Moving Towards Initiation

Rie Rogers Mitchell, CST-T

Abstract

Sandplay provided the vessel for Jasmine, a 10-year-old girl, to experience the beginning stirrings of her own initiatory process in a creative and grounded way. Her series of 26 sand trays (15 of which are presented in the article) were created over a period of 10-1/2 months. Jasmine’s sandplay are discussed in light of the characteristics and symbols that were used during ancient adolescent initiatory rites. Using sandplay culminated in a reorientation of Jasmine’s world view. She moved from a shy, diffident girl who over-idealized her accomplished father while denigrating her mother who she experienced as fragile, to a self-confident preadolescent who did not need to rely on anyone else’s energy to succeed. She was ready to be initiated into womanhood.

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