Epicenter of Calm and Capable Still

Midwifery Today, Issue 133, Spring 2020.
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Here we are together. A global and aware family. Every day we are becoming stronger together. A sisterhood that includes brotherhood. I am so proud of each of you. We are not the dinosaurs. We have survived previous plagues, droughts, floods, wars, and pandemics. We will survive this. Let’s do so in a way that not only makes our ancestors proud but leaves a footprint of wisdom for our great-great-grandchildren. The footprint of humanity walking together up the mountain. Maybe this will help some too…. Here are some ideas for self-distancing if you are out or others are in or you are sharing space with family members who must be out for work or supplies. Remember that sick people make sick people sicker. Let’s interrupt that cycle.
  • Use the universal health precautions that you have been learning by way of wiping door knobs, changing clothes, and washing hands before hugging your loved ones after being out and about. Wash those clothes.
  • Wash your hands again before “breaking bread” together.
  • Wash fresh fruits and veggies in a light brine (salt) water or vinegar water bath before storing or eating. Even storebought organic foods need special washing during a pandemic.
  • With your at-home loved ones, after you have washed your hands, hug back to back if you feel concerned. Stay connected. We are social creatures and children need primary attachments that include touch. Get creative and share your ideas with one another, especially if you have small children.
  • Stay out of each other’s faces.
  • If you have been wearing a scarf due to weather, it is clothing too. Remove and launder.
  • Wash your pillow case/slip if you share your bed. Maybe alternate a fresh one each day.
  • Buy some new lip gloss and don’t share. You can also use a little avocado or olive oil on your lips. Drink more water if you feel your lips are dry.
  • Use a fresh cup for mouthwash or gargling. Don’t share and don’t use the cap even if it is designed for use.
  • Wear that homemade mask dashed with some EO around elders or other vulnerable folks who need your help and you need to be closer than two adult arms’ lengths (6 feet or 1 meter).
  • Form small groups that can easily connect and reach out to one another. Check on your elders and make sure pregnant mothers have all the support they need.
  • It is time for spring cleaning! Deeply clean and beat the rugs in the open air! Old timers knew the best tricks. Ask your elders for the stories of great-grandma!
  • Plant your garden.
  • Celebrate each day you and your loved ones are well. Light a candle on your altar. Make your power prayers.

Social Concerns

Folks, understandably, are having trouble sleeping. The old. The young. The in-between. For reasons of health, finance, unspoken fears. Do the best you can with what you know and have. Following is a little blessing I have had fathers say over their expecting wives/partners when fears, worries, doubts, concerns, etc., are looming in their minds. Now may be a good time to share this with you and maybe you can use this for someone you know who is sinking under the weight of anxiety. Maybe you want to say it over your children just because. Maybe it will help you, too. Let it be the last words they hear before they slip off to sleep. May you be happy. May you be peaceful. May you be free from all suffering. May no harm come to you. May no difficulties come to you. May no problems come to you. May you always meet with success. May you have the wisdom, the courage, the bravery, the passion and the understanding To meet and overcome The inevitable difficulties To living a happy, well-lived Life. If you made it this far, I have a funny story for you. There was a womyn in the midst of a disaster who asked her minister, “What should we do?” “Pray,” was the answer. She responded, “Oh, God! Is it THAT bad?!” I have one more thing I wish to say this day. If, for whatever reason, I cannot get to town to send you my little starlights of calm and capable updates from the Wild Garlic Council, please know that I am connected with you under the same sky. I am holding you within my simple and sacred bubble of protective love. As are you, I am doing my best for the most I can. Hand on my heart facing you, Sister MorningStar and the Wild Garlic Council

About Author: Sister MorningStar

Sister MorningStar has dedicated a lifetime to the preservation of instinctual birth. She birthed her own daughters at home and has helped thousands of other women find empowerment through instinctual birth. She is the founder of a spiritual retreat center and author of books related to instinctual and spiritual living. She lives as a Cherokee hermitess and Catholic mystic in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. Visit her on the web at: www.sistermorningstar.com.

The Power of Women: Instinctual Birth Stories: When women embarked on their journey into womanhood and motherhood, stories from their grandmothers, great-grandmothers and ancestors came forth through songs, stories and what appeared as mythological tales. Upon hearing these stories, women became empowered to do what all women from which they came were able to do: give birth instinctually.

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