Cosmically Charged Rituals: Fertile Body, Fertile Mind by Kenya Kush
fer·tile
/ˈfərdl/
adjective
(of soil or land) producing or capable of producing abundant vegetation or crops.
(of a seed or egg) capable of becoming a new individual.
(of a person, animal, or plant) able to conceive young or produce seed.
photo: Das Leune
May is such a fertile month - empirically and personally. In nature, in the area of the world I inhabit, May brings the most confident blossoms and blooms from the burgeoning buds of April. The weather continues to get warmer, all ice is thawed.
The same changes occur in my body this time of year. Since my birthday is in May, this month always provides a reset button on life, an opportunity to be introspective and reflective on my personal year and growth.
Last year expanded the inherent fertility and sensuality of the month, when I went into labor on Mother’s Day and 28 hrs later gave birth to my first child. This month now screams LIFE at me.
photo: mom
As I near the anniversary of my birth and my daughter’s birth, I’m reflecting on the ways in which this past year, one of chaos, death, and destruction, has increased and redefined my fertility.
Last year, I felt fertile in body — giving birth amidst panic of death is a blessing and a charge. This year, I also feel fertile in spirit. Becoming a new mother during a pandemic forced me to retreat— inside the house and myself. As my body healed, and my baby started to gain independence, I felt the fog clearing and removing a very deep block in creativity.
Being in a state of fertility refers not only to moments of ovulation or conception in our reproductive cycles, but being in tuned with the cycles and relationships that influence our ability to create and cultivate. Such cycles/ relationships may include the changing of the seasons, the presence/ absence of the sun and moon, diet, surrounding environment, daily routines pertaining to hygiene and health, feelings of safety, and many more.
In my interview with Dr. Nadia English-Williams in zine 006, Fertile Dreams, she speaks of working with patients to optimize health in order to conceive. The same optimization is necessary to bare nutritious ideas and interactions.
Fertile Dreams, zine 006. cover by Dominique Oliveto and Janice Ibarra.
Being a mother is being attuned to not only your own cycles and relationships, but also those of your child(ren). An understanding that growth and development is not limited to inside the womb, and that as a mother, your body is HOME, regardless of whether you birthed the child or not.
Becoming attuned to the nuances of your own cycles and relationships starts by listening and observing. Making conscious and observable adjustments to monitor results.
But first, give yourself a hug and a smile, and take three deep breaths
I am fertile in mind and body
I water seeds of intention
My soil is rich
~ Kenya Ku$h ~