Sealing Ceremonies and Sacred Belly Binding
Giving birth is priestess work; it requires a woman to pass through a painful and dangerous initiation in which she journeys to the threshold between worlds and risks her own life to help another soul cross over.”
– Jalaja Bonhein
The postpartum period is a time to honor the sacred work you have done to grow, nurture, and birth your baby into the world.
Often times, new mothers (and their partners) are left to navigate the physical and emotional roller coaster of postpartum all on their own. Time is rarely taken to celebrate and acknowledge the rite of passage that has been embarked upon in giving birth.
Throughout pregnancy, labour and birth, we as women focus on opening – physically, emotionally and spiritually. While this act of opening is essential to birth, it can leave birthing women feeling raw and vulnerable. Sealing ceremonies are about closing or ‘sealing’ the body, mind and spirit – essentially integrating the birth experience and the woman’s new identity as ‘mother’. It can provide a healing and serene space for you to feel nurtured and whole after such an earth shattering transformation.
Sealing ceremonies can be a private affair (with you and I, and/or a guest or two) or a sisterhood celebration with a circle of trusted family and friends. You choose.
During our planning session, we will explore your emotional, physical, and spiritual needs and each circle will be tailored to your specific needs.
Some examples of what we can do during your ceremony include:
A ceremonial bathing ritual for you – which may or may not include your newborn. This provides you with time to reflect on the journey you have embarked upon together, and all your body has done to bring your wee one into the world. A sacred bathing space is created with nourishing milk and herbs, candles and oils.
The telling of a Great Story of a Heroine’s journey and rite of passage. This provides you with a healing metaphor of self-discovery and the realization of all you have done in the birth of your baby.
A sacred “Tuck-in Ceremony” where the birth process is symbolically closed by wrapping the mother in warmth. This is a very powerful ritual and often evokes a feeling of balance, love, and healing.
A sacred belly binding that ceremonially helps close the body, but also has many physical benefits to the woman’s healing postpartum body.
A chanting and drumming circle, where you and your guests will be taught meaningful, powerful chants to bring about healing and spiritual renewal.
Work with the Symbolic Labyrinth and how it relates to the soulful journey of pregnancy, birth, and new motherhood. Making a ceremonial labyrinth to walk or finger trace can be incorporated into the ritual.
The Sealing Ceremony package can include all or a combination of the following:
• Planning session that includes an in depth discussion of the mother’s spiritual, emotional and physical needs
• Creating facebook events page, and/or sending invites/evites to guests (if applicable)
• Setting up and creating a beautiful sacred space in the place of choice using meaningful and thought provoking mementos
• Facilitation of the chosen rituals, allowing mother and guests (if applicable) to fully enjoy the experience.
• Special ceremony contributions (depending on the rituals chosen)
• A postpartum healing gift basket
• Event clean up so the mother can stay in a place of grounding and healing for as long as possible after the end of the ritual.
FEE:
As every Sealing Ceremony is tailor-made to suit each mother, the fee will vary, based on level of involvement and planning.
Fees will range from $100 to $300+.
Please contact me for details and an estimate.
Sacred Belly Binding Services
Bengkung Belly Binding is an ancient Malaysian method of wrapping the postpartum mother’s abdomen in a long narrow piece of muslin or light weight cloth. Wrapping the belly is an effective and important part of a mother’s recovery that aids the body to shrink and recover in a shorter time period, normally 6 to 8 weeks. A sacred belly wrap provides a mother’s postpartum body with 360 degree support to assist the abdominal wall muscle retraction, improve posture, stabilize loosened ligaments, and provide support to the torso while vital organs return to their pre-prenancy size and position. -Sacred Pregnancy
A Belly Binding Session includes:
• Application of a postpartum healing belly salve and a relaxing belly massage;
• Belly Bind Application;
• Belly Binding instruction to teach you how to bind yourself daily at home. A friend or family member is welcome to learn so they can wrap you at home;
• A belly bind for you to keep so you can continue with the daily ritual in your own home.
• phone consultations should you have questions
Fee: $150
Please contact me for details.
