Casting the Circle: Naming ourselves, our mother and grandmothers, and what we anticipate or look forward to.

Music: Anticipation by Carly Simon

Reading: We Are by Ysaye M. Barnwell

For each child that's born
A morning star rises
And sings to the universe
Who we are....
We are our grandmother's prayers
We are our grandfather's dreamings
We are the breath of the ancestors
We are the spirit of God....

Reading: The Miracle by Maureen Hawkins

Before you were conceived
   I wanted you
Before you were born
   I loved you
Before you were here an hour
   I would die for you
This is the miracle of life....

Reading: Magnificat by Chana Bloch

...Miles off in the dark,
My dark,
You head for dry land,
naked, safe
in salt waters.
Tides lap you.
Your breathing
makes me an ark.

Reading: Poems for the New by Kathleen Fraser

we're connecting,
    foot under my rib.
I'm sore with life!
At night,
    your toes grow. Inches of the new!
The lion prowls the sky
and shakes his tail for you.
Pieces of moon
    fly by my kitchen window....

Sharing of Our Wisdom: Share an experience of great anticipation

Music: Festa by Susan Ciani

Blessing of the Sweet Bread, Apple Cider and Ripe Belly of Life:

We as a community of grateful and reverent women:
Bless and are thankful for this bread and the grain given by the earth to feed us
Bless and are thankful for the loving hands that made this bread
Bless and are thankful for the human Spirit that seeks a relationship with her Source
Bless and are thankful for the many faces and transformations of our Mother

We as a community of grateful and reverent women:
Bless and honor this apple cider and the sweet smell of autumn it brings
Bless and honor the warm sun that ripens the apples in the orchard
Bless and honor all those who labor to provide this drink for us
Bless and honor the light of our souls and the energy in the universe that keeps us ignited

We as a community of grateful and reverent women:
Bless and honor this ripe belly full of new life and dreams
Bless and honor this mother who brings her sparkling being of love and joy to this new life
Bless and honor all ancestors, family, friends, and the father of this child
Bless and honor the miracle that is about to emerge, and the miracle of us all

Sharing of the Bread and Cider

Music: L'Azzurro by Suzanne Ciani

Closing Song: Let the River Run by Carly Simon

Hugs of Love