During the Mama’s third trimester, for me, a Mama Circle is the most profound space I have ever sat in. To witness, hold space, and celebrate a Woman on the cusp of motherhood is so sacred and so important. In this Circle, we can truly support a mama-to-be in remembering her strength, power, divinity and anything else she may need as she prepares to birth not only her baby, but herself as a Mother.

In ancient communities, these spaces were common. The Native American tribes call them Blessingways, and we see threads of them in the form of baby showers in our more Western approach to celebrating motherhood.

This Circle, much like the bridal blessings, will pay respect to the ancient ways, as we revive the art of gathering in a Circle to honour, support, and celebrate the Mama as she sits between the worlds, preparing to transition.

It is the intention of this Circle to offer the Mama the space to remember her power, to let go of any fears, to be seen, witnessed, celebrated and honoured for the journey she is embarking on, one that will change her forever. They say it takes a village to make a Mama; this Circle is here to remind her that although only she can birth her baby, she is not alone on the quest.

Instead of baby gifts, perhaps invite each Woman to cook a meal for the Mama once the baby has been born. You can set up a meal train post-Circle, finding out the type of food she would love, and commit to a day or days you can bring this to her.

WHO

Her closest female friends and family

GATHER

 ritual basket

 3 × bunches of flowers in full bloom (such as roses, sunflowers, dahlias)

 1 × tea light for each Woman

 1 × bundle of hemp cord

 1 × pair of scissors

Invite each Woman to bring a meaningful and symbolic bead of their choice.

ALTAR

Lay down your ritual cloth. Create a beautiful full and abundant flower circle in the centre, and dot the tea lights around it. Keep the cord and scissors close by in your ritual basket.

OPEN THE SPACE

Introduce yourself, the practice of the Women’s Circle and the intention behind why you are gathering. Smudge the Women clockwise, then yourself, and then finally the altar space. Invite each Woman to introduce themselves and their astrology sign, and to share how they know the mama-to-be.

ENERGY TALK

A Mama blessing is a gathering to celebrate, honour and support the mama-to-be as she prepares for her most profound journey yet. As we gather around her, we create a sacred space for her to be witnessed, acknowledged, seen and heard, supporting her in remembering her power, strength and divinity. Remember, it takes a village to make a Mama; you are not alone.

MEDITATION

Invite the Women to close their eyes, connect to their breath, and to bring their full presence, energy and attention to this space. The greatest gift you can bring to the mama-to-be in this Circle is your full attention. Use this as a time to ground, and come back into yourself, letting go of anything from your day that you may be carrying.

Begin to visualise the mama-to-be in your mind’s eye.

Welcome her into your awareness, as you bring forward the first time you met her. Welcome that vision in, and then begin call in times when she’s supported you, times when she’s made you laugh, when she was there for you, held you, inspired you, celebrated you.

Let these memories fill your being with the love you hold for her. Tune into the light she carries and all that she has passed on to you, as we set the intention to remind her of the power she holds within, of all the strength she keeps, and the gifts that live within her.

SHARING PROMPTS

This sharing circle is a time to celebrate the mama-to-be.

One by one, go around the Circle sharing with her all the light that you see in her, reminding her of her power, gifts and strength.

Once everyone has shared, and the Mama is filled up with light, you can now invite her to tune into any fears, anxieties or worries she is holding around her pregnancy, birth or journey into motherhood.

Allow space and time for her to write any fears down and, if she feels called, invite her to share with the Circle. Then once she feels whole, ask her to step to the altar and burn the paper she wrote her fears down on, as she exhales deeply out through her mouth.

ORACLE CARDS

Pass the deck of cards around, and invite each Woman to select one, with the intention of receiving a blessing for the Mama on her journey. Trust that you will receive the energy she needs to support her.

RITUAL

Invite each Woman to connect to the blessings they hold for the mama-to-be, tuning into any wisdom you seek to pass on to her, any advice or support you may have for her, any intention you wish to give to her.

Gather the hemp cord from the altar space and begin to pass the cord around the Circle. Invite each Woman to gather their beads, to share why they brought the bead and the blessing they have for her as they thread their beads onto the string, passing the cord around until each Woman has threaded her blessing bead.

Once it reaches the Mama, cut and tie the cord three times to seal the power and energy into the string. The blessing beads are now sealed with wishes, blessings and the energy of the Circle, and can be worn or held or throughout the rest of the pregnancy and in the birthing room, too.

Before closing the Circle, invite each Woman to gather a tea light from the centre of the altar. You will be invited to light this candle when the Mama goes into labour.

POST-CIRCLE

Here are some other powerful ways you can help the Mama feel supported throughout the rest of her pregnancy, birth and postpartum:

Set up a birthing messaging group with all the Women present at the Circle.

Select one Woman closest to the Mama, who can let the others know when the Mama has gone into labour. It is then you will be asked to light your candles, and make a wish for the Mama as she steps through this powerful initiation.

The Women’s Circle by Anoushka Florence is out now.