The Labyrinth of Matrescence

This day was the realization of a vision I have been holding for a long time.

Three midwives brought 5 pregnant mamas and one newly postpartum mama out into the woods to walk a labyrinth.  We brought veils and candles and feather headdresses to adorn our playful spirits and open, creative hearts. 

Why a labyrinth? 

What does it have to do with pregnancy and birth?

A labyrinth is one of the oldest universal symbols made by ancient artists. It's been found in virtually every culture on cave walls, pottery, weavings and centuries old churches. It is the perfect metaphor for the twisty, windy road both to birthing our babies and to returning to ourselves afterwards. 

The labyrinth is a sacred symbol of Life’s Journey. It represents the roller coaster drama in our lives, our neurotic decision-making process, and the body itself. The labyrinth looks like the patterns we see in a human brain, intestines and circulatory system. The first journey we make from our father to our mother, and from the center of our mother's body into the world - is a labyrinth.

 

In a labyrinth, just like in birth, one does not need to think, there are no wrong turns, there is just a singular pathway from the entrance to the center and back out again.

 

To find your way to the center, which represents the moment of birth, what’s needed is to feel and intuit your way through the waves of labor.   This initiatory journey  takes you from what you know and who you are now to what you will know and who you will become on the other side of birth.

 

Unlike a maze, you cannot get lost in a labyrinth.

A maze has more than one entrance or exit, there are choices to make and cul-de-sacs - you have to remember and think to avoid getting lost. 

In your Labyrinth, you need only be determined to reach the Center by putting one foot in front of the other.

You could be blindfolded and reach the Center, by feeling your way through the path.

You don't need to study the path before you enter it, you don't need a cell phone to call for help! 

 

There is no time-line. 

If you aren't ready, nature doesn't care. Just like in motherhood you will be catapulted across the threshold and find yourself taking one step at a time until you reach the Center. 

As we stood before the labyrinth I invited each mama to grab a veil, enter the labyrinth with an intention and walk mindfully using a coping technique that they intend to use in labor, such as breathing, movement, or sounds.  The new mama walked in first,  baby in arms, followed by the pregnant mamas in order of due times. 

Playful chattiness gave way to a pensive silence as each mama crossed the threshold.  They walked mindfully, matching the pace of the new mama in the lead, who was moving very slowly.  They moved around her in slow, undulating movements, mimicking an ancient practice where women would undulate around the laboring mama to remind her that her contractions were like waves and she could ride them with her breath, or her sounds, or with movement. 

It was beautiful and magical and deeply meaningful to me, not only because I’m in love with labyrinths but also because I built this labyrinth with some other community members on the very ground where I was born nearly 50 years ago on a bus in the woods. 

Who knew then that I would become a midwife, build a labyrinth, and use it in my matrescence work!

That is the labyrinth of life. 

It leads us on a windy path, full of unexpected, often disorienting twists and turns - just like birth - always calling us to our Center.

Photos by @laura.in.bloom