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Post by moongoddess on Dec 22, 2010 14:23:37 GMT
Hey Robur!
I can only speak from a Native Indian/American persepctive (although all indigenous tribes have medicine women) and what my understanding of a medicine woman is...
I believe the term 'medicine woman' has two meanings in Native Indian beliefs. The Mother Earth herself IS the ultimate medicine woman, she provides all the herbs and medicine for her children. The women of the Earth were believed to have innate knowledge of the special healing powers that herbs contained, which came to them in visions and dreams and by intuition, often during menses.
A medicine woman would also be the midwife, healer, shaman etc and plays an even more important role after menopause.
I love this subject!
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Post by sacredspiraldoula on Dec 23, 2010 19:43:19 GMT
Hi Robur,
Well, I don't consider myself a medicine woman - other that a a generally aquired knowledge of a few basic herbs etc.. I have no specific understanding of natural medicine.
However as a Doula I believe that all women have the ability to give birth naturally.. and for it to be an empowering and challenging journey.. it is a rite of passage which with support and information she will come out the other side as a strong empowered mother. my role is to build a womans confidence in herself and teach simple techniques that she can use to be able to achieve this. the power is within her, always has been! but many women have lost this connection. I have no special 'powers' or abilities other than understanding how disempowered the current system which supports childbirth can make women feel.. of course not all women feel this way.. but most of my clients are women who have had previous experiences (birth or otherwise) which have made them feel neglected, abused or robbed of a rite of passage, or women who have a strong spiritual belief. I have supported women who are pagan, buddhist, christian and hindu. The birth system in this country now is mainly NHS hospital based.. with women having routine sections (as high as 40% in some hospitals) epidurals and inductions... they are often left to labour alone with their male partner who feels anxious and rarely understands the process he is expected to support, quite often midwives are overstretched and caring for several women in different rooms at the same time - this combined with lack of previous relationship with the women, shift changes and training to understand birth as a medical situation... midwives often fail to deliver a support which truly makes a hospital birthing an empowering experience. midwives these days, unless they have a very strong belief in what they do.. rarely provide what may be considered a 'medicine woman' role.. Independent midwives being an exclusive exception to this rule. Even in maternity care women feel unable to make informed choices... all the time I hear "I wasn't allowed' "I had to be induced" "they told me I was high risk" etc..etc... but rarely are women actually aware what real choices and rights they have, legally, medically or generally.. I know this because I have been there, done it, have the Tshirt - and well and truly burnt the damn thing. sorry for the ramble... but I hope that explains a bit about where I am.. nothing any more mystical or magical than any other woman :-)
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Post by sacredspiraldoula on Dec 23, 2010 23:37:32 GMT
and of course we all know that ALL women carry a magical energy.. some unfortunately just don't know it! ;-)
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