Circles & Ceremonies
Ritual can be secular and sacred - not necessarily linked to any one tradition and yet profoundly meaningful. Ritual can be done alone, or in community; offering moments of pause in our daily lives and an anchor at times of transition or change.
“Sacred means making space for devotion to our hearts - a place where our inner voices rise and are met with kindness.” Gemma Brady
I offer bespoke and carefully designed ceremonies, circles or rituals to honour important transitions and rites of passage during pregnancy and motherhood.
Mother’s Blessings
A beautiful ceremony to honour the huge transition that occurs with every pregnancy and birth. This gentle, nurturing gathering brings together important women in the mothers life, allowing them to offer her love, blessings and nourishment.
Usually planned with the mother or a loved one who is hosting. The ceremony may include readings, poems and giving small token gifts. Celebrating the mother; blessings are shared, hopes and fears can be voiced. Rituals can include adorning the mother with flowers, creating an earth mandala, decorating the mother’s belly, making a necklace made from small tokens.
It is lovely to pamper the mother, perhaps brushing her hair, offering a foot soak or a hand massage. After the ceremony guests might share food, sing, dance or walk in nature together. You may choose to include a workshop with me after the ceremony to make natural gifts which can be offered as a pregnancy and postnatal hamper to the mother.
Postnatal rituals
Postnatal ritual can be a wonderful way to celebrate a birth - marking the start of a new life and the growth of a family. They can also help acknowledge the end of pregnancy and the huge transformation experienced by parents each time a child is born.
Rituals can be in your home or out in nature, can be held with just one or two people or with your wider community. They might involve honouring the placenta, planting something seasonal, making, crafting, cooking, singing, writing.. they can be inspired by your baby’s name, the month of their birth or with a focus on the newly formed relationships in your family.
The purpose of each ritual will depend on what feels right for you and we can design something that is personal and full of meaning.
Fertility and Loss
If you are trying to conceive, have experienced pregnancy loss or your baby has died, ritual may offer a powerfully healing experience.
Culturally we are encouraged to survive these life-changing events quite quietly and privately, with very little support.
I believe more space should be lovingly and carefully held for us when we are struggling or faced with devastation and grief. And I think there is an important role for ritual at these times.
My facilitation of ritual is always gentle and at such a difficult, vulnerable time I work carefully to make sure we plan something that feels right and will be supportive to you. The ritual may be with one or two people or with your wider community, in your home or out in nature.
Contact me for a free consultation to discuss what you need and how I might help.