Parent’s Blessing Ceremony

The intention of a Parent’s Blessing Ceremony is to center the parent-to-be with love and support in celebration of birth and parenthood. This could be for a pregnant person, a surrogate, or an adopting parent or family.  This special event offers an opportunity for the person’s friends and family to play an intentional role of care and comfort in the journey through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, creating deeper bonds and building the confidence to lean on them when needed.  It is a unique experience to connect with the power of divine feminine energy, which -along with divine masculine energy- all beings possess.

 Over the past few years, I’ve had the honor of holding Blessing Ceremonies for many people and to witness how magical they are.  Parent’s Blessing Ceremonies, in particular, are an empowering, once-in-a-lifetime experience.


What is the difference between a Parent’s Blessing Ceremony and a Blessingway? 

The origin of this ceremony as we know it today in the U.S. began in the Dine Navajo tradition as a ceremony called a Blessingway, which created a support circle for the expecting person, and blessed the way ahead for them. It was a web woven of the most trusted and cherished people in their life, who would provide a loving place to explore the challenges and joys of the journey into parenthood. The name, Blessingway originated with these indigenous people and has taken on the name Mother’s Blessing in more recent times to respect the fact that the rituals are sacred and exclusive to the Dine people.  I choose to call it a Parent’s Blessing Ceremony to acknowledge that not all people giving birth identify as women and mothers and to open the space of a Blessing Ceremony to all parents, regardless of their gender.  

All around the world, various cultures have honored this significant time in a person’s life as they stepped into the role of bearing and raising children.  This rite of passage into parenthood was an integral part of tribal life, passed down from one generation to the next.  While some knowledge has been lost through the passage of time, if you would like to incorporate the traditions that are indigenous to your own cultural background, we can work together to research and create a unique experience that honors your lineage.

For more on the history of Blessingways, read these articles:

A Way of Blessing by GeorGina Kelly https://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/inspirational/a-way-of-blessing.html

The Navajo Blessingway Ceremony by naa’ahóóhaiłbáhí https://peopleofonefire.com/the-navajo-blessingway-ceremony/

How is a Parent’s Blessing different from a Baby Shower?

Both a Parent’s Blessing Ceremony and a Baby Shower are pre-birth events, usually held in the last months of pregnancy, with a group of supportive friends and family gathering together for the new parent.

While traditional baby showers tend to emphasize the material aspects of new parenthood, with gifts for the baby, cute games for participants to play, and an atmosphere of a party, a Parent’s Blessing Ceremony is a sacred circle where the closest people to the new parent, co-create an event that is centered on the rite of passage into parenthood.  During the Parent’s Blessing Ceremony the group comes together to share their birth stories, words of wisdom in preparation for birth and postpartum, and hopes for health and wellbeing to the baby and parent(s). They offer their support and honor the parent as they bring a new member into the community.  Parent Blessing Ceremonies include more ritual and reverence than baby showers, as they are intended to inspire and encourage the expectant parent physically, emotionally, mentally, energetically, and spiritually.  When going through pregnancy, birth and parenthood, it is vitally important to lean on a circle of loved ones. Tapping into their wisdom and endurance can be helpful through the tough days and nights.


  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world.

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world.

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world.