What is a Blessing way and the role of beads?
A Blessing way, or as it is sometimes called, a Mother’s Blessing, is a ceremony that celebrates pregnancy and the passage into motherhood. It derives from a Native American tradition in which the expectant mother and her closest friends gather to support, nurture and empower an expectant mother. The ceremony is a natural and comfortable one in which the “sisters” create a circle for an expectant mother, blessing the journey ahead for her into motherhood.
Different from a baby-shower, it focuses more on the expectant mother and can have many rituals, one of which is stringing a “Labour of Love” necklace for the mother-to-be to wear or hold during labor. Each woman brings a bead or trinket of special meaning, and while stringing it on the cord, offers ‘beads’ of advice or support. The beads can be healing stones known for specific properties, charms or trinkets nostalgic of a special memory or bond of friendship or simply be beautiful adornments of love.
Below are a selection of some of our favorite beads for such ceremonies.
Healing Stone Beads For Pregnancy & Motherhood
Agate Stone Beads
Agate’s properties include easing discomfort from bloating and gastric issues.
Amethyst Stone Beads
Amethyst is believed to release tension, physical and emotional pain and to offer protection
Black Onyx Stone Beads
Black Onyx: In some cultures Black Onyx is given to mothers during labor to bolster strength and stamina helping to speed labor.
Celestite Stone Beads
Celestite can assist in the relief of stress, anxiety and obsessive behaviors. Perfect for anyone nervous about a new experience.
Citrine Stone Beads
Citrine beads are often paired with Amethysts. Great for twins since the stones are different color variants of the same source and believed to promote individuality while easing twin rivalry.
Garnet Stone Beads
Garnet stone beads are used to help discourage miscarriages.
Lapis Lazuli Stone Beads
Lapis Lazuli helps to heal the body from the stressors of pregnancy
Malachite Stone Beads
Malachite is believed to help ease labor pains or cramping, promote contractions and is known as the "midwives stone.”
Moonstone Stone Beads
Moonstone is known for aiding fertility, childbirth, pregnancy, balancing female hormones and easing water retention.
Peridot Stone Beads
Peridot is said to ward against postpartum depression and help to ease the opening of the birth canal during labor.
Rose Quartz Stone Beads
Rose Quartz is known as the stone of unconditional love, it is believed to help strengthen the bond between parent and child.
Selenite Stone Beads
Selenite is said to help relieve back pain and muscle tension, and bring one to a place of peacefulness.
Unakite Stone Beads
Unakite is a neutralizing stone. It helps balance emotions, alleviates nausea during early pregnancy and is an overall good stone for promoting healthy pregnancies.
- Dawn LiVigne