Blessingway Book Cover: Blessingways
 

 

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Table of Contents

I. A Blanket of Love       
          What is a Blessingway?
          Why Choose a Blessingway?
          The Blessingway Quilt: A Womanly Art
          Three Stories

II. Selecting the Pattern: Planning a Blessingway
          The Planning Process      
              Who, When, Where, What, Why, and How
              Invitations
              RSVP’s  
              Creating a Ceremonial Atmosphere
              Preparing for the Ceremony

III. Piecing the Quilt Together: Rituals and Ceremonies
          Ceremonial Progression          
          Ceremonial Options
              Music                   
                   Singing and Chanting
                   Bells   
                   Drumming    
                   Toning
               Evocations
                   Invocations 
                   Smudging
                   Silence
                   Guided Meditations
               Grooming the Mother-to-Be
                   Footwashing
                   Hairbrushing
                   Headwreaths
                   Belly Art
               A Sharing Circle
                   Naming/Appreciations
                   A Blessingway Bracelet
                   Candlelighting
                   Readings
                   Storytelling  
                   Beads 
                   Gifts from the Heart
                   Wishes for Baby
                   Corner Stones
             
    Birthing Power Shirts
                   Releasing Fears
                   Belly Masks       
                   Quilts  
                   Planting a Tree
                   Prayer Showers
               Physical Touch and Movement
                   Arches
                   Cradling
                   Circle of Love
                   Laying on of Hands
                   Moon Salutations         
                   Walkabout
               Breaking Bread Together
                   Libations
                   Blossoming
                   Feasts
               Reaching Out
                   Meal Trains
                   Long-Distance Blessingways
                   After the Baby is Born
               Sample Ceremonies

IV. Variations on the Pattern: Blessingways for Other Transitions
            Adoption
            Grieving the Loss of a Baby
            Other Occasions

V. Scraps and Threads
           Women Across North America Share Their
           Insights
           Chants, Songs, and Suggested Sources of Music
           Sample Readings and Suggested Sources of
           Readings

VI. The Fabric Shop
           Recommended Reading: More Information About
           Blessingways
           Other Selected Resources for a Holistic
           Approach to Pregnancy, Childbirth and
           Parenting
           Bibliography


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