Mamma Blessing: A Sacred Ceremony to Honour the Pregnancy Journey

A Mother’s Blessing Ceremony or Mamma Blessing as I prefer calling it, is an intimate and supportive pre-birth ceremony where the mother-to-be gathers with her closest circle, usually women, to honour and celebrate her rite of passage that is becoming a mother.

Over the past years I have had the honour to facilitate Mama Blessing Ceremonies for many women and witness how magical they are and how much empowerment they offer making them once in a life experience. In this blog I will provide useful information and inspiration about this beautiful ceremony and share some of the different ways I facilitate them.

Difference between a Mamma Blessing and a Baby shower?

Both events are a pre-birth celebration which are usually organised in the last months of pregnancy of a women who is about to become mother for the first or fifth time.

Traditional baby showers tend to centre around showering the baby by providing the mother (or couple) with gifts to care for the newborn. It involves the parents, often the mother, organising everything for the attendees and it tends to have the vibe of a party.

A Mama Blessing ceremony is an intimate gathering where ideally the details are prepared and organised for the expecting mamma by her closest group of women, offering a chance to come together to bestow her with their wishes, share birth stories, empower her, offer her support and honour her for the miracle which is to bring a new member into their community.

I see this ceremony as the perfect opportunity for women to come together in a spiritual setting and share in a sacred time of reflection, support and celebrate the Divine Feminine and the mother-to-be.

For a Mama Blessing, I highly recommend to be very mindful and consciously choose who as the mother-to-be you will like to have in this sacred space without any obligation and keep it intimate to your preference. For a baby shower you and your partner can invite an extended group of family and friends and have a more casual atmosphere.

I always keep alcoholic drinks out of the Mother Blessing celebration and leave the part of sharing food for the end of the ceremony once the sacred circle has been closed and the participants can enjoy and recharge their energies with a beautiful plant based nurturing feast.

Mamma Blessing or Blessingway?

Blessingway is the traditional name of a sacred religious ceremony from the Navajo culture from North America. This ceremony is performed to invoke positive blessings and to avert misfortune and is used in many different rites of passage including during pregnancy.

As more and more women are looking for an alternative to the commercial “baby shower” and trying to celebrate this significant rite of passage in their life in a more meaningful way, the original concept of a Blessingway has being adopted and adapted to a modern day celebration: Mother’s Blessing or Mama Blessing.

A mother’s blessing is meant to inspire and encourage the expectant mum, emotionally, mentally, energetically and spiritually just before she gives birth to her baby. It can be customise to the expected mama and is not part of any religious lineage.

Out of respect I will invite you and encourage you to called modern celebrations Mamma or Mother Blessing and to always acknowledge and honour its origins.

I’m sure that in different indigenous cultures around the world there will be similar earth-based ways to acknowledge and honour this significant times in a women’s life so I will encourage you to find out more about your own heritage and cultural background tradition as well.

Creating Sacred Space for a Mamma Blessing

1.Have a clear intention

There is no a right or a wrong way to create sacred space but it’s important to remember: to regard with reverence and respect the miracle which is to become a mother is the most important aspect of a Mama Blessing.

Having this in mind and feeling it in the heart is the perfect place to set up a personalised clear intention for the Mama Blessing considering the mamma-to-be, the space in which it will be done and the participants.

2. Consciously choose the participants

Is important for the mother-to-be to decide who will participate and for her to take time and really feel within herself which women she will like to share this special occasion.

3. Choosing a location

Ideally this ceremony is done in a safe and comfortable space for the mother-to-be which is usually at her own space, at her home. Her mother’s home or another special significant place for her can also be chosen.

4. Keep the ceremony free of technology

Asking and inviting all the participants to keep the circle space free of phones and technology and to enter into the circle without shoes. You can take photos after the ceremony has being conducted.

5. Creating an Altar

Create an altar in the middle of the circle where all the women will sit around with natural earth elements of importance for the participants and for the mother-to-be such as crystals, flowers, deities, feathers, oracle cards, candles, ect. For the circle you can use rugs or a mandala throw and have cushions for the participants to sit down.

6. Cleanse the space

Opening and closing the circle smudging sage or palo santo is a powerful way to cleanse the energy of a space and it set up the scene for a magical experience.

Guiding the Ceremony

Having someone guiding the ceremony and holding space is ideal as it allows for the mama-to-be and her closest group of women to relax and drop in fully to the experience. I normally start the ceremony with an intuitive grounding meditation tuning into the energy of the group and what is needed. From here I invite the participants to share how they met the mother and the flow of the circle continues organically allowing space for anecdotes, poems and rituals such as:

Birth Necklace Ritual

Each guest choose a bead that symbolises their wish and support which is then made into a bracelet or a neckless to be worn by the pregnant woman during labour and motherhood as a reminder of all the love and support she has from her friends and family.

The Red Thread Ritual

A long length of red yarn or twine is passed around the circle and each person takes their turn to weave it around their left wrist while sharing a wish for the mama and baby for the birth. This ritual unites all the participants and serves as a potent visual reminder which remains on their wrists until the mama goes into labor, which is when everyone cuts the ropes off and says a prayer for the mama and baby, sends them so much love, and reaffirms their intention for her and baby’s arrival.

Pampering the Mamma

This can be done after the ceremony and it provides a more relaxed vibe for the mama-to-be and her tribe to just have fun. It’s all about massaging her, braiding her hair and making her feeling special and loved while sharing laughs.

Having a bowl with essential oils where the pregnant woman places her feet and receives a relaxing aromatherapy foot massage from her friends and family.

Creative Activity & Nurturing Feast

Guiding all the participants into creating a vision board for the mama-to-be so she can keep it to have for the birth and use it daily as a tool to bring positive thinking and reassurance in her own inner wisdom. This is a super fun activity where the wishes can be also written down and beautiful photos can be included.

I ask each participant to bring an organic plant-based dish prepared with lots of love and positive intention to share. The arrangement and set up for the feast can be as simple and casual or as formal and elegant as the mother would like.

When we women come together to share our life experience and inner wisdom with a clear intention it creates a powerful force with miraculous effects from which everyone can benefit. Honouring the biggest creative power in the world which is the creation of life is one of the most potent ways to heal ourself, our ancestral lineage and Mother Earth.

I trust this post gave you a better understanding of this ceremony and inspires you to have your own one or host one for a friend or family member, if you have any questions please reach out. If you are based in Sydney or Central Coast NSW and you would like for me to help you plan and guide this magical ceremony for yourself or someone else check Kumali’s Mamma Blessing Offering for more details.

Love and light,

Ana Flavia