Starting a Family

In contemporary homes, starting a family is often a deliberate choice. The experience of pregnancy, the drama of giving birth, and the miracle of adoption are occasions for joy and wonder. These are also experiences that can be fraught with pain and struggle, reflecting the full spectrum of life and death. We offer prayers for those who are trying to conceive, prayers for pregnancy and childbirth, rituals for parents preparing to adopt, mourning ceremonies for miscarriages, blessings for those struggling with infertility, rituals to prepare for or acknowledge an abortion, and much more.

Latest Rituals

Everything Is But a Moment: A Meditation on Kohelet

meditation, megillah, mourning, welcoming

Person meditating with hands in prayer pose, eyes closed, in a dimly lit yoga class.

Self-Birthing: A Ritual for Termination of a Pregnancy

Delicate white flowers blooming on branches against a soft blue sky background.

Dream of the Red Tent

feminism, gender, lesbian, LGBTQ, Miriam

A group of diverse people holding hands and smiling outdoors on a sunny day.

Gentle Boys: A Mother’s Prayer

#metoo, feminism, gender, gender inclusive, genderqueer, LGBTIQ, sexual harassment

Woman holding a baby and playing a guitar, both seated on the floor, smiling.

A Rebirth Mikveh Ritual for Mothers

feminism, mikveh, parent

Staircase descending with potted plants on a ledge and a white railing on the right.

An Invocation of Divine Motherhood

“Motherhood / Finds us…”

mother looking into childs eyes

Faith During an Uncertain Future after Infertility

Thinking about Passover and the death of the firstborn, praying to conceive.

conception, miscarriage, seder

hands holding yellow zinnia

Meditations for Ritual Immersion: For a Woman Beginning Her Journey Toward Conception

To be used when someone stops taking birth control, and begins to look toward becoming a parent

conception, menstruation, mikveh

woman immersing under water

Daughter of Mine: A Song for Reconciling with Childlessness

A song on longing for a child

Silhouette of a person praying at sunrise by the sea, with a rocky cliff in the background.

My Depression

What balm will ease my suffering?

Silhouette of a person partially opening a sheer curtain, with soft natural light filling the room.