Mojave’s Spiritual Dedication Ceremony (Explained)

Mojave’s first birthday fell on Labor Day this year + I couldn’t help but find that quite fitting. It’s been such a year of growing, embracing, observing, nurturing + learning for both of us. But if I’m being honest, I was planning how we would celebrate this special moment from the day she was born. Upholding traditions is something I’ve chosen to be an important focus for my family. Traditions of our past generations as well as new traditions that we would create together.

Today, I wanted to share in our dedication ceremony with you mamas so if you choose to adopt it into your life + family, you will understand the reason behind the choices that were made. I hope you enjoy, and if you found this useful or have any questions, be sure to find us on social media this week and reach out. Links to our social accounts are listed at the end of this article.

Preparing the Space

To begin, I knew I had to choose a location out in nature in order to connect with the earth + receive her medicine, but it needed to be a spot that held deeper emotional meaning. For me, this was the creek + waterfall about a 20 minute walk further up the mountain that I would take when I was pregnant to try an induce labor + prepare my body for what was to come. Over those last few weeks of pregnancy, the streaming waters became more than a stop-and-turn-around point. It was a place of refuge + peace. A place of meditation + dreaming.

I would often sit on the giant immovable boulders half way up the waterfall and try to imagine who this wonderful new being was. What she would look like. What her voice would sound like. Her smile. These beautiful thoughts filled my energy with tremendous joy and anticipation, + as she arrived late in the evening one year prior, I truly believe these walks were pivotal in our journey, paving a path I did not yet know.

So this year, we returned to the waterfall for her ceremony.

I found a secure location in the dirt + roots to lay down a quilt that was hand knit with love just for her by a fellow mother + friend. Before I brought Mojave over to join me, I used a sage blend which included dried carnation, gingko biloba, horehound, mistletoe and rose- all burned in a shell and the purifying smoke wafted with my ceremonial feather. This is a wonderful blend I learned from a Yachak (Shaman) from Imbabura while living in Florida. It cleanses the energy when used for smudging and primes it for divinely inspired creativity. After speaking a prayer over the space + smudging the air along with myself, it became sacred land ready for a ceremony.

Then it was time to have Mojave come join me.

Performing the Ceremony

Keeping the sage close, I also made sure to bring a wooden bowl, my water canteen, a singing bowl and of course, a mini cake for her to make a mess of after.

I asked my own mother to join us for this ceremony to represent the most recent 3 generations of our lineage, and I wore sacred turquoise jewelry handed down from my 103 year old grandmother, making the 4th generation present in spirit.

Once I positioned Mojave on her quilt, I filled the wooden bowl with a bit of water and allowed it to remain off to the side. The power of the water element and it’s ability to pick up on vibrations is truly astounding, and as we performed the ceremony, it was collecting all of this beautiful energy + blessings.

Next, I performed a quick round with the singing bowl, allowing the vibrations to echo through the trees + surround us while holding this sacred space within my being. I then continued with smudging Mojave’s energy field while saying a prayer of gratitude to the Great Spirit for the year we had lived together so far, for her life + the blessings she would bring to the world. I also took this time to dedicate her back to the Great Spirit, acknowledging that while placed in my care, she truly belongs to Spirit and merely in my watch until she is old enough to learn where her path leads her next.

After our prayer of dedication ended, I then collected the wooden bowl, drank of the water, then helped Mojave to do the same. Afterward, she splashed her fingers in the remaining water and I knew she was still receiving the healing + blessings it had collected from our sacred space.

Afterward, I offered her a gift, her cake- which she enjoyed having in front of her, but proved to not be so interested in eating it or making a mess for that matter. But it brought me joy to watch, regardless.

Finally after cleaning her up, we walked barefoot around our ceremonial grounds, up the mountain’s steep edge, through the creek, + midway up the waterfall. We placed our hands on the trees and giant boulders and prayed to them, as well as to her animal guides to invite their wisdom and nurturing on her journey. We also included the energy crystals that had been assigned.

When we concluded our ceremony, we packed up all of our things, making sure to leave no trace but our grateful presence behind, hearts now full with overflowing joy.

Assigning Spiritual Guides

There was a main reason this ceremony had to wait a full year before performing and this was because Mojave’s spiritual posse hadn’t yet made themselves known to me. It is also for this reason that I would recommend doing the same.

In our native tradition, it is always encouraged to pick/find 3 animals who’s wisdom would be the appropriate medicine to that child growing up, but also assign other earth elements. While some are received in the form of an inner knowing from mother to child, the others will usually make themselves known throughout that child’s first year. It is our job as mother to be aware of these signs and messages for our child as they grow.

For example, her name, Mojave Aria Reese is a combination of our heritage (Native American, Irish + a family name) when put together creates the meaning of “confident lioness who resides along the waters of the Spirit”, so in this, it was my blessing to her, since before birth that the queen lioness be assigned for the journey ahead, however cousin monkey and grandmother elephant were revealed to me through daily interactions + observations to see which animals Mojave naturally gravitated toward or were gravitating toward her.

The same can be said for the earthly elements that were assigned: the sturdy + patient pine, the immovable moss-covered boulder, the loving rose quartz and the spiritually powerful turquoise (turquoise being an inherited stone that has guided our family lineage for generations).

You may begin to form your own introductory relationship with your wildling’s guides as well, before assigning them to your child. As mother, we can meditate on what they could possibly represent for them, what medicine they might provide and await a confirmation in your spirit or outwardly in receiving your own sign from that guide before moving forward.

When it came to what healing stone was to join the pack, I spent several days allowing Mojave to crawl around the bedroom while under my watchful eye, with various types of crystals and stones along the floor to see which one she seemed to be attracted to the most. For Mojave it was the chunk of raw rose quartz that she couldn’t keep her hands or eyes off of, but it was up to me to notice the sparkle that would appear in those eyes each time she picked it up.

Now, we are sure to surround Mojave with symbols + imagery that represent this power team, whether through spirit or within the actual objects that were assigned- so that she may continue to be reminded of the supportive energies that are always hard at work guiding her through the spiritual realm.

Conclusion

Whether your wildling is about to turn one or seven (or beyond), it’s not too late to adopt this spiritual dedication ceremony into your own lives. Naturally, you will be inclined to add your own special moments, objects or locations, but I will reiterate the importance of the preparation that should precede it. Spend the time needed to get to know the spiritual posse that will be guiding your child just as you would any babysitter or nanny you would interview before hiring them to care for them.

When we connect to the energies and spirits that surround us, we are connecting back to Source. The Great Spirit lives and moves throughout each and every one of us, as well as everything upon this earth. I hope this spiritual dedication ceremony blesses you + your family.

Until next time, may the road rise up to meet you.

D+Mo