Mother Blessing

A Mother Blessing (in some circles known as a Blessingway or Birthingway) is a rite of passage ceremony given for a woman right before childbirth to prepare and empower her to bring life into this world and become a mother. It creates positive energy for the mother-to-be, which is then carried into the childbirth. It is normally given in the 8th or 9th month of pregnancy and makes a beautiful alternative or addition to a baby shower. This is a powerful ritual for women to honor the mother-to-be and allows her to feel the nurture, strength and love from the women in her life and in her ability to not only birth her baby but have the strength and wisdom to step into motherhood bravely.

Elements that can be incorporated into a Mother Blessing include:

Belly decoration, such as henna or body paint, can be applied during the Mother Blessing.
Wreath of fresh flowers placed on the mother-to-be’s head.
Introductions of each woman in attendance allowing them to speak of how they became part of the mother-to-be’s life and what she means to them.
Red thread of connection ritual, as each person in attendance wraps a thread of red string, ribbon or yarn around their wrists, then each cut the pieces to make a bracelet that is tied and worn until the mother-to-be goes into labor. When she goes into labor, those who wear the bracelets are notified and then cut the bracelets off as they offer a prayer for a safe and gentle birth.
Royal toe reading which includes an herbal foot bath and blessing as the stories in the toes are read.
Birthing Necklace created as each guest brings a bead or beads for the mother-to-be, and gives a blessing as each bead is presented. This is then strung together for a necklace, or a bracelet, for the mother-to-be to have when she is in labor. These beads remind the mother-to-be of the support, and positive energy of the women in her life.
Creating art together, this can be anything from paintings, to prayer flags, painted rocks, sewing quilt squares, collages, or anything you wish. One activity could be painting plain cloth banners to create birthing flags for the mother-to-be to have in her birthing space.
Prayers and/or a guided meditation for stress, anxiety, fear or calmness.
Create a photo album for the mother-to-be, ask her to provide photos and each person create a page for the album, you can even leave areas for pictures of the new baby.
Writing letters to the baby that talk about the baby’s mother.
Create a special music playlist for the mother-to-be.
Gifting of presents for the mother-to-be during labor or after birth.
Circle time where everyone can share wisdom, songs, meditation, dancing, or just sitting around telling positive, encouraging or funny birthing stories.
Bring in a bellydance instructor and learn to bellydance.
Create healing music by drumming together.
Create a birthing altar with a mother goddess, ultrasound pictures, candles, flowers, and anything else that the mother-to-be would find uplifting and encouraging during birth as she takes the items with her.
Including the father into some parts of the ceremony can be done as well, such as near the end.
A Mother’s Blessing usually includes sharing food and drink together at some point!

I would love to assist you in planning a Mother’s Blessing ceremony! Most Mother’s Blessing ceremonies last from 2 to 3 hours and include 5 to 10 women. I will assist you in creating a ceremony that is as formal or as casual as you wish.

Session Cancellation Policy

We understand that unplanned events happen occasionally in everyone’s life. In our desire to be effective and fair to all clients, the following policies are honored:

24 hour advance notice is required when cancelling an appointment unless there is an emergency. In an emergency, let Mela know as soon as possible if you cannot make it. If you are unable to give us 24 hours advance notice, depending on the circumstances, you will be charged the full amount of your appointment. This amount must be paid prior to your next scheduled appointment.

No-Shows
Anyone who either forgets or consciously chooses to forgo their appointment for whatever reason without contacting Mela will be considered a “no-show.” They can be charged the full amount for their missed appointment, which would need to be paid before new appointments are scheduled. Even a text right before an appointment ( 803-339-4495 ) is better than a no-show!

Late Arrivals
If you arrive late, your session may be shortened in order to accommodate others whose appointments follow yours. Depending upon how late you arrive, your practitioner may decide there is not enough time for a session. For free consultations, if you are more than 5 minutes late, it will need to be rescheduled. Regardless of the length of the session due to your lateness, you will be responsible for the “full” session payment. Out of respect and consideration to your practitioner and other clients, please plan accordingly and be on time.