It was a very off-the-cuff simple pagan ritual. I consulted with a close friend who is a priestess to make sure I had something to represent earth, air, fire and water. I asked that my mizuko go to someone who was ready for her. I told her I would never forget her. I left the beach and felt more at peace. A few weeks later, I found out two people I knew were pregnant. Perhaps my water baby had found a home. Read more
I would like to share with you an extract from my book, which suggests meditation practices to do during pregnancy, in the hope that it may blend with what you are exploring and find a form that appeals to your own soul and imagination. I do feel passionately that the way in which we greet and birth the new beings coming to earth at this time is very important. Read more
Here's the part that's particularly relevant for Pagans having babies. An enormous 96.9% of respondents said that they would choose an alternative practitioner (other than a doctor or nurse) for pregnancy. Hedrick notes that, "The majority of Pagans would opt for natural childbirth attended by a midwife, with less than 20% saying they would find drugs acceptable for childbirth." Read more
Like Gaskin, I feel the sacred in some of our most basic biological processes: in the cycles of birth and death, in the way they nestle immanent inside us and secretly structure the world outside, in the way they burst into day-to-day life and change whatever stories we thought we were in. Read more
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
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... Read more
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 girl! It’s a boy! ... Read more
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. Read more
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... Read more
Because we were planning on giving birth at a birth center or hospital, we realized that we would not have space to craft an altar from scratch- that is, build the structure on or in which the items would be displayed, like a shrine. So we decided to stick with a limited amount of items, that could be configured in any number of ways, depending on where we ended up and how much space we were allotted. We opted for items that could be configured on any tabletop. Read more
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