Mother's Blessing Ceremony Facilitation

I love curating mother's blessing ceremonies for mama's. This ceremony, different from a standard baby shower, is designed to honor and bless a mother's journey into motherhood, and also prepare and ground them in their strength and power for birth as well. This sacred space allows mothers to be held by and receive love from a circle of people in their community who love them, to affirm them and offer support and blessings as they into this new dimension of themselves. Motherhood is a rite of passage, and this ceremony celebrates this: the Birth of the Mother. The intention is to remind them of what makes them amazing by the most important women in their life; and to nurture them so they feel cared for and confident for their impending birth and motherhood.  As a healer, a former birth doula, and a sister to women, I guide these ceremonies with love and a desire to cultivate a safe, harmonious space filled with emotion and joy.

This ceremony can be curated to the specific wishes and intentions of each mother, and I offer a spectrum of options for activities and rituals to choose from (please see below). Please send me a message if you are in Southern California and interested in hiring me to facilitate a ceremony for you or your loved one.                                                    

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A sample MOTHER's BLESSING ceremony:

Sacred Altar: A small altar can be set up. Participants will be asked to bring items to contribute to the altar. This altar will help to ground the space and circle. Some ideas include candles, incense, crystals, fertility symbols, books, herbs, photos, etc. 

Opening: Welcome, intentions, calling in ancestors, grounding

Aromatherapy bath blessing with rose petals and essential oils: As an act of "Mothering the Mother", and can be done by partner, doula, mother's mother or someone else as a form of pampering and honoring the mother; blessing of the hands, the feet, the crown, the head, the heart as each is anointed with the water and words. 

Flower Crown: Ask each guest to bring a flower that reminds them of mother to be. They can be made into a simple crown at beginning of ceremony for her to wear throughout

Intention Necklace: Each woman can bring one or two beads. During the ceremony they can be used to bead a necklace (for mother). A necklace string is passed around and as each woman places her bead(s) on string, say an intention for mother's birthing experience. Mother can wear this necklace during labor and birth, or have it hanging near by.

Words of Love: Each person around the circle will be invited to something they love and admire about the mother-to-be. This will be a loving reminder of their innate strength and wisdom that will serve them in labor. This will also be the space to share how they know the mother.  

Candle Wishes: Each guest writes a prayer or blessing down and shares it over a lit candle (i.e. blows out when finished, then passes it and it gets re-lit or each person can bring their own candle and light it when speaking) this can also be done without writing anything down. People can speak from the heart. 

Cord Ceremony: A large piece of yarn is passed around the circle-each person says something directly to the baby (guidance on what can be said here will be provided). After everyone speaks each person ties yarn around their hand and wears yarn bracelet until baby is born! This represents a web of connectivity and support and is a special time for the community to connect directly with the baby. 

Postpartum Herb Bath: Each person brings specified postpartum herbs, to be collected in a basket; a postpartum herbal bath can be created for mother for her postpartum healing

Wisdom and guidance for labor and birth: Anyone that is moved to share can offer insights, something that helped them through labor, etc...

Name blessing: Blessing of the baby's name through chants

Candle for labor: Each person present receives a candle to light when mama goes into labor, saying a blessing for her. 

Closing: Prayer and affirmations for labor, birth and motherhood

Photo Credit: Jeannie Zandi