Mother Rising – Pagan Baby Showers

First off – a *HUGE* CoNgRaTuLaTiOnS to my dearest friend and sister-heart who has recently (finally!) conceived and found out she was expecting last month. Her cause for joy has sent me to the shelves and sites looking for books about pagan pregnancy.

The first title I was able to get my hands on is Mother Rising: The Blessingway Journey into Motherhood co-authored by Yana Cortlund, Barb Lucke, and Donna Miller Watelet. This is the first time I have ever heard the term Blessingway (after 6 years I still consider myself a ‘new’ pagan, not a ‘know-it-all’ pagan), so discovering another term I could use to refine future searches was a bonus.

In short, a Blessingway is a mother-centered baby shower, and they are much more spiritually focused than materialistic. Blessingways are more structured than they typical baby shower since it is a ritual gathering.

The chapters of Mother Rising are arranged in a way meant to guide the reader through preparation of the Blessingway, as well as assiting them through the actual ritual. Not only does the book provide practical advice to help make the various elements of the Blessingway a success, but there are a multitude of suggestions and ideas to help tailor the event to a desired (in)formality to make it a unique experience centered around the Mother-to-be (as it should be!).

There is a wide selection of activities, recipes, crafts, and chants to choose from to include in ritual. At the end of the book are fantastic additional resources available, including:

• checklists for all activities in one place
• a variety of symbolism associations related to the themes of a Blessingway: Feminine Expressions of the Divine; Animal, Color, Flower/Plant, Herb, Tree, Food, Gem/Stone/Shell, Number, and General Object
• Music recordings
• Magazines
• Organizations
• Supplies
• The booklists and overall Bibliography are impressive and provide a great starting point for further related reading.

There are black and white photographs provided throughout, and I especially like how the participants are depicted: wearing spring-like wreaths on their heads, but dressed in “every-day people” garb. The photos compliment the text and some act as a visual guide for set-up.

Overall this is a fantastic book and worth the purchase.