Fullcirclehealing

		Blessingway and Closing Ceremonies What is a Blessingway Ceremony? The term "blessingway" is borrowed from several Native American tribal practices of honoring the mother in her transition into motherhood. Examples of similar ceremonies can be found all over the world. It is a more spiritual twist on the modern baby showers, which focus primarily on gifting to the baby. Instead, a blessingway celebrates the journey the new mother is undertaking and provides her with physical and symbolic support from family and friends. What happens during a Blessingway Ceremony? Ceremonies are designed especially for each pregnant mother, so precisce ceremonial elements vary. However, there is typically an opening circle in which everyone is introduced and the intention for the circle is stated; a time for each participant to share her positive wishes for the mother and baby; a time to record the process of pregnancy through bellycasting, bellypainting, photographs, etc; a time to spoil the new mother with massage, a foot bath, or a dance; a time for symbolic or practical gift giving, such as a favorite nursing pillow, a poem, child's book, hand-made crafts for mother and child, humorous birth and parenting stories, etc; and finally a closing ritual. How long does a Blessingway Ceremony last? Depending upon the various ceremonial elements that interest the mother-to-be, the ceremony may last one hour or all day. When should the Blessingway Ceremony take place? I recommend holding the ceremony between the 6th and 8th months, after the pregnancy has become very real, but with enough time to absorb and enjoy this time before delivery. How is the Blessingway Ceremony organized? Once you have decided that you would like to organize a blessingway ceremony for yourself or friend or family member, we will arrange a meeting to discuss possible ceremonial elements. After deciding on the general structure that best reflects the pregant mother's desires, we will design an invitation. Any items that participants should bring, as well as a general description of the ceremony, will be included in the invitation. On the day of the ceremony, I will lead the participants through each aspect of the ceremony, allowing for spontenaity as well as breaks, as necessary. Depending upon the number of participants, the ceremony may take place in someone's home, a rented space such as a wedding salon, at an outdoor location, or at my office. What is a Closing Ceremony? After giving birth, many women feel physically and emotionally very "open". Joints and muscles, self and psyche have been stretched, expanded for new life. This is why many cultures emphasize the first 40 days after birth; it is a tenuous time for mother and newborn, a time in which they straddle two worlds. A Closing Ceremony provides the new mother with a physical and emotional transition marker from pregnant woman, birthing woman to mother. What happens during a Closing Ceremony? This will depend on when the mother desires the ceremony and how many people she would like to participate. Sometimes, especially when done in the first weeks after birth, it is just the mother and I. I will give a massage with special oils designed to help close the womb, create a special sweat bath, and finish with another massage which aligns the bones and brings the mother's spirit into center. It is also possible to arrange a larger ceremony, with ceremonial elements similar to the blessingway, and any number of close friends and relatives. A group ceremony still includes massage and sweat bath, but may also include special gifts for the mother such as inspirational poetry, a post-partum "survival kit", singing, dancing, sharing of postpartum stories, and so on. Such a ceremony can be very beneficial for the new mother, who may be feeling very isolated or may be thinking that many of the normal aspects of this transitional period are only happening to her. How long does a Closing Ceremony last? Depending on the wishes of the mother, it may last 90 minutes for the massage and sweat bath, or 4 hours for a more elaborate ceremony. I do not recommend a longer ceremony, as new mothers and babies are often easily overwhelmed. When should the Closing Ceremony take place? A Closing Ceremony can be held any time between one week and 3 months postpartum, although some women may still wish to have one after this time. I begin massage and the sweat bath any time after one week postpartum. In case of cesarean birth, I modify the massage before 4 weeks postpartum, though still highly recommend the steam bath to promote healing any time after one week postpartum. How is a Closing Ceremony organized? This ceremony can be organized before or after birth, at the mother's request or at the initiation of a friend or relative. Depending upon how many weeks postpartum the ceremony will be held, it can me more or less elaborate. If the ceremony will only involve massage and sweat bath, organization requires nothing more than agreeing on a date. For a group ceremony, I recommend waiting until at least six weeks postartum. After the basic ceremonial elements have been decided on, we will create an invitation, including instructions for all participants. On the day of the ceremony, I will lead participants through the massage, sweat bath and other aspects of the ceremony, allowing for spontenaity and breaks as necessary. I recommend that the ceremony take place in the mother's home and that the participants assist with prepartation and clean-up so that there is no work for the new mother to do. For more information or to design your own Blessingway or Closing ceremony, please contact me.


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