Snowboard Mommy's Guide To
Planning A Mother Blessing
As a leading provider of online baby showers, I am often asked whether it is appropriate to have a shower for a second or subsequent pregnancy, if it is ok to invite men, or just for fresh, new ideas for baby showers (as if online showers weren't fresh and new enough!). Coming from a natural pregancy and childbirth background, I usually suggest an alternative to the traditional American "baby shower": a Mother Blessing (blessingway).
What Is A Mother Blessing?
Popularly known as a "Blessingway," a Mother Blessing is based on the Blessingway tradition from the Dine (Navajo).  A true Blessingway is used not only for pregnant women about to give birth, but also for men going off to war or anyone who needs good tidings when facing a new stage in life. In addition, an in-culture Blessingway involves singing the Blessingway song by a trained Navajo medicine man. The Blessingway song is considered very spiritual and is very detailed about the Dine origin myth with emphasis on the importance of the home (hogan) and the sacred mountains.(1)
Because most of us are not trained to sing such a song, there is movement, out of respect for Dine sacred ritual, to use the name "Mother Blessing" instead of "Blessingway" for the pre-birth ritual practiced by the general population. As a bonus, "Mother Blessing" is much more descriptive of the ceremony being described in this editorial and needs far less explanation for people not familiar with the celebration.
Unlike the traditional American baby shower which is usually focused on the baby, the Mother Blessing's focus is positive energy to prepare the mother and her birth partner for the birth. There are many ways to celebrate a Mother Blessing including the creation of a birthing necklace, foot bath and hair grooming for the expecting mother, as well as sharing thoughts, poetry, songs, personal stories, prayers, best wishes and gifts with the expecting parents.
Because they are more spiritual in nature, Mother Blessings can be a nice way to include men, especially the father-to-be, or to do something different than the same old "wrap TP around the belly" baby shower games.
Mother Blessing Books & Resources
Works Cited:
- MotheringDotCommune message boards: http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=125238
- The Natural Pregnancy Book: Herbs, Nutrition and Other Holistic Choices, Aviva Jill Romm, Ten Speed Press, 2003
Additional Reading
A new book has just been written about Mother Blessing Blessingways. "Mother Rising: The Blessingway Journey Into Motherhood" is described as "..a complete resource for anyone interested in creating sacred rituals to honor our important life passages." It includes straightforward information, detailed checklists, helpful tips, and practical advice of empowering more women to plan, organize, and lead blessingway rituals.
"I love Mother Rising! [...] Mother Rising is a treasure chest, a cyclopedic cookbook for Blessingways, full of great ideas and inspiration."
~Pam England, midwife and author of "Birthing from Within" [@Amazon]
You can read more about the book and Mother Blessing Blessingways at the book website: Mother Rising, The Blessingway Book or order online from Amazon.com (use links above or click on photo to right).
I hope this information has been helpful in chosing to have a Mother Blessing (Blessingway) or just for alternative baby shower ideas. Please email me with any questions, suggestions or comments. Thanks!
|
