- I just reviewed The Gift of Giving Life which delves into the divine nature of pregnancy and birth from a Christian (specifically LDS/Mormon) perspective.
- I then pre-reviewed the upcoming book Embodying the Sacred, which is written from a Catholic point of view.
- And, earlier in the month I finished reading a gorgeous book with a non-specific spiritual perspective: Sacred Pregnancy
- In the past, I also reviewed the book L’Mazeltov, which is written specifically for Jewish parents-to-be.
All of these resources are amazing and I’m so glad they’re available for pregnant women.
Now, I’m excited to offer a short review and a giveaway of another new book, this one written from a pagan perspective. Published by Pantheos Press, Birth on the Labyrinth Path is written by Sarah Whedon and focuses on “Sacred Embodiment in the Childbearing Year.”
My mini-review from Goodreads is as follows:
I really enjoyed this short book about pregnancy and birth from a pagan perspective. The reflections on the embodied, spiritual nature of pregnancy and birth were wonderful. It is very positive and reinforcing and contains great thoughts like this one: “A body that is curvier than it was before, maybe bearing stretch marks or scars from surgical procedures or tearing, maybe producing milk, is a body that bears the signs of delivering a human being into this world. We may mourn our smooth, skinny, unmarked maiden bodies, but at the same time we can celebrate the beauty of our storied, productive, and strong mama bodies.” Whedon also quotes this lovely passage regarding the connection pagan women might feel to the Divine: “I am the holy mother; . . . She is not so far from me. And perhaps She is not so very distinct from me, either. I am her child, born in Her, living and moving in Her, perhaps at death to be birthed into yet some other new life, still living and having my being in Her. But while on this earth She and I share the act of creation, of being, and Motherhood” (from Niki Whiting, “On Being a Holy Mother” in Whedon, p.)
I also shared some lovely quotes from Birth on the Labyrinth Path in my recent post on Birth Culture.
*********The giveaway is now closed. Ellen was the winner!*********
I’m also pleased to host a giveaway of a Kindle copy of Birth on the Labyrinth Path for one lucky winner! To enter, just leave a comment sharing one of your own thoughts or favorite resources about the spirituality of pregnancy and birth. The giveaway will run through next Wednesday (6/27).
Talk Birth 
So excited to see this book. I know the book Circle Round has a bit about pregnancy and birth in it, but I’m very excited to see a specifically Pagan book just about pregnancy.
OOH! This book looks amazing. This is right in line with a prenatal/birth yoga and spiritual workshop I do with a doula/midwife friend of mine. Definitely need to check this book out. Many thanks!
I *so* wish that our labyrinth had been created before my birth experiences — I can see that it would have been the perfect place for early labor!
I haven’t seen a copy, but there’s a book called _Twice Alive: A Spiritual Guide to Mothering Through Pregnancy and the Child’s First Year_, by Beth Osnes, which has gotten decent reviews.
I drew numbers today and you are the winner, Ellen!
Oh, I’d love to read this one! I love deepak chopra’s
pregnancy book. Lots of great self-care ideas for mama.
Birth is a wonderful spiritual and physical experience!
You know I love the labyrinth 😉 I also feel that spirituality is an important component in birth. Even though I am not particularly religious, I meditated a lot on mantras about spiritual leaders being born the same way my baby was, “Mary did this with Jesus, Ghandi’s mother did this with him, etc…” while I was in labor with my second one. Thanks for sharing those books for different faiths–going to add them to my library 😉
Pagan Pregnancy? Really? I lived by “What to Expect When You Are Expecting” and Dr. Spock’s Instruction Book. But I did get into some spiritual stuff and some great teas while nursing.
I LOVED Ian Mays guide to childbirth, I felt stronger and mike courageous with every page!
I have been working with labyrinths for the past 6 months now, and then I saw this book… I think this book would be amazing!
Though I do not identify with one particular religion or spiritual practice, I can see how important and beautiful it will be to incorporate as many of these ideas that resonate with me and my family into pregnancy and birth preparation.
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