Rites of PassageWhen an individual experiences movement, or a change from a fixed position in society to another position, that individual can easily describe their change as a passage into a new realm of life. A new realm of life is how the individual and society see, recognize, and proceed with their lives. Their changes are enormous not only for the individual, but also for his society. Many changes occur throughout a person's life. They become rites of passage and initiation rituals, which are much more than simple changes. Many come with these rites and are found in all corners of the globe. Moving on from the vision quests of the Plains Indians of North America to the circumcision of some Australian cultures, the rites of passage present a vast table of religious comparisons (Eliade, p. 287-88). This essay will examine two initiation rites, comparing and contrasting their importance to each culture and discussing how that importance influences that particular individual and their society. Finally, the essay will explore the possible reasons why these initiation rites have profound meaning in their respective societies. The Kurnai of Australia have an initiation rite for the sons of married men in their prospective villages. Within a section by AW Howitt, in Eliade's book, From Primitives to Zen: A thematic Sourcebook of the History of Religions, a ceremony known as "Showing the Grandfather" is described (Eliade, p. 288). In this initiation the Kurnai have a formal way of bringing a man's son into the highest and most secret realm of their religion. Incorporating the use of the father-son relationship, this particular ritual involves revealing the central meaning, or "mystery", of their religion. Men and women are separated. Secrecy is one of the most important traditions in this initiation. Initiation is not revealed to women, or anyone else outside their society. The children, or "novices," as Howitt calls them, are taught the appropriate religious traditions they need to know for the ceremony and for the rest of their lives. lives, as this initiation will conclude their step towards religious righteousness and adulthood. All this happens the day before the ceremony, while other men, who have already witnessed the ceremony, prepare by searching for food and preparing a place, not too far from the village, where the initiation will take place. The next morning, at the beginning of the new day, the novices are taken to the place where the ceremony begins.