Pagan Families has been growing as a resource on Pagan pregnancy and birth because of its many readers and contributors. We're up past 540 likes on Facebook, and the writers who've contributed to the blog number in the double digits. That's pretty exciting! Are you a writer who's been thinking about making a contribution? Now's a great time to have a look at our contributor guidelines and send us that post. Here are some topics it would be great to see addressed here at Pagan … [Read more...]
How the Spirit Babies Interfaith Ceremony came to be
December 7, 2011 By 2 Comments
By Silverwing Many years ago, a friend told me about the Mizuko Jizo, a Japanese deity that watches over the spirits of those who were miscarried, aborted or stillborn. There are temples with gardens of hundreds of these jizo statues. There is a place in Japanese society for women to grieve openly about their pregnancy losses. There are ceremonies in Japanese temples for this, called Mizuko Kuyo. The spirits of the unborn are called ‘mizuko’ or ‘water babies’ and they may come … [Read more...]
Meditations during pregnancy
November 29, 2011 By 4 Comments
By Jackie Singer Greetings to all of you from the UK. Sarah Whedon contacted me recently when she found a copy of my book, Birthrites, in a bookshop in San Francisco. I'm touched that it was an actual physical book in a real life bookshop! I imagine the pages in her hands, and feel a connection across acres of land and Atlantic waves to our little island, and me in my attic on a grey November morning. Birthrites is not a book for Pagans per se, but it does deal with matters of … [Read more...]
The Pagan Health Survey on Pagan pregnancies
October 20, 2011 By 5 Comments
Did you take The Pagan Health Survey last year? The results of this survey were interesting for many reasons, including the little bit they tell us about how Pagans approach pregnancy and birth. Cultural anthropologist Kimberly Hedrick conducted the research using participant-observation, interviews, and an internet survey with 1,598 respondents. She presented her results at the American Public Health Association conference in Denver, Colorado in fall of 2010 and the Pagan Studies … [Read more...]
Responding to Ina May: The sacred is multiple
September 15, 2011 By 5 Comments
Editor’s note: I asked some of our regular contributors to each respond to a quote from midwife and natural birth advocate Ina May Gaskin. In her new book Birth Matters Gaskin wrote: Birth… matters because the journey through pregnancy and birth offers an irreplaceable way for women to explore their deepest selves – their minds, bodies, and nature… There is a sacred power in the innately feminine capacity of giving birth. It is one of the elemental, continuing processes of nature … [Read more...]
Responding to Ina May: Not a universal experience
September 14, 2011 By 2 Comments
Editor’s note: I asked some of our regular contributors to each respond to a quote from midwife and natural birth advocate Ina May Gaskin. In her new book Birth Matters Gaskin wrote: Birth… matters because the journey through pregnancy and birth offers an irreplaceable way for women to explore their deepest selves – their minds, bodies, and nature… There is a sacred power in the innately feminine capacity of giving birth. It is one of the elemental, continuing processes of nature … [Read more...]
Responding to Ina May: I was The Goddess at that moment
September 13, 2011 By 3 Comments
Editor's note: This week we're trying something new. I asked some of our regular contributors to each respond to a quote from midwife and natural birth advocate Ina May Gaskin. In her new book Birth Matters Gaskin wrote: Birth… matters because the journey through pregnancy and birth offers an irreplaceable way for women to explore their deepest selves – their minds, bodies, and nature… There is a sacred power in the innately feminine capacity of giving birth. It is one of the … [Read more...]
It’s a Girl!: Gender and Pagan Birthing
August 23, 2011 By 8 Comments
I just got the word that I'll be making a presentation at the Pagan Alliance's 1st Annual Conference on Earth-Based, Nature-Centered, Polytheistic & Indigenous Faiths, 2011 Theme: Gender & Earth-Based Spiritualities. The conference will be on Saturday, September 24 in San Francisco (the page linked to above has all the conference details, but the time of my presentation is going to change). My presentation will be It’s a Girl!: Gender and Pagan Birthing It’s a … [Read more...]
A Ritual for Childbirth and Naming
August 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
By Sarah Spells for Childbirth and Naming Before my second son was born, I did these spells. At the time, I wanted my husband and son to feel that they were important parts of this journey that I was more obviously taking. When I started the ritual, I repeated the blessing, over and over, and felt moved to decorate my hands with henna. A few days later, my blessed and adorned hands caught my second son as he was birthed in the water. The Childbirth Blessing* Supplies: A green or white … [Read more...]
A quick check-in
August 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Hello wonderful Pagan Families readers! It's been a while since we've posted anything new here, but we haven't forgotten you. The editorial team has just been preoccupied with things like a vacation, a cross-country move, and new writing projects. We do have a couple of great posts in the queue, nearly ready to post, but waiting for some final input from various people. If you make a submission, don't be surprised if we ask you for a little revision. We're not trying to be mean -- we're … [Read more...]
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