Archaic initiations and informal initiations in modern times

In this article, a comparative analysis of the ritual complexes of archaic initiations and such unofficial initiations of modernity as the adoption of newcomers into the subcultures of the drug community and the criminal prison environment is carried out. In these initiations, a significant similarity to the archaic ritual complex can be traced: a three-part composition (preliminar, liminal and post-laminar stages), an analogue of the mythological basis, marking of the past trials, etc. However, between the ancient and modern initiations, significant discrepancies are found regarding the main theme of initiation - death and resurrection, similar tests in these subcultures have a direction opposite to archaic initiations, which is due to the lack of clear and convincing ideas about the sacred world in the drug community and the criminal environment. As a result, instead of realizing the basic functions of initiation - socialization and sacralization of the neophyte, desocialization of the person and imitation of sacralization (pseudosacralization) occur. Thus, in these subcultures only the basic functions of initiation are imitated, their initiatory practices are pseudo-initiating.