ABSTRACT
Spiritual rebirth and suffering appear to go together, something that is found in all major religions and indigenous traditions. While some of us find the idea morbid and would like to think the sacred could be experienced in joyful not negative ways, the emergence of the sacred appears to demand a certain degree of suffering, for instance, in the initiation rites of passage of indigenous cultures. These rites were regarded as savage and horrible by many of the explorers and missionaries who encountered ancient tribes in the early history of Western exploration, and most indigenous tribes were encouraged to abandon such practices. But the tribes seemed to know more than we do about the suffering that is necessary if the sacred is to penetrate our lives.
