As women we love to feel the center of attention, the warmth of love washing over us, especially offered by those whom we hold the dearest to our hearts. A mother-to-be is no different. Most often we celebrate the birth of the child with a Baby Shower, rejoicing in the moments soon to fulfill her every waking moment. Often we overlook the spiritual aspect of the journey for the mother-to-be, where a tradition called the Blessing Way or Mothers Blessing comes in: a mother-centered baby shower that is spiritually driven.The Blessing Way is a tradition that hails from the American Indians, where a family and tribe members would come together to create a spiritual ceremony to mark the significant transition into life for the baby. Today we incorporate some of the same traditions of the past. The idea is still the same, which is to create a comfortable, open space where the Mother-to-be feels secure enough to voice her hopes, dreams and find solace from fears concerning the birth and changes in her life.
When attending a Blessing Way shower, you can expect to sit in a circle, creating the sense of openness for the mother-to-be and the invited guests. The idea is to nurture, nourish, encourage, and offer strength and support; This is usually done through a few different activities. One is a verbal or silent supportive activity, which involves a call into prayer to offer love and support.This can be done in a number of ways: reading poems or passing around a bowl of water with each person saying a prayer of good will into the bowl, and at the end the mother-to-be drinks the water absorbing all the prayers and feelings sent to her.
Pampering the mother-to-be is something that can be expected at any Blessing Way. One or more guests offer the gift of touch with massaging, rubbing, braiding her hair and painting her nails; these are all gifts, an offering of nurturing support to the soon to be mother. While baby showers offer gifts for babies and Mom, at a Blessing Way the gifts that are often given are created by the invited guests. Some make flags with poems and warm thoughts to decorate the birthing room, while others may offer the Mother-to-be belly art in the form of a henna belly painting.
These are just a few wonderful ideas to let your love and creativeness spill forth, showering the soon mom in such a blessed way. In the end there is no better way to bring a bundle into the world; a mother who feels enveloped in support and nurtured is more likely to pass those same feelings on to her new baby.