The Encyclopedia of Radical Helping is a poignant, fascinating compendium of hope for the post-patriarchal era. It’s just out from Thick Press, a very special publisher with a beautiful mission and exquisite craft. Here is the audio recording of one of my three pieces from the book.
People sometimes ask why I, as someone who believes abortion is one of the most fundamental human rights, felt it necessary to create an abortion healing ritual. Doesn’t the idea of healing imply that there’s something wrong with having an abortion in the first place?
No, it doesn’t.
I consider abortion a sacred act, an act of gratitude and blessing that acknowledges the mysterious gift of life and the awesome generous power—and the awesome, generous freedom—of those who can offer children to the world. From this perspective, there’s nothing about any abortion that needs healing.
For many of us, though, abortion may require healing because within the rigid, mechanistic dominant world order and its spiritual environment——a regime built on control, silencing, and separating women from each other— the experience of having an abortion may wound, confuse, shame, isolate, and weaken us.
That is the spirit in which I created this abortion ritual for myself and my family: as a way to mark an abortion in a sacred context. It made all the difference. The day after the ritual, I woke up in peace and have felt only gratitude and joy about the abortion in the thirty years since.
Please pass this ritual on to anyone who can use it, and remember to check out the The Encyclopedia of Radical Helping!
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