Well I am just wanting to write a quick update as I now made some plans to drop by dear old friends I’ve had since high school. (Context: 17 years).

Today I woke up around 9 or so… I was happy about that, as the night before I stayed up until about 1am and we had a busy couple of days, finishing off our projects for the week, preparing for my friends Blessingway and such…

Last night we hosted 13 beautiful women pot a potluck/blessingway. Potlucks with just women are the BEST especially with this group of women. Not everyone is vegan or vegetarian, but do they ever know how to cator do those that are. A primary vegetarian potluck we are choices for every taste buds. Carly and I had made some home-made cabbage rolls (1 kind was quinoa,brown lentils, spices, fried onions, chipotle and cooked in V8- So we pretty much took a recipe from online followed it to a t- but added fried onions and V8… smart and beautiful haha).  And the other batch was mung beans, basmati rice, zucchini, mushrooms, fried onions and spices.

Yep- We were pretty proud of ourselves. Even though on a weekly basis, we cook perhaps more complicated or just as time consuming foods… there is this idea behind cabbage rolls. I associate cabbage rolls with special occasions, with Old Ukrainian Babas and Grandmas cooking together in the kitchen. They are special- they are delicious and yes well they are a bit time consuming to do. I think it took us from prep to ready to cook- 3 hours. However, I’m sure we could do it quicker if by chance we prepped both recipes at one time, or just quadrupled the recipe.

Anyways- so people always ask me ” What’s traditional Canadian food?”- Well it’s a mixture really, but last night was a lot of fave delights that I usually only get when I am in Canada, as well as going to parties. So I would say,
veggie trays/ with some type of creamy dip. Ranch/Dill
Surprise dip (A Dip of cream cheese, seafood sauce, baby shrimps, green onions, etc.)
Crackers/ or many different selections. Ritz to wholewheat/sweet potatoes crisps.
Root vegetables: Mashed potatoes and all kinds of prepared potatoes/ Mashed Turnips / Yams
Perogies (Stuffed with just potatoes, bacon, cheese, cheese and onion. Usually cooked with fried onions and butter on top.)
Cabbage rolls (Ukrainian or German style. Meat or meatless. And now- sneaking into our parties, vegetarian alternatives.)
Shrimp Rings and cocktail sauce/ Cooked shrimp in garlic and butter. (Last night was shrimp and scallops together.)
Cheese ball (Warning addictive.)
Garden Salade
Taco Salad (Last night was a vegetarian one with cauliflower instead of hamburger and was delicious. We use Doritos and taco seasoning, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, cheese and sometimes Catalina dressing.)
Artichoke dip (Also popular is spinach dip bowls with pumpernickel bread.)
Sausage- usually cut up to put with perogies or on a cracker with cheese.
Bite size treasures of vegetables + animal protein. Last night we had sliced cucumber with cashew cream cheese topped with smoked salmon.
Dessert: Brownies, squares,pies.
Drinks: Wine, beer, coffee, punch (juice+pop+berries)

Yeah- so after (over) eating, we all went downstairs to begin the ceremony.
In hind site- it would have been better to first have the blessing-way and then to eat, as after eating everyone is tired and more difficult to pay attention- especially after all the rich, cheesy, carby food that we had … I remember, the last blessing way that I put on, I had made that intelligent choice to have the food after. And now I remember, so next time- for sure, eating will come second as the reward for coming and the first emphases will be on the expecting Mother and after people will come for the food and to celebrate by eating together.

This ceremony, I decided to use the following:
1) Smudge of everyone in room/ Cleanse rooms- Open Heart Chakras (We used sage that had been gifted to me along time ago and I use for special cleansing.)
2) Opening meditation. Grounding ourselves. Relaxing face, neck and shoulders. Guided white light/Anahata chakra meditation to bring awareness to our breathe and heart and connect with our intuitive and subtle natures. Taking a moment to channel light and love- filling our bodies, the room and the world so that Carly and the baby feel the light and love that we had to offer her then and always.
3) Finishing meditation with Mantra Om and Shanti. Connecting us with the world and peace.
4) Giving intention/prayer for evening (Everyone grabbing some dried coconut and cacao and placing their intention into the gift and throwing it on the fire)
5) Honoring Mother with home-made fresh flower crown and mothers (Birth mother and Mother-in-law, with flower crowns. Putting Purple shall around Mother of expecting Mother. (Wise Croan).
4) Introduction of self/how we know Carly- lighting Candles.
5) Honoring Croan and having her share the birth style of expectant mother.
6) Web: Yarn community Web of Intentions for Carly and Baby (Wrap the yarn around wrist and throw to other members of circle to make a web. Keeping the yarn on wrist until after baby is born.
7) Writing intentions and placing them in box along side bead and giving to Carly as a gift to make a bracelet or mala to use during labour  and other days to reconnect her with the tribe and positive intentions and love that we have for her and baby and family.
8) Presents and Pampering: Opportunity for members of the tribe to give things to Carly that she may love or find beautiful or useful during labour, now and after. Things to bring joy and comfort. We also gave her a tea foot soak and calf and foot rub.
9) Gathering contact information: To send everyone a text when Mother enters labour for everyone to relight their candles and send prayers and intentions for Mother, baby and family.
10) Closing the ceremony. (This I never did in a formal way, but we began to have discussions and chatting and my comfort wasn’t as great about making anyone do any more ritualistic activities.But would have been nice for all us to hold hands and sang a song, to have dances together one dance, entering into mantra together and taken a photo together.

Alright: So I kind of wanted to write down the steps, incase anyone else wants to have a blessing way, you can just send me a message and I will send you the script that I used which is a combination from a few blessing ways and other ceremonies that I have been to. It’s a starting point to your own creative freedom to customize the ceremony in how would be be appropriate for the tribe of women you will be with.

One thing I wanted to note about my experience was that I was very nervous to lead the ceremony… as I do a lot of the talking and am very spiritual and perhaps present myself differently than some other women at the party… It would be nice to break up the script to have a few others present certain sections- if there are people in the crowd willing to do so. If not- no worries, I think I was my worst critic… during the meditation, I had messed it up a bit so I got a bit wordy and and I was trying to talk calm yet- loud enough for the lady in the room who forgot her hearing aids… and one of my old friends was laughing- I knew she thought the exercise/meditation was silly… and perhaps a few others as well… so this made me want to do it as quick as possible… but next time, I need to honor the place of where I was coming from, my reason for choosing to have the meditation in the first place. The place of higher awareness and connection with Self not just self- (With Soul not just Ego). In this way- I will not worry about others insecurities trying new things.  BUT IT WAS a great learning experience.
Most of the women, thanked my after for the evening- even though it was them who had made the evening… and I was just very thankful that my friend had such a great group of women around her and that will be around her, once I leave her nest again.

Preparation for evening:
1) Contact all female friends and family members of expecting mother.
2) Find a date that most importantly, family members (mom/sister/best friends) can commit to. Set time and date.
3) Suggest for everyone to bring something for pot luck (ask if there are any food allergies/diet restrictions), candle for ceremony (that they can bring home again to light during labour), bead (for intention mala),comfortable clothing/hippy like clothing
4) Suggest people think of a way to pamper Mother, offer gifts to mother and or contribute to ceremony by playing music, dance, song, Reiki, massage, etc.)
5) Let people think of things they can do to support Mom after baby arrives… walk dog, baby sit, cook food, clean house, etc.
6) Message people again a week before event and again the day before the event to confirm presence.
7) Help host clean house and prepare to have guest/potluck.
8) Decorate with alter, candles, flowers

Alright: Now I really need to go, but just wanted to confirm, that the past two days I have had a yoga practice- although not intense- very good. Working on some wrist exercises as my wrists have been hurting during my practice the last week and I don’t want to hurt them. I am going to take time and be patient with them to get strong and flexible again and to do my asanas properly.

Om- Hari Om.