Birthing my power with an ANCIENT CHILDBIRTH CEREMONy

Remembering the ancient Blessings Way

​Amid my fourth pregnancy, I set out on a life-altering journey that centered on honoring the sacredness, beauty, and divinity interwoven throughout the process of getting ready for the birth of my child and the rekindling with motherhood. I let go of my attachment to the end goal of holding my healthy newborn boy, Zion, in my arms and instead focused on the profound journey of nurturing myself from within.

I embarked on a SOAR journey into sacred pregnancy and sacred birth. Guided by my spiritual practices, inner feminine knowledge, and the inspiration I found in ancient Egypt.

The SOAR Blessings-way is a ceremony steeped in Navajo culture and is  adapted in sisterhood organizations, where  each woman is celebrated in their individuality as part of a women's circle, as described in "Mother Rising," by Donna Miller Watelet, Yana Courtlund, and Barb Lucke.

​This ceremony spoke to my soul because it mirrored my Seasons of Womanhood-inspired work of healing and service to women. ​

However, even within the holistic health communities within my profession, I needed help locating a circle or facilitator capable of holding a Blessing's Way Ceremony. ​I "remembered" that I lifetimes ago facilitated such a journey and I was called to facilitate this for myself and demonstrated the need to revive this ancient practice. I invited members of my online sister circle from Seasons of Womanhood and close friends to a spiritual ceremony in the serene garden of my Seasonal Health Apothecary.

Like the ancient Egyptian birth house known as a "Mammisi," this tranquil garden provided a haven amidst the urban bustle of Hoboken, NJ. Similarly to the ancient Egyptian temple grounds, it was guarded by the Birch tree, over a century old and full of wisdom. It was a place where I regularly hosted healing circles, sound meditations, moon rituals, and other events for women.

​I felt a kinship with the ancient Egyptians on that brisk autumn afternoon when the sun hung low on the horizon. The leaves let some of the soft heat in, and with it came the voices of the shared spirits that bind us all.

Invoking the ancient Egyptians' devotion to the ceremony, I rang in our circle with a resonant gong strike that recalled the bells at Isis's temples. After that, I did a purification ritual reminiscent of ancient Egyptian rites of passage by encircling each woman with the smudge and sacred incence.

The moose skin drum I birthed during a traditional Native American ritual's primeval rhythms echoed in our ears like our mother's heartbeat, reminding us of our first sound experience.

Echoing the ancient Egyptians' awe for holy water, a water blessing ensued. The frequencies reverberate within our beings, joining us all. To keep the beat going, I explained how the ancient rites of empowerment celebrated in modern feminist movements had their roots in recovering women's voices through drumming and rituals.

​By switching to the crystal bowl's angelic intonation, we could let go of our mundane concerns and enter a state of transcendence where we could commune with the universe. Through the power of our voices and the guidance of this sacred resonance, we established bonds with our forebears, our sacred selves, and the soil that gave us life.

​With the aid this rose quartz crystal bowl, we were led through a toning that spoke to our innermost thoughts, feelings, and yearnings. With the energies of the fiery Aries full moon, our hearts were filled with love, and our hands were ready to serve.

The silver beads on the ocean drum, representing crashing waves, rang out as the ceremony ended, urging us to imagine and experience our beloved beaches with the same awe the ancient Egyptians felt for the Nile. As the sun caressed our skin, our senses became one with the outdoors.

​The fresh, fragrant floral coronet I wore reflected the floral sacrifices presented to the goddesses like Isis, and I gratefully accepted. A Wild Sacred Women retreat in Maui had helped me reconnect with my sacred, wild nature, and the aromas took me back to that moment.

My sisters each took turns drawing a mandala on my expanding belly while I relaxed in a lawn chair. My sisters tattooed henna, accompanied by the sacred pregnancy tea from Seasonal Health LLC, using rainbow-colored paints, moon and goddess stencils, and their creativity. These adornments commemorated my expanding belly.

​The cool paint on my warm skin transported me back to childhood memories of the earthy scent of African afternoon showers. I looked around at the group of women and saw the appreciation and happiness reflected in their faces. It was a recognition of the spiritual significance of the food they were eating in communion at that very moment.

Like the ancient Egyptians who looked to divination for answers, each woman chose an affirmation card to read. As each person in the circle read aloud from their selected card, we were all amazed at their unique insights and perspectives.

​The gospel hymn that Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins blessed us with was evocative of the peaceful harmonies that echoed throughout the ancient Egyptian temples. A worldwide prayer followed in which she prayed for my health during labor and for the safe arrival of Baby Zion into the world. These blessings found grounding at my feet as Rev. Venida anointed them with holy water from a sacred site in Israel.

Inspired by the uplifting song, my sister Andi serenaded us with a classic Italian love ballad, evoking the timeless power of music to stir emotions and foster connections.

​We partook in delectable homemade dishes while my sisters collaboratively fashioned a symbolic umbilical cord. This act embodied the ancient Egyptian reverence for the bonds of family and community, uniting us in a gesture of love and nurturing—between myself and Zion and between myself and the divine mother, entwining us all within the tapestry of motherhood.

That afternoon's artistic expressions found a home on my birth altar. This sacred space, like the ancient Egyptian temples adorned with offerings and symbols of fertility, was now complete. A ceramic statue of Sheela-Na-Gig, crafted by my second cousin Melien, stood tall, symbolizing fertility and the eternal cycles of life. ​

A vibrant cloth painted with an open yoni, framed in vivid colors, welcomed the imminent birth of a baby boy—a testament to the ancient Egyptian belief in profound creative and regenerative forces.
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Our celebration culminated with the ceremonial cutting of a multi-tiered rainbow cake, akin to the feasts and offerings made within the halls of the ancient Egyptian temples. Following this, I was led to a chair, where I immersed my feet in a homemade footbath infused with lavender and rose, a gift from my spirit sister Melinda. This soothing ritual underscored the importance of self-care and purification—a lesson from ancient Egyptian practices.

In alignment with these ancient practices, I ignited a fire to witness the full moonrise in Aries, harnessing her fiery energy as a beacon for my impending transition yet again into another motherhood journey. The circle of support surrounding me echoed the communal spirit celebrated.