Editing Initiation (section)

===Religious and spiritual===
[[File:Freimaurer Initiation.jpg|thumb|[[Freemasonry initiation]]. 18th century]]

{{see also|Religious initiation rites|Esoteric transmission|Endowment (Latter Day Saints)}}
A spiritual initiation rite normally implies a shepherding process where those who are at a higher level guide the initiate through a process of greater exposure of knowledge. This may include the revelation of secrets, hence the term secret society for such organizations, usually reserved for those at the higher level of understanding. One famous historical example is the [[Eleusinian Mysteries]] of ancient Greece, thought to go back to at least the [[Mycenae|Mycenaean period]] or "[[Bronze Age]]".

In the context of [[ritual magic]] and [[Western esotericism|esotericism]], an initiation is considered to cause a fundamental process of change to begin within the person being initiated and its "evolution operates within both the material world and the spiritual world".<ref>{{cite book | last = Bernard | first = Christian | year = 2015 | title = So Mote It Be! | url = https://www.rosicrucian.org/rosicrucian-books-so-mote-it-be | publisher = Chapter 10. Mystical Initiation (Definition). The Rosicrucian Order, AMORC}}</ref> The person conducting the initiation (the ''initiator''), being in possession of a certain power or state of being, transfers this power or state to the person being initiated. Thus the concept of initiation is similar to that of [[apostolic succession]]. The initiation process is often likened to a simultaneous death and rebirth, because as well as being a beginning it also implies an ending as existence on one level drops away in an ascension to the next.
Initiation is a key component of [[Judaism]], [[Sufism]] and [[Shiism]], [[Vaishnavism]], [[Sant Mat]], [[Surat Shabd Yoga]], [[Vajrayana Buddhism]], [[Wicca]], and similar religious [[gnosis|gnostic]] traditions. It denotes acceptance by the [[Guru]] and also implies that the [[wikt:chela#Etymology 2|Chela]] (student or disciple) agrees to the requirements (such as living an ethical lifestyle, meditating, etc.)

One of the most recognized religious initiation rites is [[Baptism]] within [[Christianity]]. Christian Baptism is seen as both part of the individual's faith and conversion as well as their initiation into the Church.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Erickson |first1=Millard |title=Christian Theology |publisher=Baker Academic |pages=1016–17}}</ref>

In the modern version of the [[Reconstructionist Roman religion|Roman religion]], some of the communities use a form of the rite of Aries described in the book ''Introduction to Magic'', by [[Julius Evola]]. This rite is also used by the Brotherhood of Myriam albeit with some minor differences. The rite symbolises the rebirth of the soul in spring in accordance with the cosmic and natural rhythms and corresponds to the Christian easter, which is claimed to be a derivate of the rite of Aries.<ref>{{cite book |last=Evola |first=Julius |author2=The UR Group |title=Introduction to Magic: Rituals and Practical Techniques for the Magus |year=2001 |publisher=Inner Traditions |location=Rochester, Vermont |isbn=978-0-89281-624-8}}</ref>

In the book ''Pietas: An Introduction to Roman Traditionalism,''<ref>{{cite book |last=Barbera |first=Giuseppe |title=Pietas: An Introduction to Roman Traditionalism |year=2021 |isbn=978-0981759616}}</ref> the author makes the claim that the Rite of Aries, corresponds to the ancient ''Minvervalia'' where the young Romans would go through their initiation and be introduced to the public cult.