Happy Mother's Day| I pay Homage

Happy Mother’s Day

I often consider what it means to be a mother.

I learned that in Yorùbá land, all little girls are addressed as Ìyá because they are all representations of mother. I think that is such a beautiful thing. It speaks not only to the mantle of motherhood itself, but to the sacredness of women.

On Mother’s Day, I think about all the various types of mothers.

The mother who gives birth to children.The mother who fosters children.The mother who adopts children.The mother whose child became an ancestor.The aunties, the grandmothers, the godmothers, and the spiritual mothers.

In our tradition, your Ori is your first Òrìṣà. Your second is your mother. Beside your mother stands your spiritual mother, if you are blessed to have one.

I think about the teachers.Who were the women who educated you?Who were the women who nurtured your mind, your gifts, your becoming?

I think about the mothers who are mentors, the maternal figures who helped shape our lives.

I am always honored to be included in the community of individuals who give souls and spirits bodies. That is what we do. We give souls and spirits bodies.

And even if we do not physically birth a human into this world, all women, in some capacity, mother someone or something.

Today, pay homage to the Divine Mothers.The divinities who walk with us and teach us how to mother.The protectors of women.The protectors of children.The protectors of mothers.

Today, I pay homage to our Onílẹ̀ Ayé for mothering us. Even if our physical mother was not the mother we wanted or needed, the Earth Mother is always available to support us, nurture us, and guide us. All we need to do is ask.

I pay homage to Ori Yeye... the Divine essence of our Mother. Even if you do not have a physical relationship with your mother, her spiritual essence is ALWAYS there to support you. Thank you for answering the prayers that our physical mothers could not.

I pay homage to my own mother for birthing me into this world, for the many gifts and talents I inherited from her, and for helping raise me and my sisters.

I pay homage to my sisters. I pay homage to my sister who keeps eyes on my children when I need to have eyes on my spiritual children, who ensures they get their lunch after therapy, and gets them home safely to me throughout the week.

I pay homage to my sister who is mother to my niece. Who does her hair, nurtures her, and is going to help guide her into aligning to the fullness of who she is.

I pay homage to the spiritual mothers:the spiritual mother who brought me into the tradition,and the spiritual mother who walks beside me as friend within the tradition. Thank you for the foundation that was laid. Thank you for the support that is given.

I pay homage to my ancestral mothers — all of them, on both sides of my existence.

I pay homage to the ancestral mother of the one who is dear to me, who birthed such a beautiful soul that I now get to hold close in this lifetime.

I pay homage to the women who were my school teachers, who loved me, encouraged me, and taught me never to make myself small.

I pay homage to the women who were leaders in their fields and mentored me into becoming a leader in my own right.

I pay homage to the mothers I now get to mother.I am blessed to mother biologically and spiritually, and it means so much to wear the crown of mother.

Motherhood is a mantle.It is a responsibility.It is a calling.

I honor that calling within myself.I honor that responsibility.I respect it, appreciate it, and pray that I will always continue to mother well.

I also want to acknowledge the children who are honoring mothers now in the ancestral realm. The children who remember their mothers today and, with hope, remember them fondly.

I hope today you refresh the flowers on the altar for your mothers.I hope today you pour libations for your mothers.I hope today you give offerings to your mothers.I hope that if your family carries masquerade traditions, they are donned in honor of your mothers.

May we acknowledge all of our mothers with reverence.

May all mothers remember who they are beyond motherhood.May they come into alignment with the greatest and fullest expressions of themselves.May they see how motherhood anchors and supports the other mantles, callings, and sacred aspects of who they are.

I hope the people in their lives truly see them, honor them, and remember them.

I hope they are well-fed.I hope they are deeply cared for.I hope random gifts of love are showered upon them for the hard, honorable work they do as mothers.

May we all be elevated today to the magnitude that reflects our calling.

Happy Mother’s Day.