A Blessingway
A Blessingway is a an old Native American Navajo ceremony honouring and celebrating a woman before she gives birth. Much different to a baby shower, this ceremony is a woman centred celebration focussed on nurturing and preparing the mother-to-be for her birth journey and rite of passage to motherhood.
Every Blessingway is unique and can be planned to suit the individual needs and values of the mother. There are many different rituals that can make up this special ceremony however the common thread is that a sacred circle of women is formed with peace and tranquility to focus all thoughts and energy on the mother. The rituals may include singing, smudging, dancing, ornamental gift giving, candle lighting, belly art, creating birth necklaces and weavings, reading of poems & meaningful quotes, sharing of blessings and nurturing treats like massage, foot bathing and hair brushing.
In preparation for D’s birth, Farmer insisted on coming to Sydney to set the scene for a Blessingway for me; something I had never experienced before. This ceremony connected me with many special friends who travelled from all over Australia to help honour this special time in my life. Next to D’s birth, this was the most uplifting, empowering experience I have ever had.
A beautiful night began with smudging and singing as everyone gathered in a circle. We then shared poems and stories as we threaded a beautiful beaded necklace that I wore during my birth. We each lit a special candle sharing blessings and well wishes, placing each candle in a beautiful bowl of sand, another treasure that gave me strength during my labour and birth.
The evening came to closure with a ceremony of singing and chanting as we wove yarn around our wrists, connecting each other and then cutting as we shared more inspiring words. These ‘yarn bracelets’ stayed on each woman until the birth of my baby. We culminated the evening sharing a beautiful nourishing meal.
This was the beginning of my journey as a mother…a journey that Farmer had been on for 10 years already…..and finally, I began to appreciate and feel the raw emotion that the blessing of a child brings!
“The moment a child is born, the Mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the Mother, never. A Mother is something absolutely new.”
Osho
"Pinkfarm” has been created by 2 friends on a real food journey; learning, sharing, creating, inspiring and challenging politically correct nutrition. A country girl living on a farm on the beautiful Atherton Tablelands with a bustling house of 5 children and a city girl living in a metro Sydney townhouse with 1 beautiful son.
