THE MOTHER BLESSING
When a woman chooses to step onto the path of motherhood for the first, second or sixth time, a remarkable transition begins, weaving one chapter of life to the next. During this time it is important to create intentional ceremonies to honor this powerful shift: rituals that honor and support a woman's physical, emotional and spiritual growth alongside her growing child.
WHAT IS A MOTHER BLESSING?
A mother blessing is a ceremonial day of ritual designed to honor, nurture and shower the mother-to-be (or be again) with loving care before her baby arrives.
Surrounded by her closest female friends and family members, she enjoys a sumptuous day of pampering and care, including a floral foot bath, cornmeal foot scrub and flower crown.
She is acknowledged by each of her guests with their words of support, affirmation, wisdom and prayer. The group completes the day with a cord binding ritual, candle gift, nourishing feast and relaxation.
The Mother Blessing ritual is inspired by the traditional Dine Navajo ritual of a Blessing Way, which was utilized for the purpose of honoring many different transitions in First Nation culture, including motherhood.
In respect of this cultural traditional, we do not call this ceremony a Blessing Way, but a Mother Blessing. According to Mystic Mamma, “A Blessing Way was traditionally a Navajo Ritual created to spiritually support and empower the new mother for her journey of birthing and motherhood."
WHY A MOTHER BLESSING?
Motherhood is a rite of passage. It is a socially and culturally significant event whose effects ripple out into a community and beyond. Somehow, we have forgotten just how significant this experience is for most women.
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In our western culture, there are only a handful of acknowledged ceremonies to mark transitions – birthdays, graduations, weddings, bat mitzvahs, funerals, anniversaries, and the baby shower. Can you think of any others?
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Giving birth is a life changing event, but we do not have a ceremony to mark the significance and beauty of this transition. The baby shower is about showering the baby with things the baby will need. Up until now, we have not had a ceremony to honor the mother, to shower her with all the things she will need.
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It turns out what a mother needs can’t be bought in a store – connection, sisterhood, love, rest, joy. Okay, definitely some cake!
How we mother and how we are treated during motherhood, pregnancy, birth and postpartum, ripples out into our future and the future life of our child. It sets the stage for whether our lives will be colored by fear, stress and isolation, or calm, confidence and connection.
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A Mother Blessing intentionally weaves a web of loving care around the pregnant woman, imbuing her with an energy that will carry her forward into her postpartum days. The mother blessing is distinct from a baby shower in that the focus is solely on the mother. The ceremony is held with pure intention: to honor the sanctity of life in motion. We all come from mother. We all return to mother earth. When we honor the mother, we honor everything that is.
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WHAT IS INCLUDED?
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In addition to individualising and intuitively guiding the ceremony, I provide all materials for the alter and most staples needed for the ceremonial rituals chosen prior to our gathering. The ceremony is usually arranged by a close friend, mother or sister and most groups will split the fee as their gift to the mother. The idea here is that mothers role is only to receive. I will create an email invitation and send out to all guests with everything they need to know and bring.
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SETTING THE SPACE
I will create a beautiful alter with flowers, candles, crystals & oracle cards. This will sit in the centre of the circle.
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OPENING CIRCLE
I create a ritual space that looks and feels special. Guests need to become centered and ready to participate in a sacred ceremony. We form a circle to create a container of support for the Mother. I state the Mother Blessing's purpose so everyone knows what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.
I will clear and cleanse the circle with sage/eucalyptus/palo santo to help remove any fears anyone is holding onto. This is performed so we can enter the space with an open mind, open heart and be prepared to hold space for the Mother.
Following this, the ceremony will commence by opening the circle, blessing the mother and performing an energy clearing and guided meditation to ground and centre ourselves in a web of support and love.
RITUALS
The mother has a choice of rituals so that the ceremony is tailored to suit her unique personality and comfort. Any of the following rituals can be chosen.
FLOWER CROWN CO-CREATION
Every guest is asked to bring a flower that reminds them of the Mother. These flowers are used to make a flower crown for the Mother which is then placed on her head at the beginning of the circle. At a certain point everyone can say which flower they brought and why. It is quite special to ask the Mother's mother or sister, if present, to crown the Mother with her completed crown. The crown can also be preserved and dried as a keepsake.
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CRYSTAL & BEAD TALISMAN/BRACELET/NECKLACE
Each guest is asked to bring a bead to create a talisman, necklace or bracelet that the Mother have during birth. Each guest will infuse the bead with a word of affirmation or blessing for the birth or baby.
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SALT & HERB FOOT SOAK
A vessel is filled with warm water, Epsom salts, essential oils, herbs & flowers. It is placed at the feet of the mother when she sits in her throne. This is a wonderful feeling for a pregnant woman!
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HEART-FELT SHARING FROM GUESTS
Guests can bring a poem, prayer, song or other passage to read to the Mother. They will come to the Mother's feet one by one, and share with her their love and appreciation.
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CORD BINDING CEREMONY
A beautiful way to close the circle is by having a spool of red yarn or thread which each woman wraps around her own wrist before passing it to the woman next to her who does the same. Once it has gone around to each woman in the circle including the Mother, some words can be spoken about the web of connectivity and support within her circle of woman friends.
Then each woman takes a turn to cut the strings of the woman next to her and help tie the yarn or string onto the wrist. Everyone ends up with a string bracelet that stays on until the mother goes into labor. Whenever her community looks at the red thread, they will think of the Mother. The Mother will be in their thoughts and prayers continually leading up to the birth.
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BIRTHING CANDLE
A power candle is a candle the Mother can take with her into labor, knowing that her community's blessings and prayers are with her. During the Mother Blessing, pass around a large glass candle and a sharpie marker. The guests can then write a word of affirmation, encouragement or positivity on the glass. This candle is lit during the Mother's labor.
MINI BIRTHING CANDLES
You can pass around small candles for the guests to take home with them after the Mother Blessing. They will only light it when the Mother goes into labor, holding space for her and sending her their blessings.
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CLOSING
I will close the ceremony with a blessing.
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FEAST
It's very important to end the ceremony with some grounding food and drink. Most celebrations and ceremonies include some form of feasting – this archetype is deep in our cellular and collective memory! Guests should bring a plate of food to share.
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GIFTS
Guests will receive a 20% discount code to use for any items in Sacred Birth Shop. I can also put together a custom gift pack for the Mother chosen by guests.
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MOTHER’S BLESSINGS START AT $380 AND CAN BE HELD ANYWHERE ON THE GOLD COAST
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Get in touch via my contact page to discuss organising a Mother Blessing for yourself or a loved one.
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