the mother thread
blessing ceremonies honoring the sacred journey of motherhood.
maiden
to
mother
Welcome, mama.
I’m Elisabeth Kelly, the heart and hands behind the mother thread.
I have many roles, but my most beloved title will always be mama.
I am mother to two beautiful children. The amazing, transformative experience of growing each of them and walking my own journey from maiden to mother has taught me and challenged me in so many ways.
I am passionate about the deep, transformative journey of motherhood. There is a sacred shift that happens when we become mothers, and it is a chance for us to celebrate, heal, and come together in our divine femininity. Pregnancy brings two births - one of a new child, and another of a new mother. It needs to be honored in a meaningful way, to aid mama in processing this transition, and to rally around her and support her as her village. It is an opportunity for us to heal generational wounds, pass down ancestral knowledge, and come together as women.
I lead mother blessings, postpartum ceremonies, women’s circles, and other gatherings to stoke our soul fire and weave the thread that connects us to our maternal lineage.
Beautiful artwork by Tara Ellis.
rituals and blessings.
mother blessings
A deeply spiritual and heart-centered ceremony that honors the sacred transition into motherhood. The mother is adorned with love and blessed with intentional rituals to guide her sacred shift from maiden to mother.
postpartum ceremonies
A sacred gathering that honors and nurtures the mother after birth, offering her space to rest, reflect, and receive support as she transitions into this new chapter. Rooted in ancient traditions of care and community, this ceremony is designed to replenish the mother—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—while acknowledging the profound transformation she has undergone.
women’s circles
A place to reconnect with ancestral wisdom, feminine energy, and the healing power of community, through meditation, intuitive artwork, journaling, and other healing rituals.
community gatherings
It is our privilege to offer donation-based gatherings for women in the CT community to come together in sisterhood, reflection, and empowerment. Our Full Moon Gatherings, Community Mother Blessings, and other ceremonial events provide a time to pause, connect, and set intentions while remaining financially accessible.
“To be pregnant is to be vitally alive, thoroughly woman, and distressingly inhabited. Soul and spirit are stretched - along with body - making pregnancy a time of transition, growth, and profound beginnings.”
Gather
·
Bless
·
Celebrate
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Transform
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Gather · Bless · Celebrate · Transform ·
You carry the wisdom of
those who walked before you
and the light of
those yet to come.
Powerful, transformative, and bespoke ceremonies to give you love and support you deserve, exactly how you want it. Every moment, every ritual, personalized to align with your divine femininity.
Blessings curated to include exactly what your heart needs.
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Meditation
Guided exercises in grounding and breathwork to center yourself and set your intentions. Our ceremonies usually start and end with a meditation to open and close the circle.
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Ceremonial Foot Bath
Members of the tribe gently and lovingly bathe the feet of the Mama, utilizing provided inclusions of dried herbs, oils, salts and flower petals.
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Flower Crowns
Beautiful, handmade flower crown to adorn the honored Mama - fully personalized in her favorite colors and flowers. Elisabeth creates these herself, and they are so special hung in the nursery after the ceremony.
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Ancestral Thread
With a red thread, weaving the circle together representative of our connection to our maternal lineage. This thread becomes a bracelet, worn for the Mama, as we hold her in prayer in the weeks ahead.
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Releasing of the Fears
Mama is invited to write her fears and worries privately on paper, before tearing it and burning them in a stone bowl. Her tribe will read in unison a poem honoring the fear release.
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Poems and Readings
Beloved friends and family share readings and poems in ceremony to honor Mama. Whether ancestral prayers, spiritual verses, or personalized words from loved ones, these readings create a sacred moment of reflection, weaving love, encouragement, and deep connection into the ritual.
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A Personalized Altar
Filled with candles, crystals, flowers, ancestral tokens, blessings, and symbolic items. It holds intention, love, and spiritual energy, creating a focal point for the ceremony that offers grounding, connection, and support as she steps into motherhood.
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Belly Adornment
Body-safe paints or henna are used to decorate the beautiful Mama’s pregnant belly. Each member of her village is invited to take part in adorning her bump with their artistic touch, with the intention of expression love - not perfection.
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Words of Affirmation
Blessings are read by the group in turn, encouraging the Mama and affirming her strength and the knowledge her body holds that was passed down by her ancestors.
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Energy Cleansing
Each woman in Mama’s tribe is cleansed through whatever means she prefers. Often this includes sage smudging and a herbal bath for hand washing, before commencing the ceremony with a meditation and energy shield visualization.
Beautiful artwork by Emily Balivet.
From the perspective of an Associate Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist…
Celebrating life transitions is a powerful, healing practice that helps us emotionally and mentally integrate major changes. As an Associate Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I recognize that transitions — like becoming a mother — aren’t just external shifts; they’re deeply internal transformations that affect our sense of identity, relationships, and emotional well-being.
Rituals and ceremonies create a structured, supportive space to acknowledge the end of one chapter and the beginning of another, helping the mind and heart catch up to the physical change. This acknowledgment reduces feelings of uncertainty or loss, replacing them with meaning, purpose, and empowerment.
When transitions go unrecognized, it’s common to feel stuck, anxious, or disconnected — from ourselves or loved ones. But intentional celebration, witnessed by a supportive community, fosters emotional processing, validation, and connection. It grounds the individual in strength and self-worth, reinforcing that they’re not alone in this journey.
From a family systems perspective, honoring these changes also strengthens family bonds, creating a shared narrative of support and resilience that can ripple through generations. Generational wounds are healed by talking and coming together to build new patterns. Whether it’s a Mother Blessing, postpartum ceremony, or other life transition, marking the moment with intention helps ensure the emotional transition is as powerful as the physical one.
Disclaimer: These ceremonies are not therapy services. However, I draw on my background as an Associate Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist to thoughtfully design and facilitate an emotionally supportive, empowering, and meaningful experience.
Respecting and Honoring the Indigenous Origins of Blessingways
Mother blessing ceremonies trace their roots to the Navajo people, known as Diné in their own language. They practice the tradition of the Blessingway, a sacred ritual honoring a woman’s journey into motherhood. Unlike modern baby showers, which focus on gifts for the baby, a mother blessing centers the mother — surrounding her with love, strength, and support from her closest community. This tradition holds space to nurture her spirit, preparing her emotionally and spiritually for birth and motherhood.
While many modern adaptations of mother blessings have emerged, it’s essential to honor and acknowledge the Indigenous peoples, particularly the Navajo Nation, whose sacred practices inspired these ceremonies. Out of respect for their culture, non-Indigenous adaptations should be crafted with cultural sensitivity and minfulness, ensuring they are personalized and unique, rather than directly replicating the original Blessingway.
I deeply honor this tradition as something that does not belong to me. My approach to mother blessings is rooted in creating a personalized, meaningful experience for each mother — inspired by the intention of nurturing and supporting her, while respecting the origins of this sacred practice.
