The Dream of Decolonizing Through Birth
As we navigate through an oppressive and racist system that attempts to dictate how we care for ourselves and birth our children, the dream to dismantle and create a new reality is born. Pregnancy and birth becomes an opportunity to re-envision and decolonize our way of being as individuals and how we choose to walk in community, an opportunity to shift and transform the larger systems of oppression with the power of creation.
When we invite our plant allies to support this process, possibilities become endless, the dreams infinite. The connection to the universe becomes expansive, and deep healing becomes intuitive, shifting and nurturing from a spiritual level to a cellular level. A relationship of trust and intuition with our Mother Earth is restored, and the ceremony of new life is honored. As above, so below.
Our workshop will explore how plants can be incorporated into pregnancy and birth support. We will talk about this process as a spiritual experience with opportunities to heal personal and ancestral trauma. Our workshop will focus on the healing properties of Mugwort and Motherwort. We will draw from our experiences of walking with these plants as birth-workers. We will share how we have seen these medicines take effect in pregnancy and the process of birth to create space for healing and a collective ripple effect to dismantle systems of oppression.
Materials List:
Other
2 oz of oil (olive oil or other preferred oil)
2 oz jar, washed and thoroughly dried
String
Plants/Herbs
Fresh mugwort
Dried mugwort (for oil)
About Chicome and Chloe:
Chicome and Chloe are licensed midwives. In 2010, the same year as we began our midwifery education, life gave us the gift of beginning an apprenticeship with Karen Rose at Scared Vibes apothecary. We walked through her very first cohort together and continued to co-create Divine Daughters Herbal. SV herbal apprenticeship is the gift that keeps giving. It gave us the lens to filter our midwifery education with herbal wisdom. We provide midwifery care which plant medicine is an integral component and we are honored to share our insights at this years conference.