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November Newsletter 2002 By Jeannine Parvati Baker Our sunsets are liquid, moving prayers hung on the horizon each desert night. Maybe it’s because I was conceived on Labor Day, but the end of the autumn season feels fecund, almost secretive in its covert humidity, the change from russet red to crystal white. The Muse implants cool, new concepts for books, with a multitude of juicy, outrageous titles, and as the garden turns down its leaves, I take my leave of daily outdoor chores. The fire of the sky now lights our way home in the hearth as we begin to have wood fires again to warm our winter bones.  Halley draws, reads, teaches yoga with me (3 times / week through last October) and continues to navigate the uncharted Scorpionic waters of the Teen Seas. Synchronicities Abound As I say good-bye to our houseguest Verena Schmidt from Italy this end of summer past, I remember that we hadn’t viewed together the documentary “A Clear Road to Birth”. So I sent it along with her as she was going to visit Jan Tritten, of Midwifery Today Magazine and Conferences - perhaps Jan hadn’t seen it yet, either? (Little did I know that this gesture would lead to Prenatal Yoga being reviewed in the MT ‘zine someday?) I sent an e- photo of Verena and short message to Jan after her departure, and Jan replied almost instantly. She had just been trying to find a copy of this film for review and hadn’t located one. Now there was one in its way, via Verena. Good timing! The end result was an excellent review of the documentary in a magazine for midwives about how midwives may be interventive and how not to be. (See our Freestone Website Catalog for how to purchase your copy via the Internet or send $46 postpaid through the mail for the VHS film.) When Verena and I had our last face-to-face conversation, I told her about meeting Elizabeth Davis, close to 30 years ago at her first Blessing Way in San Francisco, where Verena is now headed. Elizabeth was destined to write a most excellent midwifery book, “Heart and Hands” but at the time I met her, she was a fledgling, young midwife. At the Blessing Way that I was conducting, she got me aside in the hallway and asked me about the mother’s low hematocrit. Her blood count was too low for the standards of practice for a homebirth. What herbs should the mother take to raise her blood count now? I asked Elizabeth what if the mother’s hematocrit remained low - would she still attend the birth at home? She admitted, yes, she would. So I advised her to stop testing the mother’s blood (a cause for a low iron count in itself - just a few hundred years ago midwives would bleed the mothers in another way). The mother did go on to have a wonderful homebirth and the midwife learned the limitations of the medical standards of practice when applied to homebirth. 
Later that day, I received a phone call from a correspondent in Ireland. She wondered about attending an up-coming birth and the story, fresh in my mind about Elizabeth, was timely shared with the caller from Ireland. The same theme - applying the medical management to homebirth and what strange bedfellows they can make. A moon or so later this autumn, I read the wonderful Irish birth report sent to me in the mail and how healing our conversation had been for this mother. What motivates us to attend birth is vital to understand so that we can be a clear and present reflection of birthing energy. The job is simple - our presence reminds the mother that she already knows how to give birth. Another kind of phone story -- when I got listed in the book, America's Top 100 Psychics, people would book phone consultations with me. As I have sporadic short-term memory loss, sometimes I would write them down in my appointment book -- then forget to look at my book! When they would call, I sometimes wouldn't recognize the name. So here is the scenario -- Phone rings, I answer -- "Yes this is Jeannine. Who is it? What do you want?" The "psychic" reading could only get better from there on. My kids thought that hilarious... Since, we have moved another county away and that phone is no longer in service: Now people book consultations for other reasons than knowing I am psychic. 
For some examples, this autumn I consulted with pregnant mothers and fathers who plan their first freebirths and/or waterbirths, a woman who wants to be a mother yet now has an aggressive form of breast cancer, several authors about their writing contracts and self-publishing, a mother whose child has been diagnosed with a rare heart problem, Utah Senators and Representatives plus the local birth community about ending Medi-Caid funding for circumcision, a new father’s postpartum concerns, designing a coming of age ceremony, and some more. Each of these phone consultations was like manna, feeding my soul. I must have some pretty good karma to bring these callers into my life. Whatever the issue, the original motive for the phone call, we surprise ourselves through the magic of deep listening. At the appointed time, we enter an aural journey to the sources for “In the beginning, there was the Word”. Together we tincture the truth.  I went through the OB program at a College of Naturopathic Medicine but was the only person in the history of the school to quit the preceptor ship in midstream. There's lots of competition to get into the program but I could not continue to do births the way we were being taught.... When I graduated (last year), the first thing I did was re-read HYGIEIA after 20 years, to begin my healing process. This weekend workshop has helped me complete that process. For that I thank you. Remember to celebrate your own birth. Stay juicy. And thank you for being. V.L. Larson, ND 52 years and loving it! Speaking of photosynthesis - Our first tree alighted with autumn and is such a glorious deep red that it feels like my very kin, my own blood dripping love from the branches. I can't remember autumn ever being so rich in color before, nor feel such resonance with the wind blowing summer away. And soon comes the next turn of the wheel, winter. Already we had our first snow and now settle into the next few months at home, no tours until next year, beginning in early January to Sonoma County for another Benefit for Nan Koehler. Many new events have been added to the TOUR Schedule for 2003-04. Please register early as space is limited. ASTROLOGY for the Holidays  Forgive my boldness - Maybe it's the holyday season, or just being middle-aged, but it feels like the right time to invite an earlier than later order for your Astrology Readings, destined to be New Year gifts for 2003 and beyond, from yours truly, Jeannine Parvati Baker. Usually what happens is, early December comes around, and suddenly, I have a glut of astrology readings commissioned. This year I thought to invite your astrological reading earlier in the season in order to keep a steady flow of work through the late autumn. To expedite this, I am offering an “early bird special” on all astrological work. Usually charts cost $30 to draw - now they are $25 each. Hourly rates for taped readings are $108/minimum but for now, they will be $98. That is a $15 savings for a horoscope and an hour reading. This "special" is good until the 30th of December 2002. One chart, 1 hour reading for only $123 - AFTER December, fees will go up. To order your reading, specify for whom, birth date, time and location and send your check (or use Pay Pal on our website with your credit card). Please include mailing address of where the gift is to be sent and numbers of where to reach you, if questions arise. TRANSIT READINGS are for any given year. New Year’s READINGS make awesome gifts for your friends. Thanks to all who have had readings over the many years and for keeping it cosmic!! Blessed Be & Blessed Do, Jeannine Parvati Baker freestone@freestone.org 40 North State St. Joseph UT 84739 USA 435.527.3738 BACK to Newsletter Archives |
