INBOX
Lotus Birth E
ndless gratitude for your magazine… and as it seems to be blossoming into medium for sharing vital information; I would like to share our unusual birthing story with future dads and mums. I was always confident that my body could give birth naturally. So with the great support of my dear husband, family, friends and the strong help of my little girl being born, we gave birth on our farm without any professional help, simply guided by the ancient knowledge that all women carry inside. All went so intensely and magically… after 6 hours of unforgettable timelessness she came to the light with no tears, in a loving space surrounded by her parents, grandparents and friends. I suppose the most remarkable thing about her birth was that her "renaissance" came three days later. Unlike most babies, Sheya remained unscathed after she came out of the womb with her primal mother, the placenta. Basically, we didn't cut her umbilical cord, but left it to dry until it naturally fell off. This way of doing is call the Lotus birth, named after Clair Lotus Day, who first introduced the idea into western society. First we placed the placenta in a colander over a bowl to be able to drain the excess fluid. Then we covered it with salt to speed up the drying and to keep it germfree. Several times a day, after rinsing and re-salting we would sprinkle it with fresh frangipani flowers and lavender buds… We would also put a drop of honey around the navel where the umbilical cord was still attached, again, for drying and hygiene. We did this for two days and three nights. In the morning after the third night our baby was released… she said a gentle goodbye to her primal mother and a warm greeting to the earth where she just incarnated. Here she also received her name.
We found this tender and non-invasive way deeply rewarding and respectful of the new soul. Primarily you don't inflict unnecessary violence upon the new born. Secondly, this is a way to insure that the exchange between the baby and the placenta comes to a natural end. The new born stays almost unmoved for the time it takes for the cord to release, mainly due to the impracticality of being attached to the placenta. This way the baby has plenty of time to recover from the tremendous experience of birth instead of being carried from hand to hand. It's also a good way for the mother to remain in close proximity for bonding and for the baby to experience a gentle transition from the womb into the outside world. One other thing… We must remember that the placenta is a sacred organ that merits reverence and care. Different cultures have different way of honoring it. Some women eat it (it's highly nutritious and the only "meat" that comes from life instead of death…); some return it to the earth and plant a tree on the very fertile ground it gives… In hospitals, the precious organ is seen pretty differently… As the proprieties of the blood coming from the placenta and cord are extremely rich and used in many medical and cosmetic preparations, you can imagine that there is an important market for it where, as usual, benefits don't always go to the ones in need, but the ones with the money… If you give birth in hospital it is your right to ask for it, as it is an important part of you. You don't have to eat it, but I can promise you that the tree you'll plant over it will bear lovely fruits that your child will one day be very grateful for… from Her tree. It is also a nice opportunity to make a little ceremony around the event and gather the important people for the baby. Our society these days is quite deprived of rituals and ceremony that honour life itself. There cannot be a better opportunity than the miraculous event of the birth of a child to renew our humble gratitude to the Cosmos… The Lotus birth is still advocated by very few midwives, as it is still relatively unknown. More information is readily available on internet ( www.freestone.org and www.lotusbirth. com are good places to start looking). Alex, Khula Dhamma Ecovillage Biophile Issue 20
The Human Mechanism I dwell within a concrete jungle. Where trees once grew brown and green Life was wholesome and full of fruit. I stare, the pale grey mass soulless and unforgiving. My ambitions I place on the jungle of stone. The tribal suits instruct me to climb, floor by floor, the idol tower. Withering year by year as robotically I move on instruction, intuition and the individual buried under stacks of paper. Time ticks by and I climb floor by floor the tower of flawed dreams, a cog within the machine. I reach the suits at the top of the tower and they hand me my small square box... "It's yours with a window view". I sit and stare through the transparent achievement, a badge on my suit, And I see him young, full of ambition, staring into a concrete jungle. The suits beckon and I rise slowly, mechanically, without ambition. I am a suit. My purpose the continuation of the tower. The young man enters the boardroom and the suits contemplate the quality of the tool. by DAVID TORR (17 years)
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