Mother Blessings: Honoring Women Becoming Mothers
Woven Word Press, 2006
Order on line at www.wovenword.com,
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Good intentions fill the air when a woman becomes pregnant, gives birth, or adopts a child. Family and friends surrounding the expanding family yearn to celebrate and give support in some meaningful way. However, we live in a society that generally lacks the form to do so together in a way that truly matches the majesty of the occasion. Boulder’s own Anna Stewart’s Mother Blessings: Honoring Women Becoming Mothers is an invaluable tool for doing just that—creating meaningful ceremonies that honor a woman’s transition into motherhood. This book sits close beside both the new mother and her support community, guiding all to the successful fulfillment of their given roles. An intentional ceremony encourages this by providing “A formal way to understand the changes we are in the midst of, they give us a structure to make sense of the chaos within, and they offer a way to find inner peace and balance.”

Recognizing that most of us share a sense of spirituality but not, perhaps, the same religious beliefs, Stewart gracefully transcends differences and finds a common union around which we can all celebrate the miracle of birth. She acknowledges that each woman is unique and provides myriad choices and approaches for each aspect of the Mother Blessing being created. With remarkable attention to detail she recommends what foods and teas to serve that will agree with most pregnant women and how to ritually welcome guests. She presents a wide ranch of creative project the group can do together to create a physical and lasting symbol of their love poured out, such as having the guests make their hand print in paint as a boarder around the baby’s room.

Stewart beckons us to enter into the needs, wants, and experience of pregnant women who “experience time and space differently as they walk between two worlds.” The sensuality of this time is luxuriously celebrated by her many ideas for honoring the body of the pregnant woman. Rubbing her with oils, giving massages, and even decorating her new curves with Henna mehndi is described in a delicious and detailed manner.

Through the section on the adoption Blessingway, the unique transition into motherhood for the adoptive mother is examined and acknowledged to be a much different and more public experience. Intentional ceremonies that celebrate and support the new mother, father and adopted child can center on the planting of three birch trees which, like people, grow best in together.

In nearly all cultures, ceremonies are not regarded as extraneous affairs; instead, they have an essential task, which they are designed to accomplish. The actions are prescribed because the stakes are too high to be left to chance. In Mother Blessings, therein lies the wise guidance towards new meaningful rituals we can embrace and implement to ensure the successful transformation of the woman into mother. In artful splendor, we can celebrate, honor, and nurture each mother for the supremely important task of mothering, strengthening her for the challenges that lie ahead and preparing her for the shock of love about to rock her world forever.