Introducing Pagan Families! (Call for Contributions)

Pagan Families: A Resource for Pagan Pregnancy and Birth is a new site (and hopefully a subsequent book). I will be one of the contributors, and many pagan and witchy mamas I know are already involved! Click on over and check it out!

We are looking for folks to submit essays on conception, fertility, pregnancy, pregnancy complications, birth (all kinds), birth preparation, breastfeeding, and other parenting issues from a pagan viewpoint. Check out the submission guidelines.

Says founder Sarah, "I know lots of Pagan families have already performed baby welcoming rituals or written prayers to mother goddesses for a healthy pregnancy.  I want to pool this wisdom and also nurture the creative work of those who want to write on these topics."

She says further, "When I was pregnant with my daughter I searched for a guide to the spiritual aspects of my journey to motherhood, but never found what I was looking for. I’ve heard one too many times from other Pagan parents that they wish for such a guide, and so now Pagan Families is born.

Pagan moms and dads, midwives and friends have felt the energetic changes that a new being brings, crafted rituals to honor the life passages around birthing, and called on the gods to light the way.  Let’s pool this experience, knowledge, and lore in a single website.  Some of it you may already have written in a blog, a book of shadows, or a personal journal; other material is yet to be fully thought and written out.

Pagan Families seeks carefully written contributions on all aspects of Pagan pregnancy and childbirth.   Examples of the kind of writing we are seeking include: scripts for conception rituals; theological essays on the ethics of reproduction; prayers to mother goddesses; Pagan sensitivity guides for birth professionals; personal essays on the experience of spiritual practice during pregnancy; reviews of Pagan-friendly birth resources; and Pagan birth stories.  This list is by no means exhaustive.  Pagan Families will publish in a blog format, using tags to organize content into categories so frazzled parents can easily research a particular topic.

How to submit: Send submissions or proposals to PaganFamiliesEditor@gmail.com. Submissions such as ritual scripts, chants, and prayers should include a brief explanatory introduction.  All submissions should include a 50-100 word author bio (using a pseudonym is fine, but we still want to know a bit about you, like if you’re a parent or a priest or what).  Previously published works are welcome so long as you hold the copyright.  An editor will review your submission to determine whether it is right for Pagan Families and may request that you make changes before it is published.

We recognize that Pagan families are diverse families and we especially welcome contributions reflecting needs and experiences of families of color, single parents, blended families, queer parents, polyamorous parents, poor and working class families, parents with disabilities, and members of diverse Pagan traditions."

Isn't this exciting?!