I have been thinking about this since finding this site several days ago and reading all the community info. It made me start to think more deeply about "mothering with spirit" and what that really means. At first my mind took the word "spirit" and elongated it into "spirituality" and from there my thoughts went to religion, auras, being in tune with nature, thoughts on afterlife and the soul. All of these things say "spirituality" to me, but as I thought about them, I realized that they didn't really have anything to do with my own personal way of mothering.

So I stepped back. And thought some more. And I started thinking about it differently. I went back into my former life as an editor and looked at the word "spirit" in a different way. And I realized what "mothering with spirit" means to me. It's about having spirit--in other words, mothering with excitement, eagerness, enthusiasm. People often describe children as "spirited" because they are so full of energy and seems to feel things so powerfully. They throw themselves full-force into everything they do.

That's how I feel about my way of mothering. Since I put my editor hat away and began mothering full-time, I feel like I have thrown myself into it full-force. Being a mother is thrilling, exciting, and I approach it with all the spirit my son displays as he spins around to make himself dizzy just because he can. I approach every challenge with vigor and feel every joyous moment so deeply it touches my soul. ...Oh, wait! My soul? Well, I guess there is a touch of spirituality in my mothering after all.

THE RESPONSES:

• Mother *Spirit* to me is definitely spiritual. For me mothering is a part of my definition of my spirituality. It is how I identify right now in my life with the triple Goddess (Maiden, Mother, Crone) - as the Mother. It is a path that is unfolding, that touches my soul and nourishes it and brings me light and joy. It is a part of who I am at every moment and who I want to be for always. It is the spirit of Motherhood that has wrought so many changes in my life not only as a mother but as a spiritual being. It is Mothering which brought me home to the Goddess and Mothering which brings me closer than I ever expected to be to the seat of my soul.

• This really strikes a cord in me. My pregnancy/mothering has been such a spiritual transformation for me. While I'm still trying to figure out exactly what spiritual path I'm supposed to be traveling, I know that mothering has opened my eyes/heart/soul on such amazing, life-changing levels.

  In many ways, mothering has provided a way "into" understanding the many facets of my identity -- it's as if I had glimpes all along of what my true self/true path is, but I didn't have the awareness to recognize them as such. So now, other parts of my life (esp., for ex., my studies) are taking on new meanings, and deeply spiritual ones, based on the spiritual transformations that I am experiencing as a mother.