Unto us a child is born....Unto us a son is given...and his name shall be Ben Eagle!
"Children come into this world with fresh eyes to see all that is beautiful, embrace all that is joyful, and love unconditional with open hearts and minds. Those parents and family they come into are charged with protecting, guiding and allowing each child to fulfill their life path as deemed by the individual soul and the Creator. " -unknown
It is a profound joy to help parents create a baby/child naming ceremony. For many parents who do not believe in Baptism or are not able to Baptize, yet want to honor the gift of their child into their family, there is the tradition referred to as a Baby/Child Naming. Seeing your child as a gift of creation brought through you the parents to love, guide into adulthood and protect, and now speaking your intent and promise to your child, is a way to set the "matrix", so to speak, creating the spiritual Parent/Child bond with family and even God-Parents, if this is a tradition and promise to your child you want to make.
It so touched my heart when I officiated a currrent Baby Naming Ceremony as parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins (some as young at 6) come forward kiss the 4month beautiful girl, snuggled closely to her father's chest, and express their welcome into the world and family; as they each shared how they were going to be there for her to love, support and teach her. After their love expressed, each put a bead on a string to create a necklace for her that later as she grew would be a reminder for her of this special day.
When creating with parents this Baby/Child Naming, we share exactly what they want honored: their spiritual/religious beliefs, characteristics of the child, and how each will contemplate and consider their spoken promise to their child. Also, if they do want so called God-Parents and who they want to participate in the ceremony.
We also exchange ideas of how to create a memory for the child for when they are older. One mother wanted her daughter to always experience water as a "reset" as she called it. We created a small pool with lillies in it and allowed her to play and splash around as I expressed this wish for her.
I think you get the idea. Each Baby/Child Naming is unique to the parents and the child. I am always touched how parents and others involved really take the time to think about how they each want to welcome Precious Life and then express this outwardly in and with Intent. I always feel honored to be the one to welcome each beautiful child into the Family of Humanity as an individual gift of life to us all.
We are children of the Universe
No less than the trees and the stars
We have a divine right to be here
And whether or not it is clear to us,
No doubt our universe is unfolding as it should.
-Max Erhmann