Abstract for submission to the Sunstone Symposium Salt Lake City 2008
Submitted by: Ayla Serenemoon
M.A. Women's Spirituality, New College of California, San Francisco
Heavenly Mothers, a Look at Magick, the Divine Feminine and Homebirth in the Mormon Community of North America
Mormons are a distinct community which kept homebirth alive throughout the 20th century while nearly all other American women were coerced into birthing in hospitals. I wish to heuristically explore an interesting commonality within this culture - home birth and celestial feminine/magickal practices. I do not seek to “prove” that because this culture has a history of the Divine Feminine and magic that they always birth at home - but rather to show the synchronicities between the spiritual heritage of Mormonism (which can be seen in history as well as their current practices) and their tendency to birth at home.
Using intuitive inquiry, reflective listening, I will present research on my topic of inquiry alongside my inner reflection on the matter. Using methods in addition to research, I hope to draw the reader into an interactive experience, integral inquiry, with the paper by using prompts for reflection, indwelling, narrative considerations to create meaning in the human life cycle, as well as artful expression.
This paper (presentation) is an excerpt from my thesis presented for completion of my Master's degree in Women's Spirituality earned in the fall of 2007 from New College of California, San Francisco.
Author Bio: Ayla Serenemoon, M.A., is a Mormon convert, a scholar and columnist writing for SageWoman magazine. She is married and is the homeschooling, stay-at-home mom of two small boys. She makes her happy home in Northern California.
