Spiritual Support for Reproductive Choices
There’s nothing quite like the human body, especially when it comes to reproduction. Of all the people I know, and all the stories I’ve heard about their bodies, not a single one is the same. There are stories of pregnancies; wanted, unexpected, delighted, frightened. There are stories of IVF, and sperm donors, and stubborn organs, and willing hearts, and deep loss. There are stories of painful medical procedures and not enough consent and too little information. There are stories of bliss and surprise and perfect births that went nothing like expected. There are soooo many stories of miscarriage, and soooo many stories of abortion. There are stories of births come too early or too late or right on time but costing much more than expected.
There are stories of choice about terminating or keeping a pregnancy and when. Stories about new partners and old partners and multiple partners. Stories of amazingly caring doctors and powerful clinics and nurses whose determination astounds us. There are stories that have great clarity and courage, and great ambivalence and beauty, and great wisdom and action. There are stories of love, stories of grief, stories of bewilderment, and stories of ancient lineage and time.
I bow before the bodies themselves; these complex creatures full of interwoven cycles, agendas, and histories. I bow before bodies that are both intuitive and supportive and at odds with our desires; bodies that defy our longing and fulfill it at the same time. Bodies that feel like enemies, cathedrals, sanctuaries, and battle fields all at the same time.
As you may have noticed if you read any news at all, there’s a lot of people out there - mostly men who are politicians but who think they’re doctors - who presume to know what’s best for these bodies and stories. Or rather, who think there’s only one body and one story. But I’m not going to cosign that bullshit.
As I say to each one of my clients, your story is unique and cannot be legislated by anyone, though they may try. Your story belongs to you and Spirit alone. It’s such a cliche and yet over and over again it is the only true thing I’ve seen. Each reproductive/embodied story I’ve had the honor of working with has expanded my own understanding in ways that are sacred to me. Each person who has shared the story of their birth, abortion, IVF treatment, birth control methods, or even just the curiosity about pregnancy has lit up a sacred facet of God. Each person who has shared about their body’s joys, furstrations, confusions, and intuitions whether or not they were reproducing anything at all has truly deeply blessed us all.
Whatever your reproductive/body story is, I want to support you. I offer wildly accepting, judgement-free, Spirit-led, totally you-centered support for people experiencing any of the following:
Disenfranchised and socially unacknowledged grief from miscarriage
Making a choice to have an abortion
Making a choice not to have an abortion
Undergoing any kind of infertility treatment
Recovering from difficult births
Freezing eggs or sperm
Wanting to be a parents and not being able to
Not wanting to be a parent and feeling pressured to
Frustration and anger about your body doing life differently than is comfortable or desirable to you
Joy and power within a body you’ve healed, or not healed but come to terms with, or simply realize you’re going to have to live with for the rest of your life
And so much more that could never be a single bullet point
To be clear, I am not a birth doula or midwife or birth coach though I can make some great recommendations for people who specialize in those amazing services. But what I do offer is help crafting prayers, rituals, and blessings; witnessing for how Spirit is moving through these experiences; and wisdom around what it means to be a spirit embodied on the planet at this time.
Your story is sacred and I bow before it in service.
