Wow. You have gone to the very deepest root of the subject. I believe that’s what *radical* means, so I can say you’ve written the most radical statement on motherhood I could hope to read.
You reveal even to me, who have loved and honored my healthy and productive womb, how I yet have been robbed of a full reveling in its glory, by being constantly on the defensive about true womanhood. But you give me cause to be more thankful than ever for how much I have been able to live out that very centered life of Mother.
It’s interesting that you post at Christmastime, when my thoughts are on the mother of Christ. While some emphasize Mary’s virginity, we Orthodox Christians seem to focus more on her motherhood. She freely consented to “free” her womb for a uniquely glorious purpose, and became the mother of us all.
Thank you for giving me so much to think about, and for encouragement to be thankful, and to speak out: “Free the womb!”
This kind of writing gets me so pumped up. So much yes to everything you said. My current reflections are on the practicals of what it looks like to re-center my self, family, home, life, around these truths. I recently learned the term, matrescence: the process of becoming a mother. So much of that entire process, as you laid out in your above post, is now something we (mothers) fight for tooth and nail. We lean into the war that is our motherhood and we do not apologize. But how? We are struggling to reinvent the wheel as much of the maternal lore has been lost and forgotten. I started my substack as a way to reflect and process my second Cuarentena, a Mexican tradition of post partum rest. I have greatly enjoyed finding posts such as yours, through the ins and outs of exploring around in here. Thank you for your work and I would add that what you speak of in this post, humbly, is not a revolution but a reclamation. I am here for it.
I hit send before my comment was done! I meant to ask if you have followed the work of Rachelle Garcia Seliga of Innate Traditions? I took her training years ago and it was so life changing, all based on traditional postpartum practices from around the world, you may find it interesting!
Thank you for this comment! I love that this inspired that energy, that is absolutely my aim. Absolutely agree that this is reclamation work as well. The postpartum time seems to be where most women find the need for the reclamation of the things we need to align with nature and therefore ourselves.
I love how you turned that catchphrase on its head. It’s interesting to see how people’s words sometimes completely subvert their intent but reveal their deepest longings. You really hit this post home
Yes! Free the womb...allow it to do what it is made to do. I know that your essay is about much more than this but it was my initial thought when I saw the graffiti. I'm so glad this came across my substack suggestions. I have been for years advocating for my body to be allowed to be what it is. I'm tired of the world telling me that the my womb doing exactly what it was made to do needs to be medicated or treated as some sort of a disease.
Wow. You have gone to the very deepest root of the subject. I believe that’s what *radical* means, so I can say you’ve written the most radical statement on motherhood I could hope to read.
You reveal even to me, who have loved and honored my healthy and productive womb, how I yet have been robbed of a full reveling in its glory, by being constantly on the defensive about true womanhood. But you give me cause to be more thankful than ever for how much I have been able to live out that very centered life of Mother.
It’s interesting that you post at Christmastime, when my thoughts are on the mother of Christ. While some emphasize Mary’s virginity, we Orthodox Christians seem to focus more on her motherhood. She freely consented to “free” her womb for a uniquely glorious purpose, and became the mother of us all.
Thank you for giving me so much to think about, and for encouragement to be thankful, and to speak out: “Free the womb!”
That last paragraph👏🏼🔥
Thank you Amber ♥️
This kind of writing gets me so pumped up. So much yes to everything you said. My current reflections are on the practicals of what it looks like to re-center my self, family, home, life, around these truths. I recently learned the term, matrescence: the process of becoming a mother. So much of that entire process, as you laid out in your above post, is now something we (mothers) fight for tooth and nail. We lean into the war that is our motherhood and we do not apologize. But how? We are struggling to reinvent the wheel as much of the maternal lore has been lost and forgotten. I started my substack as a way to reflect and process my second Cuarentena, a Mexican tradition of post partum rest. I have greatly enjoyed finding posts such as yours, through the ins and outs of exploring around in here. Thank you for your work and I would add that what you speak of in this post, humbly, is not a revolution but a reclamation. I am here for it.
I hit send before my comment was done! I meant to ask if you have followed the work of Rachelle Garcia Seliga of Innate Traditions? I took her training years ago and it was so life changing, all based on traditional postpartum practices from around the world, you may find it interesting!
Thank you for this comment! I love that this inspired that energy, that is absolutely my aim. Absolutely agree that this is reclamation work as well. The postpartum time seems to be where most women find the need for the reclamation of the things we need to align with nature and therefore ourselves.
your writing reads as a call to action that I suspect a lot of young women have longed to hear their entire lives 🧡
This is the ultimate compliment I could hope for, and this is the aim I have when writing. Thank you!
YES to everything you said 👏🏽
I love how you turned that catchphrase on its head. It’s interesting to see how people’s words sometimes completely subvert their intent but reveal their deepest longings. You really hit this post home
What a perfect interpretation-we have to subvert subversion!
Oh! You didn’t write at Christmastime- well, I read it now, for some reason ☺️
Yes! Free the womb...allow it to do what it is made to do. I know that your essay is about much more than this but it was my initial thought when I saw the graffiti. I'm so glad this came across my substack suggestions. I have been for years advocating for my body to be allowed to be what it is. I'm tired of the world telling me that the my womb doing exactly what it was made to do needs to be medicated or treated as some sort of a disease.
Trying to convince ourselves are we
Nope just a good part of everyone else :)