…for your physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual development.

Shall I tell you?

Your birth.

How, with whom, where and when, in what manner, and under what circumstances you were born are the most influential factors in the development of a human being.

Of course, everything in one’s life is important. Everything has a cause, or countless causes, as well as countless repercussions: because everything in this world is interconnected with everything else!

However, there is an ancient wisdom (in many cultures) stating that the manner in which something is begun, reflects the manner in which it will continue.

I have no doubt that the way in which we are born echoes through the rest of our life.

The reason I am thinking about this, investigating, researching, and now writing about it at the moment, is because my wife and I are looking into ways to birth our first child, due in November. Having done lots of research, we are now planning a natural home birth.

We have read several books about childbirth, seen some amazing movies, met a doula, and visited a birth center. What I have found out is very, very interesting.

I plan to write several more articles sharing what I’ve found, because it has effected me deeply. I now believe that the most important thing we can do for ourselves, our children, our society, and the Earth herself, is change the way we think about birth.

Why? Because most people these days are born in sterile, cold, bright, harsh, impatient, hurried, and unfriendly circumstances. Is it any wonder that our society is getting faster and faster, less and less friendly, more and more mechanical?

Is it possible that if we were to start birthing all our children naturally—slowly and gently, lovingly, with patience and without worry, that perhaps our society would also reflect that change?

I first started to think about all this several years ago when I heard Tony Samara, an amazing spiritual teacher and shaman, explaining that Western medicine views birth as a ‘procedure’; whereas all ancient cultures used to view it as a sacred ceremony. That really got me thinking…

Recently, I had an experience in meditation in which I re-experienced my birth. I felt as if I was being pulled by the head so hard that my body would detach.

Later, I found out from my Mother that forceps were used to pull me from her body.

I know without any doubt, that experience, as I emerged for the first time into this world, shaped the pattern of addiction that affected me for several years.

In future articles I will explain in detail what I believe were the consequences of that moment in my life; what we can all do to improve birthing in our society; and I will also tell you about two movies about natural birth that are among the most beautiful movies I have ever seen in my life.

With love,

Ben

Do you know much about the circumstances of your birth?

Have you had a natural birth experience, or a hospital birth, or any other kind of birth that you could share?

Perhaps you have a different view than mine towards childbirth?

Please leave a comment (or I’ll put a curse on you and all your children will be born naked).