Waldorf School.
Mothering and Spirituality were the themes this weekend at the Sacramento Waldorf School's annual conference. I just had to go! On Saturday we kicked things off with a keynote speaker who should be teaching at the Women's Spiritualit Center at ITP, one Ms. Nancy Jewel Poer. She spoke on "Honoring Mother Spirit and Our Amazing Spiritual Feminine Gifts." She really set the tone for feminine wisdom with a brilliant talk and beautiful slide show.
I then moved into my class; "Life as the Curriculum for Young Children by Cynthia Aldinger. The afternoon keynote was given by the flowing, wise Regina Sara Ryan on the topic of "Becoming Mother - Spirituality, Femininity and Earth Transformation." Afterward I moved on to my Kitchen Yoga class with Sandra Russi and got the boost of inspiration in practice I was looking for.
Comfty, cozy hotel babe.
On Sunday we hit the ground running with the very academic keynote speech of "Mother-Lines of the Spirit" given by Carol Lee Flinders. I can;t say that I agree with her views on Buddhism but otherwise I liked the speech. My first session that day was "Nurturing Our Children With Mother Nature" by the crone Nancy Jewel Poer ( I cannot get enough of this fabulous woman)!
The afternoon keynote was given by the very proud new grandmother and sage-ess Cynthia Aldinger on the topic of "How Are the Children? How Are We?" Despite my mind being at max, overload I was still able to cram some more in. My last class was the lighter "Eurythmy: Opening Your Heart and Arms to Give and to Receive." by Cynthia Hoven.
Tree as Mother.
Sheesh! What a line up! What topics! My mind was swimming after the first keynote! I wish I could give proper credit to everyone's intellectual property but even with my notes I don't quite remember who said what and what things sprung from my own inspiration but I will share what I can with you here today. Although some of these thoughts are original or ideas I had building on what the Goddesses said, 90% of the credit for the following wisdom should be given to Nancy, Regina, Cynthia, Carol, Sandra, and Regina not to mention the wonderful women who taught my two friends I went with, who's wisdom was then passed on to me through them!
Baby and Mommy are One.
We live in an interesting time on earth and there can be no doubt that we all chose this time wisely and with purpose. As we walk with our fellows we can freely take in the cross-pollination of information that our "buffet" has to offer. Cleaning and preparing our homes for our families is Alchemy...Magick. We transform matter as we make dirty dishes clean, muddy bodies sparkle, messy rooms shine.
For children the magick of life is IN the physical since they are already so close to pure Spirit. The two most magickal things we do with our bodies each day is eat and sleep. When deciding our families rhythms we should begin with our eating and sleeping routines and rituals as a foundation for our day. Being careful to only include other things as we reasonably can, being mindful not to burn out from over abundance of even nourishing activities.
Relax and allow the children in your life to help you in the daily chores. Give them strong chores and tasks to do on their own as well. Be sure that they feel needed and are contributing to the home in a direct and productive manner. Allow all the time in the world to complete long tasks, don't avoid them. If it takes six months to knit a scarf because you can only work on it once per week, do it. This way children learn the importance of productive follow through.
Spring Bloomin'.
Get together with other moms and families when you can. Clean your homes together, cook meals together. Organize neighborhood potlucks or sing-a-longs on your lawn or in your back yard. Pass magick to your children. Look for fairy nests, make things from grass, leaves and flowers, splash in water with prayerful present-mindedness. Remember that discipline is rarely an issue in nature!
Mother nature is your child's birth right! It is better to have a broken bone than a broken spirit. Look toward the air, the earth, the water and the warm hearth for creative play and balance. Allow family pets and nature to be your family therapists.
Involve your whole family when you can. National Geographic studies have shown that children who live in multi-generational house holds are healthier! Children are masters at the art of living, their work is play, their play is work. Allow them the space to deeply penetrate the mysteries of our existence.
Incorporate the Divine Feminine as you see Her into your family life. Look for our Divine Mother in everyone you meet (She's always there somewhere!) Do less and be more.
One of the sessions I did not attend but heard a lot about was "Mothering Our Lively Sons" by Janet Allison. I feel unable to relay the information I gleaned second-hand properly so I encourage you to look her up because what was passed on to me was transforming!
Conference Babe.
Blessings!
