Four Simple Ways to Honor Spirit in Baby’s First Year

May 14, 2013 By 2 Comments
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By Thekla Richter   Finding time to nurture your connection with divinity might seem laughable when you are so busy nurturing your newborn and struggling through the most basic aspects of day-to-day life. Yet, at the same time, if you were supported by spiritual practice before you had your baby, giving up that path entirely can leave a huge void in your life that you feel deeply even through your haze of exhaustion. The good news is that tending your spirit and connecting with the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: breastfeeding, Parenting, postpartum Tagged With: , , , , , , 2 Comments

Happy Mother’s Day!

May 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

“Blessed be all the mothers of mothers. Blessed be all the daughters of daughters. Blessed be all the daughters of mothers. Blessed be all the mothers of daughters. Now and forever, wherever we are.” –Diann L. Neu In Uganda there is a special word that means "mother of a newborn"--nakawere. According to the book Mothering the New Mother, "this word and the special treatment that goes with it apply to a woman following every birth, not only the first one. The massages, the foods, the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: birth, Parenting Tagged With: , , , , , , Leave a Comment

Placenta Magic

March 15, 2013 By 2 Comments
Belly cast from second pregnancy.

...And when you see this wondrous thing That grew me up so well, Say thank you to the Goddess Who made us from one cell...* --Dr. Sarah Buckley, "Ode to My Placenta" I've said for many years now that my favorite color is "placenta red." A deep, rich, life-saturated red. I'm amazed by the placenta. How cool is it that we can grow a whole new organ and then just release it from our bodies when it is no longer needed? Pretty cool. I think the reason the placenta might not get as much … [Read more...]

Filed Under: birth, postpartum Tagged With: , , 2 Comments

Hello Patheos!

December 3, 2012 By 5 Comments
Birth On The Labyrinth Path

Hello Patheos! I’m so excited to be writing this greeting. I can't wait to share lots of Pagan pregnancy and birth resources with you. I founded Pagan Families in May 2011 as a place to generate and collect resources on pregnancy and childbirth for Pagans.  Think The Pagan Book of Living and Dying for the childbearing year. We gave it the expansive name Pagan Families so we’d have lots of room to grow, but we certainly don’t believe that birthing a baby is the only way to grow a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: From the Editor's Desk Tagged With: , , , , , , 5 Comments