Mother’s Nature

Last updated on: March 31, 2018 at 11:13 pm by Allison Ehrman

Mother’s Nature 2018-03-31T23:13:31+00:00 Allison Ehrman

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

A few months ago, I was having a deep discussion with my children at the dinner table and my oldest son made a statement that gave me pause. He pointed out that most of his friends’ knowledge of spiritual and philosophical belief systems was limited to their own family’s brand of Christianity. What he found worrisome was that they didn’t have any desire to learn about or explore other thoughts or ideas. I wasn’t surprised by his statement, but rather by his realization that our family was different. And I was glad he’d had this revelation.

The truth of the matter is that my own beliefs, including my Unitarianism, Universalism, and Paganism, are the direct result of being a mother. In many ways my spiritual journey began when my sons were very young and my love for them seemed to stand in stark contrast with that of the evangelical patriarchal god of my youth whom I had been taught was quite ready to send his own children to a place called hell. I realized then that I needed to set my old beliefs aside and rebuild from scratch, reexamining everything I had once known to be true. That quest continues to this day and will end, perhaps, when I take my last breath.

artwork courtesy of shutterstock

Also, as a stay-at-home mom fresh out of college with two preschoolers who were 17 months apart and a husband who worked evenings or nights, I began to seek out any and every excuse for creativity or celebration I could find, mostly to preserve my own sanity. We made sun cookies and danced in a circle on summer solstice when it was too hot to play outside in the San Antonio heat. We planted seeds at spring equinox and collected leaves to make decorations at fall equinox. When we moved to Maryland, we cheered for the return of the sun at winter solstice by making salsa and listening to Tito Puente. Later, as a single mom, these activities merged with new daily dinner rituals to help me to provide stability and continuity in our lives. Then when I remarried, all of these unusual and disparate activities gradually coalesced and evolved into our favorite family traditions and holidays.

In the quiet moments I had to myself when the boys were young, I began to meditate. I also began to practice rituals to mark transitions in my life and to provide comfort during difficult times. For reasons I still don’t fully understand, even though I had never read or seen anything about pagan or Wiccan rituals, from time to time I instinctively began casting circles with candles and other objects and sitting in their midst to build courage and solidify new resolutions and decisions I had made in my own personal growth and development. The first time I attended the women’s ritual circle at my UU fellowship many years later, I was stunned to discover that my rites of passage aligned almost exactly with what practicing pagans were doing.

My evolving beliefs have in turn influenced how I have raised my children. As a UU, I have exposed them to all the ideas and traditions I have discovered from my personal study of world religions. We have made old pagan rituals new and we have made them ours. When the boys graduate from high school in a couple of years, I will continue the Maiden, Mother, Sage (so much better than Crone) cycle by beginning my transition into the Sage portion of my life. If and when my children have children of their own, I have every intention of being that eccentric, fun, and somewhat mysterious grandmother who introduces the next generation of my family to the wonders of nature and the magic of everyday life, much as my children have themselves guided me in my own realization of these miracles.

Blessing of the Triple Goddess

Maiden, Mother, Sage

Bless us with your youthful exuberance.

Maiden, Mother, Sage

Bless us with your loving compassion.

Maiden, Mother, Sage

Bless us with your invaluable wisdom.

Vernal equinox:

Regeneration of the earth.

Life springs anew

From the mother of all.

Maiden, Mother, Sage

Uncategorized

mother

Parenting

Previous Post

March 26, 2015

Building Beloved Community

Next Post

April 6, 2015 Father Junipero Serra, a Saint?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Current Events CUUPS Press Release Interfaith liturgy Media Review podcast Religious Education Seasonal Reflection Spiritual Practice Summary Uncategorized

Select a Month July 2026 June 2026 April 2026 January 2026 December 2025 October 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 February 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz