Late last week, my wife caught COVID and there was a reasonable chance, I might catch it too. Depending on if/when that happened, it might mean I would miss my elevation!
That got me thinking about when exactly do life transitions happen.
For becoming a Peer, there doesn’t seem to be a great agreement about it. Each of you reading this will be convinced you are right and I assure you, the Peer next to you has a different idea.
Shortly after being put on Vigil, I was asked to join the order as a new vigilant is called up. I declined (see the Liminal space post). Is just being put on Vigil enough to make one a Peer? This person thought so and in some discussions, others though so too.
Except, I am not part of the listserv yet. The Order secretary says I must wait until I am elevated. So in their mind, I am not a Peer until that ceremony happens. My original plan was to have my Vigil at Baroness Wars (late August) and Elevation at Coronation (mid September). I had some laurel wreath buttons I wanted on my jerkin. I asked if I could wear them at the vigil. I was told “no, it was too far until the Elevation,” Again, there are those who feel the elevation ceremony is what makes the transition happen.
I think about other events too. When is one married? Modernly, it doesn’t really matter in some places. For those who live in places with domestic partnerships, marriage can be when you say it is. Now, the government might care for taxes purposes. But I can tell you from Human Resources, most insurance companies just need you to say so. Common law marriage is a thing too. I have married my wife three separate times. Which one mattered?
Or let’s take when are you a Christian? Depending on your specific sect, you might just need to declare it. Or you might need to be baptized. Or you might need to be confirmed. Or you might need to be an adult, and give consent to baptism. Not too long ago, it was dogma of some churches that you had to be an adult to be baptized and that is when you were a Christian. Unbaptized babies couldn’t go to Heaven.
When are you an adult? Biologically, that will happen at a specific time but what about culturally? When you had a rite of passage to be so? When you can stay at home on your own? When you can drive? When you can vote? When you can drink? When you can sign contracts?
I am not looking for an answer and I am okay with the fuzziness of it all. I just find it amusing that for these important transitions, we don’t have rigid definitions.
