Proverbs 31:28
Her children rise up, and call her blessed.
Happy Mother’s Day! Today we honor our mothers and the nature of God as Divine Mother within each one of us.
We recognize certain characteristics of mothers: loving, caring, nurturing. And all of this loving and caring and nurturing, when combined with a regular life, can wear a person out. A woman goes to see her doctor, and complains about being tired all the time. The doctor listens and then announces: "Let’s see, you spend 50 percent of your energy on your work, you spend 50 percent of your energy on your husband, you also spend 50 percent of your energy on your household, and another 50 percent of your energy on your children. I think I see your problem."
The role of mother for many women in our society is primary. From my experience, many women see motherhood as a major aspect of their personal and social identities. They love to discuss their children and share stories. My Mom, I know, still tells stories about me and my brother, Lee. Many women will mother children that are not theirs biologically. Even if they have no children of their own, there is an instinct present for nurturing and teaching. In some cases, our mothering has come through a father; in other instances, through a teacher, relative, nurse, or friend.
According to Karl Jung, all humans are born with an innate capacity to recognize, seek out, and attach to a mother or mother figure to whom we look for safety, care, and protection. Through research, we know that early attachment experiences between parent and child help to shape the brain and affect our ability to self-regulate emotion into adulthood. Weak attachment and childhood trauma have been linked to drug and alcohol addiction, academic failure, adult depression, and relationship problems. Mothers have a profound influence on our long-term well-being. Lincoln acknowledged this when he wrote: “All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”
We are enthralled by the various powers that mothers radiate: acceptance, love, and patience. Mothers naturally help their children develop and grow individually and find ways for those unique qualities to expand. Most mothers choose motherhood purposefully and exemplify the power of intention. We are attracted to the mother’s ability to find balance mentally, emotionally, and in their in their commitments and responsibilities. They demonstrate the powers of prioritization and organization. Mothers also exhibit joy as they demonstrate how to entertain, have fun, show optimism, and find those special moments to cherish with their children.
Mothers are excellent teachers, through their example, as well as through their words and attitudes. In fact, there are things that can only be taught in a way that is unique to a mother.
For instance, LOGIC. Have you ever heard, “If everyone else jumped off a cliff would you do it too?” Or MEDICINE... "If you don’t stop crossing your eyes, they’re going to stick that way." Mothers also know about GENETICS: “You are just like your father!” They teach us about our HEREDITY: “Do you think you were born in a barn?”
Mothers can impart the wisdom of MATURING INTO ADULTHOOD: “When you get to be my age, you will understand.” They teach us the lessons of ANTICIPATION: “Just wait until your father gets home.” But above all Mothers can teach us about JUSTICE: “One day you will have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you. Then you’ll see what it’s like!”
Mothers are also protective of their offspring. They teach us to stay healthy, wear weather-appropriate clothing, bathe, brush our teeth, floss, don’t talk to strangers, look both ways before we cross the street, and to eat our veggies.
This is part of the nurturing instinct of the mother. Yes, mothers are protective, loving, caring, attentive, and sacrificing. This is a quality that God has instilled in all mothers, and at the spiritual level, in all people, male or female. Yes, it is true – even we men can love, care, and nurture. As a Child of God, this is part of who we are, because this is who God is, as well.
But there is one other aspect of a mother that is unattainable for the male of the species, and that is the birthing process. Of course we males play our part in the reproductive cycle, but when it comes to actually giving birth to another person … well, that is one of the defining moments of being a mother.
Yet outside the reproductive arena, to ‘give birth’ to an idea, an invention, a work of art, an opportunity to serve others, is the defining moment of every Child of God. Each of us is given the capacity for creative divine expression of the mother aspect of God. God is creative, and the Divine Mother expresses through us into creation through our imaginations, dreams, intuition, and creative outlets.
Certain scientists also theorize that at the Big Bang, not only did the Universe come into creation and continues to evolve, but that Consciousness came into being and continues to evolve. Each of us is connected in some way to the One Consciousness of God, just as Christ is present within each of us yet flows through us and into Life in a unique way.
This seems to be how the Spirit of God operates, by moving through the physical creation as well as the consciousness of creation. Some theologians believe the birthing of a new consciousness of humanity is upon us, where God is encouraging humankind to fulfill its obligation to the commandments of love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, strength, mind, and soul, and to love your neighbor as yourself, but not necessarily through organized religious institutions. Perhaps God is guiding us toward our own personal ‘re-birthing’ process, where we embrace and acknowledge our divine nature in a unique, personal and intimate way. Possibly, God is gently imbuing our hearts as the Divine Mother aspect of Spirit, leading us to ever higher expressions of love.
Our mission is to open our hearts to God’s ‘mothering’. This mission began with our own physical mothers. They brought us into this world and the nurturing began. Ultimately, we feel the presence of the Divine Mother within us, healing us, allowing us a daily ‘rebirthing’ process, as necessary. Regardless of how good a physical mother we have had, or how good a mother you have been, the responsibility for finding their way into maturity is on the child; we make our own choices.
We do have help along the way as the Divine Feminine whispers to our hearts. In Isaiah 66:12-13, God says: “Like babies you will be nursed and held in my arms. You will be bounced on my knees. I will comfort you as a mother comforts her child.” Although God is referring to Jerusalem, it is a metaphor for our returning ‘home’ to God in our hearts and minds. Then in Isaiah 49:15-16 -- “Can a woman forget her own baby, and not love the child she bore? Even if a mother should forget her child, I will never forget you. I have written your name on the palms of my hands.”
Today is the day set aside to share our appreciation and love for the physical mothers who bore us, reared us, nurtured us, and helped get us this far. And for this we rise up and say, “They are blessed.”
We acknowledge that there can be some personal sadness on this day for many people. So, we include in that blessing the millions of mothers whose children are no longer in their lives. We share a blessing for those mothers who are no longer in their bodies, and the mothers from whom we are estranged but did their job by getting us on this earth.
It is my prayer that we let our thoughts today be thoughts of gratitude for this wonderful mother-love, which has nurtured and sustained us, regardless its source. This love is an expression of God's love, which we can gratefully pass on in some measure through our own mothering and nurturing, by giving to those who need our love, attention, thoughts, care, and our service.
So, I wish you a joyous Mother’s Day. Have a wonderful day; you deserve it.
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