Gateway to Life
Why Gateway to
Life?
We, women, are
the doorway through which life comes.
Why Gateway to
Life?
“If we hope to
create a world where respect & kindness replace fear & hatred,
we must begin with how we treat each other at the beginning of
life. For that is where our deepest patterns are set. From
these roots grow fear & alienation ~ or love & trust.”
Suzanne Arms
How do I keep a
child’s brightness, brilliance and innocence intact? What is
the full potential of a human being? Where does the
potential start? (Everything about this website was
organized for this sole purpose) Through my studies of the
design of our human being-ness, I knew that a child from before
conception could be intentionally co-created. Our
thoughts, feelings, actions, what we eat, wear and surround
ourselves with, have a physical impact on who we are. Science
has proven that thoughts are things, emotions are molecules and
the observer can influence the observed.
So what are the
possibilities of co-creating a child centered in the royal
birthright of magnificence? This was my personal
quest. Now, it’s my intent to share this information to
create a more loving birth experience for our children, who are
the future of this world.
I went from having recurring nightmares about giving birth,
to manifesting the perfect birth; virtually pain free, 7 hour
labor, water birth with a midwife, doula, my husband, soothing
music, fresh flowers, candlelight, a perfect experience for us.
How did I shift my paradigm? By showing up as a curious,
adventurous, willing, faithful and loving mother to be. I was
paying attention to God’s advice as I was guided in very
specific directions.
What are my credentials for sharing this story with you? Our
doula just told my friend, “ Sherri had the most amazing birth
experience out of the hundreds that I’ve seen and I share some
of the things she did with other moms to be.” Basically,
life experience.! A lot of effort went into my choices during
this whole process and I am here to share some of them with you.
I was someone who wouldn’t even consider having a child
naturally, much less being excited about having children.
All of that changed as I was “figuring myself out” during a time
dedicated to “studying life” and to understand Who I Really Am
and my purpose here. . I took the responsibility of
bringing a child into this world very seriously, so I studied up
on how I could align this feat with my value system.
How did the
desire unfold?
During some heart work, I asked myself “What is the most
important thing to me?” I fast forwarded my life and saw myself
surrounded by a family, my children’s children and at that
moment decided connecting and being together with those I love
is what brings joy to my life. A big aha moment was realizing,
the boss I dedicated my life to at that time would probably not
even be at my funeral 70 years from now.
Joy, Fulfillment, hmmm. On Oprah, I heard Cheryl, the Life
Coach, say for you to be fulfilled, figure out what you are most
scared of and do it. Well for me that would be giving birth to
a child naturally!
“Be the change you wish to see in the world” Ghandi. I
decided through a lot of personal reflection that bringing a
child into this world was a way to be that change.
The answer to definitely have a child came after sharing my
most pivotal moments of the year at a Christmas dinner with
close friends. Our friend had a dream where my mom came to him
in an angelic form and said, “The window of opportunity for Ted
and Sherri to have a child is now.” We got pregnant the next
month on my birthday in Kauai.
So how I asked myself, “How can I have a child that is in
alignment with natural law, health, vitality, celebration,
sacredness, and truth?”
“Ask and you
shall receive, knock and the door shall open”
Doorways are
sacred to women for we are the gateways of life and we can
choose what comes in and goes out. –Sherri Eck
Conscious Conception
I considered
this such a sacred act. We were co-creating with God, a being,
a real live person who was going to grow inside of me! Through
the power of prayer, Ted and I set our intention for a child to
grace us with his or her presence. We knew the truth about the
law of attraction and also that God gives us what we ask for,
therefore, it’s important to be specific. We recited a prayer
from Marianne Williamson’s book, Illuminata every night. I
invite you to take these ideas that have enriched my life and
use them to enrich yours.
Spiritual
ACTION TIP:
Read this prayer out loud with your partner.
Dear God,
May I be
pregnant with the expression of a new being: someone more
magnificent than I have been;
More powerful
than I have been;
More alive than
I have been,
More at cause
than I have been;
More tender
than I have been;
More
compassionate and merciful than I have been;
More full of
love than I have been;
More tolerant,
less judgmental than I have been;
More at one
with myself and all others;
More close to
You, dear Lord, than I have been.
Amen.
I can say that
as I write this, I know this to be true. Our daughter sings “I
love you” to our friends and family on a daily basis. People
are in awe of her brightness and expression of love.
Physical ACTION
TIP:
I
cleansed my physical body for a month by drinking only pure
water and eating organic pure foods. I stayed away from
alcohol, sugar, processed and refined foods.
Stellar
Pregnancy
I knew from my nutritional background and curiosity about the
human body that our 52 trillion cells are changing everyday and
within 1 year, we have a totally new version of our body. I
also knew that I am the macrocosm of the microcosm that was
going on inside of me. Whatever I was experiencing on a mental,
emotional, physical, spiritual level, so was the fetus. It was
my responsibility to integrate all of my knowledge of health and
vitality into creating the healthiest, brightest baby possible.
I put my talents of nutrition, spirituality, prayer, intention,
awareness, willingness and focus into co-creating in the most
honorable way I could.
(see Sherri’s
Bookshelf below)
I treated this period like a boot camp, getting myself in
shape for the most intense, physical, mental and emotional act
of giving birth. I knew that God designed our bodies to give
birth, naturally, so I was getting this body ready for the task
ahead!
Physical ACTION
TIP:
-
Pre-natal
Yoga allowed increased strength & flexibility and focused
time with the unborn child. I experienced deep moments of
connection I will always remember. Thank you Cindy Crawford
for inspiring me to search for a pre-natal yoga class.
Mamaste Yoga offers pre-natal Yoga classes and
resources.
-
Honor the
growing, expanding body by loving it, not cursing it or
thinking it’s fat! When we have respect and honor this
process, we command others to do the same.
-
Drinking
pure water, eating only organic, low-hybridized, chemical
free Whole Foods, taking supplements, drinking red raspberry
tea and a plethora of other disciplines that will be written
in a book prepared my body for giving birth.
Mental ACTION
TIP:
-
Release all
fear and replace with loving thoughts.
-
I would go
to B&N to the pregnancy section and ask what books are best
for me. I read everything that was inspired from a place of
love and knowing that we women were designed to give birth.
This is a total empowerment opportunity. (see book list
below)
Spiritual
ACTION TIP:
-
Have
questions you’d like answered? Connect with the Spirit of
the unborn child.
-
I asked
what nursery theme she wanted and got a very specific
answer.
-
I asked her
what she wanted her name to be and received several
serendipitous confirmations on Jasmine.
Emotional
ACTION TIP:
·
I
am 5’2” and very petite so when people heard I was going to give
birth naturally, they said “You are so small’, “If I couldn’t
bear the pain, how can you” (from a very talented aerobics
instructor), plus many other violent communication attacks. If
anything like this happens to you, go into the bathroom for some
privacy and reprogramming. After 7 weeks the fetus’s nervous
system has formed and can be affected by our emotions. I would
tell the fetus that everything was perfect, God created my body
for birthing you and we are having the perfect birth
experience. These stories are other peoples stories and I will
own my own, not theirs.
Physical ACTION
TIP:
·
Research Birth Centers in your area. They are sprouting up all
over the place. Ask to go on a tour. I cried for the whole
hour on our tour at the Birth and Women’s Center in Dallas
Texas. It was everything and more.
·
Water birth is called a midwifes epidural. I know this assisted
in lessening the pain and benefits the baby in numerous ways
·
Write down the perfect birth plan and stay detached from the
outcome.
Mental ACTION
TIP:
·
Have your birth plan in place with the detachment of the
outcome.
·
Thoughts are things. Program your mind with positive thoughts
that you are 100% capable because that is how God intended it!
·
Remember over 300,000 women give birth a day!
Emotional
ACTION TIP:
Ted read poetry
to me as I labored. Have a supportive person with you. This may
be someone besides your partner.
Spiritual
ACTION TIP:
-
I was so
connected to Jasmine’s spirit and my wish was for her to
come into this world in a place of beauty, love and
celebration. I knew that she was going to “take everything
in” through her feelings, downloaded just like a computer!
-
I found
this poem in the Birth & Women’s Centers tour packet and
implemented it into my experience by taking all of the
ribbons that come with the baby shower gifts and stringing
them together, during the shower, to physically create a
sacred circle around the birth area to remind me of all the
love and support of friends and family. Ted read the poem
below (because I could not) just before Jasmine entered into
this world. It brings tears to my eyes as I remember this
special moment. I welcome you to use this to add more
meaning to your birth.
The Sacred
Circle
From
Motherprayer, the pregnant woman’s spiritual companion
Birth and Women's Center
The room has
been graced with a prayerful reminder of God’s presence, and it
is time to magnify the sanctity of the birthing bed. It is time
to define the area of the temenos, the sacred zone. We can draw
the boundaries on the floor, or mark them with strings and
ribbons, or establish them by the presence of people. By doing
so, we create a sacred circle. The round belly of the woman has
itself been the sacred circle that protected the child and
contained the power of creation. Now that space must be
enlarged:
In the magic
circle you are safe.
I was your
magic circle:
I willed,
protected, and surrounded you.
I kept you from
the world,
from its accidents and demons
its
bacteria and muses
its
viruses and hatred and violence and envy.
In the circle
of my being, you were safe.
I have
stretched very large—
but still I am
too small for you.
The circle that
once protected you now constricts.
The safe space
in which you grew ready
no longer lets
you move.
Now you must
come out.
Behold I create
a new space,
a circle drawn
around us both.
The circle of
me gives way to the circle of we.
I draw this
circle:
with flour
strewn on the floor,
with ribbons and strings and bows,
with people gathering around.
This space must
be sacred,
the hour is
holy.
The coming is
now.
To our presence
and the
presence of the Presence,
blessed be the
one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Sherri Eck’s
Gateway to Life Bookshelf
The Secret Life
of the Unborn Child by Thomas Verny, M.D. with John Kelly (love the
facts and research of the physiology of the fetus and how they
are responsive to their environment)
How to Have a
Smarter Baby by Dr. Susan Ludington-Hoe (love the brain
building suggestions)
Gentle Birth
Choices by Barbra Harper, R.N. (love the history of how we as
a society has given birth and the benefits of a peaceful, loving
birth experience)
Ideal Birth by
Sondra Ray
(this is one of
my favorite and most spiritual & the last time I checked this
was out of print)
A Child is
Born by Lennart Nilsson & Lars Hamberger (love the fetal
photos in this one!)
Birthing from
Within by England Horowitz
(the only birth class we took was based on this book)
The Birth Book
by Sears & Sears (basic, good info)
Magical Child
by Joseph Chilton Pearce (opened possibilities for my child)
Midwifery &
Herbs by Willa Shaffer (love the specific recommendations)
The Biology of Transcendence a
Blueprint of the Human Spirit
by Joseph Chilton Pearce (this is a brand new
book that my webmaster says supports, through research, Gateway
to Life, my experience and my why.
I know there
are more excellent books out there and I’d love to know about
them and why you feel they should be graced in the Gateway to
Life Book Shelf.
Sherri Eck's Book Shelf
More recommended reading
Please email
sherri@generationalblessings.com with your comments,
suggestions, and personal success stories. Gateway to Life
Workshops coming soon!
