Newsletter: November 1999
Yesterday I returned from the MANA (Midwives Alliance of North America)conference held in visually breathtaking Lake Tahoe, Nevada. I am always anxious to visit with Jody McLaughlin, U.S. editor of The Compleat Mother, who also attends the conference every year to promote our magazine to the 500 or so midwives who attend. We had much to talk about over a delicious Mexican style dinner with Jody’s two daughters who accompanied her this year. I told Jody I needed something interesting for this newsletter and she quickly found the Winter, 1992, issue of The Compleat Mother which was displayed on her exhibitor’s table. In large letters on the cover are the words “Seasons Greetings.” On page 23 of the issue is a thought provoking article entitled “How Was Jesus Born? Corah Laladet.” You can read a slightly edited version of the article below. For me, the essence of this fine article is that Jesus was born under the supervision of a couple of God’s simplest creatures. No one else attended this most celebrated birth in human history. If you think about it, in human history probably 99% of the people were not born in a hospital. ************** Our Sponsor for November-- Joanna Giannini is a friend of mine who knows her stuff. Please visit her site. Soybeans battle cancer, menopause problems and more! A diet rich in soy may be one of the easiest ways to protect ourselves from future health problems. Find out how you can get soy into your diet without sacrificing great taste! To find out more go to: http://www.geocities.com/heartland/forest/4227 ************** Where was Jesus Born? By Moyses Paciornic, MD, Curitiba, PR Brazil How did Mary give birth? Does anyone really know? The Bible tells us Caesar Augusts ordered a census to be taken. Joseph and Mary were trudging along the road to Bethlehem when she was overtaken by birth-pains. Joseph made Mare as comfortable as possible in a cave which was also used as a stable. Without wasting a moment, he ran into town to look for a midwife who, according to the custom of the Hebrews. Might help with the delivery. By the time Joseph returned, the child Jesus, already fed, was lying in the manger; next to him, calm and composed, rested his mother, Mary; and as dumb witnesses, an ox and an ass stood nearby. How was he born? If the Bible does not tell us, sculptures, drawings, paintings and medical treatises try to do so. From the custom of the Egyptians, whose slaves they were, the Hebrew women learned to give birth while kneeling. One may surmise then, that Mary would have given birth to Jesus from a kneeling position. However, Leonardo da Vinci’s work suggests otherwise. If there was ever a genius, he was it – naturalist, painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, writer - original, accurate, painstakingly precise in everything he did. Leonardo’s work includes six drawings, with delicate dark lines about…the Nativity! In these drawings what position was Mary in? Kneeling? No, she was squatting - in the position after the fashion of the most primitive and anoint Brazilian Indian girls, Leonardo, the genius who was right about most everything else, was right about this too. In ancient times, it was customary for Egyptian women to give birth while kneeling or squatting on the ground, or supported by two parallel stones. It is a general supposition that Hebrew women did the same, and so did their descendants up to Mary’s time. Changes in human habits do not come suddenly, nor do they happen fortuitiously. The Hebrews got used to living in tents, to resting in a squatting position and the women gave birth to their offspring from a squatting position, in close contact with the ground. Among most of the desert peoples, that is still the practice today. It is well known when desert women are taken to modern maternity wards in Alexandria, Cairo, Beirut, Tel Aviv, they show their displeasure and revolt against current medical practices that force them to lie down when, by instinct and experience, they would rather squat. In the Bible’s early Hebrew texts, there is one more argument to prove that this was so, or it should be so. There, the birth process is referred to in Hebrew as “corah laledet." Corah: to squat; “laledet: in order to bear child, to give birth." Now, you may analyze for yourselves, just pay attention to the resemblance: “corah” in Hebrew, “croca” for the Indians, “acroca” for the caboclos (the Brazilian hinterlands inhabitants, “accroupir” in French, “acocolare” in Italian, “kauern” in German, “to squat” in English, “cuclilas” in Spanish, the same in other languages. The etymological root seems to be the same. Time will come when all mothers of the world will give birth to their children from a squatting position, just like our innocent twentieth century Indians, and just like Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the women of her day. ***************** The Compleat Mother offers an extraordinary Christmas card. You can preview the card (and buy it securely on the web) here: http://www.compleatmother.com/CHRISTMAS_card.htm The cost of this card is as follows: 5 for $6.00 10 for $9.00 25 for $20.00 If you prefer, you can also order cards through regular mail. Please enclose $2.00 postage and handling -or- add $3.20 per order for 2 day priority mail. We also have two other Christmas postcards and others for your inspection on the website: http://www.compleatmother.com/postcards.htm Please send your order to: Compleat Mother P.O. Box 209 Minot, ND 58702 **************** Peace to all of you this Thanksgiving. Relax and enjoy the awesome gentler parenting opportunities available to you during this wonderful season. Greg Cryns Online editor: The Compleat Mother Magazine http://www.compleatmother.com
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