Thursday, February 27, 2014

Baby Naming Belly Button Ceremony

Conducted a Naming Ceremony which included a ceremony known by different names in different parts of the world.

In this case we called it the planting of the Belly Button. And it was only the belly button.

In some parts of the world the whole of baby’s placenta is buried in a ceremony involving the families of the baby.

When this happens, the ceremony is called the Baby Cord Ceremony.

It arose in the belief that humans came from the stars, birthing through the Milky Way, to this earth. The cord represented the connection not only between mother and child, but also to the stars.

That placenta is viewed as the Tree of Life that feeds and nurtures the baby. At the ceremony it is buried under a tree symbolically continuing the connection between the baby and the earth which will continue to nourish him or her.

Here is part of the ceremony we used

In accordance with a Maori tradition, together with the tree the parents will plant part of the baby’s belly button to remind us of the connection between human life and the world we live in.

As the parents want everyone here to be part of the baby’s life, they ask that each of you, in turn, adds a little bit of soil into the container to anticipate the part you will play in their child’s life.”

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Love and Kisses

St. Valentine’s Day is almost upon us, and so is the anticipation of lots of love and kisses.

Would you believe that there are books written on the technique of kissing?

And would you further believe that I am probably the only person in the world who’s actually read them?

While writing the book, ‘Honeymoon! A Sizzle or a Fizzle’ I thought I’d better learn as much about the subject as possible. So after researching the subject, followed by practical studies to ensure the correctness of the information, I’ve included it in the book.

Ideally, anyone planning a honeymoon will not leave this important aspect of honeymooning right to the last minute.

According to that great authority on all things dealing with love and kisses, Mae West, ‘A man’s kiss is his signature’.

However, being the type of person she was, she knew men were only human, and their signatures mainly lousy, so kindly she adds,

 ‘I have found many men who didn’t know how to kiss.
I’ve always found time to teach them.’

Friday, February 7, 2014

Year of the Dragon

While preparing for a Naming Ceremony, I looked up the Chinese Horoscope for the baby who was born in the Year of the Dragon.

Apparently this is the luckiest year to be born in. So much so, that many Chinese mothers, so we're told, tried to coincide their pregnancy with that year.

I looked up my own year which was The Year of the Snake. And the sign which I was NOT compatible with was that of my husband's. Contrariwise, my husband's sign was specifically compatible with mine!

Reminded me of an Archie comic I read once. Veronica was expounding on her relationship with Reggie.

'Reggie is so lucky,' says she, 'to have wonderful me in his life', adding, 'I only have him'.

Isn't that the story of every woman's life?