The majority of initiatory ordeals more or less clearly imply a ritual death followed by resurrection or a new birth. The central moment of every ini… - Mircea Eliade

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The majority of initiatory ordeals more or less clearly imply a ritual death followed by resurrection or a new birth. The central moment of every initiation is represented by the ceremony symbolizing the death of the novice and his return to the fellowship of the living. But he returns to life a new man, assuming another mode of being. Initiatory death signifies the end at once of childhood, ignorance, and the profane condition.