Mother’s Day: Returning to the Root, Reclaiming the Sacred

Before the cards, the brunches, and the store-bought roses, Mother’s Day was a spiritual and political movement. A call to consciousness. A cry for peace. A reclaiming of the sacred feminine.

Today, we’re remembering what mainstream history often forgets: Mother’s Day wasn’t created to sell things. It was created to heal the world.

A joyful family moment unfolds in a bright kitchen, as a mother holds her baby while another woman lovingly interacts with a young girl who is playing with her toy. Fresh vegetables add vibrant colors to the scene, highlighting the warmth and togetherness.

The True Origin of Mother’s Day

The holiday we now know as Mother’s Day was deeply rooted in activism and spiritual motherhood.

• Julia Ward Howe, abolitionist and suffragette, called for a “Mother’s Peace Day” in 1870 after witnessing the horrors of the Civil War. Her vision? Unite women across the world to stop war and build a more compassionate society.

• Later, Anna Jarvis, who lost her mother, lobbied for a day to honor mothers, not with products, but with presence and prayer. She believed mothers were the emotional and moral backbone of society.

Ironically, after Mother’s Day became commercialized, Jarvis fought to have it abolished, calling out the way it had been distorted by capitalism.

The Spiritual Power of Mothers and the Divine Feminine

Mothers are portals. Not just physically, but spiritually. Whether you’ve birthed a child, birthed a dream, or held space for others to become, you are a mother of worlds.

Motherhood in its highest form is:

• Nurturing the spirit.

• Holding grief and growth in the same hands.

• Loving through wounds, silences, and generations.

The world would not turn without the intuitive, creative, and resilient power of women, and this day is not just about celebration; it’s about acknowledgment and restoration.

Simple, Soulful & Cost-Free Ways to Honor a Mother

1. Speak Life Into Her

• Call her and speak affirmations over her.

• Say: “I see you.” “You are enough.” “You’ve done so much with so little.”

2. Offer Her Quiet

• If she’s a mom still in the thick of caregiving, take something off her plate. Do the dishes. Entertain the kids. Let her rest without asking.

3. Write Her a Soul Letter

• Forget the Hallmark. Write from the heart.

• Reflect on how she’s shaped you, healed you, or held you even in her silence.

4. Tend to Her Ancestors

• Light a candle for her mother or grandmother. Speak their names. Build a mini altar if she’s open to it.

• Spiritual recognition can be more healing than material gifts.

5. Listen Without Fixing

• Give her space to vent, reminisce, or cry. Sometimes being heard fully is the greatest gift.

6. Share Her Story

• Let the world know what she’s overcome. Uplift her magic online or in your community.

• Honoring her publicly can affirm her private sacrifices.

Final Words: Returning the Power to the Portal

Let this Mother’s Day be more than a commercial performance. Let it be a return. A restoration. A recognition of the sacred feminine that births, holds, and heals the world.

And whether your mother is present, absent, imperfect, divine, living, or ancestral, honor the mother within yourself, too.

Because to mother is to midwife life itself... And that power is holy.

A serene garden scene with a weathered amphora nestled among lush greenery and pastel blooms, evoking a sense of tranquility and timeless beauty.

Sources:

• National Geographic: “The Mother’s Day we celebrate today has surprising origins in women’s activism.”

• History.com: “Mother’s Day was never meant to be about buying stuff.”

• NPR: “The complicated history of Mother’s Day.”