Different from a baby shower, where gifts are lavished upon the soon-to-be-born child, a blessingway ceremony honors the mother-to-be and creates a circle of support that will cradle her as she prepares to give birth. Surrounded by the most important women in her life, she can explore the challenges and joys that lie before her, gaining a sense of power and confidence that will help her rise to motherhood. MOTHER RISING shows women how to organize and personalize a blessingway for the expecting friends and family-an experience that will give the mother-to-be the best possible gifts of deep happiness, serenity, and abundance of love. A resource for planning and hosting a blessingway ceremony-a woman-centered celebration of the journey into motherhood. Ideal gift for or from an expectant mother who wants a more meaningful and transformational experience than the traditional, gift-focused baby shower. Outlines the five stages of the blessingway ritual, from establishing a safe and sacred space to honoring and pampering the mother-to-be. Finalist in both the 2004 Independent Publisher Book Awards and Foreword magazine's Book of the Year Awards. Features sidebars, inspirational quotations, resources, and checklists.

In today's western cultures, the typical pregnancy focuses on the baby to the exclusion of the woman herself, so that the entire experience has become more about preparing for the baby's arrival than looking closely at oneself to prepare emotionally for all of the changes that creating a new life brings. Sacred Pregnancy was written to help the pregnant woman journey within herself to prepare for the birth of her baby. Sacred Pregnancy is a gorgeous four-color book especially created for mothers-to-be to reflect on the many personal milestones of the full gestation period of a pregnancy. With beautiful professional photos that correspond to each topic, Sacred Pregnancy also features a journal space for the pregnant woman to record her thoughts and feelings. Each week the mother-to-be is given information on her baby, her body, and her spirit and is asked to reflect on these via the topic of the week, which touches on a variety of issues such as sexuality, fears about labor, becoming a mother, courage, rite of passage, adornment, body image, meditation, and sisterhood to name a few. Mothers-to-be are invited to look deeply at the issues unique to their journey and find a centered, peaceful place to live their pregnancy fully. Lastly, Sacred Pregnancy includes place for the new mother to record her birth story and a large resource section on various birthing options and supports for pregnant women. “From the spiritual (how to visualize your perfect birth) to the practical (a large section on birthing options), this pregnancy journal is a spiritual adviser and supportive doula all in one.” —Fit Pregnancy magazine For more information, visit the Sacred Pregnancy website.

This life history of a Navajo leader, recorded in the 1960s and first published in 1977, is a classic work in the study of Navajo history and religious traditions. "A skillful, meticulous, and altogether praiseworthy contribution to Navajo studies. . . . Although the focus of Mitchell's autobiography is upon his role as a Blessingway singer, there is much material here on Navajo history and culture in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Mitchell attended the government school at Fort Defiance, worked on the railroad in Arizona, served as a handyman and interpreter at several trading posts and the Franciscan missions, and later served as a tribal councilman in the 1930s and as a judge in the 1940s and 1950s. His observations on these experiences are relevant to our understanding of contemporary Navajo life."--Lawrence C. Kelly, Western Historical Quarterly "This book stands easily among the best of the 'native' autobiographies. Narrated by a thoughtful and articulate Navajo leader over a span of eighteen years, this life history is brought into English with none of the selective romanticizing that has spoiled some books. . . . (It is) a superb job of bringing one culture ever closer to another."--Barre Tolken, Western Folklore

Impending motherhood serves up a confusing cocktail of heroic strength and terrifying vulnerability. Our culture has seized on the “vulnerability” part of this experience and tends to reinforce a pregnant woman’s insecurities instead of encouraging her to embrace this most natural time and trust her body, her intuition, and her own mind. Feng Shui Mommy takes a different approach, helping the expecting mother build her own unique, epic journey to motherhood. It’s about supporting her while she shores up her mind-body-spirit alignment so she can best handle the cosmic kick in the uterus and juicy kiss on the soul that pregnancy is. Bailey Gaddis guides women through the experience, providing specific suggestions for mind, body, and spirit for each trimester (including the “fourth,” after birth), leading to birth preparation designed for each mother and baby, and culminating in strong mother-child bonding. She includes detailed and practical information about prenatal exercise and nutrition, birth preferences and birthing positions, breath work, breastfeeding, and much more. Her advice allows mothers to welcome delight and curiosity into the journey while taking each phase with purpose and calm — and even a sense of fun. This comprehensive guide makes challenge and change joyful, allowing new life to be as incomparably wonder-filled as it is meant to be.

Lost on Hope Island: The Amazing Tale of the Little Goat Midwives is an adventure story without villains, zombies or fire-breathing dragons. The book is for all ages, but especially children 7-12, and asks the real question, "What if I were shipwrecked. Could I survive?"A page-turner for young readers or a family read-a-loud-book, Lost on Hope Island will give fans of Harman's previous USA Today bestselling books an opportunity to discuss, with their children, the issues surrounding birth, death, racial diversity, climate change, loneliness, courage, family, and hope.

Are you a Steward for the Earth? Is your heart pulled to understand that we are an inseparable part of all nature? Albert Einstein said that we must widen our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Unfortunately and tragically, this knowledge of our interconnection to Mother Nature-Mother Earth has been lost, or is naively considered as not important. We are bleeding at the roots because we are cut off from the earth, as D H Lawrence once said. But we can rediscover this connection to Mother Earth and experience it simply and strongly, through Blessingways. You can interact with her in a personal and intimate way. It becomes natural to respect, love, honor, and protect her. And these values mirror back to you because you are linked. Blessingways allow you to have experiential interconnections with Mother Earth. This is your function as a steward for the earth. Stewards for the Earth, a book of mindful awareness, offers experiential meditations, called Blessingways. These Blessingways heighten your enjoyment and enrich your connection to Mother Nature-Mother Earth. A steward for the earth practices mindful awareness.