Blessing Way Art Circles 
 

A Blessing Way is a sacred pre-birth ceremony that has traditionally been performed by Navajo people, and celebrates a woman’s rite of passage into motherhood. Those attending celebrate sisterhood, the welcoming of a new baby and honor a women’s journey into motherhood.

Hire Wild Roots to honor a mama-to-be with a “Blessing Way Art Circle”.  A Blessing Way Art Circle is $20 per person and includes flower crowns for all attendees, a ceremonial circle and a guided art project. Prices are subject to change with modification or additions of services.

The following are Blessing-way Rituals you might like to incorporate into your Blessing Way Art Circle…

Flower Crowns (Included)
Upon arrival to the party each women will create a willow crown to wear. You may want to ask attendees to bring a flower from their garden to be added to the mama-to-be’s crown. Wild Roots will supply willow bows, flowers and floral tape.

Circle Rituals
All attendees are gathered together in a circle to share rituals to bless and give strength to the mother-to-be in her upcoming labor and beyond. This is a great time to share parenting/birthing stories and best wishes for the mother. Let’s co-create a lovely & meaningful circle. Choose from the rituals and activities below that you wish to include in your circle.

Here are some ideas to do while in circle time:

Braided Bracelet #1
Using one or more long pieces of string, have women stand in a circle and braid the pieces of yarn together, wrapping them in one continuous piece around each woman’s wrist. When everyone has joined the circle, you may have each person say something supportive to the mother as each woman cuts her own bracelet and ties it onto her wrist. The women can wear the bracelets until the expecting mama gives birth as a showing of support.

Braided Bracelet #2
Alternatively, as each woman wraps the yarn around her wrist, she names her mother, grandmothers, and/or daughters (I am Dionna, daughter of Terrie, granddaughter of Donna and Marge).

Birth Bead Necklaces
Have every women in the pregnant mama’s support circle send or bring a bead. The beads can be strung into a bracelet or necklace. As you string each bead, the woman who contributed it can share a prayer, a thought, or simply the meaning behind why she chose the bead for the expecting mother. The mother can then keep the beads close – during pregnancy, labor, and beyond – to remind her of her support circle.

Letting Go of Fears
The mother speaks her fears or writes them down and they are burnt or floated down stream.

 Circle Center Mandala
Ask each guest to bring a flower, stone, shell or other item from nature. Gather all of the items for a center mandala. The mama can craft them into something beautiful and enjoy them for years to come.

Candle Ceremony #1
Give each guest a candle and have a large candle that will go home with the pregnant mama. With everyone gathered in a circle, light the candle of the woman standing next to the pregnant mama (this can be her own mother, best friend, etc.). As each woman’s candle is lit, the person can say a blessing or a few words about what she wishes for the mother to be. When she is finished speaking, she lights the candle of the woman standing to the left of her; it continues around the circle until it reaches the expecting mother, who is holding the large candle. The expecting mama can then light the large candle when she goes into labor, and her friends can light their own candles in support.

Candle Ceremony #2
Another idea is to have each guest choose a color of embroidery floss to tie onto the large candle. The large candle will be beautifully decorated with many different colors. The guests can tie the same color to their own candles, or you can choose not to give guests their own candles.

Bring Gifts for a Birth Altar
A birth altar serves as a focal point for the laboring woman. Sometimes it can be difficult to stay focused on the positive affirmations you read and meditated on during pregnancy, so the woman can focus her attentions to her birth alter to give her visuals of her end goal- her baby. Items for a birth altar can include a birthing goddess, ultrasound pictures, positive words, aromatherapy, candles, and any imagery that you find beautiful and inspiring.

Art Project Ideas

Choose one from the list below. All supplies and guidance in creating artworks will be provided.

Nature Mobiles
Attendees can enjoy creating mobiles with a variety of natural materials. You may want to ask women bring any natural materials from home or chosen nature item from supplies provided that can be blessed with a prayer and added to special community created mobile for the baby. This is also a great way to include loved one from afar that may not be able to travel to baby shower. 

Dream Catchers
Native American’s hung dream catchers above a baby’s bed to ensure sweet dreams. The bad dreams got tangled in the webbing and the good dreams slid down the trailing feathers into the sleeping baby’s dreams. Participants can each make their own dream catcher and bless the coming baby’s dream catcher with well wishes & sweet dreams.

Mama Intuitive Paintings
Each women is given a panel to create a painting from their heart that honors “the mother”. The painting may pay homage to your dreams of becoming a mother, your relationship with your mother, you as a mother or honoring the great mother earth. The group would be given basic painting lessons and guidance in opening up their intuition to paint from their heart.  

Journey Stick
Each participant paints & decorates a stick that honors a part of their life. This maybe their strength, their journey of mothering, their ancestors or any part of their journey that they wish to honor. In addition, a stick will be created by all the women for the baby endowing it with special blessings & wishes.  

Stones & Flowers
The following are two smaller art projects that maybe teamed together. 

River Stones
Each women is provided a smooth river stone and asked to think of a word you would like to inspire the pregnant mama with during labor or in parenting. Once complete everyone can share why they chose their word.  

Smudge Sticks
Dried sage, rose petals and other herbs burnt and used to cleanse and bring positive energy into spaces. Attendees can make these to cleanse their own homes and the mother-to-be can use them to bring positive energy into the birth space.

Henna Tattoo
A henna tattoo on the belly, hands or feet is a beautiful way to celebrate the life inside her. Let the art radiate the life she carries. I can either paint this myself or we can have everyone contribute in painting the mother-to-be’s belly.  

Schedule an appointment to design your Blessingway Art Circle...
Email Alie Rich at alie.wildroots@gmail.com to schedule an appointment to design your Blessingway Art Circle.