How To Hold A Mother's Blessing Ceremony

A Mother's Blessing ceremony is a beautiful way to honor and celebrate a woman as she prepares to become a mother. Unlike the usual Baby Shower in our culture, the Mother's Blessing is a ceremony that focuses more on the mom, less on the baby. Instead of playing silly baby games, it is an experience that can be a powerful ritual to bring together family and friends as a way to offer support, love, and blessings for the mother-to-be as she get closer to birth and motherhood.

This past weekend I had the huge honor of hosting a Mother's Blessing ceremony for my dear friend Karen and after feeling the impact of this ritual, I really wanted to share a How To for more people to offer this meaningful ceremony to mama's in their lives. A huge thank you to Karen for allowing me to share these photos of her sacred ceremony!

There are many ways to hold a Mother's Blessing ceremony, these are just the rituals that I offered. Always do what feels authentic + best for the mother-to-be to make it a special experience. 

What is a Mother's Blessing?

A mother's blessing is a special ceremony that honors and celebrates a woman as she prepares to become a mother. It is a time for family and friends to come together and offer support, love, and blessings for the mother-to-be and her baby. They can vary widely with lots of different rituals & activities. 

The History of Mother's Blessing Ceremonies 

The practice of holding mother's blessings has been around for centuries in many different cultures. In some Native American tribes, for example, a mother's blessing is known as a "blessingway" and is a sacred ceremony that honors the mother-to-be and her journey into motherhood. Similarly, in Hindu culture, there is a tradition called "Godh Bharai" that involves showering the mother-to-be with gifts and blessings before the birth of her child. In recent years, the popularity of mother's blessings has grown as more and more women seek to celebrate and honor their transition into motherhood in a meaningful way. Today, there are many different traditions and rituals that can be incorporated into a mother's blessing ceremony, making it a unique and personalized experience for each mother-to-be.

How to Plan a Mother's Blessing Ceremony

The first step in holding a mother's blessing is to plan the ceremony. This can be done by the mother-to-be or someone close to her. Consider the location, time, and guest list for the ceremony. Creating a beautiful comfy space for the ceremony is important. Similar to my moon circles, I believe in bringing in all of the elements, creating a beautiful center piece / grid made with plants or crystals or filling the altar with meaningful items that speak to the mom to be.  For Karen's ceremony I knew she wanted guests in a circle on the floor so we brought lots of blankets and floor pillows. We used flowers from her garden and the land around and created a completely unique grid. We burned her favorite Copal and I made a flower crown for her to wear, just a little added touch for the guest of honor. 

Grounding Meditation to Begin 

Before starting any ritual it is important to ground the energy of the space and everyone present. I offered a brief grounding meditation where I guided everyone into their body to feel their senses, feel the earth beneath them, to connect back to their breath and land in their heart space as we prepared to honor our friend Karen. It set a calming tone for the rest of the ceremony and I highly recommend it! Even if you don't lead a full meditation, just starting with everyone taking a big deep breath can transform the energy of a group. 

How To Do A String Ceremony

The string ceremony is a beautiful ritual that symbolizes the connection between the mother-to-be and her family, friends, and the lineage of women that came before us. Although this is sometimes done with red thread, I asked Karen for her favorite color and brought along a ball of soft purple yarn. We tied it around Karen's wrist first and then asked everyone to introduce themselves, tell us how they knew Karen and asked for them to share a favorite memory with her. They then wrapped the yarn once around their wrist and passed the ball of yarn to the next person in the circle. By the end, not only were we all physically connected to one another, we also saw this beautiful web of women who support and love Karen so much. We then passed a small pair of scissors around the circle and cut the string. I invited everyone to tie their piece around their wrist to keep on as a reminder to keep Karen and her baby in our thoughts until the birth. 

How To Do A Foot Bath Ceremony

The foot bath ceremony is a relaxing and rejuvenating ritual that honors the mother-to-be and helps her prepare for the birth of her baby. I was so excited to surprise Karen with this! To perform the foot bath ceremony you will need to fill a basin or large bowl with warm water. Next, place all ingredients on a tray in front of the bath. (Be sure to pick and choose ingredients that are pregnancy safe) I picked epsom salts, pink salt, dead sea salt, organic coconut oil, and dried flowers.

I then invited everyone in the circle to choose a few items to place into Karen's footbath as they set an intention for her birth. Some shared their intention with the group and others whispered it to her. It was a very touching part of the ceremony. I also placed another bowl in the center of the grid and we created a bath for Karen to take postpartum, this time setting intentions for her in motherhood.  

 

Ending the Ceremony

Once the string and foot bath ceremonies are complete, it's time to end the ceremony. The mother-to-be can thank her guests for their love and support and offer a blessing or wish for them in return. Guests can then share any final blessing or wishes for the mother-to-be and her baby before the ceremony comes to a close. 

 A mother's blessing is a beautiful and meaningful ritual that honors and celebrates the mother-to-be as she prepares to become a mother. The string and foot bath ceremonies are just two examples of the many traditions and rituals that can be incorporated into a mother's blessing ceremony. With careful planning and the love and support of family and friends, a mother's blessing can be a powerful and transformative experience for everyone involved.

Karen is not only my dear friend but also an incredibly talented Neurodynamic Breathwork facilitator, Embodiment Guide, and Yoga teacher, check out her offerings here.