the maiden to mother journey.
How does one navigate the precious time when motherhood is placed in her heart? The flutter of the womb song. Sometimes it is so subtle, a tiny spark of knowing…and sometimes it is so clear and potent that it seems to occupy all visions of your future. It is important to remember that the organic settling in of motherhood is only partly about you…but of creation itself. Of that baby who is meant to be born. Of that continuation of Gods highest design. Motherhood is not selfish, or selfless. It is simply the response to the prayers of your souls calling.
Becoming a mother invites women into a new version of themselves. Requiring shedding and reorientation of their past selves. For one to become, and consciously enter the role of the mother, she must leave something behind - the Maiden Self.
The Maiden Self is the free-spirted, adolescent, self dictated aspects within. The maiden can be stubborn, selfish, and dreamy. She revels in the freedom she has by being untethered, and often holds her beliefs above others. The maiden desires to be saved, as she does not yet know her true potential. She lives mainly in the realms of solitude, fantasy, expansion, and play. The maiden is beautiful, vibrant, and energetic. We all spend time as a maiden, it is an important part of our evolution as a woman. Fragments of our maiden remain with us for our whole life, some more than others depending on our relationship to our own selves.
The Mother is rooted and strong like a tree. Her needs are second to the servitude she gives to her family, and she is nourished and satisfied by this knowing. Her heart is open and bold. She knows that her blessing is also her biggest responsibility. She is surrendered and faithful in her capacity to face her challenges with grace.
The Mother can also be formed earlier than the time when one has a child and is woven into how we mature as women and find our purpose and roles in life.
Claiming Your Motherhood
This may seem obvious, but for a woman to birth in her power - she must trust herself. Why? Because if she does not, she will inevitably give away her power to someone, or something outside of herself and her birth journey will no longer be hers. I have seen this more times than I would like, and admittedly, a past version of me would have celebrated a woman for giving away their power to a system that “knows best”.
A woman will never reap the benefits of birth when in the state of victimhood and fear, it is just not possible. She must fully choose and claim her motherhood. A truth I have come to know is this; a woman in this culture, with the level of fear around birth, cannot birth without deep faith.
The faith and trust a woman has in herself and the ability of her body is a critical need for her to birth in a way which leads her down the narrow path - the one that leads to freedom. Otherwise she will choose the wide and easy path that is made for her, a path which she is not fully choosing but agreeing to.
This bible verse vibrates through my entire body as I feel into this knowing: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14
There was never meant to be a way out of birth. It is designed test your faith in every way imaginable , only to then strengthen it into the unbreakable peace and power your spirit yearns for. This verse bears so much meaning in so many ways, but when we look at birth itself, the organic way for a human to be born is through the narrow gate.
A visual of this is the literal narrow birth canal a baby must move through as their initiation to life. The birthing process itself is hard, intense, long, and uncomfortable for both the mother and her baby. They must both walk that road and continue out and through to the other side, for it is the way that leads to life.
YES your faith will be tested immeasurably.
YES your fear will shout louder than it every has.
YES you will question your ability to birth this human.
YES you will face the inevitable isolation that is to choose the faithful path.
YES you will want to escape the pain.
But, when you are alone in the quiet and side by side with God....there is a faithfulness that allows you to trust and journey forward. This should offer so much comfort to you as you prepare for the pilgrimage of birth.
