Transition to Motherhood Ritual

Needs: white dress, red dress, red candles - lots of them, sachet of rosemary, lavender, and sage (or use a tea ball), a small bowl of LIGHTLY salted water, matches

Your bathroom is your circle. Your bathtub is the focal point of the ritual. So when you cleanse your space and cast your circle, be sure you cleanse the whole bathroom and cast the full perimeter of the room.

Wearing your white dress, enter your bathroom. Place 1 red candle at each direction or as close as you can to east, south, west, and north.

Place two paths of red candles from the middle of the bathroom to the tub. These represent the birth canal.

Cleanse your aura by sprinkling with LIGHTLY salted water.

Draw a tub of comfortably warm water.

Light your elemental candles.
Light the candles of your birth canal

Close the circle:

Biddy Mannion, midwife to the fairies, I invite you into my circle this night. Come beloved healer! Midwife me into my new life as a mother.

Maia, Roman Goddess of May, midwife whose name means "grandmother" or "wise one", fire goddess of the warmth that signifies life, I invite you into my circle this night. Come ancient Lady and fill my soul with the warmth of a new life filled with love.

Haumea, Hawaiian Goddess, midwife and healer who taught women to give birth, I invite you into my circle this night! Come wise lady! Teach me to give birth to myself as a mother!

Eileithyia, ancient of ancients, midwife to the gods, you who spin the thread of life, you who have the power to make birthing difficult or easy. I invite you into my circle this night. Come ancient lady. Open wide your legs so that my birthing may go smoothly and without pain.

Wearing your white dress, walk through the birth canal. Remove your dress and, naked, enter your tub. Place your herb sachet or tea ball full of herbs into the water. As you place the herbs into the water, say:

Sage and lavender and rosemary too
Cleanse me of all that would be untrue
To the life I now live as a mother and wife
Bring me wisdom as I enter this new phase of my life.

Now lie back in your tub. Close your eyes and meditate on what it means to be a mother. What opportunities will open for you in this new life? How will your life be different from now on? What will you need to raise your child well? Perhaps Goddess will come and talk with you. Perhaps she'll take your hand and guide you to a place where you can find the answers you need. Just relax and accept what you find in your meditation. When you are ready to come back, ground yourself by washing. Dry off and empty the tub.

Call out the name of the four goddesses.

Biddy Mannion! Maia! Haumea! Eileithyia! Guide me through this birth canal into a brand new life! Midwife my rebirthing, oh ancient wise women! Lead me through all the perils so that I do the right thing! Give me strength and wisdom and love! So mote it be!

Walk through your birth canal and put on your red dress.

I am Mother. I am strong. I am what I want to be.
I am wise and I am cherished, for the Crones have midwifed me!
From now on my life is changed, and I greet this change with glee!
This spell is cast and it lasts through all eternity!
SO MOTE IT BE!

Open your circle, thanking the midwives in reverse order, beginning with Eileithyia and ending with Biddy Mannion

Let the candles burn themselves out. Open your sachet and give the herbs back to the ground with a little prayer of thanks. Return the water to the earth with a little prayer of thanks.

It is done.