How to Host a Blessingway Birth Ritual
Baby showers can be a great way to gather with friends and accumulate the necessary baby stuff. But they often seem like clones of one another with the focus on silly games and diaper cakes. If you’re seeking something more to mark your pregnancy, consider a Blessingway as a celebrational option. With its Native American (Navajo) roots, a Blessingway—or Mother Blessing, as it has come to be known in its American form—honors a woman in her journey toward motherhood. What is a Blessingway? Instead of emphasizing gifts and the unborn baby, a Blessingway focuses on the mother-to-be. How is she feeling? What does she need? It tends to be women-only—close friends and family of the pregnant woman—who gather together to offer support. This could mean sharing their own birth stories, offering emotional guidance or advice, or participating in some kind of ritual. The point is to honor the mom-to-be in … Continue reading
