own vows of support. 
• In foundation ceremony, moment of first sight is marked by lowering a curtain between them. 
• Marriage vows are made together
  • Love, cherish, and honour each other. 
  • All I am and have, I submit to you and you alone. 
  • To treat you in the righteousness, grace and mercy of God shown through Jesus Christ. 
  • All this in good times and bad, in sickness and health, for richer and for poorer, til death do us part. 
• Exchange of rings, ceremonious first kiss
• All these recapitulated every ten years thereafter

For further thought: the fate of the funeral on the new Sunday.