Planting Your Placenta
Moondragon
Many people freeze their placentas until they get a special tree or bush in placental types honor of the new baby. As a midwife, I often had placentas given to me from homebirth couples that didn't have plans for them. I would freeze these until I needed to use one for childbirth preparation classes as an educational tool for my parents-to-be (my husband at the time was a bit leary of taking anything out of the freezer since he wasn't sure if it was a steak he was grabbing or a placenta). After the class, I would take it and use it as a gift to the earth when I would wild-gather medicinal herbs or put it in my own herbal garden after harvesting the herbal plants. I would bury the placenta amidst the plants as a "thank you" to them for their healing properties. If I had several areas from which I had gathered plants, I would cut the placenta into several pieces and spread them out over a larger area so that a greater number of plants could reap the benefits from the placenta. I would pause for a few moments and visualize the nutrients being consumed by the plants and becoming charged with healing energies.
If you are using a fresh placenta, you might want to wait for some time (some recommend a year) before planting a tree or bush on it since the rich hormones and nutrients found in the placenta are so concentrated that they may actually kill a plant. However, I haven't had this problem with placentas that have been frozen in a freezer or some time.
After digging an appropriately sized hole, score the sides of the hole so the soil is more amenable to tender roots. Put the placenta in, and cover it with a half to a full inch of soil before placing the plant on top of it. Hold the plant steady while the rest of the hole is filled. Water the plant well after planting. Newly planted trees and shrubs need to be watered on a regular basis the first year until they form a good root system. As the placenta breaks down in the soil, the tree or shrub will reap the benefits of all the nutrients packed in that placenta. Now, just enjoy watching your baby and new yard addition grow!
Placenta Burying Rituals
The following is a suggestion for a placenta burying ceremony. The burying of the placenta can be a strong way of closing with the birth and the period of intense "immersion mothering" which follows it.
The suggested ritual could be done on its own, or in conjunction with a significant milestone (eg. naming ceremony or blessingway ritual, first food, birthday, return of menstruation, or as part of a process of weaning). Please take your time when deciding when and what you would like to do and not do anything until it feels really right for you. The placenta can be stored in your freezer until you decide how you would like to dispose of it, even if it takes a year or more to make the decision.
Feel free to modify this ceremony to fit your needs. Remember that it is much more important to be true to your feelings, than to be word perfect with words somebody else wrote down. This ceremony can be used as a guideline to write your own ritual.
Preparing for the Ceremony
The first step, even before planning where and when to do this ceremony, is to find a sympathetic listener, preferably a woman who has had a baby herself, your local high priestess/coven leader, or your midwife. Discuss with your friend:
This will help you to obtain a clear picture about your needs and to make sure you have the support you need to work toward a resolution of any lingering distress or trauma.
The Placenta Burying Ceremony
Go to the place where you wish to bury the placenta, and prepare a hole. Make sure it is plenty deep so local wildlife and neighborhood pets will not be inclined to dig it up. Do not discard the placenta in an open area like a lake or pond. This could cause problems with the authorities and may have legal implications. It would be a wise thing to check out local regulations regarding the disposal of human tissue, which could be considered a biological hazard. If it is to be buried in a public place like a national forest or preserve area, make sure it is off the beaten path and disposed of where it will not be found by passersby. Again, make sure it is buried deep enough that it will not be found by scavengers. If you are going to bury it on private property, make sure you have permission of the owner.
Take with you: the placenta, a candle and incense, a smudge stick, rose water, a cup/chalice and some red juice, and some simple food, such as bread. The candle can be white or possibly red in color (white for cleansing, red for motherhood) or both colors may be used during the ritual, if desired.
Pour some red juice into a cup or chalice. Light the candle(s) and some incense. I personally like frankincense, sandalwood, or myrrh for doing a cleansing-releasing type of ritual. Make sure the candle and incense are safely handled to prevent anything from catching on fire.
Hold your baby/child and tell him/her the story of his/her birth. If you have any unresolved feelings about any of what happened, express these at this time. If your birth was in some way traumatic or stressful for you and your baby, you should have at least one supportive woman friend with you for support as you go through this process.
You may like to buy a smudge stick (often made from sage or other ritually used herb or grass that is used for purification purposes) and have your friend cleanse you and baby with its smoke after you have told the birth story. Hold your baby, and allow yourself to connect with all the feelings you experienced during and immediately after the birth. Visualize them dissolving into the cleansing smoke. Your friend can affirm aloud that she is cleansing you of all unwanted and hurtful experiences and feelings. If it feels appropriate to include the baby's father, have him hold you while you hold the baby.
You may like, in addition, to tell him/her the story of the birth you would have liked to have shared with him/her. Ask your friend to seal this, by blessing the pair of you with a sprinkling of rose water. Bury the placenta (and if desired, plant a tree or medicinal herbs over the placenta).
Make eye contact with your child, and say to him/her: When you were in my womb, you were nurtured and sustained from my blood through your placenta. Now you are (or were) nurtured by the milk from my breasts (when you were little). As you grow into independence, you will be nurtured and sustained by the Earth Mother. If you are planting a tree or herbal plants, you can add the words... As this little tree (or name of plant) is nurtured and sustained by the Earth Mother.
Eat some of the food and drink a little of the juice. If appropriate offer a little to the child. Set aside a little food and drink as an offering to the Earth Mother. Name and celebrate the ways in which your experience of being this child's mother has enriched you and made you stronger.
Mix together a little of the juice and some of the soil from where the placenta is buried. Daub your child's navel (belly button) with this mixture (don't do this if the baby is a newborn and the navel is still healing), saying: (Your child's name), I will hold you always in my heart. Yet motherhood is a continuing journey of surrender and letting go. So I now release you to grow into the person you were born to be, setting aside all doubts, fears and expectations of my own. I release you into the care and protection of the Earth Mother, may She be a source of lifelong nurturing and pleasure for you, and may you grow to love and care for her in turn. I wish for you that you will never cease to grow in strength, love and wisdom your whole life long (or your own wish for your child's growth and wellbeing).
Bless and thank your womb. Seal and reclaim it as a private inward space belonging to only you. Dip your fingers in the juice and trace a symbol of some kind, such as a flower, a heart, a spiral, or a pentacle, on your belly over your womb. Celebrate your creativity by naming any creative projects you are currently dreaming about.
Close by declaring your willingness to conceive again, or your intention not to conceive again at this time. If you do not want to conceive again, be sure to use a reliable method of contraception to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. Take the offering of juice and food and pour any remaining juice onto the Earth. If you had bread, scatter some for the birds or leave it piled on top of the dirt after the placenta is buried. Extinguish the candle and incense. When you get home, you can relight the candle and let it burn out on it's own, if it hasn't done so already. This will continue to send out the energy you charged it with during the ritual or you can keep it and save it as a keepsake of your placenta ritual.
