Grandmothers Blessing

We open the space and sing the Grandmothers Blessing to bless the space and time together.

As part of this process, we follow the African tradition of calling on our ancestors to support us in this process. So feel into the grandmother song and your own personal lineage, where you come from, the women in YOUR line, even the ones we have had difficult relationships with (these are especially important to honour as they each hold a nugget of something we can learn from and honour).

"We honour our maternal lineages, the wombs from which we came, and the wombs who came before. We honour our biological grandmothers, our mothers, the grandmothers within us, our sisters, aunts, and our daughters and their daughters. We honour the wise women who came before us, who taught and upheld the skills pertinent to women's health and wellbeing, from the first bleed to birth to birth to her last bleed...and beyond. We honour our teachers. And we honour the men who have supported this path and the women walking it. And our sons."

And so it is.

The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers is an international alliance of indigenous female elders that focuses on issues such as the environment, internationalism, and human rights. The group met for the first time in October 2004 at the Dalai Lama's Menla Retreat Center on Panther Mountain in Phoenicia, New York, during which time they declared themselves a council.Academic Suzanne Bouclin described them as "an alliance of thirteen women elders from across the globe that was organized to uphold indigenous practices and ceremonies and affirm the right to use plant medicines free of legal restriction." (source - Wikipedia)

Grandmothers Mission Statement:

"We, the International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers, represent a global alliance of prayer, education, and healing for our Mother Earth, all Her inhabitants, all the children, and for the next seven generations to come. We are deeply concerned with the unprecedented destruction of our Mother Earth and the destruction of indigenous ways of life. We believe the teachings of our ancestors will light the way through an uncertain future. We look to further our vision through the realization of projects that protect our diverse cultures: lands, medicines, language, and ceremonial ways of prayer and through projects that educate and nurture our children."

The song:

(C,G)

Grandmother

I see you sitting in the (East),

You are sacred

And you are looking at me

I pray to you

Pray to you

You are sacred

(East, South, West, North, Earth, Sky, my Heart, my Womb)

More information on the Indigenous Council of 13 Grandmothers

The Grandmothers Blessing - video

The Grandmothers Blessing - audio

Who are your grandmothers?

Who are the influential female teachers you have had in your life?

When we honour our lineage it is important also to honour those who we may have not gotten along with, or had difficult relationships with - there is always a nugget of learning that we take away from these relationships and this is what we honour.

Write down the names of these women and honour them as the grandmothers in your life. If you have access to photos/images of these women then look through them, or find objects that symbolise these women for you.

Your ancestors are calling. Listen to the message from your mother’s grandmother. They are here to support you in these changing times. You can stand on their shoulders and see into the horizon. Things are breaking away and new ways are forming. Be a part of the positive change. “Invite your ancestors in.”

The Grandmothers - for the Next 7 Generations

If you would like to learn more about the International Council of Indigenous Grandmothers

here is a link to a documentary about them.