Blueberry Girl

My husband brought home a very delightful book from the library the other day: Blueberry Girl, by Neil Gaiman. My daughter just loves it. The illustrations are simple and joyful and beautiful, and I love it because the whole book, written in verse, expresses a mother's wishes for her daughter. She is calling to the wise women to bestow her wishes, and then clearly describes the kind of gifts and experiences she hopes her daughter will have in life.

My thoughts, after I read it through a few times, were that it would be a beautiful book to read out loud during a blessingway or a naming ceremony. It would simply be a wonderful addition to that kind of ceremony, bringing the space back into the special and wondrous child-like realm, the very space that people are gathered to celebrate.

Here is an extract from the book:

Ladies of Grace, and Ladies of Favour,

And Ladies of Merciful Night,

This is a prayer for a Blueberry Girl,

Grant her your Clearness of Sight. 

Words can be worrisome, people complex;

Motives and manners unclear.

Grant her the wisdom to choose her path right,

Free from unkindness and fear. 

Let her tell stories, and dance in the rain,

Somersaults, tumble and run;

Her joys must be high as her sorrows are deep,

Let her grow like a weed in the sun...

Rites of Passage for Children

Today I found myself admiring my children's ability to wait for things, and ended up writing a big long blog post about it over at my blog, Lavendilly. The title of the post is "Waiting is a Gift" and it is about the rewards of waiting for something we really desire. Do we really need to have all our desires filled NOW? It is certainly hard to wait for the things we want most in the world, but doesn't that give us an opportunity to reflect upon why we want things, how we can achieve them or earn them - and then of course there is the satisfaction of the attainment.

I feel that moment like these should regarded as rites of passage, particularly for children who do find it sooooo hard to wait!! Certainly I feel very strongly that the ability to wait for the things we want is the greatest gift we can give our children, and one that will help to prolong our enjoyment of the childhoods that rush away so quickly these days.

I invite you to go and visit Lavendilly and have a read.

Jennifer.

The Union of Two Families

Yesterday I had the pleasure of facilitating a wedding up at Heritage Wines, Mt Tamborine. We used the new pavilion that has been built overlooking amazing views of the Gold Coast. It is completely enclosed in glass, with doors that open out on to a spacious deck. Half an hour prior to the wedding the rain came in and the most stunning double rainbow I've seen in ages appeared over the hills of the mountain- oh! It was so beautiful, and very clearly a blessing, but all our thoughts turned to the bride who needed to walk down a flight of stairs in the rain in order to reach the pavilion! Fortunately the rain cleared, and the bride and her three daughters who were her attendants arrived at the pavilion dry and smiling.

The wedding yesterday was celebrating the union of a couple who have shared their lives for a number of years already. This couple have taken their time to learn about each other, developing a deep and rich relationship, and have allowed their children the time and space to grow into each other. We honoured and celebrated the joining of two families yesterday, with the groom's son and the bride's three daughters offering their blessings to the union in a handfasting ritual, with each sibling placing a ribbon over the couple's joined hands that I then tied together as a gesture of grounding them together as one new family.

All weddings are special, and each time I facilitate a ceremony I leave the space absolutely buzzing. I smiled to myself all the way home, thinking of how wonderful it is when ceremonies are so simple and so beautiful. It is the thought and intention that goes into the ceremony that is the most important. Of course yesterday it helped to have such a beautiful and already prepared space to hold the ceremony, but it was more the fact that family and friends had stopped and taken the time and effort to help this couple with their celebration. Everybody was there FOR the bride and groom, there were friends and family busy taking care of the details: arranging the environment, informing the guests of the procedure for the afternoon, holding the 'space' so that the couple need not think about such things on their day. Everyone had taken special care with their appearances (all the guests looked so beautiful together), their attention was focussed on why we were all gathered together and it was clear from the applause as we congratulated the couple, that everyone wished this couple all the happiness in the world. To me it is this kind of energy that contributes to the success of a ceremony.

To Mr and Mrs White, and your family ... I offer you my blessings and I thank you for the opportunity to be a helper for you on such a joyful occasion.

LEARNING TO LOVE RECEIVING

I had the most divine experience today - something that completely sealed my decision to be cared for by a home birth midwife. I just do not see an obstetrician or a doctor having the time to care for me in the manner I received today!!

My midwife, her midwife partner and her student midwife all participated in giving me the most luxurious massage today. With six hands gliding over me there was not a bit of skin that did not receive the loving touch of three women who wanted nothing more than for me and my baby to feel relaxed, nurtured and loved - and so I received all that they offered and just slipped away into dreams and memories, together with my baby.

I have to admit it was quite overwhelming, receiving so much love all at once. I started feeling all choked up at one point - and then asked myself why I would feel like crying when I was surrounded by so much love. I took my cue from my baby and just lapped it up. Babies are so good at receiving love, they just look at you and accept it as their right, which of course it is! I could feel my baby moving gently into the best position to receive those beautiful caresses, and so I did too. Laying in the warm sunshiny room, feeling those fluid strokes made me feel like I was lying in crystal clear water on a shallow beach in the sunshine, with waves lapping over me.

It is my right to accept love too - but at what point do we begin feeling that we do not deserve it? At what point do we learn that it is better to give love than to receive it? I think it was a mutual experience today. Those three beautiful women genuinely enjoyed sharing their skills to make me feel wonderful - and so I feel wonderful.

I am a giver. I do feel immensely wonderful when I am able to give someone something they need, when I am able to help someone or teach someone, or watch someone gain enjoyment from something. It is a total buzz for me. Harder to accept it from others.

My friends gave me a blessingway last week and I am still on a high from the warmth they wrapped around me. I sat in the circle and listened to things being said about me that I might have suspected, or hoped I could achieve one day, but not crediting myself with the fact that I already hold the qualities I strive for. It was very humbling - and again I fought the urge to deny the love being freely directed at me.

Why do we wait until we are at a life transition point to accept the love others have for us? Honestly, we should ask for regular blessingways! Not for a birth, or our birthday, not for an anniversary or a life change ... or a funeral ... why not ask your friends to arrange one for you next week? Take turns. I guarantee it will be a buzz for everyone.

There is a growing global movement to begin RED TENTS - monthly sanctuaries for women to give and receive the nurturing they deserve. I guess that is how I feel about our Sacred Essence Circles ... where the focus is on looking within ourselves at what drives us, inspires us .. and a good honest look at where our skills lie  ... and then making them shine. Even though I co-host these circles I feel just as nurtured from them as I hope the attending women do. Love is freely given and received in these circles - but how nice to arrange something with the special women in our lives to give back to them what they give to us?

I'm serious! Arrange a group of women and set aside a monthly time to nurture each other. meet for massages, rub each others feet, give each other facials, cook treats for each other, share stories about how you met and why you are such wonderful friends, sing together, make a group gift for each other. One woman a month.

JULY SACRED ESSENCE

Sacred Essence is a Sacred Women's Circle held monthly on the Gold Coast by Celebrant Jennifer McCormack and Creative Arts Therapist Melissa Joss. Together we use our skills to create a warm and safe space to explore the sacred nature of womanhood - and all the blessings and challenges that come with it!

Each session is open for attendance and includes elements such as music, storytelling, reflection, meditation, yoga and creative activities such as drawing, modelling, painting and felt-making.

Our next circle will be held on Monday 12th July at 7pm, and as I am so very close to giving birth to my third child, Melissa will be hosting this month's session on her own. She will be celebrating the challenges we take on in our lives, and our determination to see them through, exploring ways that we can sustain ourselves and celebrate ourselves for our achievements. This session will be a fun and relaxed one with lots of music and sharing - please come along!

SACRED ESSENCE WOMEN'S CIRCLE

7 - 9:30pm

Silkwood School (Moonlight Prep Room)

39 Shepherd's Hill Lane, Mt Nathan

Gold Coast

For bookings please email me: jennifer@ceremonieswithspirit.com

The Union of Two Families

Yesterday I had the pleasure of facilitating a wedding up at Heritage Wines, Mt Tamborine. We used the new pavilion that has been built overlooking amazing views of the Gold Coast. It is completely enclosed in glass, with doors that open out on to a spacious deck. Half an hour prior to the wedding the rain came in and the most stunning double rainbow I've seen in ages appeared over the hills of the mountain- oh! It was so beautiful, and very clearly a blessing, but all our thoughts turned to the bride who needed to walk down a flight of stairs in the rain in order to reach the pavilion! Fortunately the rain cleared, and the bride and her three daughters who were her attendants arrived at the pavilion dry and smiling.

The wedding yesterday was celebrating the union of a couple who have shared their lives for a number of years already. This couple have taken their time to learn about each other, developing a deep and rich relationship, and have allowed their children the time and space to grow into each other. We honoured and celebrated the joining of two families yesterday, with the groom's son and the bride's three daughters offering their blessings to the union in a handfasting ritual, with each sibling placing a ribbon over the couple's joined hands that I then tied together as a gesture of grounding them together as one new family.

All weddings are special, and each time I facilitate a ceremony I leave the space absolutely buzzing. I smiled to myself all the way home, thinking of how wonderful it is when ceremonies are so simple and so beautiful. It is the thought and intention that goes into the ceremony that is the most important. Of course yesterday it helped to have such a beautiful and already prepared space to hold the ceremony, but it was more the fact that family and friends had stopped and taken the time and effort to help this couple with their celebration. Everybody was there FOR the bride and groom, there were friends and family busy taking care of the details: arranging the environment, informing the guests of the procedure for the afternoon, holding the 'space' so that the couple need not think about such things on their day. Everyone had taken special care with their appearances (all the guests looked so beautiful together), their attention was focussed on why we were all gathered together and it was clear from the applause as we congratulated the couple, that everyone wished this couple all the happiness in the world. To me it is this kind of energy that contributes to the success of a ceremony.

To Mr and Mrs White, and your family ... I offer you my blessings and I thank you for the opportunity to be a helper for you on such a joyful occasion.