Ritual
A good friend from work hosted a wedding shower for us today. As a friend who "gets us" it was co-ed, fairly chill, outside, and we didn't play any games (especially games where people had to guess the inches around my middle). Frankly, it was a nice time, and we have a couple gaps in the gear that we need for the little person so it's nice to know that now when I go back to work the child will still eat (thanks Patti), and we can take her places via the car, and in fact, she will be allowed to poo during her first 6 weeks (diaper service- praise allah).
As someone who both loves ritual and critiques society I find it sad that the baby shower is the only ritual we seem to have for new parents. Sean and I have been talking about how some people's cards and notes are so powerful for us. Perhaps too they will one day be powerful for our adult child to read and know that many people looked forward to her arrival. With these thoughts floating around I am starting to consider having some sort of ritual at the end of July or when I am enormously uncomfortably pregnant at the beginning of August.
I suppose the goal of such a ritual would be to acknowledge a passing of a stage of life, a celebration of bodily-ness, and an honoring of womanness. I am starting to think of this, to ponder and perhaps create a ritual. . . we will see what comes up.
As someone who both loves ritual and critiques society I find it sad that the baby shower is the only ritual we seem to have for new parents. Sean and I have been talking about how some people's cards and notes are so powerful for us. Perhaps too they will one day be powerful for our adult child to read and know that many people looked forward to her arrival. With these thoughts floating around I am starting to consider having some sort of ritual at the end of July or when I am enormously uncomfortably pregnant at the beginning of August.
I suppose the goal of such a ritual would be to acknowledge a passing of a stage of life, a celebration of bodily-ness, and an honoring of womanness. I am starting to think of this, to ponder and perhaps create a ritual. . . we will see what comes up.
OH MAN I have recommendation for you, but don't remember the title right this second. It's an ethnological film about the rituals surrounding pregnancy/birth/the first few weeks of an infant's life.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to me, I'll tell you.
ok, it's not totally what i remembered (nothing to do with pregnancy) but still interesting.
ReplyDeleteel sebou
if i remember right, the mother in this culture is in a kind of liminal state while these rituals take place.
you can see some of it online, but probably not the whole thing.