A review by Niki Whiting I admit I am completely intrigued by the idea of shamanic midwifery. Jane Hardwicke Collings, an Australian, has forged this path, combining traditional midwifery with shamanic concepts and work with the Divine Feminine. She trains other women, midwives and doulas, in this process, which, from her websites, is more of [...]
birth
CDC data: home birth on the rise
The CDC released new data today on home births in the U.S., finding that “the percentage of U.S. births that occurred at home increased by 29%, from 0.56% of births in 2004 to 0.72% in 2009.” This increase mostly represents non-Hispanic white women. The report says “Women may prefer a home birth over a hospital [...]
The Pagan Health Survey on Pagan pregnancies
Did you take The Pagan Health Survey last year? The results of this survey were interesting for many reasons, including the little bit they tell us about how Pagans approach pregnancy and birth. Cultural anthropologist Kimberly Hedrick conducted the research using participant-observation, interviews, and an internet survey with 1,598 respondents. She presented her results at [...]
Responding to Ina May: The sacred is multiple
Editor’s note: I asked some of our regular contributors to each respond to a quote from midwife and natural birth advocate Ina May Gaskin. In her new book Birth Matters Gaskin wrote: Birth… matters because the journey through pregnancy and birth offers an irreplaceable way for women to explore their deepest selves – their minds, [...]
Responding to Ina May: Not a universal experience
Editor’s note: I asked some of our regular contributors to each respond to a quote from midwife and natural birth advocate Ina May Gaskin. In her new book Birth Matters Gaskin wrote: Birth… matters because the journey through pregnancy and birth offers an irreplaceable way for women to explore their deepest selves – their minds, [...]
It’s a Girl!: Gender and Pagan Birthing
I just got the word that I’ll be making a presentation at the Pagan Alliance’s 1st Annual Conference on Earth-Based, Nature-Centered, Polytheistic & Indigenous Faiths, 2011 Theme: Gender & Earth-Based Spiritualities. The conference will be on Saturday, September 24 in San Francisco (the page linked to above has all the conference details, but the time [...]
Review: Bless This Child
“Here, under my heart you’ll keep till it’s time for us to meet…” –Erica Mann Jong (33) Edward Searl is a Unitarian minister and the editor of Bless This Child: A Treasury of Poems, Quotations and Readings to Celebrate Birth. He writes that the collection, “gives voice to the many hopes and wishes that accompany [...]
How to make birth art
Note: Were you inspired by Amy Swagman’s birth mandalas yesterday? Read this short essay in which she describes how to start making birth art of your own. The state of mind you’re in when you create artwork is the same state of mind you are in when you labor and birth. It is a fluid, [...]
Birth mandalas
Pagan Families reader Sarah wrote to recommend Amy Swagman’s Birth Art Mandalas. I was stunned by them and immediately wrote Amy to ask if I could share them here. She said yes! Making birth art can be a beautiful spiritual practice. My partner and I made birth art when we took a Birthing From Within [...]