by Brooke Faller-Holzhammer (published in the August 2009 etition of “Natural Awakenings”)
Art is the universal language of humanity. It transcends time, reaches beyond borders, and speaks to us in tongues of another realm. In order to translate these messages we must learn to step outside of our usual, logical mindset. We need to experience a shift of consciousness, much in the same way that women have instinctively done during childbirth since the beginning of mankind.
What images come to mind when you think about birth? All too often, those of empowerment and exhilaration are overshadowed by thoughts of pain and anxiety. It is not unusual in our culture for a woman to reach childbearing age having never witnessed a birth, or even heard another woman speak positively of the experience. But what if we were taught to honor birth, not to fear it?
“Most women in North America now gain their first ideas of birth from television portrayals of birth in hospital dramas or sit-coms. Commercial television feeds on the sensational and the danger-charged moment. Women who have little real knowledge of what birth can be are especially vulnerable to the negative messages embedded in these dramas.” (1)
Perhaps we are so vulnerable to these negative messages because we lack a vital connection to our ancestors. Birth wisdom has traditionally been passed down from mother to daughter, generation to generation, through stories. Somewhere along the way that chain has been broken. Times have changed, and modern families are more likely to be geographically distant from each other. Many of our own mothers or grandmothers have little memory of their own birth experience due to anesthesia. So how do we bridge the gap, and re-claim the wisdom that is rightfully ours?
Despite the passage of time, these stories still exist. Although not in the form of spoken word, they remain accessible through birth art. Whether carved in stone centuries ago, or painted so recently the canvas has yet to dry, the ancient wisdom is there for those willing to receive it.
Shawn Dell Joyce is a local artist, activist, and mother whose provocative “Birth” series was inspired in part by her own birth experience. “My son’s birth had a radicalizing effect on me. I felt like my potential as a woman was fulfilled and I reached a spiritual place with the Gaia (the planet) where I made a pact with her to sustain my baby, and by extension the other human children.” (2)
Many cultures still rely heavily on birth art to convey this ancient wisdom. Mavis Gewant, a sacred artist, mother, educator and doula from High Falls NY, knows firsthand the effect that birth art can have on a laboring woman. She learned the ancient techniques of yantra and silk deity painting from Tantric Master Dada Shri Harish Johari, studying with him and serving as his personal assistant for more than twenty years. “For many centuries, midwives in India have used a (7-circuit labyrinth called the) Childbirth Yantra as a meditation device to assist birth. This image has served as a means of relaxation for the birth canal, often hung on the wall to facilitate an easy labor and birth. Used as a focusing tool, the labyrinth slows her mind and puts her in a meditative and intuitive state, calming her breath and thereby easing her discomfort.” (3)
Many women today are becoming re-acquainted with their intuitive side during pregnancy. Through blessingway ceremonies and other rituals, we are re-discovering the wisdom behind honoring birth as a rite-of-passage, and finding strength in the solidarity of our sisters. We are realizing the potential of imagery and visualization to have a positive effect on our pregnancy and labor.
Rachael Klein is an artist and mother from Nyack NY who specializes in helping pregnant women create their own body casts. These sculptures honor and celebrate the beauty and individuality of each pregnancy, and help to reconnect mothers with the creator within. “Much has been lost in terms of pregnancy rituals these days. Many people see pregnancy as a medical procedure rather than a spiritual one. Creating the pregnancy cast really helped bring me back to the more spiritual side of pregnancy. It reminded me that at this moment I was creating a life.” (4)
There are many different ways to reconnect with this aspect of pregnancy and birth. You don’t have to be artistically inclined to realize the benefit of exploring your primal nature and exercising your intuitive ability.
“In making birth art… just bringing an image to light can be surprisingly revealing (and sometimes healing.) Listening to it speak to you can tell you even more. Dreams, reverie, and art all carry messages from the unconscious. Birth art doesn’t have to be pretty, colorful or carefully planned. It is as raw, honest, and spontaneous as birth itself.” (5)
Pregnancy and childbirth seem to make us more susceptible to shifts in consciousness. During this journey we become increasingly aware of the connection between body, mind, and spirit. The five senses are magnified, and each opening on the human body is essential for sensory input: the eyes see, the ears hear, the mouth tastes, the nose smells, and the pores feel. But what about the sixth sense?
When a woman’s cervix dilates, it is a re-awakening to the realm of energy and intuition. If women are more vulnerable to negative messages during pregnancy, then they are equally as vulnerable to positive ones. Perhaps that is why birth art is such a powerful form of communication when speaking the language of the divine.
Footnotes:
1. Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth; Gaskin, Ina May; Random House Inc. 2003, p.164)
2. Shawn Dell Joyce, artist, Walkill River School, 845-457-ARTS, [email protected], Montgomery NY, www.shawndelljoyce.com
3. Mavis Gewant, artist/doula, Sacred Mother Arts, [email protected], High Falls NY, www.sacredmotherarts.com
4. Rachael Klein, artist, Mama Rocks Designs, [email protected], Nyack NY, www.mamarocksdesigns.com
5. Birthing from Within; England, Pam & Horowitz, Rob; Partera Press 1998)