Celebrating The Mother
Today I created and held a Mother Blessing for my friend, she recently became a mother and I wanted to take the time to acknowledge and honour this transition, from maiden into motherhood, with her and her close friends. There is a huge lack of supportive and creative rituals taking place today in western society, leaving us unprepared for the many rites of passage throughout our lives. When we preform rituals we bring awareness an understanding, we bring clarity and respect to those different stages within our lives.
In the past I have always created Mother Blessings for the new mum whilst she was still pregnant, creating a opportunity for them to express any fears, any uncertainties that they may have around birth and motherhood. Inviting their close friends to weave a web of support around them, to hold them, acknowledge them and honour them. To see them, hear them and carry them. Today however was different, today my friend had already birthed her beautiful baby, so the focus was about her journey into motherhood. Her journey into identifying her new self.
I have often heard mothers describe how they felt like they were dying during birth, and it is true, they do. Their old self dies, in order to make way for their rebirth as a mother.
This is a huge transition, yet it is so often over looked, with all the focus being on the baby. We really need to be honouring the rebirth of each women as she emerges as a mother. So that she feels supported and held within her community, so that she does not become overwhelmed and alone in her journey. Because if the mother is supported, then so is the child and these are the foundations we need to be laying down for our children, this is the example we need to be setting for them. This is the world we need to be creating for them.
Today I created a sacred space in my truck, my daughters helped me to decorate and set up the altar, where we placed items that represent the four elements that are a part of us all. We sat in a circle and I performed a grounding mediation, asking those who attended to focus their love and energy on the new mother and to release any negative thinking out into the earth to be recharged. We invited our ancestors to sit with us within the circle, by taking turns to introduce ourselves and our female ancestry. We sang and created a web out of wool which we each tied onto our wrists. This is the web that supports our friend, this web ties us together as we share in the responsibility of raising her child with her.
This is so beautiful... Indeed supportive and empowering rituals such as these are so needed in our society today. I wish I had the sisterhood I have now both times I gave birth, but I'm also grateful for the journey I've had.
I look forward to passing on these types of traditions and rituals to my daughters and any future births of loved ones around me :)
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That is a gift you give your children, something we all need to do, provide them with the gifts to heal and nurture themselves and others within their community. Thank you @redrica x
What a beautiful thing to do. She must have been so moved. It's such a time of transformation for mothers and to mark it this way is so special....
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thank you Rivers, she got very emotional and found it hard to accept all of our love, yet she so deserves it. I was honoured to hold this for her xx
What a kind, generous & moving way to EMBRACE a new mother as a community. Yes, rituals to mark rites of passage are powerful & sacred. What a wonderful friend you are!! 💜
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Ah thank you @artemislives, there is so much healing when we embrace our rites of passage x
Very good article. We need more of these sorts of things, particularly in North America. one of the reasons why I refuse to subscribe to any organized religion anymore; because none embody any of these concepts, which are extremely important for communities to thrive. it seems to be everyone for themselves, these days. Hence any community found is a blessing from God and Goddess gained. Motherhood seems to have become forgotten as a milestone.